Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle Comparison

Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle Comparison Introduction Emotional sufferings are part of humans life. People are overwhelmed by them leading to desperation or even to the acting out of these emotions in a destructive way. Finding a way to cope with these emotions is important. This could be done by various means playing music, doing sports and especially by doing art. I choose the research question: How do Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle cope with their emotional sufferings by doing art? because of two reasons. First of all, I researched artists who dealt with their emotions artistically. I became especially interested in Frida Kahlo an artist of Mexican origin as I am partly Mexican and thus can connect to her. Niki de Saint Phalle has been well-known to me as I have been in France for one year and heard about her famous shooting paintings. Secondly, I started to develop paintings resulting from emotional sufferings myself and became interested in the connection of emotions and their artistic expression. Once I went to a vernissage organized by the Malwerkstatt of the Asklepios Klinik in Gà ¶ttingen. There I saw some paintings done by mentally hurt women who paint regularly. In the following weeks I spent some time in the Malwerkstatt interviewing them about their process of doing art, related feelings and resulting paintings. I became interested in their way of seeing art as a transformation of negative feelings into a piece of art. Doing art has a positive impact on their well-being. However, they cannot fully transform their sufferings into an expressive piece of art. Frida Kahlo, Niki de Saint Phalle and the interviewed mentally hurt women realized the possibility of doing art as a constructive way to express their emotional sufferings. Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle cope with their emotional sufferings to the last extent; going on stage not hiding any more but extricate themselves from expectations. The resulting creation can be seen as a mirror reflecting their inner-self which might be shocking and disapproving. The courage to create is one of the basic principles to start with. In order to cope with the sufferings fully the step these great artists did is essential. Freeing yourself not thinking about assessment anymore giving your sufferings an artistic voice will eventually be constructive and surely improve your emotional state. The focus will be on the analysis and interpretation of the selected artworks in relation to the emotional sufferings expressed through it. Additionally, the transformation into a piece of art will be pointed out. Frida Kahlo ´s expression through paintings, especially self-portraits; stand in contrast to the three-dimensional artwork and shooting paintings done by Niki de Saint Phalle. One painting done by a mentally hurt woman will be taken into account for the analysis. Taking into consideration these two artists I aim to show their different artistic expressions, the creation of innovative, unconventional and evocative art. Frida Kahlo Frida is the only example in the history of art of an artist who tore open her chest and heart to reveal the biological truth of her feelings. The only woman who has expressed in her works an art of the feelings, functions, and creative power of women said her husband Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Frida Kahlo, an artist of Mexican-German origin, was born in Mexico in 1907.In her life she suffered from physical and emotional pain mainly due to a serious bus accident at the age of 18 that left her with lifelong incapacitating illnesses and a disintegrating body.The metal bar of the bus skewed her body causing her spinal column and pelvis to break. Because of the destroyed uterus Frida could not give birth leading to desperation and loneliness, expressed in her self-portrait Henry Ford Hospital. The physical pain she suffered from this incident marked a turning point in her perception of art. In bed-ridden she started to paint as an expression of her traumatic experiences. She recorded her emotional state in paint. During 1946 up to 1950 she underwent eight operations on her spin. Consequently, she confronted herself with thoughts about her own death visible in the painting The Dream. The impact of the spinal trauma on her continuous sufferings is shown in her self-portrait entit led The Broken column. The coping of her sufferings by painting was the way to improve her well-being or even to keep her alive. Frida Kahlo transformed her emotions into a piece of art which tells her feelings honestly and open. Especially in her lifetime she was one of the rare artists who were not afraid of expressing their emotions through art in such a heartbreaking and shocking way. Her style is dramatic and original. Frida mostly created self-portraits: I paint self-portraits because I am the person I know best. I paint my own reality.Some of Frida ´s self-portraits show her crying, broken up and even bleeding. Frida had the