Abstract Art

Abstract Art Essay Abstract Expressionism is the form of art that has developed after the most difficult periods in human history. This period began during the great depression in the 1930s and ended with the end of World War II in 1945. All of this brought about a worldwide examination of basic human values and ethics and a period of dramatic change in art. Abstract Expressionism is the name given to a group of American artists who would gain international attention during the 1950s. As a result from the Second World War, many of the great European artists in which they found themselves expelled to New York. The result of this advancement to the American art was the post-war international authority that had to the Abstract Expressionists, and the movement that would be the centre for the art world that progressed from Europe to New York. Even though the Great Depression and World War II were great disasters, these events were important in forcing a number of the European artists to flee Europe for the safety of the United States, where they influenced many younger American artists. It was difficult to know exactly how much of this migration would affect American art, but in part of its impact, would be for the first time in which American artists would become internationally recognized for their new vision and a new artistic vocabulary, in which would be known as Abstract Expressionism. Even though abstract expressionism is the movement in painting that has emerged in New York City in the mid-1940s and has reached fame in American art for the following decade. With the given impulsion from the work of Arshile Gorky, abstract expressionism would be marked by the attention that would surface qualities, like brushstroke and texture. Some of the major artists that were included in this movement would include: Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Hans Hofmann, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. Abstract Expressionism was primarily concerned with the spontaneous declaration of the individual through the act of painting. The movement would contain lots of variety for styles in which they would be characterized more by the concepts that would be behind the art than by a specific look. Generally, abstract art would be without recognizable images and wouldnt adhere to the limits of predictable form. The roots of abstract expressionism would be in the nonfigurative work from the Russian-born painter Wassily Kandinsky and surrealists, who would deliberately use the subconscious and spontaneity in creative activity. The American painters that would be influenced by the subjective abstractions from the Armenian-born painter Arshile Gorky, who had immigrated to the United States in 1920, who in which he stressed the dynamic interaction of colored planes. The abstract expressionism movement would be centered in New York City. Even though the styles would have embraced within the abstract expressionism that was as diverse as the styles from the painters themselves; there were two major tendencies that were noted in the movement. Abstract painters were concerned with the paint texture and consistency that was worked with the gestures from the artist and while the painters would be giving their impact on their work by using unified color and shape. Abstract art would also be flourished in Europe especially because it is where it was influenced by French painters such as: Nicolas de Sta? Â «l, Pierre Soulages, and Jean Dubuffet. The European abstract expressionists were emphasized by the patches of color, and the art informal, in which it was a rejected formal structure, that had especially close resemblance with New York painting. Abstract Expressionism would be classified by two basic categories: the gestural Abstract Expressionists, who are interested in brushstrokes and drips of paint; and the colour field Abstract Expressionists, in which they create large canvases of color, in the mark of the brush that is not important. READ: Art Appreciation Ch. 4.3Basically, the individual artists that got to be involved with Abstract Expressionism would be that they all shared ideas about the nature of art, seeing it as an expression of the artists self, or of the basic creative urge that all humans share. Since one of the important developments that would be associated with the colour field of Abstract Expressionists would be the creation of a 20th century sublime. Traditionally, the sublime would be a piece from the 19th century art, in which it was the power of nature would be revealed by the character of God. Artists began to express their feelings and thoughts in abstract form. However, the difference here would be that they are expressing these abstract ideas and feelings within their energy that had never been seen before as they tried to find a way of putting their excitement, inner feelings and even torment into a concrete form. The Abstract Expressionists were thought as a group that shared a common experience, however, as individuals they did not think of themselves as a group with common ideals. The similarities that were between the artists was that they all wanted to use their personal intuition in order to make something new and distinctively American, yet commonly valid and unprovincial. Within The Abstract Expressionist Movement, there were different groups of artists that had a particular style. The emergence of the Abstract Expressionist in America had a profound effect on the rest of the art world, because it was relocated to the center of the art. Many factors caused America to be the new center of Creativity. Political and economical causes such as the Great Depression and world war II, as well as former artistic genres such as Surrealism, Social Realism, and primitive American art influenced the Abstract Expressionist new style.

