Monday, September 30, 2019

Digging to America Book written by Anne Tyler

Pulitzer Prize winner, Anne Tyler has brought a fictional group of characters to real life in her 17th novel, Digging to America. Bonding two vastly different families on a chance meeting at an airport, ones all-American the other Iranian immigrants, she assimilates present US culture with a strong emphasis on friendship, parenting, traditions and accents it with a tender romance. I would consider Maryam Yaszdan to be Tyler’s, central character, who after being in America for almost 40 years, still feels like a foreigner.During the six-year span that these families’ lives intertwine, Maryam’s view of this plight resonates throughout inflicting bits of conflict and resentment. Friday, August 15, l997, a Balitmore airport, two separate groups anxiously gathered, unknowingly, for the same plane to arrive, for the same reason; to pick up their baby girls adopted from the same country, Korea.. Observing their ethnic differences, we see an American family entourage equ ipped with buttons that read â€Å"MOM,† â€Å"DAD. â€Å" â€Å"GANDMA,â€Å" and â€Å"GRANDPA† (â€Å"twice over†); silvery balloons printed with â€Å" IT’S A GIRL!†; half a dozen video cameras, car seat, skirted bassinet and enough bubbling enthusiasm to be on the borderline of obnoxiousness.The other family, in a single line of three; a young couple, â€Å" foreign-looking, olive-skinned,† (7) and an older woman, quietly awaited, no adoption flair, focused solely on the arrival of their new baby. First to depart from the plan an Asian woman calling for the Donaldsons. She introduces the family to Jin-Ho; flashbulbs, cameras, a crowd of people to welcome the newborn.. Another Asian woman steps off, calling for the Yazdan’s; â€Å"Congratulations, this is Sooki,† she said.(7) As the women were completing the transfers, someone asked â€Å"Is yours from Korea too? † (8) That answer started a lasting friendship and an improbable journey for two mismatched families. Bitsy and Brad Donaldson were a typical American family. I know these sounds like a 50’s sitcom, but that was my impression. They lived in white clapboard Colonial on a narrow street in Mount Washington. Bitsy was plain, extroverted and very opinionated, especially when it came to child rearing. She was adamant about her way being the right way.Brad was a good provider, his mild temperament made him the perfect peacekeeper, smoothing out impending disagreements when their large family visited. Having a baby would complete the picture, and Jin Ho did just that along with mixing up the way an all-American family looks. It was curious to me that this â€Å"typical American,† family insisted on not changing the baby’s name, keeping her squared off haircut and dressing her in Korean costumes. I can understand them wanting her to know about her birth country and its culture, but I felt it was to an extreme.My conclus ion was relevant, Jin Ho did resent not feeling as American as her friends when she got older. Maybe, Bitsy’s way was not always the right way, after all. Ziba and Sami Yazdan was Iranian-American. They met in college where Sami studied to be a teacher like his father, who died when he was 14 years old. After they were married, Sami started to work for a real estate developer, in spite of his mother, Maryam’s silent disapproval, and made it his career. The couple moved into his company’s newest development , a large, beautiful home in a Hunt Valley.Ziba was glamorous, bordering on more of a flashy appearance, she enjoyed her job as an interior decorator. Sami was a serious type and had indifference toward Iran and America. He would go into a litany of â€Å"these Americans†¦. ,† (80) when his relatives would visit. The list covered such issues as American’s obsession with logic and that it’s the reason â€Å"they’re always suing each other,† (81) America’s belief that they’re an interest to the whole world, they’re immediate directness to open up to people, and my personal favorite, they’re â€Å"do-your-own-thing kind of culture.†(82)Even with this attitude, Sami refused to speak Farsi, as his relatives did frequently, and conversed only in English. During these tirades , Maryam, would be outraged, at Sami, reminding him sternly â€Å"American born, American raised, never been anywhere else: how can you say these things? You’re American yourself! † (82) She would continue with the constraints of living in Iran having to be cautious of every word you spoke, having to keep every opinion to yourself and the need to always be aware of who may be listening. Maryam would end with the always-useful adage, â€Å"You take it for granted, is the problem.† (83)In complete contrast to Sami’s anti-American comments, he and Ziba were determined to hav e the American dream realized for Sooki. , and unlike the Donaldson’s, they immediately changed her name to Susan. The Yazdan-Donaldson’s relationship began with Bitsy and one of many family gatherings. She phoned the only â€Å"Yazdan’s† in the phone book, to invite them to a â€Å"leaf raking party. † Bitsy told Maryam, who was babysitting Susan, that she wanted the girls to know each other, she felt it was important for them to maintain their cultural heritage.They accepted the invitation, which included Maryam, since both sets of Jin Ho’s grandparents, would also be there. Ziba was a little insecure, besides the babies ,she didn’t have much in common since the Donaldson’s were much older, Maryam going would lighten the event, and give her support. Leaf raking party was just that, everyone raked leaves. The usual â€Å"my baby this and my baby that† banter commenced and at times made Ziba questioned her mothering capa bilities. Was she doing everything wrong?Jin Ho was already eating food, Susan was still on the bottle. Should she be wearing more black and white clothes like Bitsy, because babies didn’t see in color? Moreover, the biggest controversy should she be a stay at home mom. Maryam interrupted, seeing Ziba’s frustration, saying how much she looked forward to her couple of days watching Susan, but Bitsy’s disapproval still showed.. Bitsy and Brad’s parents arrived and then the â€Å"grandparent baby banter† began.After the raking, supper was served. Bitsy said â€Å"We certainly love your cuisine,†Ã‚  this opened a conversation about Iran. Pat, Brad’s mother asked if they had any trouble during the Iranian hostage crisis, Ziba said she was already in America then everyone glanced at Maryam, â€Å"Oh, perhaps a little,† (29) she reluctantly said, steering the talk back to a safe subject, â€Å"the girls. † After that night, the two families got together often, although Maryam politely declined, when invited. Ziba and Sami celebrated the Iranian New Year with her parents, so Maryam stopped having a formal celebration, except for this spring.Ziba wanted the Donaldson’s to be a part of they’re tradition so she persuaded Maryam to have the celebration at her house Normally Maryam would be willing, but her thoughts were rattling with â€Å"Why should they have to put on these ethnic demonstrations? Let the Donaldson’s go to the Smithsonian for that! † â€Å" Let them read the National Geographic! † Just thoughts, she never would say them aloud, and agreed to the party. A few weeks before the party, Sami took Maryam to Rockville for exotic ingredients to make the traditional Iranian dishes.She told him â€Å"When I first came to this country, your grandmother had to mail most of my spices from Iran. †(37) Maryam was 19 years old going to America for an arranged marriage to Kiyan. She had met him in Iran, but he went to America earlier to start his job as a teacher, they married via telephone and grew to love each other very much. In those days, all their couple friends were Iranian, in the same situation. She wondered where all those people were now, moved to other cities, political differences separated them, â€Å"Who supported the Shah? Who did not?† (37) and since Kiyan’s death she felt she didn’t belong â€Å"in that two-by-two circle. †(37)Maryam, perhaps because she was widowed for so long, became more critical, having to pay close attention to her mannerisms around people. She tended to come of as refined and unapproachable, when she was really kind and loving. Working in an office at a the day care center, Susan would eventually attend, she had many single friends, both Iranian and American, She had an active social life, but she built the toughest invisible wall around her heart, never letting any man go beyon d it. At least not until, Bitsy’s father, Dave.On the one-year anniversary of the day the girls arrived, Bitsy wanted to have an â€Å"Arrival Party,â€Å"(56) she named it to celebrate the event. Similar to a birthday party, with a Korean desert, cake and candles, and the showing of the video taken at the airport. Brad was concerned it would be too much for Bitsy, since her mother had a set back with her cancer but this was just the diversion she needed. The day quickly came and the first to arrive were Ziba’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hakimi, very exotic, they entered in a very respectful manner. Next to arrive Bitsy and Brad’s family, then the Yardans.Susan was in a pretty party dress and Jin Ho in a full Korean costume. The girls played together unaware of any differences between them or their families. Childhood simplicity, if we all could remain in that frame of mind, how pleasant the world would be. Bitsy had a specific line up starting with a theme song, S he’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain , sung by the guests, as the girls blew out the candles, on their Stars and Stripes cake, then the video Bitsy apologized that it was just of Jin Ho and if they had known Susan would be coming they would have taped her too. †Oh, that’s okay,† Ziba said. â€Å"I have the memory  my head. † (67)As the video went on and on and on†¦Bitsy suddenly cried â€Å"We did get her in! We did! † (73) Susan was there. The Arrival Party would be an annual event, alternating houses. This celebration would be the foundation of the Zardan and Donaldson’s relationship and the development of Jin Ho and Susan’s friendship. It would also bring two lonely people, both mourning the loss of they’re true loves, Maryam and Dave, together. The following year the Yazdan’s threw the bash, with a few extra people, Ziba had relatives visiting from Iran and Bitsy’s two brothers and they’re fam ilies attended.The only missing people were Brad’s parents, who went on a cruise and Connie, Bitsy’s mom who passed away. Maryam gave Dave some advice on coping with his loss and fears that accompany the sadness. Arrival Party number two was underway; song, cake and video to mark another year. Brad and Bitsy also announced they would be adopting another baby girl from China . It was the Donaldson’s turn the 3rd year and it was starting to be a competition, at least for Bitsy, who felt the Yazdan’s had â€Å"changed the rules,† (111) by serving a full dinner instead of just deserts. In full project mode, she planned her diner, canapà ©s and all.The Arrival Party came fast and went smoothly, Maryam and Dave’s small talk was lighter, most of the time, and a bit flirty. Dave did talk about how hard it was watching Connie die, he felt guilty at times that he didn’t have more patience with her towards the end. Maryam understood, as no one could, she watched her husband die the same way. Their friendship deepened. Song time came, cake and video. Sami and Ziba bought a larger home, just three blocks from the Donaldsons. Maryam was watching Susan when Dave called and asked if he could bring Jin Ho over to play. She agreed.He wanted to stay, instead of just dropping her off. He had a cup of coffee and Maryam continued her cooking, suddenly insisting he didn’t have to stay, she would bring Jin Ho home. He left bewildered. Maryam felt him getting through her invisible wall and sealed it quickly. She went to Vermont to visit a friend, avoiding Dave or probably avoiding having feelings for him. When she returned home she visited Bitsy to thank her for taking care of Susan while she was away. Bitsy chose this time to champion on her fathers behalf, â€Å" My father thinks you’re wonderful, she said.Would you go out to dinner with him? † (151) Maryam subconsciously knew he felt this way but, she kept telli ng herself her he was just a widower needing company. She diverted the subject, which she has a knack of doing. Arrival Party time again, Yazdan’s turn and there thinking of serving â€Å"a whole roast lamb. †(153) The celebration was starting to be more like â€Å"I can do better than you,† than about the girls. Maryam was helping with the arrangements and Ziba babbled about Dave, this time Maryam spoke up, â€Å"I’m Iranian; he’s American . . .†(154) â€Å"What difference does that make? †(154) Ziba asked.Maryam talked about her friend Farah and what a point her American husband makes about her foreignness. â€Å"It seems she’s not really Farah at all; she’s Madame Iran. †(154) Ziba insisted Dave wasn’t like that, but Maryam still felt like a foreigner after over 40 years and to be with an American would make her feel it even stronger. The Arrival Party came, same chitchat, festivities and a farewell for Bitsy and Brad heading off to China. Dave took every opportunity, while watching Jin Ho to visit Maryam.And by the time the Donaldson’s came home with Xiu Mei, Dave had sneaked inside Maryam’s protective shield and they were dating. The Yazdan’s threw the next Arrival Party because Xiu Mei had been sickly, in and out of hospitals. The event was slightly different; the girls joined in the singing and the video went basically unobserved. The next event was more energetic, the annual leaf-raking party. Dave had Maryam sit in a chair and instructed the girls to sprinkle sugar on her head, â€Å"Maryam, Dave said. â€Å"Will you marry me? â€Å"(208) Instead of answering, she looked at the girls to see what they put on her head.It should have been cone-shaped to go with the Iranian custom and it should have been grown women holding the sugar to symbolize their happy marriages. He probably thought he was doing something good, but she felt it should of been done exa ctly as it’s suppose to be done, or not at all. As these thoughts filled her head she said, â€Å"Yes. † (208) Everyone cheered. The next day Maryam went to Sami and Ziba’s and told them she only said yes because she was embarrassed not too. â€Å"He is so American,† (213) â€Å"I don’t have my own separate self.†(213)She felt bad and hoped it wouldn’t affect they’re friendship with the Donaldson’s. A year went by before she bumped into Dave again, he was picking up Jin Ho the same time she was picking up Susan at dancing school. They did they’re little small talk dance, except he told her Bitsy had cancer. She felt his pain and knew all the memories of Connie must have come rushing back. When she returned home, she wrote Bitsy a note and offered asked if she could be of any help. Maryam was now noticing how lonely she was the past year. How alive she felt with Dave, doing couple things.Maybe the feelings she had were stronger than she realized and the ones about feeling like a foreigner were not as important. One morning, Bitsy called to thank her for the note, they got caught up and both said how much they missed each other. Bitsy asked if she would attend the Arrival Party coming up. Maryam said she would think about it, but didn’t want anyone to feel awkward. Pondering to go or not, Maryam something Kiyan once said came to mind, â€Å"I don’t know why truly good people always make me sad. † (263) She decided she would go and helped Ziba with the details. The party started and everyone was there, except for Maryam.When Ziba looked in the dinning room all the Donaldson’s had left, she was devastated so Sami called his mother. She answered, not understanding Sami’s tone, but said she fully intended on going she just overslept. He told her the Donaldson’s left and it was safe for her to go over. She insisted she had all intentions of being there. Mar yam then heard Bitsy outside her window, people kept yelling and knocking, she didn’t answer. Finally, she looked out the window and saw all the Donaldson’s walking toward their cars. Maryam called, â€Å"Wait for me! † (277) The two families would celebrate, yet another Arrival Party!The imprint of these families, meeting by chance; growing in love and friendship by choice, depicts that no matter what culture or mixture of cultures, come together; what really constitutes a bond is the right choice. In making that choice taking into consideration the respect of others beliefs, opinions, insecurities and strengthens. The Donaldson’s and Yardan’s, American and Iranian families brought two other cultures into their circle; two little girls from Korea and one from China. When you put all these pieces together, what would they’re families culture be? I say they’re culture is acceptance.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Immigration Problem in Istanbul