courage to show her body, nude and sick. Her emotions were transformed into a painting, as they were; she wore her heart on canvas. The Broken Column is a self-portrait of Frida Kahlo that shows her sufferings. It is like a X-ray picture from her broken spinal column. The ground color is a tone of yellow, brown and orange. In the foreground she is standing upright; paralyzed like a statue. Her nude body is shown from the hips upwards. Probably, she is not yet ready to expose herself completely nude as she covers the pubic area by holding a white blanket. However, it seems as if in one moment the blanket might fly away because she does not hold it strongly. The torso is split vertically into exactly two mirrored parts. Therefore, the middle part is symmetrical. Frida ´s spinal column is replaced with a broken column which as an ancient element refers back to her bus accident: the source of never ending pain.The spinal column makes it possible to stand upright and indicates self-confidence. It is of psychological and physical importance. Because of the broken column Frida should have lost stability. However, this is prevented by the steel corset. It is in form of a grid like prison bars which keeps the body together but at the same time imprisons her. Similar to the imprisonment by society values and the restricted freedom of movement.Although, being broken she keeps her attitude upright. The head is shifted to the right and supported by the column. By her visible right ear it seems as if she wants to hear something. Her facial expression is lifeless and sad. She is gazing and tears come out of the eyes that express her emotion of pain. The mouth is closed and the lips are slightly pressed together. The hair is loose which stands in contrast to the bounded body. Like in acupuncture the metallic nails of different sizes stick from all directions into her body, face and right side of the blanket.I know that in colloquial Spanish being nailed means estar calvada. In the figurative sense it stands for being cheated on. The nails go back to the relationship with her husband Diego Rivera and coul d refer to his infidelity.In the background a barren desert is shown which is broken up like her infertile body. The atmosphere conveyed by the desert reinforces her pain and loneliness. The horizon cuts the throat like the column divides the body. Frida is alone in the dry and rocky brownish landscape that stands in contrast to her wet tears. The painting has a great impact on me. While taking a look at it for the first time I was overwhelmed and my body was tense. I had the impression of sharing the physical pain. This is because of the openness and brutality done to her body. By this painting Frida shows two sides. Her inner-self; broken, bleeding and her appearance hiding the pain by her upright posture and lifeless face mask. To me Frida ´s strong personality is well shown. I admire her for the courage to depict the pain in such an impressive way as to expose her vulnerability. The painting The Dream shows Frida lying in a wooden bed which floats in the clouds. A yellow blanket covers her body and two pillows are under her head. She is comfortable and has fallen into a deep sleep like the Sleeping Beauty. Her facial expression is calm and without any preoccupations she seems to be lost in her dream. Roots are spreading from the bed end over the whole bed and reaching up to the face having small leaves. A wooden board is fixed on top of the bed. On there a white papier mache skeleton lies like Frida Kahlo. The skeleton holds a bunch of flowers and firecracker are all over his body and legs. This painting shows her willingness to confront with the hardest reality: the end of her human existence. Frida painted her own death as she underwent many serious operations leading to the confrontation of death each time.Frida expresses her death to the maximum by imagining herself as a skeleton.To some this might be extremely shocking to portray oneself already dead. Imagining your own death would be the last thing. To explain why Frida was able to paint her death one can look back to her Mexican origin. She was very much involved in Mexican traditions which includes the celebration of Dia de los Muertos. On this day the welcoming of the dead is celebrated in a colourful way. This shows the fearless attitude Mexicans have towards death. As I am of Mexican origin the connection to the Mexican culture is visible. Personally, I am not shocked because the skeleton does not look in a scary way. He rather seems to be smiling. Additionally, the luminescent and intense yellow coloured blanket makes me think of the power of light. Moreover, the blanket protects Frida ´s body from the thorny branches. However, it seems as if the peaceful tranquillity of the dream can easily be interrupted. Only a spark is necessary to ignite the firecrackers. The painting would turn from a static to a dynamic one. On the right bottom corner the formation of darker clouds might indicate a weather change. Another interpretation could be that the background is meant symbolically. Frida