Statement of Purpose for PhD in Supply Chain Management Essay

Statement of Purpose for PhD in Supply Chain Management - Essay Example These activities include buying product parts from the suppliers, assembling those parts for the manufacturing of the product, and selling the manufactured parts to the customers. For every supply chain process to be efficient, there are some key steps, which the management of a company must take. These steps include plan, develop, create, deliver, and return. Planning is the step which initiates the supply chain process. In this step, a proper strategy is developed by the management in order to make the product or service meet the needs and demands of the customers. Next step is to develop the product. This step includes some important activities such as identifying the reliable and efficient suppliers, planning the method for shipping, product delivery planning, and making payments. Make is the third stage in the supply chain process. This step includes manufacturing, testing, packaging, and scheduling activities. All key issues related to the product manufacturing and packaging are managed at this step. The fourth step in the supply chain process includes delivery of the manufactured product to the targeted customers. At this step, orders are taken from th e customers and the requested products and services are delivered to the customers by the company. Return is the last step included in the supply chain process. In this process, customers deliver the defective products back to the company either for replacement or for refund of money. I am fully aware of all issues related to these steps, and my skills and innovative nature motivate me to do something new in the field of supply chain management. One of the reasons for why am I applying for the doctorate program being offered by the Dublin Institute of Technology is the level of motivation which I have for obtaining doctorate degree in Supply Chain Management. It has been one of my desires since I started my university life to get a

Assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment 1 - Essay Example The passages 34-38 (Quinones 460) prove the fact that Jeremy had no intention to make himself a hero, he was truly worried about the kids and did his best to save them. The same intentions I noticed in the interview with that fireman I read years ago and this was really surprising for me, because usually when people do something good they want others to see their good actions and evaluate the person who does something moral as a virtuous kind of personality. However, the fireman from that article was extremely unpretentious telling the stories about all those people he had saved like it was his routine working responsibilities. Thus he claimed that it was just his job, like if it was something equal in its value to what people do in offices or something like that. The fireman wasn’t thinking of being a hero, he was just doing his job, as well as Jeremy was doing what he knew he had to do, so he wasn’t even considering any other options except helping those kids. Iâ€⠄¢m pretty sure that in that moment he wasn’t even thinking â€Å"I have to save the kids†, he was just doing it without thinking, as his actions were absolutely automatic. Hence, it is possible to say that the actions of both the fireman and John were truly heroic, as there wasn’t the intention to become a hero in none of them, because real heroism is essentially simply kind and thoughtful. The Michaej’s Weiskopf story about him losing his hand and saving the three other people in fact reveals an interesting definition of heroism as a â€Å"quick response to a changing environment† (Weiskopf, 467). Probably, the story indeed proves the thesis, however, the story of another journalist, Robert Cox, demonstrates the kind of journalistic heroism that is not engaged with self-preservation instinct but the one based on sacrifice of one’s own life for the sake of justice and truth. Robert Cox was

Night Book Report :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eliezer is a 12-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy living with his family in the Transylvanian town of Sighet. Eliezer is the only son of the family, and his parents are shopkeepers. His father is a highly respected within Sighet’s Jewish community. Eliezer also 2 older sisters, Hilda and Bà ©a, and a younger sister named Tzipora. Eliezer is taught Jewish mysticism under Moshe, a local pauper. In 1944 German armies occupy Hungary, and soon move into Sighet. Jewish community leaders are arrested, valuables are confiscated, and all of the Jews are then forced to wear yellow stars. The Jews were all gathered into small ghettos, and soon after, the Germans began to deport them to Auschwitz. Eliezer’s family is among the last to leave Sighet and it is then Eliezer began his horrible experience as being apart of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During this long and painful experience, Eliezer questioned his faith more than once. Before he and his family were forced onto the camps, Eliezer’s studies in Jewish mysticism taught him that if God is good and He is everywhere, than the whole world must therefore be good. But his faith in the world is broken by the cruelty and evil he witnesses during the Holocaust. He wonders how God would even let such an evil take place, he feels that if the world is so sick and cruel, than God must also be sick and cruel or not exist at all. Moshe is asked why he prays and replies, â€Å"I pray to the God within me that He will give me strength to ask him the right questions.† Meaning, questioning is a fundamental to the idea of faith in God. The horrible experiences of the Holocaust force Eliezer to ask questions about the nature of good and evil and about weather God exits or not. But the fact he asks these questions reflects his commitment to God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eliezer not only suffers from experiences Nazi persecution, but also cruelty he sees fellow prisoners inflict on each other, and becomes aware of the cruelty of which he himself is capable. Everything he experiences shows how horribly people can treat one another, which troubles him. The Nazis are the first insensible cruelty Eliezer experiences. Though, when they first appear, they do not seem terrible in any way shape or form. Eliezer recounts, â€Å"Our first impressions of the Germans were most reassuring. . . Their attitude toward their hosts was distant, but polite.