The immigration problem has always been one of the most important debated issues in Turkey, especially after1950s. It makes big cities more crowded and it also brings many problems together. These problems include economic, social, and environmental issues. Particularly Istanbul is in a great danger with the huge rate of immigration it takes. The city has not enough area for sheltering its continuous growing population as it has not also enough resources to feed them.It is very unhealthy to enlarge as rapidly as Istanbul with immigration because it brings economic, environmental, and social problems. Istanbul is the most urbanized and crowded city of Turkey. For almost 20 years, it takes internal migration with its economic and social opportunities; therefore, the city, which becomes one of the urbanized cities around the world, grows in an uncontrolled manner day by day. The population of Istanbul, which was not even 1 million in 1950, is now over 14 million.After a rapid industrial ization, a high level of immigration is normal and unavoidable for cities and it has some advantages as providing labor force but the migration to Istanbul get over the limits. According to Istanbul Governorship’s data, over 62% of people who live in Istanbul were born outside of the city. Since it is common that Turkish families are crowded, most of immigrant families have more than two children generally.This year, the prime minister of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan advised the community to make at least three children in order to protect the nation’s young population, at the time of his speech about International Women’s day. The elite class of Turkey may not affected by these events but the rural side of Turkey, and the lower class of the cities, mostly immigrants are influenced by the people whom they see as their idol. According to the high fertility factor, the native Istanbul population has become a minority in their homeland (Erman 541).It causes many identity problems beside its social and economic aspect. The mass migration to Istanbul caused economic problems such as inadequate shelter and unemployment. In â€Å"The Human Declaration on Human Settlements†, it is underlined that deterioration of conditions of shelter and human settlements particularly in developing countries has reached crisis proportion (591). As we know that Turkey is a developing country with its industrializing economy, the problems as I mentioned above are common in Turkey, especially in urbanized cities.Istanbul, the most industrialized city of Turkey, owns problems related to the excessive population concentration such as homelessness, increasing poverty, unemployment, inadequate resources, lack of basic infrastructure and services (592). Migrants who come to Istanbul for its job opportunities generally belong to the low educated agrarian society. They come to this big city with the dream of being a part of rich and modern urban. However, migrants compose the lower class of Istanbul with their lower education and economic situation.With their inadequate qualifications, they can work in low wage jobs. The squatter settlements issue begins with this problem. People who can’t earn enough money to buy or rent apartments they live in squatter settlements. Moreover, the other side of Istanbul, the welfare class which manage the industry becomes richer continuously. Because of this dual economy in Istanbul as all other urbanized cities in third world countries, the difference, and consequently the tension between rich and poor increase continuously.The labor class, which works hard, however cannot sustain their family become more aggressive day by day. The bloody 1 May (Labor Day) incidents can be explained with the rebel of this class. Crime rate. The mass migration to Istanbul and the rapid social changes occurred in the city caused the problematic issue â€Å"integration† of rural migrants into the urban society (Erman 541 ). They move into Istanbul, they become physically â€Å"urbanite† but since they cannot accommodate themselves in city life, continuing their rural traditions, they cannot become urbanite socially.They resist changing or they are forced to be an alien. As they live in communes, generally in squatter settlement areas, with the group psychology, they live their own culture as a synthesis of the rural and the urban. As they cannot become an urbanite, they don’t detach their relations with their rural villages and community. The concept of â€Å"hemsericilik† in Turkish language, it means clientalism, became one of the most important characteristics to evaluate a person. Largely, migrants compose the lower class of Istanbul with their lower education level and economical conditions.Their economic situation and their education have a strong correlation. Since their language and qualifications are lower, they cannot find high-wage jobs to increase their economic leve l. Poverty strengthens the alienation of them. They see the luxurious houses, cars, and lifestyles on the streets or on TV and as they can’t reach this lifestyle by working, they start to search the short way to own this shining life. The growth rate of crime in Istanbul is the result of this desire.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Critical Analysis on Fools Crow by James Welch Essay

Critical Analysis on Fools Crow by James Welch - Essay Example It is, moreover, the poetry f "singers" like Ray Anthony Young Bear, Simon J. Ortiz, Joy Harjo, Wendy Rose, the late William Oandasan, Geary Hobson, Linda Hogan, and, again, Welch--especially in Riding the Earthboy Forty ( 1971; rev. ed., 1975)--that brings into greater focus the reason for this noticeable recurrence f seemingly antiheroic, alienated, and benumbed protagonists, singers, and speakers at odds with their pasts and the times and places in which they find themselves. It is the simultaneous impetus f atavism and modernism--the need, as Young Bear phrases it, "to be there, standing beside our grandfathers, being ourselves" and by meeting that need, to bring meaning to the twentieth-century predicament. (McCoy 110-112) An exorcism first: this is not "just another Custer book," nor is it unbalanced in any way by James Welch's aboriginal heritage. It is, in fact, a valuably enhanced examination f "the most depicted event in our [American] history" (p. 22). It incorporates the results f recent, innovative research methodology, using topographical and time-motion studies. It benefits, too, from an opportune archeological investigation by a young Canadian archeologist, Richard Fox f the University f Calgary, who conducted a timely dig following a 1983 grassfire which revealingly denuded the Little Bighorn battlefield. Welch had access to his family's oral-tradition accounts (his great-grandmother, Red Paint Woman, survived the Baker Massacre f 1870, about which more later); and by Welch's stylistic gifts (he is an acclaimed poet, novelist, and screenwriter). The book, solidly documented, also bears some well-controlled, reader-friendly hallmarks f "the nonfiction novel." It evolved quite naturally from a year and a half f research which was distilled into a twenty-two page scenario for a PBS documentary film (Last Stand at Little Bighorn, directed by Paul Stekler and aired in late 1992). Welch recapitulates, succinctly and clearly, the context and circumstances f the Little Bighorn disaster, focusing consistently and persuasively on the broad complex f cultural, economic, and philosophical factors which, conjoined, made that event inevitable. He does not indulge himself in Custer-bashing, so irresistibly tempting to so many recent non-Native investigators. Nor does he romanticize the often unsophisticated -- and, at times, hapless -- late nineteenth century Blackfeet; he is, on occasion, bluntly condemnatory, even though he clearly understands the almost irresistible pressures which undermined effectual Native solidarity then and now. (G ish 309-11) He is unblinking in his assessment f the basic motives f both sides: the whites wanted the vast northwestern hunting grounds f the Natives; the Natives, eager for the material trade goods which would make their hard lives easier, were willing to cede some f their land. There was, unfortunately, never any chance that a just exchange was possible. Welch points out, sardonically but without much rancor, that western Plains aboriginals lost their holistic lifestyle when the buffalo were transmuted by planned, systematic slaughter into fur coats, industrial belting, and bonemeal for the eastern industries f the whites; they were also degraded by