is in heaven where she has gained the freedom from emotional sufferings. The painting Henry Ford Hospital shows Frida lying naked and hemorrhaging up in bed. Her body is twisted with the legs bent and turned to the right side. She covers her pubic bone. The white blanket is partly covered with her blood. Her left hand is close to the thumb and she holds strings which are connected to different symbols. The red cords vein-like ribbonsare connected to six images that symbolize the source of pain and the impact they had on her fertility. The orchid symbolizes her femininity. As it is not integrated in her body the capability of giving birth is not given to her due to the accident. The snail represents the slowness of the miscarriage and is related to her sensation of passing time. In the left corner a machine can be seen which stand for the painful miscarriage due to the technical part of it. In contrast to the bed shown in The Dream this bed seems to be rudimentary and it stands on brown soil. The bed frame is inscribed: on the length side Henry Ford Hospital Detroit and on the narrow side Julio de 1932 F. K.In the background industrial facilities are shown. In combination with the blue greyish sky the depicted grief, desperation and loneliness is stressed.The depiction of these industrial facilities in Detroit could be connected to her bus accident as it was the modern technique being responsible for the accident to occur. This painting is related to the emotion of grief and loneliness after her first miscarriage in the Henry Ford Hospital. The longing to have an own child was obsessive. She was desperately waiting for the baby. Thus the miscarriage hit her very hard. The loss led to a serious depression. In this painting Frida depicts a powerful and coherent statement of inner and outer maternal fracture, loss, and agony. I think that the torture she had to face is clearly expressed trough this painting by her posture and blood. Frida writhes in pain. At first, I was confused why the bed is not in hospital but in a landscape without plants. Like in the Broken Column a brownish and dry landscape is shown on which no plants grow. I think that it stands for her incapability of giving birth. The bars of the bed can be related to the grid visible in the Broken Column. Frida is imprisoned in hospital where she cannot escape from pain. The symbols matched to Frida make me think of a mind-map.However, everything shown cannot be understood at first glance. The symbols can be seen as a puzzle Frida gives to the viewer. A story is to be discovered. Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle was born in France, Neuilly-Sur-Seine, in 1930. She was a French mixed-media artist and sculptor. Brought up in a conservative family and educated in monastery school Niki was confronted with the strict values held by society. The domestic position of wives was one of the main values that Niki rejected. However, she married young and gave birth to children. When she realized that she led a conventional life an inner conflict arose. Moreover, she had a trauma due to her being abused by her father. An aggression against men developed. Consequently, she had a nervous breakdown and got a treatment in hospital.Like Frida Kahlo she started to express her emotional state right after a serious health problem. After she had left her family behind her main focus became art.Niki de Saint Phalle joined the artist group called Nouveau Realistes in 1960. In the following, Niki created the assemblage Portrait of my lover.In 1961 she created her first shooting paintings which ma de her well known around the world. They were an open door for the recognition of her art works on an international level. Niki de Saint Phalle Portrait of my lover, created in 1961 shows a target, black tie and white shirt attached to a black board. Instead of a man ´s head a target is placed at which the visitors could throw arrows. On the black painted canvas a tie and a men ´s shirt is glued on. The shirt is covered with black droplets. Niki admired Jackson Pollock and could have been influenced by his actions paintings.Therefore, she might have applied great force by throwing the paint on the shirt. The throwing of the arrows is representative for the step to independence. The special feature of this artwork lies in the changed meaning of well-known objects to symbolize a human. Pieces of art created out of ready for use objects are called Ready-Made.By this artwork she has was able to find A fertile outlet for her ferocious rage toward men -and the dominant masculine art establishment via the creative expression of violence. Niki de Saint Phalle ´s performed the creation of her shooting paintings in public. All over the world shooting actions took place. One of these actions is depicted in the above shown photograph. She shocked society by her performance.She shot at a relief with paint so that all the paint spilled out and the painting was bleeding. Her way of doing art by shooting was new as it went against the traditional. The aggressive acts were meant symbolically. By