Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Biography of Louise McKinney

The Biography of Louise McKinney A temperance advocate, Louise McKinney was one of the first two women elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly and one of the first two women elected to a legislature in Canada and in the British Empire. An excellent debater, she worked on legislation to help people with disabilities, immigrants, and widows and separated wives. Louise McKinney was also one of the Famous Five Alberta women who fought and won the political and legal battle in the Persons Case to have women recognized as persons under the BNA Act. Birth September 22, 1868, in Frankville, Ontario Death July 10, 1931, in Claresholm, Northwest Territories (now Alberta) Education Teachers College in Ottawa, Ontario Professions Teacher, temperance and womens rights activist and Alberta MLA Causes of Louise McKinney temperance educationstronger liquor controlwomens property rights and the Dower Act Political Affiliation Non-Partisan League Riding (Electoral District) Claresholm Career of Louise McKinney Louise McKinney was a teacher in Ontario and then in North Dakota.She moved to a homestead near Claresholm, Northwest Territories in 1903.Louise McKinney became involved in the Womans Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) while in North Dakota and organized a chapter in Claresholm. She continued as an organizer for the WCTU for more than 20 years, eventually becoming acting president of the national organization.Louise McKinney was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly in 1917, in the first election in which Canadian women could run for office or vote. Suspicious of the political donations made by large brewing and liquor companies to the major parties, Louise McKinney ran under the banner of the Non-Partisan League, an agrarian movement.With the help of Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney introduced the bill that became the Dower Act, which guaranteed a woman a third of the family estate when her husband died.Louise McKinney was defeated in the 1921 Alberta election and did no t run again. Louise McKinney was one of four women to sign the Basis of Union forming the United Church of Canada in 1925.Louise McKinney was one of the Famous Five Alberta women in the Persons Case which established the status of women as persons under the BNA Act in 1929.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Analysis of the use of music in advertising.

Analysis of the use of music in advertising. IntroductionEmotional PlaygroundMusic has been known for centuries to have a powerful effect on human responses. In the social science context, music is particularly known for its effectiveness in triggering moods and communicating nonverbally. Many marketing practitioners already accept this notion, given that music is increasingly used as a stimulus in the retail environment as well as in radio and television advertising. Music has been shown to affect consumer behaviours, particularly shopper behaviour (Milliman, 1986), as well as emotional responses (Kellaris and Kent, 1994). Marketers that playing music is in itself not enough, that music needs to be used to target groups in the market place, to differentiate from competitors and to maximise image rather than serving as a distraction. It is therefore not surprising that music has become a major component of consumer marketing, both at the point of purchase and in advertising (Bruner 1990). In this essay we will explore the role of music in advertising.AdvertisingSeidman (1981) reviewed the contributions of music to media productions (movies and educational films), concluding that cognitive and affective comprehension of stimuli can be influenced. Music is a complex chemistry of controllable elements (Bruner, 1990). Unfortunately, no definitive taxonomy of music elements has been developed. Time and pitch-related characteristics appear on almost all lists and also have some empirical confirmation (Kellaris and Kent, 1994). Though less clear, evidence also has been found for a third factor, musical texture (Bruner, 1990).Advertisers often deliberately try to convey and transfer underlying, yet unasserted, meanings to viewers. The view that an advertisement is a one-way communicative process is a narrow one since one also needs to consider the information processing responses of the receivers as they perceive and interpret messages and images in advertisements (Procter et al 2001). Designers of advertising me ssages expect viewers...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 15

Philosophy - Essay Example Prudential knowledge is nothing more but sense, faculty, and memory and absolute knowledge. And by ‘absolute’, Hobbes meant reality that a person knows as truth with ‘absolute’ certainty (Hobbes 53). For instance, childhood memories, or knowledge that scissors could cut paper, or that burger patties are made from pork or beef meat are examples of absolute knowledge because these are knowledge that a person knows with absolute certainty as truths because he has experience it personally or has remember witnessing it being done. Either way, it requires a witness. The other knowledge, scientific knowledge is conditional knowledge. This is because it requires a condition for a person to know something for him to be able to know that something is indeed a fact (Hobbes 53). For instance, he needs to know that by grounding meat and seasoning it could produce patties and by putting a patty in between two breads would create a burger. Or that two metal blades with handles could be bolted and joined together so that it could create cutting motion and this would form a whole new tool called scissors. For a more ‘philosophical’ example, scientific knowledge is conditional because it will require knowledge for a person to know that when you draw any line on a circle that passes through the middle, that would divide the circle equally in half. The person who knows this technical knowledge Hobbes called philosophers. Hobbes further added that the registry of scientific knowledge is recorded in history and that there are two types of history—natural and civil. Natural is anything that concerns those that are independent of man’s will while civil history is the â€Å"voluntary actions of men in Commonwealths† (Hobbes 53). Now these philosophers are people in the society who are able to successfully fuse together both their prudential knowledge and scientific knowledge. They were able to use scientific knowledge and combine it