Friday, September 27, 2019

How to be successful in life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

How to be successful in life - Essay Example However, there are certain principles towards attainment of a successful living that are leading a healthy life, keeping ambitions and struggling towards attainment of these ambitions and planning, all these should be adopted by everyone in order to live a life that is accomplishing. Firstly, one must be healthy, secondly proper actions should be taken towards accomplishment of set goals and thirdly, planning should be there to be successful in life. All these lead to be successful in life. To lead a successful life requires one to be healthy first of all. In my consideration, healthy living is a successful living, which is the first principle to be successful in life. One should have healthy habits if he wants to be successful in life. From our childhood, we have listened to a quote by Benjamin Franklin narrated by our parents that is â€Å"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.† Being healthy requires one to take proper sleep, take meals on proper time, have a balanced diet, do exercises and adopt everything that is healthy in life. Such a person will have good health and will not be troubled with health issues and will have a healthy mind to think over issues of life. Such a person will make good decisions and will have ample time to think over problems. Time is more precious than anything else and healthy living allows us to utilize all the available time without wasting it (Babson 78). The other principle to get closer to successful living is to do something towards fulfillment of ambitions. It means that we have to act in order to get (Watson 2004). Ben Franklin gives a quote, â€Å"God helps those who help themselves†. To be successful requires one to be sincere with himself. When a person is sincere with himself, he will keep aspirations and will work towards fulfillment of his set aspirations. Our actions speak about our set ambitions and our actions are informative as what we

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Transaction Cost Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Transaction Cost Economics - Essay Example However, "TCE's main theme is that transactions -which differ in their attributes - are aligned with governance structures-which differ in their costs and competencies - in a discriminating, economizing way"- Roland F. Spekle (2001). It may be observed that some organizations use very extensive and formal planning to direct their efforts, whereas other organizations may not attach that much importance for planning. Similarly rules, procedures and standards dominate the working of some firms while individual judgments provide the basis of working in other firms. Although, these phenomena do not find any statutory explanation for such organisational behaviours, Management Control theory has come a long way in providing satisfactory explanations in this direction. On a similar footing "TCE studies organization from a comparative point of view in which different institutional arrangements are considered alternative ways to organize economic activity" - Roland F. Spekle (2001). TCE tries to explain the rationale behind the behaviour of an organization in getting some transactions executed within the same organization while some other transactions are getting outsourced. The TCE's reasoning to this specific attitude of the firms lies in the fact a specific institutional arrangement is chosen to govern a specific transaction because that arrangement offers some distinctive set of control devices. Another filed of economics which deals with the organisational behaviours is the Evolutionary theories which have a long tradition in the literatures of socio-economics and strategic management and have influenced recent studies of the evolution of management accounting systems. "A review of the literature of economic indicates that three main concepts are at the core of evolutionary thinking: institutionalization, capabilities and learning and change". - Alan F. Coad and John Cullen (2006). Thus Evolutionary Theories also centre on the basic concepts of organizational change s due to these three factors. This paper envisages describing the basics of Transaction Cost Economics and Evolutionary Theories, the nature of their relationships and their relative contribution to Management Accounting. 2.0 TRANSACTION COST ECONOMICS (TCE): Transaction Cost Economics is most associated with the work of Oliver Williamson. It must be emphasized that while Williamson's work is very distinctive, it falls well within mainstream economic thinking. It is sometimes said that TCE attempts to explain why firms exist. That is why there are some transactions directed by managers in the context of a hierarchy, as opposed to taking place in an open market. It's more accurate, though to say that TCE tries to explain the particular structure of a firm, most importantly, the extent to which it will integrate vertically. Williamson's theory is based on the assumption that the primary aim of firms is profit maximising and that involves cost minimization. He also tried to make distinction between transaction costs and production costs. Production costs are assumed to be those which are incurred to build and run an 'ideal business setup' and transaction costs are those incurred for departure from the ideal set up. As it is the fact that the existence of the 'ideal set up' requires a perfectly efficient market and the prerequisites of such a market are the factors like availability of full information to all the parties and perfect competition among other requirements. Departures from these idealistic set up can

Rebuilding the Balkans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rebuilding the Balkans - Essay Example Taking a look at the brief history of international intervention in the Balkan region will elucidate some of the reasons for intervention, the aims of those who intervene and the consequences of their actions, which often differed from their aspirations. The main issue discussed in this article is the contemporary remarkable continuities in the approach of the western world towards the Balkan states, with multilateral intervention largely being driven by a desire to contain crisis and maintain the status quo in a region perceived as lying on the periphery of Europe. With the exception of Greece, it was only until the mid-1990s when the policy was prefigured earlier, have there been signs that such approach might be replaced by a qualitatively different one based on contractual engagement and a possibility of eventual integration into the European mainstream. Contrastingly, the meaning of integration for the Balkan space remains vague. Within the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and the Stabilization and Association Process there are suggestions that it could eventually lead to EU accession and, certainly, this is the dream of many within the region. However, with the EU already facing the challenge of an unprecedented enlargement into Central Europe and the Baltic, the likelihood of this occurring within the short or even the medium term remains doubtful. Alternatives to membership have been canvassed, and European Commission President, Romano Prodi, has even floated the idea of some form of 'virtual membership' for the states of the region, but, if this is the case, will integration itself be anything less than 'virtual' (Siani-Davies 2003). International Intervention in the Balkans The wars in the western Balkans could be considered a laboratory for post-Cold War intervention. There have been five conflicts over the last decade: Slovenia 1991; Croatia 1991-1992; Bosnia-Hercegovina 1992-1995; Kosovo 1999; and Macedonia 2001. As a consequence of global media attention and civil society pressure, outside powers have been learning to adapt the forms of intervention to an interconnected globalised world. Broadly speaking, it is possible to distinguish between two types of security philosophy that have guided interventions in the Balkans. One has been the traditional geo-political approach, in which security is understood as the defence of territory. The geo-political approach tends to be top-down, using diplomatic, economic and military pressure to influence political leaders and warring parties. The other approach is cosmopolitan in which security is understood as the defence of individual human beings. This approach is bottom-up; the emphasis is on respect for human rights, support for civil society, economic assistance and regional cooperation. Top-down approaches, of course, remain important, but they are shaped by bottom-up priorities. In the context of globalization, geo-political approaches to security have perverse effects - they lead to fragmentation and instability. Indeed, it is the attachment to territory and borders that explains the disintegrative process in former Yugoslavia. By and large, the United States has tended to pursue geo-political

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

An analysis of the security implication of immigration in the Essay

An analysis of the security implication of immigration in the Sultanate of Oman from 2009 till 2014 and its implication for future immigration policy - Essay Example Conversely, the immigrants have negatively affected Oman in a certain way, as unemployment has risen significantly in various sectors within the country. This is a result of lack of higher studies and presence of immigrant labours and others in the country. Furthermore, to tackle with the problems of high level of immigration in Oman, the government of the nation has emerged with the concept of ‘Omanization’ Policy in the year 19881. The policy was aimed at significantly reducing the number of immigrants in the country by replacing them with the nationals and to provide them with the opportunity to sustain and develop within the country. Furthermore, because of increased number of immigrants and a constant rise in the expatriate population in Oman, the government of the country has taken considerable steps to reduce inflow of foreign expatriates in the country and encourage the people at large. Furthermore, with an aim to reduce the range of problems faced by the nationals, government of Oman has taken action-oriented steps towards reformation of the existing laws, apart from engaging in bilateral trade agreements with the nations sending immigrants in Oman. Additionally, Oman government has also taken considerable strides towards protection of the migrants, dwelling from Oman2. With the information gathered from nationalists regarding the rising concerns about the illegal immigration in Oman, the government of the country has employed the use of restrictive policies towards the unlawful immigrations. The government of Oman introduced a temporary ban on the immigrants coming from the labour sending nations such as India and Bangladesh to deal with the issue. Furthermore, the government of Oman postponed the issuance of visa to the immigrants from the year 2012, when the country stopped issuing visa to Bangladeshi immigrants. Apart from these aspects the government of Oman and other Gulf nations, have invested high amount

Monday, September 23, 2019

Guest Lecture by Erin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Guest Lecture by Erin - Essay Example Agile development stimulates robust and receptive planning, progressive development and delivery (Kruchten 352). Although the connection of cost, scope, and schedule still exists in the iron triangle model, the concept is turning out to be complicated and ineffective. Quality in the iron triangle is delivered through scope, scheduling and cost. In agile development teams are required to adjust and rework schedules without exceeding the project’s budget to provide the product. In the agile development methodology, value is incorporated in the project scope while, in the iron triangle of waterfall methodology, value is the result. With the realization that projects have strict timelines, and changes are inevitable, the agile development model utilizes constraints to reevaluate scheduling (Kruchten 354). Scheduling flexibility is limited in the iron triangle methodology. In the iron triangle, the scope of the project, schedule, and cost elements are used to evaluate the quality of the project. Cost structures in agile development are flexible to attain the required effect and quality. Agil e development is the best method to use for this project, it flexible, cost effective and allow for rapid improvements. There are numerous problems associated with the iron triangle model when developing real-life