shooting she released herself from the standards, gained in a solid-middle class home and monastery school. The artist secreted plastic bags filled with paint behind paintings, and sculptures; the bags burst when the works were shot by a gun held by Niki.By the act of destruction Niki created a new painting. The dispersion of color plays a role in the spontaneous effect. It seems as if the painting is bleeding. By her shooting paintings she went on stage and showed to public that it is time for action. Not only to let her aggressions out she shot at the painting but as well to make the public aware of the brutal reality at that time.Wars and conflicts were the current issue. The shootings symbolize the power of killing. She acted in an aggressive way towards her pieces of art in the same way as society did with her and their opponents.The sacrificial death of the painting should be a warning to society. Analysis Frida Kahlo expressed her emotional sufferings comprehensibly through self-portraits. One can refer back to the sources of her pain. She portrayed herself as the victim of pain. The background supports the emotion. Niki de Saint Phalle expressed her emotional sufferings in a completely different way. Rather than painting she made use of the role oppressor-victim by performing art. She was not the one suffering from pain but a women standing up fighting back in spite of society values. Niki wanted to be in the role of the aggressor not of the suppressed one. By shooting at it she seems like a beautiful Amazon. This was new for that time to see a women holding a gun in their hands and not being the calm and carrying household woman. Niki violated the traditional role of women. Furthermore, she freed herself from this role she did not to fit in. Niki shot with self-confidence, fearlessness and strength at the painting showing her superiority. She killed the painting but at the same time gave birth to a new one. Death and rebirth are connected in a way that her expression became constructive instead of destructive. Trying to reach public by performing the shooting on a larger scale meaning on inter national shooting session shows the great step she did to make an appeal to others. Killing the painting was her way to get her aggression out.Finally, she reached to overcome and cope with her emotional sufferings by shooting and even more I became addicted to shooting like one becomes addicted to a drug. Blood appears in both of the artistic expressions either in painting as blood droplet out of a wound or as the painting being hurt and bleeding. I was impressed by their courage to go that far in art as to show their own nude and sick body or acting violently by shooting. It is incredible as to what extent they had success. While researching and taking a look at their biographies I realized that both had a male artist who helped them to express. They were usually people who were right in society having a certain influence as a famous painter: Diego Rivera and Jean Tinguely. By expressing art they went on stage not hiding their feelings anymore but choosing a direct confrontation with these. They do not want or can escape any longer. I became interested in the fact that if other people not being artists can cope with their emotional sufferings by doing art. To get an answer I went to the Malwerksatt in the Asklepios Klinikum in Gà ¶ttingen, Germany where mentally hurt women do art once per week for about two hours. I interviewed them about their feelings, experiences with art and took a look at their artworks. Eve Kaboth is in charge of the Malwerkstatt and provides assistance in case of help but does not assess them in any way. This is especially important as it guarantees a free working atmosphere. The women having experienced loss, betrayal and suppression are trying to do art as to improve their well-being. Negative emotions are released leaving them relieved and happy. As to their paintings they mostly do them subconsciously without having a clear idea in mind but which will develop during the process. I took a look at one painting showing clowns covered by coloured oil pastels smashed on the paper. Usually they are afraid of portraying humans. They represent some kind of colourful dream world. A composition of colours in which the forms, lines and objects do not play a significant role. While painting they are relaxed and enjoy it. This painting seems as if the woman is still hiding like the clowns shown in the picture. By this painting it is clear that she is not yet ready to go on stage. The impression I got is that they have not fully overcome the imprisonment by society and confronted themselves with their sufferings. Thus the step of showing everything openly, provocatively in order to fully cope with them is not yet reached. Niki de Saint Phalle and Frida Kahlo, in contrast to the mentally hurt women, reached the highest point they could possibly reach by their expression. Doing art was not restricted by society anymore. Art is an expressive source the artists Niki de Saint Phalle and Frida Kahlo realized. With their moving