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Research Paper Example Lamb wave based SHM however relies on wave propagation, offers characteristics of efficiency and convenience and this study seeks to investigate its application. The study is significant to structural health monitoring and involved stakeholders to monitoring processes because it seeks to validate a convenient and cheaper monitoring approach towards higher survivability of structures. The study aims at investigating feasibility of application of 3D laser vibrometer in conjunction with Lamb wave technique. This will incorporate literature review, implementation of experimental and specimen design, measurement of scattering waves on used structures, and analysis of results. Numerical approach was used to investigate robustness of the lamb wave model. A validated simulation study was done using ANSYS program to study propagation and scattering of waves and an experiment to investigate propagation and scattering of waves was done on aluminium specimens with the aid of 3D vibrometer. The s imulation and the experiment identified effects of a blind hole on wave propagation and scattering. Validation of the simulation demonstrated point differences in propagation and scattering relative to position of a blind hole. ... Its significance has grown among engineers because of its ability to generate timely and accurate data on health and functionality of structures, properties that allows it to ameliorate maintainability and safety concerns (Staszewski et al. 2004). The monitoring approach detects anomalies, specifies anomalies’ exact location, and evaluates damage extent towards corrective measures, a scope that offers economic, and safety advantages. Other applications of SHM include mitigation of uncertainty, planning for schedule activities, and test of hypothesis. There are three theoretical SHN techniques, visual inspection, traditional non-destructive evaluation methods, and remote monitoring. Visual inspection involves inspection by experienced and trained personnel while traditional non-destructive evaluation applies wave propagation approaches for defect detection. The approaches are however expensive, labour intensive and complicated while remote monitoring is automated and autonomous , only requiring attention on critical conditions (Thomas et al. 2009). Lamb waves for remote monitoring, for instance, only rely on wave propagation but instrumentation and interpretation needs hinder its efficiency (Franco et al. 2008). Lamb-wave based SHM efficient and convenient for detecting metallic structure cracks and delamination and disbanding of composites (Ong and Chiu 2012). Significance The study is significant to structural health monitoring as it proposes a cheap and convenient monitoring strategy that will facilitate regular inspection for damage detection and remedies. This scope extends the study’s significance to stakeholders to monitoring processes because validating the lamb wave based method will ensure the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

An analysis of attempts deal with the problem of smuggling of human beings Essay Example for Free