Sunday, September 22, 2019

INDUSTRY OF SHOPPING CENTERS IN HONUDRAS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INDUSTRY OF SHOPPING CENTERS IN HONUDRAS - Essay Example The real estate investment in the country was able to drop by 15 percent, and this drop was due to the contraction of the global credit as well as export market and political crisis. Now Honduras has some of the best shopping malls in the world with modern facilities inside the malls (Ling and Naranjo 3). One of such a kind of mall is San Pedro Sula mall, and this mall has about 150 stores, an Applebee’s restaurant, 23 eateries that offer food products, an arcade, a Cinemark movie theatre, a banking centre, and a parking lot located in the underground. Besides the underground parking lot, the mall also has 1,200 extra parking spaces with 100% air-conditioning system and security cameras. San Pedro Sula shopping mall has a friendly atmosphere as well as stores with international standards, and the services offered here present many clients with opportunities that are only visible to many through television adverts. Some of the international standard stores in this mall are Lady Lee, Puma, Jet Stereo, and Carrion with a modern state of art technologies. The stores have automated systems as well as electromechanical systems for communication, air conditioners, and monitoring of the stores. The latest technology incorporated in this mall made it win an award from International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), some of the contributing factors to winning the award besides the latest technology were the best traffic flow design of the mall, and this made it able to compete with other malls in Dubai and Brazil. In 2012, the country’s GDP was 17.97 billion US dollars, and this value represented close to 0.03% of the total world economy. There has been a great improvement in the economy because in 1960, the GDP stood at 4.57 USD up to 2012 and this year GDP, the value has shot up to 17.97 USD. This improvement is practically an indicator of how lucrative the businesses are in the country, and the booming business is the commercial real estate business. T he hiring and renting of commercial real estate in the country are relatively cheap, and most of these commercial real estates have modern designs and technology. They offer a variety of the cool and serene business environment that ensures comfort ability of the occupants. Renting of these apartments is renewal, and the clients are always at liberty to renew the trading contracts with the commercial real estate owners. Most of the tenants in Honduras are American citizens, and the laws and practices that govern real estate ownership in the country are quite different from the ones in America. Because most of the tenants are Americans, some of the insurance firms from the USA have been on the front line to provide title deeds for most of the lands in the country through the help of attorneys from the country (Total Transaction Costs 6). Most of the cases involving land ownership in the country have been prolonged by the judiciary system of Honduras, and this has led to the loss of m oney by many American citizens in their quest to get justice. Besides the long case protocols, most of the Americans have also been frustrated in their quest to settle most of the disputes resulting from land ownership (How High 9). Most of the foreign tenants have been brushed off using violence in some of the disputed cases. The Honduran laws have imposed

Saturday, September 21, 2019

ICT and society portfolio section Essay Example for Free

ICT and society portfolio section Essay Microsoft word Microsoft Word is a word processor program from Microsoft. It was originally written by Richard Brodie for IBM PC computers running DOS in 1983. Later versions were created for the Apple Macintosh (1984), SCO UNIN, and Microsoft Windows (1989). It became part of the Microsoft Office. Microsoft word is a software package which can be used for school work, course work, home work or personal work such as making posters or fliers. So it is extremely useful, especially if you have untidy handwriting because Microsoft word can improve your presentation not only by improving your writing but also can improve presentation by adding pictures, this can be done using a feature called clipart which allows me too insert pictures to my work. Another good point about this is that it has a feature called spell check, which is handy if you are bad at spelling because if you spelt a word wrong then it will either automatically correct it or show you a list of words to help you. The only bad point about spell check is that it doesnt recognise every word and that sometimes it uses the American spelling of words. Other god points include the fact that if you are doing something such as an essay or coursework which requires a lot of writing because you can easily change your words if you make a mistake whereas if you were writing it out by hand then you would have to rewrite everything from the beginning. Microsoft Excel Excel 2003 enables you to turn data into information with powerful tools to analyze, communicate, and share results. Excel 2003 can help you work better in teams, and help protect and control access to your work. In addition, you can work with industry-standard Extensible Mark-up Language (NML) data to make it easier to connect to business processes. Just like Microsoft word, excel is a software package which can be used for school work, course work, home work or personal work. Mostly excel is used in business in order to keep track of financial status and to record data required to run a business. The good points about Microsoft excel is that you can use features such as auto sum which allows you to quickly and easily count up numbers, another feature is the graph function which allows you to create graphs easily, the graphs make the figures easier to understand and improves presentation. Microsoft access Microsoft Access is a relational database management system from Microsoft, packaged with Microsoft Office Professional. Microsoft Access can use data stored in Access/Jet, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or any ODBC-compliant data container. Skilled software developers and data architects use it to develop powerful, complen application software. Relatively unskilled programmers and non-programmer power users can use it to build simple applications without having to deal with features they dont understand. Microsoft Access was also the name of a communications program from Microsoft, meant to compete with ProComm and other programs. This Microsoft Access proved a failure and was dropped. Years later Microsoft reused the name for its database software. Microsoft access is normally used in areas such as hospitals in order to keep a record of all the patients. Another area where databases are used is in buissness in order to keep track of financial staus and contacts. Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft publisher Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft. This program helps you easily create, customize, and publish materials such as newsletters, brochures, flyers, catalogs, and Web sites. It is very neat and tidy and improves presentation. People who work in the advertising industry might find publisher very useful because it is very quick and easy to use.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Pride And Prejudice Analysis of Themes