Personal statement for nursing

As the first child growing up in a Chinese family In a predominantly minority Oakland community, I watched my grandfather take countless prescribed medications for Illnesses from cancer and thyroid Issues, and being Diabetic. Noticing the medicine cabinet full of drugs made me question what exactly went on in my grandfather's body when he took these daily medications. I attended most my grandfather's health care appointments to translate because of his limited English or even none.They needed my interpretation to understand the information about each drug received for my grandfather. Unable to elaborate on the physiological effects of particular drugs, however, my explanations were limited to basic side effects and indications: drowsiness or pain relief. Or the reasoning to why the medical procedure is being done to get certain tests results. As an intermediary in my grandfather's health situation, I gained not only an acute awareness of the patient's experience in medical interactio ns but also an appreciation for the nurse's crucial role.Translating for my grandfather, I was vitiated by the passionate nurse's knowledge of skills and explanation of procedures and education, her eagerness to consult with the patient to meet his needs. Beyond patient interactions, I gained insight into nurses' role in communicating with doctors about what the patient want or needs. I began to understand the crucial role of communication in promoting patients' appropriate healing process.My determination to pursue a career In Nursing remains strong, As a volunteer at Asia Healthcare Center In Oakland, I regularly Interact with low-income minority tenets experiencing challenges similar to my grandfather's: limited education, financial need, language barriers. I play an important role in addressing patients' clinical needs through direct interactions with them: I build rapport with patients, enabling them to trust the nurses and discuss personal issues.The nurse plays a crucial role In determining whether a patient Is able to follow through with a prescribed treatment through careful consideration of an Individuals personal circumstances and the feasibility of treatment. Lingering at Aslant Healthcare provides me fuller appreciation for the compassionate, professional communication required for effectiveness as a nurse. My commitment to developing communication skills and my passion for being a nurse has evolved through my involvement in the Oakland community, which often lacks clinical education.Working with the East Bay Asian Youth Community, an after- school program serving underprivileged students, strengthened my Interest In working closely with youth. I maintained a classroom of 10-15 teenage students, providing support in and outside of the classroom. Besides teaching basic math, I provided weekly lessons about drugs such as Ethylene to help the students understand their physiological effects. Despite the challenge of teaching these students, I realized the value of my contribution when a high school student In my class said, â€Å"l really appreciate your lesson about drugs.If not for you, I could not This experience gratified me and strengthened my resolve to pursue Nursing. As a Nurse, I desire to continue my development as a skilled, culturally competent, compassionate professional. I place a high priority on understanding the effect of patients' personal circumstances on their ability to follow a prescribed treatment and facilitating their understanding the necessity of such treatments. In the long term, as role model to my family and as leader to the community, I want to help minorities, especially Asian immigrants, by educating them and providing effective, appropriate service to meet their needs.