art they freed themselves but not only this. They went a step further by breaking society values. Frida Kahlo drew herself bleeding, open and naked. Especially at that time when artists were not supposed to express themselves in the painting as if they were the subject. Taking this into consideration one can see parallels to Niki as she was the first woman not being a victim but the aggressor. They realized that emotional sufferings can trigger creativity and be seen as a genesis source of new expressive art. But this is not at all easy to undergo. It requires courage and the refusal to run away from the inner self, unconscious and the unknown. Conclusion To answer the research question How do Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle cope with their emotional sufferings by doing art? I came to the conclusion that both, Frida Kahlo and Niki de Saint Phalle cope with their emotional sufferings by doing art in a different way. Frida Kahlo documented her emotional sufferings by painting, especially self-portraits. The extension of her is Niki de Saint Phalle whose action was art. She created shooting paintings. Emotional sufferings can be beneficial and reinforce a development (out of a crisis new things are created). Without having these experiences and the related emotional sufferings this new expression of art would not have been created. Therefore emotional sufferings can be seen from positive point of view. Creativity, then, can in part be thought of as the capacity to express the demonic constructively. This is what all great artists do. Is there a limit to cope with emotional sufferings by doing art? When is it said not to be ethical? On the one hand the shooting paintings helped Niki to cope with her sufferings but on the other hand she shocked society by her performance. But sometimes it can be good to draw people ´s attention to an issue by shocking them. I think that as long as no humans, animals and ethical principles are hurt by the art process it is legitimate. Bibliography Primary Source: Interview with mentally hurt women and the leader of the workshop. August-October 2009. Asklepios Fachklinikum Gà ¶ttingen in Germany. Secondary Sources: Books: Bauer, Claudia. Frida Kahlo. Mà ¼nchen: Prestel Verlag, 2005. Becker, Monika. Starke Weiblichkeit entfesseln. Niki de Saint Phalle. Berlin: List Taschenbuchverlag, 2005. Diamond, Stephen A. Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic. New York: State University of New York Press, 1999. Herrera, Hayden. Frida Kahlo.Malerin der Schmerzen-Rebellin gegen das Unabà ¤nderliche. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 1988. Prignitz-Poda, Helga. Frida Kahlo. Die Malerin und ihr Werk. Mà ¼nchen: Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, 2003. Schrà ¶der, Stefanie. Ein starkes verwundetes Herz Niki de Saint Phalle. Ein Kà ¼nstlerleben.Freiburg: Herde Verlag, 2002. Seemann, Annette von. Ich habe mich in eine Heilige verwandelt. Frida Kahlo.Mà ¼nchen: List Taschenbuch Verlag, 2002. Journals: Goldsmith, Marlene. Abjection and Psychic Deadness In The Paintings of Frida Kahlo. The Psychoanalytical Review Vol.92, No. 6, December 2004. 729-758p. Websites: Brown, Amy. Frida Kahlo an amazing woman. http://www.amybrown.net/women/frida.html Frida by Kahlo. http://www.fbuch.com/fridaby.htm Niki ´s official website. http://www.nikidesaintphalle.com Tate Liverpool Educators ´Pack. http://www.tate.org.uk

Call for Freedom Essay

From the days pilgrims first kissed the land so rich, to the days they proclaimed the songs of liberty, America was indeed â€Å"the land of the free,† as Francis Scott Key once said. Those who flocked to America had the same dreams of freedom which they have been denied the right of in their mother land. They came to America with the pursuit of happiness. Once they obtained their happiness, their new found freedom, they undoubtedly revolted against all those who stood against their beloved treasure. Before any of this could be achieved, many struggled. Tears of anguish, disappear, and agony have been shed through years of hunger and slavery, yet little was done to give people the right to live as if â€Å"all men [were] created equal.† Many groups struggled to get the freedom we now have. I am Joaquin, Necessary to Protect Ourselves, and What Is An American all portray group struggles for freedom, which persuade others to fight for freedom many of us still have not ach ieved through the reader’s appeal to their emotions. I am Joaquin is a story of an immigrant â€Å"lost in a world of confusion.