Pride And Prejudice Analysis of Themes An artist cannot do anything slovenly, once uttered Jane Austen in articulating her perception of art and literature. Pride and Prejudice, a novel by Jane Austen, is undeniably a masterpiece that has astoundingly challenged the beliefs and virtues of its era. In the novel, Austen adeptly depicts the convictions of her class-bound society and targets those exceptionable virtues with universal themes in her piece of art. Equipped with alluring writing skills, Austen succeeded in signing off a genuine artistic piece, which, to the very least, struck the heart and soul of her society. For these reasons, Pride and Prejudice, a memorable composition of the 18th century, is indeed worth examining and studying in reference to two major aspects of the novel, characterization and themes. To begin with, characterization is one chief aspect worth stressing and studying. In the novel, Austen wittily employs characters and characterization in her composition to better convey her messages. The characters stand out stupendously as vivid, real, round, and dynamic. Furthermore, the interactions and relations between characters in the novel further add to their development and advancement in the course of the plot. Taking all aspects into consideration proves that Austen cleverly utilized characterization marking characters not only as portrays of the exceptionable society, but also as means of criticizing and perhaps altering such a society. Initially, Jane, Elizabeths eldest sister, stands out as a shy, reserved, serious, and quite gentle individual. She is friendly, pleasant, considerate, and cheerful. Likewise, Mr. Bingley is portrayed as a wealthy, rich, friendly, good-natured, amiable, sociable, and affable person. Austen depicts both characters as similar characters, sharing their goodwill and compatibility. As they were similar, both Jane and Mr. Bingley are portrayed throughout the novel as a potential couple. In the novel, their relationship can be best regarded as that of love that is unhampered by obstacles between both lovers, but rather by external factors. At the beginning, Mr. Bingley meets Jane Bennet at the public ball, where Mrs. Bennet introduces Mr. Bingley to her. There, they engage in a dance. Later, Jane visits Mr. Bingleys estate in response to Caroline Bingleys invitation. After catching a cold, Jane is looked after by Mr. Bingley for a couple of days in his estate. During this period, each develops feelings for the other, and Mr. Bingleys affection for Jane becomes notable as well obvious. Later, Carolines efforts inspired by class differences along with Darcys efforts inspired by Janes lack of affection converge in attempt this set this relation to an end. Accordingly, a letter then arrives from Caroline, Mr. Bingleys sister, mentioning that Mr. Bingley and Darcy will be leaving back to Netherfield. Hence, Jane is torn apart as she comes to rationalize that Mr. Bingley might not have had any feelings for her initially. In accordance with Elizabeths advice, Jane heads to London to seek out Mr. Bingley. As soon as her attempt to reach Mr. Bingley is proven futile, Jane heads back home and utters that she is over with her affection for Mr. Bingley. Ultimately, Mr. Bingley returns back to town due to Darcys interference, which was sparked by his confrontation with Elizabeth. Eventually, Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane, and the couple is then set for marriage. On the other hand, Darcys relation with Elizabeth is that of an utter significance as it lies in the core of the plot. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet is depicted as the smartest and most intelligent daughter of the Bennet family. She is amiable, lovely, honest, outspoken, and clever. Elizabeth is also talented at verbal sparring and utilizes often her verbal skills to her favor. On the other hand, Fitzwilliam Darcy stands out as a rich, wealthy, intelligent, aloof, and detached individual. He is overly conscious and proud of his social status. Likewise, Austin portrays both characters as similar to some extent. For instance, both are smart and intelligent, and both tend to judge people too harshly. As they were similar, Darcy surprisingly stands out as Elizabeths male counterpart and ideal match. Most importantly, their relationship exemplifies that of sincere love that is hampered often by obstacles and predicaments between both lovers in addition to remote forces and factors. In sp ite of all predicaments, their relationship ideally thrives and survives. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth first confesses to her sister, Jane, at the public ball that she has no intention of ever marrying. At the public ball, she meets Darcy, which in contrast to Mr. Bingley, refuses to dance or talk with anyone other than his company. Elizabeth deliberately judges him as arrogant and unpleasant. She also overhears him saying bad remarks about her to Mr. Bingley; and thus perceives him as ill-mannered and haughty. Thereafter, Elizabeth encounters Wickham, a handsome lieutenant, who tells her about Darcys betrayal to him due to jealousy. This further exacerbates Elizabeths perception of Darcy as an individual. Then, Elizabeth attends Bingleys dance, where she engages in some verbal clash with Darcy as she dances with him. During her visit to her friend Charlotte, Elizabeth visits Lady Catherine DeBourg, who is also Darcys aunt. There, Elizabeth encounters Darcy and engages herself again in verbal sparring, so Darcy confesses that he is not that sociable and outgoing. After that, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was the one behind ruining Janes marriage from Mr. Bingley. This further exacerbates her view of Darcy. Later, Darcy meets up with Elizabeth and confesses his love and proposes to her. However, Elizabeth rejects Darcys proposal for his arrogance, and for what he has cost her sister as well as Wickham. Soon afterwards, Darcy drops by Elizabeth and leaves her a letter justifying his actions. He mentions that Wickhams greed was the reason behind his behavior with him. He also mentions that he aimed at halting Mr. Bingleys relation with Jane as he thought this was better for him since Jane seemed not to be serious. Later during her visit to her uncle, Elizabeth decides to visit Pempberley, Darcys grand estate, where she learns about Darcys kindness from his servants. Here, Elizabeth begins to realize that she might have been erroneous about Darcys perception as an individual. Afterwards, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was the one behind covering up her sisters scandal after escaping with Wickham. She also realizes that he was also the one behind getting Mr. Bingley back to town to propose to Jane. Eventually, Elizabeth recognizes that she has blindly misconstrued Darcys intentions, and consents his second proposal for marriage, yet out of her love and passion this time. In addition to characterization, the novels themes, which challenged the exceptionable convictions and beliefs of an entire era, are another aspect worth stressing. One significant theme addressed by Austen in her novel Pride and Prejudice is love. Simply, Austen conveys in her composition that true love is a titanic force that is capable of withstanding all obstacles and predicaments. Mainly, the novel deals with Elizabeths intricacies in finding and sustaining this true love. Throughout the novel, both lovers are confronted with myriad predicaments, which all fail to end their relationship. Obstacles include Darcys pride and arrogance about his social class and his prejudice against Elizabeth for her lower class. Likewise, Elizabeths excessive pride and her prejudice against Darcy as an arrogant and haughty individual also exacerbates the relation between both lovers. Still other obstacles include Carolines snobbery and arrogance, Lady Catherine DerBourgs conceit and intervention, Wickhams treacheries, in addition to her fathers detachment as well her naÃÆ'Â ¯ve mothers obsession with engaging her to whoever proposes and seems financially fit. In spite of all those predicaments, the couples love ideally thrives, burgeons, and is eventually harvested through marriage. On the other hand, marriage is another aspect Austen targets via her novels themes. During the 18th century, marriage was regarded mainly as a means of attaining financial stability. In the novel, Austen wittily employs her characters to criticize this belief chiefly via two characters, Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte. Mrs. Bennet, as a mother of five daughters, sets high priority on marriage and is overly obsessed with the idea of getting her daughters to marry. She is absolutely not concerned with her daughters desires and is literarily ready to marry them to whoever is financially fit. An instance of this is Mrs. Bennets desire to marry Elizabeth to Mr. Collins regardless of his shallow, patronizing, boring, pompous, and conceited character. Surprisingly, Charlotte is another portray of Austens viewpoint on marriage during that era. The lady accepts Mr. Collins as a husband just to lift up to societys standards and attain financial stability. She even mentions in the novel, it is bette r to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are about to pass your life. In Pride and Prejudice, the title itself stands out as another universal theme conveyed by Austen. First, pride was evident throughout the course of the plot. Darcy exhibited pride due to class and social differences. Elizabeth was also proud of her ability of perception. Hence, this pride hampers their relationship as Darcys pride blinded him from Elizabeths various charms at many instances, and Elizabeths pride made her reject Darcys first proposal. Mr. Collins in addition to Lady DeBourg also exhibited pride in the novel. Likewise, prejudice was also prevalent throughout the novel. Mainly, Darcys pride makes him misjudge Elizabeth as impolite and inferior. Correspondingly, Elizabeth misjudges Darcy as conceited, haughty, and arrogant due to his high social standing. Thereby, both Elizabeth and Darcy were pride and prejudiced. Nonetheless, Austen also criticized the influence of money and social class on the society in her composition. In the novel, social class and money play a chief role in shaping the plot. It was Darcys high social class that made others misinterpret him as arrogant and haughty. Likewise, it was Elizabeths lower social class that forced the snobbish Lady DeBourg to interfere and try to oppose Elizabeths marriage from Darcy. In short, Austen wittily ridiculed her societys regard of social class as the sole means of judging an individual. Towards the end, Pride and Prejudice is one remarkable novel signed off by Jane Austen during the 18th century. Astoundingly, the composition utterly and effectively defies the dire convictions of Austens society. For this reason, the novel is regarded as one of the most eminent compositions in English Literature. Furthermore, characterization and themes are two chief aspects utilized by Austen and worth examining. Surpassingly, Jane Austen did not only succeed in leaving behind a memorable piece of writing, but also signed off an exceptional composition that helped revolutionize the societys perceptions of marriage and social class amidst an era dominated by class and social discrimination. The End

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay on Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Message of Social Responsibili

The Message of Social Responsibility in The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚   Often, we paint a fairytale view of life for ourselves and our children. Sometimes, an author paints a frightfully realistic picture of life and forces us to reconsider the fairytale. In Shirley Jackson’s story, "The Lottery," a town each year conducts a lottery in which the winner or looser, in this case, is stoned to death by his or her own neighbors. The tradition is supposed to uphold social structure within the town, but in order to comprehend the true meaning of the story you must be able to read between the lines. "The Lottery" is a story about a town that has let its traditions go too far. Also, it is clear that the story contains eye-opening facts that lead me to believe that the author’s intentions were not to write a horror story, but rather cry to all to stop and realize we have problems that we can and should approach, that can make a difference in many people’s lives in our society. The author states that the lottery is conducted every year in the spring. The flowers are blooming and the birds are singing, but this warm town quickly becomes a gloomy, overcast setting for a satanic event. This horrifying ritual ends in bloodshed and death. In our society today, there are large cities which have beautiful parks and people usually keep them clean and pretty th... ...lottery, and that could lead to many more deaths of innocent people. The fact that there are places in the world today that immoral actions occur, means that we, as responsible citizens, are not doing our job. The people of America must wake up and learn to stand up for what they believe in. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1986. 862-868 McQuain, Michelle. "Change Only When Affected." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. Connie Bellamy, Virginia Beach: VWC, 1997. Walden, John. "Critical Essays by John Walden." Electric Library. http://www.elibrary.com/id/230/270/lid, 1996.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Affirmative Action Essay -- Discrimination Race Racism Essays

Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a blanket term that refers to â€Å"the set of public policies and initiatives designed to help eliminate past and present discrimination based on race, color, sex or national origin,† (Sykes). Before the Civil Rights Acts of 1965 and the 1954 Scott v. Topeka decision, there were â€Å"unwritten laws and protection for white men† against competition from women and ethnic minorities in prestigious professions, creating blatant inequality (Alsbrook). Affirmative action policies designed in part to counteract such â€Å"unwritten laws† were first employed in 1965 to provide equal opportunity among federal contractors; now however, they are used widely in many industries, both public and private (Kahn). In the 1970’s, the scope of the initiatives expanded to the arena of college and university admissions as well. Debate over affirmative action has revolved around myriad issues ranging from diversity to the relevance of past injustices to so-called â€Å"reverse discrimination.† The paramount key issue that is constantly asked regarding affirmative action is, â€Å"Does affirmative action achieve its goal of equality?† Having considered the arguments from many perspectives, we recommend a general position that supports affirmative action policies. However, this support is not unmitigated—certain constraints and amendments are required. Those who oppose affirmative action often claim that it simply does not succeed in helping the occupational and educational status of minorities. Some support for this claim apropos policies in the workplace can be culled from the fact that women only earn approximately seventy-seven cents for every dollar men earn, the figure dropping to sixty-six cents for non-white women (... ...pdf> {popular news, print via Internet; apparently credible} Wilcher, J. Shirley. â€Å"The History of Affirmative Action Policies† Americans for Fair Chance Washington D.C (2003): In Motion Magazine. 26 April. 2004 http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/aahist.html {distinguished news; print via internet; reputable} Yates, Steven. â€Å"Affirmative Action: The New Road to Serfdom.† The Freeman. (1990) Vol. 40, No. 12. Foundation for Economic Education Inc. 6 April 2004 http://www.libertyhaven.com/politicsandcurrentevents/affirmativeaction/roadserfdom.shtml {unrestricted; print modified; plausible} Zauberman, Renee and Rene Levy. â€Å"Police, Minorities, and the French Republican Ideal*.† Criminology 41.4 (2003): 1065-1100. Research Library. ProQuest. NYU Bobst Library, NY, NY. 21 April. 2004 http://www.proquest.com/ {scholarly primary; print via Internet; authoritative}

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The 1893 World’s Fair Essay examples -- Arts Worlds Fair Essays

The 1893 World’s Fair A World’s Fair is an â€Å"[I]nternational exposition that features exhibits dealing with commerce, industry, and science.† (World Book Encyclopedia 412) Entertainment is also present along with cultural activities. In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, although inaugurated a year late, commemorated the discovery of America. I feel that the Exposition displayed some of the more beautiful architecture of its time; its immense buildings and sculptures drew heavily from Greek and other classical styles, and it could possible be because of the sweeping popularity in Beaux Arts architecture. The Peristyle, one of the buildings that was constructed for the Fair, was designed by Charles B. Atwood. It was an ‘arcade of columns originally proposed by Augustus Saint Gaudens, the consultant on sculpture.† (Burg 79) The Perisytle was a beautiful building that followed in the traditional Greek pathway. It â€Å"was a series of forty-eight Corinthian columns, one for each of the American States and Territories, with an immense triumphal arch at the center. J The Peristyle itself was 500’ high, its top being a broad promenade populated by 85 allegorical figures in heroic scale.† (Burg 119) The Greeks used Peristyles in their architecture. A Peristyle was placed around the Greek Parthenon. Corinthian columns were created in the Hellenic era, but they had to wait until the Hellenistic era to reach their full development. J â€Å"They are distinguished by their ornate capitals with double rows of acanthus leaves and fernlike fonds rising from each corner and terminating in miniature volutes.† (Fleming 32) The largest structure at the fair was the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. It housed many... ...ssive of the greatest eras of human history.† (Burg 175) It’s a shame that after all the work, and all of the visitors, and all the critics’ reviews, in the end the buildings have to be torn down! Bibliography No author cited. â€Å"World’s Fair.† World Book Encyclopedia. 1896 ed. Hunt, William Dudley Jr. â€Å"Beaux Arts, Ecole Des.† Hunt Encyclopedia of American Architecture, 1980 ed. Books Burg, David F. Chicago’s White City of 1893. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1976. No author cited. The Columbian World’s Fair Atlas. Ohio: W.F. Towns 1891. Fleming, William. Arts and Ideas. 8th ed. Florida: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Incorporated, 1991. No author cited. The American Heritage Dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985. Newspaper No author cited. â€Å"A City of White Elephants.† New York Times 18 Sept. 1893, natl.ed.,8.