The Tiananmen Square Massacre - Background and Causes

Most people in the western world remember the Tiananmen Square Massacre this way: Students protest for democracy in Beijing, China, in June of 1989.Chinese government sends troops and tanks to Tiananmen Square.Student protesters are brutally massacred. In essence, this is a fairly accurate depiction of what happened around Tiananmen Square, but the situation was much longer-lasting and more chaotic than this outline suggests. The protests actually started in April of 1989, as public demonstrations of mourning for former Communist Party Secretary General Hu Yaobang (1915–1989). A high government officials funeral seems like an unlikely spark for pro-democracy demonstrations and chaos. Nonetheless, by the time the Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre were over less than two months later, 250 to 4,000 people lay dead. What really happened that spring in Beijing? Background to Tiananmen By the 1980s, the leaders of Chinas Communist Party knew that classical Maoism had failed. Mao Zedongs policy of rapid industrialization and collectivization of land, the Great Leap Forward, had killed tens of millions of people by starvation. The country then descended into the terror and anarchy of the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), an orgy of violence and destruction that saw teenaged Red Guards humiliate, torture, murder and sometimes even cannibalize hundreds of thousands or millions of their compatriots. Irreplaceable cultural heirlooms were destroyed; traditional Chinese arts and religion were all but extinguished. Chinas leadership knew that they had to make changes in order to remain in power, but what reforms should they make? The Communist Party leaders split between those who advocated drastic reforms, including a move toward capitalist economic policies and greater personal freedoms for Chinese citizens, versus those who favored careful tinkering with the command economy and continued strict control of the population. Meanwhile, with the leadership unsure of which direction to take, the Chinese people hovered in a no-mans land between fear of the authoritarian state, and the desire to speak out for reform. The government-instigated tragedies of the previous two decades left them hungry for change, but aware that the iron fist of Beijings leadership was always ready to smash down opposition. Chinas people waited to see which way the wind would blow. The Spark—Memorial for Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang was a reformist, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1980 to 1987. He advocated rehabilitation of people persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, greater autonomy for Tibet, rapprochement with Japan, and social and economic reform. As a result, he was forced out of office by the hardliners in January of 1987 and made to offer humiliating public self-criticisms for his allegedly bourgeois ideas. One of the charges leveled against Hu was that he had encouraged (or at least allowed) widespread student protests in late 1986. As General Secretary, he refused to crack down on such protests, believing that dissent by the intelligentsia should be tolerated by the Communist government. Hu Yaobang died of a heart attack not long after his ouster and disgrace, on April 15, 1989. Official media made just brief mention of Hus death, and the government at first did not plan to give him a state funeral. In reaction, university students from across Beijing marched on Tiananmen Square, shouting acceptable, government-approved slogans, and calling for the rehabilitation of Hus reputation. Bowing to this pressure, the government decided to accord Hu a state funeral after all. However, government officials on April 19 refused to receive a delegation of student petitioners, who patiently waited to speak with someone for three days at the Great Hall of the People. This would prove to be the governments first big mistake. Hus subdued memorial service took place on April 22 and was greeted by huge student demonstrations involving about 100,000 people. Hardliners within the government were extremely uneasy about the protests, but General Secretary Zhao Ziyang (1919–2005) believed that the students would disperse once the funeral ceremonies were over. Zhao was so confident that he took a week-long trip to North Korea for a summit meeting. The students, however, were enraged that the government had refused to receive their petition, and emboldened by the meek reaction to their protests. After all, the Party had refrained from cracking down on them thus far, and had even caved in to their demands for a proper funeral for Hu Yaobang. They continued to protest, and their slogans strayed further and further from the approved texts. Events Begin to Spin Out of Control With Zhao Ziyang out of