† This epic poem traces the adventure of Joaquin through his courageous deeds, which portray the values of his race. Using â€Å"loaded language† rich in connotations and vivid imagery, the author captures a scene of suffering, not just the suffering of one individual, but of his whole race. Phrases such as, â€Å"I shed the tears of anguish/ as I see my children disappear,† (lines 24-25) and â€Å"I have survived the toils and slavery/ of the fields,† (45-46) creates such imagery and terror in ones heart that they sympathize for the speaker and move them to agree with their call for freedom. The whole poem is a connotation for the speaker’s cry to just accept him for who he is. The reader can sympathize with the speaker’s feeling of rejection. This sympathy leads to acceptance, acceptance of the speaker and his call for freedom. Rejection is one of man’s greate st fears, fear that no one wants to feel. Out of the dread of feeling fear, one is inspired to fight, fight for freedoms they have not yet achieved. A little weaker on its emotional appeal is Malcom X’s interview with Les Crane, Necessary to Protect Ourselves, and What is an American. Malcom X  uses more of a logical and ethical appeal by making comments such as â€Å"I think all of us should be critics of each other. Whenever you can’t stand criticism you can never grow.† This comment, in contrast to the style of those made in I am Joaquin, which were more emotional rather than ethical, creates less of the urge to go out and make a difference. Rather than doing this, it creates a tone of hate, unlike in I am Joaquin where his comments created a tone of sympathy. This hate can be taken many negative ways which may cause someone’s intention to do good by turning to doing wrong by offending someone with criticism. The same tone is created in What is an American. By making Europe seem as a place that takes advantage of its people and makes them work laboriously, the reader is exposed to an anti-European feeling. Such phrases from What is an American as, â€Å"Can a wretch who wanders about, who works and starves, whose life is a continual scene of sore affliction or pinching penury-can that man call England or any other kingdom his country,† give this anti-European feeling and exaggerates to the truth to appeal to ones ethical senses that one should not have to live under these conditions. These stories do create inspiration, but inspiration that tells one to cause an uprising, which in the end might not be the most effective way to go. With much evaluation and contrast, it can be seen that the most effective call for freedom using appeals to ones emotional side is I am Joaquin. The â€Å"loaded language† rich in meanings and vivid imagery persuades one to go make a difference, a difference that is not only beneficial to themselves, but to generations after.

Databases Is a Structured Collection of Data Essay

According to Business Link â€Å"The database is one of the cornerstones of information technology, and its ability to organize, process and manage information in a structured and controlled manner is key to many aspects of modern business efficiencies.† This paper will define database uses, advantages, and disadvantages as well as recommended changes to an Internet database I currently use. The definition of a database is a structured collection of data or records stored on a computer system. The definition of a database management system (DBMS) is â€Å"a collection of programs that enables you to store, modify, and extract information from a database† (Webopedia, 2011). â€Å"Databases are used just about everywhere including banks, retail, websites, and warehouses. Banks use databases to keep track of customer accounts, balances, and deposits. Retail stores can use databases to store prices, customer information, sales information, and quantity on hand. Websites use databases to store content, customer login information, and preferences and may store saved user input. Warehouses use databases to manage inventory levels.† Another example would include a bookseller, such as Amazon.com. Amazon.coms database would include title, author, ISBN, product information, reviews, quantity, and price to name few. Databases are used anywhere that data needs to be stored and easily retrieved. The filing cabinet has been replaced by databases. Advantages of using a DBMS are, reducing the amount of time managing data, the ability to analyze data in various ways, promoting a disciplined approach to data management, and improving the quality and consistency of information. One disadvantage is the cost because more than likely outside help will need to be employed to develop the DBMS, which can become very expensive. Another disadvantage is time, developing a database system is very time-consuming because numerous steps are involved. Different types of DBMSs are available from several vendors and the services offered can vary widely. Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle from Oracle  Corporation are two examples of DBMSs. In its most basic form, they both store information with the use of tables. Both use queries to sort, search, and analyze data. They use a backup system to save all information in case of a crash of the system. They are web-based so users can access them from anywhere. They could be tailored to meet business needs. They allow multiple users to access and update information while providing security from unauthorized users. Users are granted access to certain features with the use of passwords and permissions. They both offer reporting capabilities. A number of differences exist between these two DBMSs, the first is the cost, Oracle costs are extremely expensive compared to Microsoft SQL Server. Pricing for Oracle is over 100K, whereas Microsoft SQL Server can be purchased for a couple of thousand. Microsoft SQL Server is used for small-medium sizes companies while Oracle can be used for very large companies. Microsoft SQL can support a couple 1000 users while Oracle can support as little as 10 users, upwards to hundreds of thousands users. Microsoft SQL Server is slower over networks compared to Oracle. Microsoft SQL Server is easier to learn and more user friendly. Microsoft SQL Server has a large community for support, while Oracle has very little in comparison. I have been a collector of Cal Ripken Jr. baseball cards for many years, and I have amassed a collection of close to 2000 different Cal Ripken Jr. baseball cards With this many cards it is hard to keep track of what cards I currently own and their value. I needed a database program where I could have access to my collection in one place. I did some research and found Beckett.com offered a database software program called Beckett Collector Connection. Beckett is an industry leader concerning the collection of sport cards. Anyone who is a serious sport cards card collector knows Beckett is the place to go when wanting to know the value of one’s collection. Beckett Collector Connection has essentially taken all their price guides, put them in a database, and made them available online. It only cost $20 for the initial software and it is an additional $4.95 a month to get the latest sets and prices downloaded from their website. A  collector can list all their cards with ease using Beckett’s learning wizard. Each card or record shows year, set name, card number, and card name. Other columns provide a place where a collector can list the condition and quantity of a specific card they own. A number of the cards include a picture ensuring the collector has listed the right card. A collector can print one of six different reports, or use the report generator to create a custom report. A collector has the option of using Beckett’s auction tools, to create, track, and follow up on multiple Internet auctions based on a collector’s inventory. I have been using this program for quite some time and have found it very beneficial but at the same time, I have noticed ways the database can be improved. For one downloading the newest prices can be very time- consuming, even though I use DSL it can still take an hour. Another improvement I want is to the ability to list older sets, while they do list some older sets many older sets are not listed and prices are missing as well. Last, I would like to have Beckett offer to track your auctions listing through multiple auction platforms, such as eBay instead of just their own auction platform. In conclusion, one can determine that gathering, storing, processing of information using a database gives a company a distinct advantage. Developing a DBMSs is crucial to a company’s productivity, time management and vital to its success. References Business Link. Benefits of Databases. Retrieved from http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1075422967 Graham, AJ. How Are Databases Used In The Real World? eHow.com. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5447556_databases-used-real-world.html Webopedia. (2011). Database Management System. Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/database_management_system_DBMS.html

Biography of Ivar the Boneless, Ragnar Lodbroks son

Ivar the Boneless (794–873 CE) was the leader of the Great Viking Army in England, one of three Danish brothers who invaded and planned to take over the entire country in the 9th century CE. According to historical sources, he was a violent man, cruel and fierce.   Key Takeaways: Ivar the Boneless Known For: Leading the Great Viking ArmyAlso Known As: Ivar Ragnarsson, à varr hinn Beinlausi (Ivar the Boneless in Old Norse)Born: ca. 830, DenmarkParents: Ragnar Lodbrok and his wife AslaugKey Accomplishments: Captured and looted several monasteries in England and IrelandDied: 873 in Repton, EnglandFun Fact: His nickname has been alternately translated Ivar the Legless, a metaphor for male impotence; or Ivar the Detestable, a reflection of his character. Early Life The life of Ivar the Boneless is found in several Norse sagas, most particularly the Saga of Ivar Ragnarsson. He was said to be the eldest of three sons of the legendary Swedish Ragnar Lodbrok and his third wife Asalauga. Although Ivar is described in Ragnars Saga as a physically large and extraordinarily strong man, the saga also reports that he was disabled to the extent that he had to be carried about on his shield. The interpretation of his nickname Ivar the Boneless has been a focus of much speculation. Perhaps he suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition in which a persons bones are cartilaginous. If so, Ivars is the earliest reported case of that in medical history. One explanation suggests that his name in Latin was not exos (boneless) but exosus (detestable or detesting). Others argue that his nickname might also be translated as legless, a metaphor for male impotence.   