Biblical World View about the Euthanasia, Suicide, and Capital Punishment Essay

Euthanasia: To put a patient to death by withdrawing the life-sustaining medications or using medical act when the patient has little probability to revive from the disease or the unconsciousness is called euthanasia. After I read the chapter ten from â€Å"The Right to Die and the Right to Kill†, I comprehend that euthanasia is legal in some specific circumstance. In biblical way, the euthanasia should be prohibited because it is consider murder. But as the article says sometimes the euthanasia is reasonable. In my point of view, if a patient may ask for euthanasia to death, as a Christian, I will try to encourage the patient to live strong. I believe God do not give something that more than we could bear. Miracles happen every day, several true stories I heard that some patients with some lethal diseases survived from death by the cheer of their family and bless of God. But it does not means euthanasia is a bad thing. For instance, if the modern medical knowledge can no longer avoid the death and when the death is excruciating for the patient, with the permit of the patient the euthanasia is passable. In some circumstance, as a patient has been constantly unconscious, the family members of patient can choose to use the Euthanasia. Also I deem that euthanasia could apply to the capital punishment. To sum up, euthanasia is an acceptable means, but it should be done legally. Suicide: The definition of suicide as I learn from the article is that suicide is a self conflict, a severe sin of self-murder which is a selfishness or hopelessness act. The statistic shows us that suicide is a momentous social issue that the number people who committed suicide every year more likely higher than the number of people who dead in battle field. Commit suicide The reason why I have the negative view of suicide, it was a sore challenge to some one physically and mentally, and would also remain adverse impact to all the people who are related to him. Commit suicide is very disrespectful behavior to their family, friend, society. There are various types of suicide, but there usually two cause, people who suicide may motive by meaningful purposes or by emotion. People who committed suicide for further purpose are satisfactory. And a confident person will probably conquer the emotional suicide. Christians do not easily attempt to suicide, because God do not give something that more than man could bear. The saved people will have the eternal life in the heaven. It signifies the suicide is forgiving. But we should not easily think about suicide by some meaningless emotion. God is the only one who is to come to a decision how and when people should die. In my view, when I need to face the suicide, I believe the best way to do is read the scriptures and pray for God. Walt Ye Capital Punishment â€Å"For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.† Matthew 26:52, I believe this one of the best testimony of the capital punishment. The mentions of capital punishment in the scripture occur many times. It reveals the significance demand, because it shows the righteous of the society. A Christian commit murder is possible, but he should really need to think his or her salvation. Because Bible teaches us to love your enemies, the murder is unforgivable behave for a true Christian. God will forgive the sin, but the murderer should accept their civil law punishment. Sometimes, the investigation is very important, because the government may out the wrong person to death. In my personal perspective, the capital punishment is very necessary and an efficient tool of reduce the crime which could ensure the safety of our society.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Crucible-Theme- 5-Paragraph

â€Å"Even the Good can be Twisted† â€Å"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. † ( Dr. Seuss) â€Å"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. † (Psalm 23:4) â€Å"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. † (William Shakespeare) These quotes, found throughout many different time periods of history, all say the same: â€Å"Be who you are and don’t let anything change that. † These are great words to live by, but, in time of weakness, does one stay true?Can even the good be twisted? This is a theme that is represented throughout The Crucible many times. Characters such as Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Reverend Hale had good intentions or morals in the beginning but were soon marred by protecting a lover, temptation, or the questioning of all that one stood on. To begin, Elizabeth Proctor was twisted in a way tha t was out of love for her husband and his keeping safe. In the beginning, Elizabeth was a character that was known for never lying. She was a woman of Salem that could do no wrong and loved her husband abundantly.Soon, though, her incorruption was challenged when she was brought to court to prove her husband’s innocence. Instead of telling the truth, she lied about the affair that John had previously confessed about. Thinking what was best, detrimental to herself or not, Elizabeth broke the one thing that made her consistent. She chose hurting her own conscience and fate over seeing her husband be punished for a crime he actually committed. As a result of this, Elizabeth’s whole character was altered, changing from a purely good woman to a liar.Simultaneously, John Proctor’s character was distorted in many ways. Even before the play began, John had broken his own moral code by having an affair with Abigail Williams. This went against, not just the rules of the c hurch, but his own personal beliefs and everything he lived by. This caused John to have internal conflict throughout the entire play, making him guilt-ridden. This contention was only to him until he openly stated it in court to prove his wife’s innocence from witchcraft. It was a moot point though, because Elizabeth did the same thing for him, damning him to be ried for taking part in black magic. Only in the end did John Proctor feel any forgiveness towards himself. In his mind, he deserved the punishment he was going to endure and wasn’t going condemn anyone else in the process. All in all, John was a noble man but, warped by temptation, was made a man of slander. Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between.This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth , a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.In the end, as a reader, one is challenged to think, if put in that situation, if he or she would falter from what is right. If one would, knowing that is against every precedent and moral one owns, be brought away from all that is good and change? This play shows this theme various times throughout that the good, like Elizabeth, John, and Hale, would be changed when brought up against acting out of love, lust, and doing what is right. The Crucible is continuously asking the reader, â€Å"Can even the good be twisted? †

Sunday, September 15, 2019

My Priorities

Daniela Resendez Carolyn S. Smith English-1301-52 10/02/2012 My Priorities Women and men have different sets of priorities. Because men have always cared more about materialistic objects, their priorities are different from those of women. Most women are more sentimental; therefore, their priorities are humanistic. Since I am a woman, my priorities are humanistic. My three main priorities in life are my family, God and my friends. My first priority is my family.I cannot imagine a person that has something or someone else as a first priority; basically, my family is the most important thing in my life. The love of the family is unconditional. I always feel support with them, and I know I will never feel homeless with them by my side. After all, they are the people with whom an individual will share the great moments of life. My second priority is God. I know that many people do not consider him a priority, maybe because they do not believe in something bigger than them.But, my belief is different, I am never going to be alone and I am always going to feel hope. Belief in God is not only by words, but by actions. An action that proves individual belief is going to church. I used to go to church since I was a child. It was there that I learned about the good and bad things in the world. Finally, My friends are my third priority. Like family, is impossible not to have our friends in our priorities. Because with them there is always that loyalty that unites us, we are always going to find a family in them.We can talk with our friends the way we talk with our mother or sister, and sometimes we can have more trust in them. We share funny moments, with our friends, which are very important in our lives. Because those moments are unforgettable, friends are a priority. We party with them the way we cannot with our family, thus we share the most important secrets. In conclusion, my priorities have always given me stability, hopefulness and happiness. My family, God and my friends are my three main priorities and that is how I have managed to accomplish my goals.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Mother Knows Best

Mother Knows Best There is a quote that says, â€Å"Mothers are angels who teach their children to fly. †Ã‚   Indeed mothers are angels, even though we often think that mothers were meant to torture us especially in our adolescent years when we would rather go out with friends instead of washing the dishes or doing our homework, our mothers nevertheless become our pillar, not just of faith but also of strength. Mothers may often be misunderstood but it does not mean that they don’t know best.My earliest memory of my mother is that of a radiant face. For me she was the most beautiful woman alive and nothing compares with her. Even if she was unlike the celebrity mothers who wear designer clothes or gets to eat in fancy restaurants all the time, my mother is, in other words, real. My mother seemed to be passive and quiet however she was a formidable foe if you cross her. I loved the way she combed her hair getting ready for bed, letting those deep brown locks loose, shiny against the glare of the overhead light.I loved the way she would  caringly wipe my back for perspiration after playing under   the hot sun all afternoon not minding the fact that I smelled like a sweaty sock worn for two weeks. On the incidents that my sibling and I cross my mother, those big green eyes of her would squint in disapproval, mouth pursed. But I came to love that about her. Even if I was born seven years after my brother, this never prompted her to play favorites. But rather, she made it a point to be fair and equal among her children.Whenever I commit a mistake, Mom would not hesitate to point it out to me, punish me if needed. Sometimes, I detested it but over time I came to realize that Mom did that because she only has the best interest at heart. However, she was not one to hold grudges for long. Like most mothers, she is very protective of me that often times I resented her for being so. I did not understand why she has to  constantly ask about my whereabou ts: who I am going with and where I was going. It never occurred to me that this was an essential part of being a mother.A mother cares and worries for her children. Mother taught me that getting reprimanded does not mean that she loves me less. On the contrary, she showed me that when she scolds me, it means that she cares for me and worries about me. Mother has certainly her own flaws but I have come to accept, in fact love every bit of them. When mom starts to call or page  me non-stop, it is either she misses me or she needs something or  I have irked her again. Some may call it nagging, I call it loving. For a person to wear her heart on her sleeves is a vulnerable thing, but mother is not vulnerable at all.In fact she is admirably strong. She never backs off in a fight especially if she knows she is right but she also knows how to compromise too. But compromising for her does not mean that you are wrong. Comprising is just another way of getting things done, later. When I started school, mom was my friend. To me, school was a world where strangers and bad guys lurk. Instead of laughing at my fears, mom showed me instead how great school can be. On my first day of school, she prepared my favorite snacks drove me school.Instead of leaving me at the gates, she got off the golf cart, knelt down and  tenderly cupped my face in both hands and told me, â€Å"Don’t worry honey, there isn’t any bad guys today, Mommy made them go away. †Ã‚   Although these words are pretty naive, but to a child on his first day of school, these words were more than enough to let him conquer his fears. I went to school that day knowing that Mom was there for me and I learned to enjoy school. I made new friends and introduced them to Mom who was more than happy to serve us hot cookies and milk for snacks.Although my mother was not able to achieve her goal of becoming getting a college degree, this never made her bitter but rather she motivated us to pursue our own education and goals in life. She taught us early on that education is very important that is why she never fails to motivate us in school. I know my mother is not perfect. She is only human thus has her own flaws too. But for me, these flaws are tiny imperfections that make her all the more lovable and perfect. These flaws are just evidences of her humanity. Mother is an angel who teaches us to fly and dream.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Self-Portraits. Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Self-Portraits. Journal - Essay Example This portrait was identified as a result of its connection to the icon of Christ. As an artist I give this talent of painting as a gift from God and that is why the painting shows hands in a position tat appears to be giving a blessing. My artistic work was not carnal but divinely oriented. It helps to show my ambition of acknowledging that talent is a gift from God (Koener 1997). The portrait was used to outline religious form of culture that identifies the tradition that Christ is the most superior identity. The brown color used in the painting suggests the solemn mood that reserved Christ’s passion within him since it is a cool color. The power of religion in artic works was identified as this portrait basically the author’s belief in his religion. This artistic work was done when the artist was twenty eight years old. This was a changeover period in the artist’s life that saw him move from youth to prime of life. It therefore, was a point of remembrance in th e events that marked my life of achievements as an artist. The painting indicates a fashionable hairstyle where the artist is putting on simple but expensive clothing that enabled to bring out my youthful looks. The artist drew him self in the appearance of God using the wonderful colors to suggest the goodness of him to humanity. The portrait is painted while facing in the viewers eyes in a solemn indicating his lack of emotions (Gideon 2006). As an artist he made himself in the image of Christ to portray his religious culture that God created man in own likeness and image. This shows the revelation of religious culture in the artist life since he has employed them through art. His noble dressing of a coat was contrary to a time when people dressing were accustomed to a certain dressing code. He stands out against the critics of his time through his artic works. The portrait indicates a high degree of talent that was discovered in my life while working in