the country, hardliners in the government such as Li Peng (1928–2019) took the opportunity to bend the ear of the powerful leader of the Party Elders, Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997). Deng was known as a reformer himself, supportive of market reforms and greater openness, but the hardliners exaggerated the threat posed by the students. Li Peng even told Deng that the protesters were hostile to him personally, and were calling for his ouster and the downfall of the Communist government. (This accusation was a fabrication.) Clearly worried, Deng Xiaoping decided to denounce the demonstrations in an editorial published in the April 26th Peoples Daily. He called the protests dongluan (meaning turmoil or rioting) by a tiny minority. These highly emotive terms had been associated with the atrocities of the Cultural Revolution. Rather than tamping down the students fervor, Dengs editorial further inflamed it. The government had just made its second grave mistake. Not unreasonably, the students felt that they could not end the protest if it was labeled dongluan, for fear that they would be prosecuted. Some 50,000 of them continued to press the case that patriotism motivated them, not hooliganism. Until the government stepped back from that characterization, the students could not leave Tiananmen Square. But the government too was trapped by the editorial. Deng Xiaoping had staked his reputation, and that of the government, on getting the students to back down. Who would blink first? Showdown, Zhao Ziyang vs. Li Peng General Secretary Zhao returned from North Korea to find China transfixed by the crisis. He still felt that the students were no real threat to the government, though, and sought to defuse the situation, urging Deng Xiaoping to recant the inflammatory editorial. Li Peng, however, argued that to step back now would be a fatal show of weakness by the Party leadership. Meanwhile, students from other cities poured into Beijing to join the protests. More ominously for the government, other groups also joined in: housewives, workers, doctors, and even sailors from the Chinese Navy. The protests also spread to other cities—Shanghai, Urumqi, Xian, Tianjin... almost 250 in all. By May 4, the number of protesters in Beijing had topped 100,000 again. On May 13, the students took their next fateful step. They announced a hunger strike, with the goal of getting the government to retract the April 26 editorial. Over a thousand students took part in the hunger strike, which engendered wide-spread sympathy for them among the general populace. The government met in an emergency Standing Committee session the following day. Zhao urged his fellow leaders to accede to the students demand and withdraw the editorial. Li Peng urged a  crackdown. The Standing Committee was deadlocked, so the decision was passed to Deng Xiaoping. The next morning, he announced that he was placing Beijing under martial law. Zhao was fired and placed under house arrest; hard-liner Jiang Zemin (born 1926) succeeded him as General  Secretary; and  fire-brand Li Peng was placed in control of the military forces in Beijing. In the midst of the turmoil, Soviet Premier and fellow reformer  Mikhail Gorbachev  (born 1931) arrived in China for talks with Zhao on May 16. Due to Gorbachevs presence, a large contingent of foreign journalists and photographers also descended on the tense Chinese capital. Their reports fueled international concern and calls for restraint, as well as sympathetic protests in Hong Kong,  Taiwan, and ex-patriot Chinese communities in Western nations. This international outcry  placed even more  pressure on the Chinese Communist Party leadership. May 19–June 2 Early in the morning on May 19, the deposed Zhao made an extraordinary appearance in Tiananmen Square. Speaking through a bullhorn, he told the protesters: Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask you to forgive us. All I want to say is that students are getting very weak, it is the 7th day since you went on hunger strike, you cant continue like this... You are still young, there are still many days yet to come, you must live  healthily, and see the day when China accomplishes the four modernizations. You are not like us, we are already old, it doesnt matter to us  anymore. It was the last time he was ever seen in public. Perhaps in response to Zhaos appeal, during the last week of May tensions eased a bit, and many of the student protesters from Beijing grew weary of the protest and left the square. However, reinforcements from the provinces continued to pour into the city. Hard-line student leaders called for the protest to continue until June 20, when a meeting of the National Peoples Congress was scheduled to take place. On May 30, the students set up a large sculpture called the Goddess of Democracy in Tiananmen Square. Modeled