Battles in Ireland In 854, Ragnar Lodbrok was killed after he was captured by Ælla, the king of Northumberland, who put Ragnar to death in a pit of poisonous snakes. After the news arrived at Ragnars sons in Ireland, Ivar emerged as the primary leader and his brothers went on to raid France and Spain.   In 857, Ivar allied with Olaf the White (820–874), the son of a king of Vestfold in Norway. For a decade or so, Ivar and Olaf raided several monasteries in Ireland, but eventually, the Irish developed defenses against the Viking attacks, and in 863–864, Ivar left Ireland for Northumbria.  Ã‚   The ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland, North East England. St Marys church on left. The Priory was the scene of Viking attacks in the 8th and 9th centuries. esp_imaging / Getty Images Plus England and Revenge In Northumbria, Ivar tricked Ælla into allowing him to build a fortress, sending to Denmark for forces that landed in East Anglia  in 864. The new Viking Great Army, or Viking Heathen Army, led by Ivar and his brother Halfdan, took York in 866, and ritually butchered King Ælla the next year. Then in 868, they turned to Nottingham, and in East Anglia in 868–869 where St. Edmund was ritually killed. Ivar is said to have enjoyed inflicting painful deaths.   After the conquest of Northumbria, the Great Army was reinforced by the Summer Army—estimates of military force are about 3,000. In 870, Halfdan led the army against Wessex, and Ivar and Olaf together destroyed Dumbarton, the capital of the Scottish kingdom of Strathclyde. The next year, they returned to Dublin with cargoes of slaves meant for sale in Arabic Spain. Death By 871, Ivar, having captured Northumbria, Scotland, Mercia, and East Anglia, returned to Ireland with 200 ships and a great number of captives of Angles, Britons, and Picts. According to the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, before he died, supposedly peacefully, Ivar ordered that his body be buried in a mound on the English shore.   His obituary is recorded in the Irish Annals in the year 873, reading simply Ivar King of all the Norse of Ireland and Britain, ended his life. It doesnt say how he died, or whether he was in Dublin when he died. Ragnar Lodbroks saga says he was buried in England.   Burial In the fall of 873, the Great Army arrived in Repton, where  Ivar the Boneless was apparently buried. Repton, which was one of the ecclesiastical centers of England in the 9th century, was associated with the Mercian royal family. Several kings were buried here, including Aethelbald (757) and Saint Wystan (849). The Army over-wintered (wintersetl) in Repton, driving the Mercian king Burgred into exile and putting one of his thegns, Ceowulf, on the throne. During their occupancy, the Great Army remodeled the site and the church into a defensive enclosure. They excavated a large V-shaped ditch to create a D-shaped fortress, with the long side facing a cliff above the River Trent.   Several groups of burials at Repton are associated with the over-wintering, including one elite burial, Grave 511, thought by some to represent Ivar.   Grave 511 The warrior was at least between 35–45 years old when he died, and he had met with a very violent death, presumably in battle, killed by the thrust of a spear into his eye and a great slashing blow to the top of his left femur, which also removed his genitals. Cuts to the lower vertebrae show he was likely disemboweled.   The individual was robust and  just under six feet tall, taller than most people of his day. He was buried wearing Viking riches including a Thors hammer amulet and an iron sword in a wooden scabbard. A boars tusk and raven/jackdaw humerus were placed between his thighs.  Ã‚   The burial was disturbed in 1686, and there are other Viking-era burials here as well, but 511 was the first one created for the period. Excavators Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjà ¸lbye-Biddle argue that the burial is probably that of Ivar. He was clearly a person of kingly stature, and the disarticulated bones of about 200 men of military age and women were buried around him.   The only other leaders that could be interred in 873–874 were Halfdan, Guthrum, Oscetel, and Anwend, all of whom reportedly left in 874 to carry on the pillaging of England. The man in Grave 511 was tall, but he was not boneless. Sources Arnold, Martin. The Vikings: Wolves of War. New York: Rowman Littlefield, 2007Biddle, Martin, and Birthe Kjolbye-Biddle. Repton and the Great Heathen Army, 873–4. Vikings and the Danelaw. Eds. Graham-Campbell, James, et al.: Oxbow Books, 2016. Print.Richards, Julian D. Pagans and Christians at a Frontier: Viking Burial in the Danelaw. Carver, Martin, ed. The Cross Goes North: Processes of Conversion in Northern Europe, AD 300-1300. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2005. pp 383–397Smyth, Alfred P. Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles, 850–880. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.