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport - Essay Example Moreover, endogenous and exogenous fuels for energy production are considerably dissimilar. Aerobic exercise lasts for a relatively long period and involves the working of the heart and lungs. Dubbed as endurance exercises, it implies that it lasts for a long time. The type of race the cyclists specialize in is categorized as endurance and therefore aerobic. It would therefore, be important to consider the efficiency of their heart and lungs in taking the oxygen and conveying it to the muscles, that is, their aerobic fitness. The cyclists would derive energy from aerobic energy systems or metabolism. The aerobic system is quite slow in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Energy requirements and intake of macronutrients varies across gender and sports. This paper is a report, which discusses factors that affect exercise performance based on empirical evidence. The paper will also discuss the nutritional requirements of five cyclists and the importance of macronutrients and micronu trients according to the specific demand of each track-cycling event. The relevance of participation and development in the success and performance will be discussed. Macro and micro nutrients functions and sources Macronutrients in foods provide a rich source of energy and they include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Sources of simple carbohydrates include fruits, dairy produce, confectionery, soft drinks, and cakes and biscuits. Sources of complex carbohydrates include rice, wheat, oats, corns, vegetables, and pulses. Wheat products such as bread, pastry, pasta, and biscuits provide rich sources of complex carbohydrates. Sources of proteins include eggs, poultry, dairy products, cereals, wheat, rice, oats, meat and fish. Sources of fat include dairy products, oils, cakes, confectionery, and meat. Micronutrients include vitamin and minerals. They do not provide energy although perform key functions. Foods rich in vitamin include vegetables, nuts, fish, seeds, bran, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Water is also required in addition to macronutrients and micronutrients. Endurance cyclists are involved in aerobic exercise, which entails use of oxygen. Oxygen tends to have adverse effects on the body including increasing chances of contracting certain cancers and heart diseases. Antioxidants tend to nullify such adverse effects on the body. The antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C, and E, and some minerals such as zinc and selenium are obtained from fruits and vegetables. Water is also important in diet (Donnelly 2008). Dunford and Doyle (2008) observed that dietary supplements that contain vitamins, amino acids, and minerals would have less significant impact on exercise performance. Ergogenic supplements having the necessary vitamins, proteins and minerals would therefore, be more appropriate. Importance of the nutrients to cyclists and their specific needs concerning physical demands of sport cycling Nutrition is an important extrinsic factor that influences physical training and recovery. Endurance cyclists train for endurance, power, and strength (Seebohar n.d). Donnelly (2008) observed that dietary proteins provide rich source of energy, which is necessary for preserving body’s basal metabolic processes. Proteins provide amino acids that are necessary for the production of broad range of proteins vital for the body functions. Petrie, Stover, & Horswill (2004) indicated that intense and constant exercise tends to increase daily protein demands for adult cyclists. Heavy training coupled

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Midterm Exam - Essay Example A country’s state of democracy is affected by its economic state due to the presence of funds and jobs, which reduces the level of poverty in individual country. According to researchers in these regions, oil as a source of wealth has played major role in the political democratization of these countries (Peruzzotti 34). They include the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Middle East that are rich in oil deposits. However, various strategies have been put in place to help as sources of wealth since the economic levels of these countries largely influence democracy levels in these countries. Economic stability due to oil as a source of wealth in these Arab countries has largely influenced the political structure. Various economical factors have led to the democratization of these countries. The economic stability of a country accrues to a large percentage of the political stability. Economic stability means that there are enough funds to cater for the governmentâ₠¬â„¢s operations. Democracy highly depends on the level of literacy in the society. In most of the developed countries, education is highly valued due to its contribution to the level of democracy in the member states, a situation where people are a literate. Education directly or indirectly provides knowledge to members of the society. Most of the countries provide education measures that contribute to the level of awareness. Education of the public provides them with the knowledge to help the society to vote the right representatives in congress or parliaments according to the provided individual government. In most third world countries, illiteracy contributes to political instability, which entails to high rates of in democracy in most of the countries. Leaders from the gulf countries provide the public with political knowledge that helps them to vote for the right representatives. Oil has a major role in the provision of amenities such as education and other social amenities. T here are certain roles that come up due to the presence of oil in a country. Oil provides for the larger part of the country’s heritage by contributing to the tourism industry. The industry has contributed to the economy of these Arab countries due to the increased tourist attraction constructions such as the Palm Islands and other national projects that will help in the provision of funds to most of the running projects in these Middle East countries. Tourism is a project that has been put into consideration to help most of the countries to maintain their budgets after all of the oil reserves have been utilized. For example, countries such as Dubai have started constructing buildings and other tourism facilities that help in attracting the Western countries o these regions after the oil reserves have gone dry. This will balance the economy source of income, which must contribute to political stability in the country. Tourism will ensure that the provision of social utilizes such as education, health and other social responsibilities. Due to education, members of the society have the knowledge to choose some of the elite members. Elite politicians have a major role to shape the political structure in the community. In modern day society, provision of health activities has been an act from the politicians to search lure leaders to look for the best representatives in the community. Oil has contributed as the major source of income in the Gulf members, which helps in provision of funds to provide for government operations. Funds have contributed to health facilities which help in the control of social amenities a such as education that helps individuals to have a broader

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Designing Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits Assignment

Designing Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits - Assignment Example Job analysis will include determining what physical as well as mental abilities are needed to meet job responsibilities. The analysis will also include how the job will be completed and outline any equipment, material and tools necessary to complete the job. The job description will describe how the particular position fits into the company and works with other jobs in the same department and the chain of command should be well defined. The analysis will include employee policy, compensation, job hazards, expected schedule and any additional terms of employment. Job evaluation is the technique that is used to assign specific jobs to certain pay grades and levels in the company hierarchy. This technique usually ranks jobs in order of technicality or difficulty and responsibility. Job evaluation factors will include skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions (Jenns†¦). Responsibility can include factors such as decision making ability required, financial responsibility, ability to take initiative and act alone, contact with others and latitude in job performance. Effort will outline mental effort, concentration, complexity or difficulty and problem solving ability. ... The Equal Pay Act determined that jobs need to be substantially equal though not identical (The Wage†¦) and that an employer cannot change job titles in order to pay one employee less than the other. Responsibilities are to be outlined which differentiate jobs from each other. It is strictly prohibited to pay one employee less whose position requires the same responsibilities as another position when an employee has equal length of time on the job and is equal in every other aspect. The job evaluation process includes collecting factors about each job that needs evaluation, which can be completed using job analysis surveys, questionnaires, observations, interviews and job descriptions. Once this has been completed jobs are systematically rated according to the specific evaluation factors selected such as by skill, effort, responsibility or working conditions. Points can be assigned for each factor and factors can then be further divided into smaller groups. Job evaluation points can be used to visualize on a graph the relationship between the internal structure of the company and the market. The job description is the basis from which a job evaluation can be performed. External factors that are used in job evaluations include salary information that is gathered and compiled by consulting agencies whose primary function is to provide accurate information for comparison by those in human resources assigning salary and pay grades to job positions. Survey information will consider job match, the size of the company, the job industry, geography and ownership. Internal job factors which are used in job evaluation analyze job documentation to determine the scope and complexity of the position, potential impact the job has on the company and those factors already