after the Statue of Liberty, it became one of the enduring symbols of the protest. Hearing the calls for a prolonged protest, on June 2 the Communist Party Elders met with the remaining members of the Politburo Standing Committee. They agreed to bring in the  Peoples Liberation Army  (PLA) to clear the protesters out of Tiananmen Square by force. June 3–4: The Tiananmen Square Massacre The morning of June 3, 1989, the 27th and 28th divisions of the Peoples Liberation Army moved into Tiananmen Square on foot and in tanks, firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. They had been ordered not to shoot the protesters; indeed, most of them did not carry firearms. The leadership selected these divisions because they were from distant provinces; local PLA troops were considered untrustworthy as potential supporters of the protests. Not only the student  protesters but also tens of thousands of workers and ordinary citizens of Beijing joined together to repel the Army. They used burned-out buses to create barricades, threw rocks and bricks at the soldiers, and even burned some tank crews alive inside their tanks. Thus, the first casualties of the Tiananmen Square Incident were actually soldiers. The student protest leadership now faced a difficult decision. Should they evacuate the Square before further blood could be shed, or hold their ground? In the end, many of them decided to remain. That night, around 10:30 pm, the PLA returned to the area around Tiananmen with rifles, bayonets fixed. The tanks rumbled down the street, firing indiscriminately. Students shouted Why are you killing us? to the soldiers, many of whom were about the same age as the protesters. Rickshaw drivers and bicyclists darted through the melee, rescuing the wounded and taking them to hospitals. In the chaos, a number of non-protesters were killed as well. Contrary to popular belief, the bulk of the violence took place in the neighborhoods all around Tiananmen Square, rather than in the Square itself. Throughout the night of June 3 and early hours of June 4, the troops beat, bayoneted, and shot protesters. Tanks drove straight into crowds, crushing people and bicycles under their treads. By 6 a.m. on June 4th, 1989, the streets around Tiananmen Square had been cleared. Tank Man or the Unknown Rebel The city lapsed into shock during June 4, with just the occasional volley of gunfire breaking the stillness. Parents of missing students pushed their way to the protest area, seeking their sons and daughters, only to be warned off and then shot in the back as they fled from the soldiers. Doctors and ambulance drivers who tried to enter the area to help the wounded were also shot down in cold blood by the PLA. Beijing seemed utterly subdued the morning of June 5. However, as foreign journalists and photographers, including  Jeff Widener  (b. 1956) of the AP, watched from their hotel balconies as a column of tanks trundled up Changan Avenue (the Avenue of Eternal Peace), an amazing thing happened. A young man in a white shirt and black pants and carrying shopping bags in each hand, stepped out into the street and stopped the tanks. The lead tank tried to swerve around him, but he jumped in front of it again. Everyone watched in horrified fascination, afraid that the tank driver would lose patience and drive over the man. At one point, the man even climbed up onto the tank and spoke to the soldiers inside, reportedly asking them, Why are you here? You have caused nothing but misery. After several minutes of this defiant dance, two more men rushed up to the  Tank Man  and hustled him away. His fate is unknown. However,  still  images and video of his brave act were captured by the  Western  press members  nearby and smuggled out for the world to see. Widener and several other photographers hid the film in the tanks of their hotel toilets, to save it from searches by the Chinese security forces. Ironically, the story and the image of the Tank Mans act of defiance had the greatest immediate effect thousands of miles away, in Eastern Europe. Inspired in part by his courageous example, people across the Soviet bloc poured into the streets. In 1990, beginning with the Baltic states, the republics of the Soviet Empire began to break away. The USSR collapsed. Nobody knows how many people died in the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The official Chinese government figure is 241, but this is almost certainly a drastic undercount. Between soldiers, protesters and civilians, it seems likely that anywhere from 800 to 4,000 people were killed. The Chinese Red Cross initially put the toll at 2,600, based on counts from local hospitals, but then quickly retracted that statement under intense government pressure. Some witnesses also stated that the PLA carted away many bodies; they would not have been included in a hospital count. The