Monday, September 9, 2019

Treasury and Risk Management in an International Context Assignment

Treasury and Risk Management in an International Context - Assignment Example Exchange rate system shows the arrangement in which an authority controls value of different currencies in foreign exchange market with respect to other currencies. There are mainly two types of exchange rate systems such as fixed and floating exchange rates. Fixed exchange rate system aims to fix the value of a currency against the value of a stronger currency, a basket of currencies or other measurements like gold. The system is better known as pegged exchange rate because it triggers to stabilize the value of a currency through pegging it with a steadier and internationally recognized currency. Hence, trading opportunities become more stabilized and predictable, especially for economies in which external trade is held responsible for a large chunk of Gross Domestic Product (Ghosh, A, M. G. Wolf and H. C. Wolf, 2002). Though, according to the theory, fixed exchange rate leads to establish greater economic stability and helps the multinational firms to forecast future currency rates so that risks associated with international pricing can be managed by them, in reality, devaluation or revaluation of currencies driven by inflation, interest rate, and other economic variables do not allow currencies to remain fixed forever (Caves, 2007). Hence, the policymakers have adopted a resolution of fixing currency with a portfolio of a number of currencies with different weights such as euro, yen, British pound etc. This type of exchange rate is less susceptible to the economic occurrences of a particular country. For instance, increase in inflation rate will directly impact on a currency pegged with US dollar; however, if the currency is pegged with a basket of currencies, the effect of increasing inflation in the US will be diluted by the presence of other currencies and will have less impact on the pegged currency.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Social media plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social media plan - Essay Example There are so many different ways of using the sites to reach out. The Church on The Rock is located in St. Peters, Missouri. St. Peters Missouri is dependent on the church and the churches ability to strengthen the community. The church offers many different services at different times, community involvement, mobile apps, and teen & child programs. The Churches website is very insightful and welcoming. A newcomer could easily access information and find out projects and service times. Since the utilization of the website, it would be beneficial to implement a plan that could utilize other social networking sites to achieve a specific objective. Achieving this objective can only be achieved with a proper plan that utilizes the social media sites in the best way possible. Face book is a free site that has hundreds of thousands of users. The site allows individuals to create a profile and connect with other friends, businesses and organizations. The Church on the Rock should create a fa ce book profile that highlights the main components of the church. The page can allow a great place for church members to connect with one another. The page will allow church members to interact and comment on one another’s thoughts and ideas. The page can be used to discuss scripture, worship and assist others with problems. Sometimes it is easier to communicate in forms other than face to face and church members can greatly benefit.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Effect of designation aliens ineligible for citizenship on Asian Research Paper

Effect of designation aliens ineligible for citizenship on Asian Americans before 1952 - Research Paper Example Immigrants to the United States were not always welcome, as they were subjected to a selective practice. America was considered a â€Å"melting pot’ for those who wanted to be assimilated in the American culture. This criteria later on created divisiveness, like those who entered through the Ellis Island were â€Å"whites† and those who passed Angel Island were Asians. Angel Island is a detention camp set up in San Francisco, California, wherein Chinese immigrants were detained for a distressful period of two years. Walter, Yvonne estimated that about 50,000 Chinese passed this island until 1940 for interrogation before they were allowed entry to US. In the Southwest, barbed wires were constructed to control the Mexican and South American immigrants. The composition of these immigrants defined what is called an American today. This composition is an indication of the process of immigration, and naturalization that led to a diverse population of the United States today, Suh-Yun Ahn argued in his work that Americanization is an arbitrary process that chooses only those they wanted to come to their shores. Suh-Yun Ahn recalled that both groups of immigrants had diverse treatments, but their trials were different. Although both groups suffered initial hardship, one group was perpetually called foreigners and identified as ineligible for citizenship. ... The conscious effort to exclude Asians is due to the US’ desire to create white identity, and therefore, considered it as a basic requirement for citizenship. Today, despite diversity of population, we could observe the white supremacy in the society whether through the political arena or in the density of population. But we should not forget the aggregate measures and the constructs that led to this white supremacy. All throughout, the legislations passed by Congress defined who belong, and who did not in an effort to create white identity. The first immigration law in the United States showed an impression of being racist. During the colonization and industrial revolution period, the United States encouraged settlers to America by offering land, work and citizenship. Black slaves and workers from China, Japan, Philippines, and India were brought to the Eastern shores to make up for the shortage of workers in the plantations and to hasten the colonization and industrial revol ution. The discovery of gold in California attracted many Chinese to try their luck. The Chinese were also forced to leave China because of poverty. Although their pay was lower than the whites, they were able to survive, and after being sojourns, later on considered immigration. Thus, in 1790, America had a diverse and ethnic background of people. This prompted the Congress to control immigration and had to pass a legislation that called for â€Å"A uniform standard for naturalization that allowed only white men to become citizens† (Walter, Yvonne,2007). This legislation automatically excluded the Asians and other colored immigrants from becoming citizens of America. By excluding other colored nationals, the law seems to

The English Theatre during the Tudor Era Essay Example for Free

The English Theatre during the Tudor Era Essay The rule of the Tudor dynasty in England, extended from 1485 to 1603, was established after The War of the Roses between House of York and House of Lancaster. A period of unusual isolation for England from the Continental trends, Tudor period witnessed the developments of drama from the religious plays to Interludes in royal courts and from there to the regular drama in the Theatres. Drama began as an offshoot of the practices of the church and was thus religious in intention. It developed through the Tudor period acquiring a secular character by substituting moral teaching for purely religious instruction. The characters underwent a corresponding change: they were no longer Biblical figures, as in the case of Mystery plays, but personified virtues and vices. The some famous examples of these moral plays, or Morality Plays, as they were called are Everyman, a late fifteenth century work of unknown authorship and The Castle of Perseverance. Another important development in the English theatre during the Tudor period was the Interlude. It was the transitional form between the Morality play and the regular drama, in which the allegorical characters were displaced. Unlike moralities they were meant for amusement and entertainment. It was John Heywood who rendered interludes a definitive place in the development of English drama. He was a court musician and provider of amusements to Henry VIII. The interludes were dramatized at feasts and celebrations to entertain the court and the nobility. Heywood’s well-known interlude Four P’s (about 1520) represented an amusing dialogue passed between a Palmer, a Pardoner, a Pothecary and a Pedlar. Heywood continued his position in the Tudor court during the reign of Edward VI and Queen Mary. In due course of time, the interlude dissociated itself and became independent species of drama that was true to life and more regular in form. The influence of new learning prompted the performances of Latin plays of Terence and Plautus in schools and colleges. The next step was to create English plays on the classical model. The result was the first regular comedy in English, Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall, produced during the brief reign of Edward VI. It was followed soon after by Gammer Gurton’s Needle, of doubtful authorship, performed at Christ’s College, Cambridge. In the following years several Senecan Tragedies were translated in to English, which provided the model for the first English Tragedy written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. It was performed before Queen Elizabeth in 1561. It was followed by Tancred and Grismunda in 1568 and Misfortunes of Arthur in 1587. Another popular drama form that was inspired from Seneca during this period was the revenge tragedy. Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (1586) established this kind of drama in England. The rest of the Elizabethan age saw the golden age of English Drama with the rise of the playwrights who were commonly called ‘the university wits’ and of course, William Shakespeare. The Tudor period saw the growth of Dramas from the royal courts to the theatres. With the advent of the Interludes, the demand for the entertainments of this kind led to the formation of small companies of actors maintained in the houses of noblemen. They wandered from place to place performing in inn-yards market places etc. First of the permanent theatre, which was called ‘The Theatre’ was built in Shoreditch in 1576. It was followed by the establishment of eight playhouses in London. The most famous of these early theatres were ‘Rose’, where the plays of Marlowe were performed; ‘Globe’in Southwark and Shakespeare’s ‘Wooden O’, where his masterpieces were first performed. The Art of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci The era of Renaissance saw the zenith of the European arts of painting sculpture, architecture and literature that was not surpassed in any age. Italy was the epicenter of the Renaissance the chief characteristic of which was humanism. It was a system of vision which extolled human worth and dignity, expressing deep faith in his great creative potential, proclaiming liberty and absolute rights of the individual. The works of veteran Italian artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Davinci announced the aforesaid spirit of Renaissance and their works are often considered synonymous with the Renaissance art. Humanism and Renaissance found brilliant expression in the realm of painting, sculpture and architecture. The artists of the time made use of biblical subjects, but their interpretation had little to do with the traditional religious attitude. Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and Michelangelo’s Pieta are examples. Often described as the archetype of ‘the Renaissance man’, Leornado Davinci is regarded as one of the most talented people ever lived, on account of his genius in several fields. Like all Renaissance artists, he looked upon art as an imitation of life. He is praised for stylistic innovations, especially his understanding of anatomical structure of human body in order to represent movement. The interest in human anatomy to find the mechanism underlying the gestures and expression was a feature of the Renaissance artists. Da Vinci’s interpretation of biblical episodes had the scent of human life, with all its earthly beauty and vigor. Annunciation, which is thought to be one of the earliest completed works by Da Vinci, portrays the Humanist face of Virgin Mary. Physical aspects of man’s existence were given prominence rather than that of the religious. He is best known for two paintings: Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. The latter was yet another attempt by Da Vinci to humanise the biblical episode of the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death. His mastery of depicting the expression is evident in the smile of Mona Lisa that baffled the centuries. Da Vinci’s contemporary, Michelangelo was also a multifaceted genius who proved his expertise as a painter, sculptor architect poet and engineer. His out put in every field during his long life was phenomenal. Two of his best known works, Pieta and David were sculpted before he was thirty. In spite of his low opinions about painting he contributed two important works in fresco: the decoration of the ceilings and alter walls of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. He drew the subjects from Christian mythology but giving it an intense human interpretation thereby catching the spirit of Renaissance. These paintings, for example The Last Judgment and The Fall of Man are among the most works of art in the world. One of his greatest contributions to architecture was the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo’s Pieta, carved in 1499, is another epitome of the Renaissance humanism. It is a representation of Mary with the dead Christ across her knees. Following the popular theme at the time he depicted the woes of mother and son as human beings and not as religious symbols. Many depictions of Mary and Christ as a child at that time represented Mary and Jesus as loving human beings. Michelangelo viewed art as something that sprung from inner motivation and from culture. While Da Vinci’s art sprung from the observation of nature and of man, Michelangelo saw nature as an enemy to over come. According to him every stone has a sculpture in it and the job of the sculptor was to chip away all that was not a part of the statue. References Dev, Arjun. (1997). The Story of Civilization. Vol. 1. New Delhi: NCERT.