Aftermath of Tiananmen 1989 The protesters who survived the Tiananmen Square Incident met a variety of fates. Some, particularly the student leaders, were given relatively light jail terms (less than 10 years). Many of the professors and other professionals who joined in were simply  blacklisted, unable to find jobs. A large number of the workers and provincial people were executed; exact figures, as usual, are unknown. Chinese journalists who had published reports sympathetic to the protesters also found themselves purged and unemployed. Some of the most famous were sentenced to multi-year prison terms. As for the Chinese government, June 4,  1989  was a watershed moment. Reformists within the Communist Party of China were stripped of power and reassigned to ceremonial roles. Former Premier Zhao Ziyang was never  rehabilitated and spent his final 15 years under house arrest. Shanghais mayor, Jiang Zemin, who had moved quickly to quell protests in that city, replaced Zhao as the Partys General Secretary. Since that time, political agitation has been extremely muted in China. The government and the majority of citizens alike have focused on economic reform and prosperity, rather than political reform. Because the Tiananmen Square Massacre is a taboo subject, most Chinese under the age of 25 have never even heard about it.  Websites  that mention the June 4 Incident are blocked in China. Even decades later, the people and the government of China have not dealt with this momentous and tragic incident. The memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre festers under the surface of everyday life for those old enough to recall it. Someday, the Chinese government will have to face this piece of its history. For a very powerful and disturbing take on the Tiananmen Square Massacre, see the PBS Frontline special The Tank Man, available to view online. Sources Roger V. Des Forges, Ning Luo, and Yen-bo Wu.  Chinese Democracy and the Crisis of 1989: Chinese and American Reflections. (New York: SUNY Press, 1993.Thomas, Anthony. Frontline: The Tank Man, PBS: April 11, 2006.Richelson, Jeffrey T., and Michael L. Evans (eds). Tiananmen Square, 1989: The Declassified History. The National Security Archive, The George Washington University, June 1, 1999.  Liang, Zhang, Andrew J. Nathan, and Perry Link (eds). The Tiananmen Papers: The Chinese Leaderships Decision to Use Force Against Their Own People—In Their Own Words. New York: Public Affairs, 2001.

Glyptodon Facts and Figures

Name: Glyptodon (Greek for carved tooth); also known as the Giant Armadillo; pronounced GLIP-toe-don Habitat: Swamps of South America Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (two million-10,000 years ago) Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and one-ton Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Huge, armored dome on the back; squat legs; short head and neck About Glyptodon One of the most distinctive—and comical-looking—megafauna mammals of prehistoric times, Glyptodon was essentially a dinosaur-sized armadillo, with a huge, round, armored carapace, stubby, turtle-like legs, and a blunt head on a short neck. As many commentators have pointed out, this Pleistocene mammal looked a bit like a Volkswagen Beetle, and tucked up under its shell it would have been virtually immune to predation (unless an enterprising meat-eater figured out a way to flip Glyptodon onto its back and dig into its soft belly). The only thing Glyptodon lacked was a clubbed or spiked tail, a feature evolved by its close relative Doedicurus (not to mention the dinosaurs that most resembled it, and which lived tens of millions of years earlier, Ankylosaurus and Stegosaurus). Discovered in the early 19th century, the type fossil of Glyptodon was initially mistaken for a specimen of Megatherium, aka the Giant Sloth, until one enterprising naturalist (braving howls of laughter, no doubt) thought to compare the bones with those of a modern armadillo. Once that simple, if bizarre, kinship was established, Glyptodon went by a bewildering variety of vaguely comical names — including Hoplophorus, Pachypus, Schistopleuron, and Chlamydotherium — until the English authority Richard Owen finally bestowed the name that stuck, Greek for carved tooth. The South American Glyptodon survived well into early historical times, only going extinct about 10,000 years ago, shortly after the last Ice Age, along with most its fellow megafauna mammals from around the world (such as Diprotodon, the Giant Wombat, from Australia, and Castoroides, the Giant Beaver, from North America). This huge, slow-moving armadillo was probably hunted to extinction by early humans, who would have prized it not only for its meat but also for its roomy carapace — theres evidence that the earliest settlers of South America sheltered from the snow and rain under Glyptodon shells!