An analysis of attempts deal with the problem of smuggling of human beings Essay 1. Introduction There are many factors that entice some people to use illegal means to reach the United States, the member states of the European Union and other countries. One of the illegal means is through human smuggling. Two of the main reasons are pegged on social as well as economic ties. Other reasons could be   the political instability, armed conflict, rapid population growth, environmental degradation, widening economic disparities between countries, and a worsening unemployment crisis in the Asia Pacific region are only a few of the reasons that have sparked several waves of human smuggling activities. Human smuggling always entails people leaving their home country where their loved ones are waiting for them to send back home money to pay for their family’s daily expenses. For, humans exhort to violating the immigration laws of their decision countries by entering through the smuggling channels because in order to acquire that elusive bag of gold offered in the destination country. In Congo, humans are smuggled to Europe by passing them off as musicians and dancers (Bafalikike 2003, 65).   This bag of gold includes protection from dangers to their life back home, employment, higher wages and a better life. Thus, these people are forced to leave their country of origin either voluntarily or   even involuntarily to improve their life to secure their lives, to secure their families and friends and their properties back home (Hampson, and Hay 2004). 2. Smuggling Operation-The Organisation Human Smuggling   from China to the United States has a long history. This started with the United States interpretation of the term refugee in 1996. Consequently, the last ten years saw the human smuggling of Chinese citizens   has increased   from a small –scale regional movement to a major global enterprise (Kung 2000, 1271). The Chinese smuggling network is run by big snakeheads that have institutionalized networks of small snakeheads, debt collectors and enforcers. With the good relationship with local Chinese government officials, many snakeheads   present themselves as philanthropists for they donate large sums of corruption money to improve their chosen home villages (Smith 2002). The smuggled humans do not ever meet these snakeheads but are only in communication with the snakeheads’ representatives or employees. Some of the smaller snakeheads are local Chinese residents who entice customers and collect down payments. In addition, droves of middlemen   tour the human smuggles from one transit point to the next until they reach their destination – United States. Upon arrival on the United States shores, these human smuggles are then imprisoned by the tour guides until they pay their fees. The big snakeheads normally hire gang members to collect the human smuggles’ debts. However, there is no flagrant evidence that organized crime holds the strings in the Chinese human smuggling business (Ruddock 2001). Evidently, the Chinese human smuggling business is controlled by so -called enterpreneurs who are involved in several criminal activities(Jandl, 2004). The tour guides and entrepreneurs juicily talk to their hapless victims that they have to pay only a small monetary price in exchange for a richer life in the United States. Thus, the willing Chinese victims endure the dangerous travel by sea, air and land in inhuman conditions that are worsened by the violent abuses of the enforcers (Chu 2000, 111). The entrepreneurs or Chinese smugglers   charges very exorbitant fees ranging from $30,000 to $60,000 for each person for their human smuggling services. To ensure success, the human smuggles pay   the smugglers lots of money in exchange for   passage through the high seas. The Chinese smuggles then are not forced to as indentured servants in American food services establishments or sweatshops to pay their smugglers. In fact, human smuggling has increased in alarming rate more (ORourke 2002, p1). For, the smugglers immediately collect the human smuggles’ debts from the friends and relatives of the newly arrived Chinese human smuggles in full upon arrival in the United States. Consequently, the smugglers will torture the human smuggles and inform the relatives that further harm will continue thus forcing their relatives and friends to pay the human smuggles’ debts if payment has not been made generally in one week’s time (Jandl, 2004). Usually, the Chinese human smuggles come from the Chinese province of Fujian. The smuggling networks starting the 1980s have already smuggled more than ten thousand Fujians into the United States. Fujian lies along the coastal Mainland side of China which is the main Chinese shipping route for export and import of goods.   In fact, Fujian is the birthplace of the founder of the Chinese Triad, San Lian Hui, which is the center of Chinese Smuggling. Human smuggling here was ignited when the war brought about by the Qing dynasty in the 19th century where thousands of Fujians fled the island to escape the war   and financial hardships then. The main source of the Fujian human smuggles are people living around Fuzhou City in the northern part of Fujian province. Here, several villages are housed many Chinese whose relatives are in the United States. The residents here are dependent on the money sent from their relatives in the United States. Unquestionably, money is the push factor that has forced many Chinese to illegally enter the United States. Along this line, many Chinese officials are being corrupted to allow a smooth transfer of the Chinese smuggles outside of China which weakens most levels of the Chinese society (Jandl, 2004). Further, one expert clarified that corruption of Chinese government officials plus the decentralization of the Chinese economy erupted into a massive unrest in the Chinese Society. Thus, this unrest increased the number of Chinese smuggled outside of China. The Chinese government could not stop the human smuggling because the Chinese officials in the smuggling areas were corrupt and cared more about the money they will receive through bribes than implementing the Chinese government’s efforts to curtail human smuggling in China. The ordinary Chinese citizen finds it an uphill climb in terms of procuring travel documents to enter the United States. On the other hand, the rich, educated and professional Chinese residents can easily travel abroad including the United States and members of the European Union States. For, the Chinese government are very strict in giving out passports to Chinese people applying for permission to go abroad. Normally, the legal way to go the United States includes applying for a passport from their local village officials. Then, the visa and passport applicant will apply at the United States Embassy in Beijing or the Consulate in Guangzhou.   After, the Chinese applicant must   apply with the Public Security Bureau for the final document needed to leave China. The final paper is the exit permit. However, there are many bureaucratic obstacles hounding the application in every step of the application process (Lubbers 2002). The human smugglers ply their trade by giving their clients fake documents   and passage to the United States.   Also, the lax immigration checkpoints in China and the transit countries until the United States have made human smuggling a very profitable and happy encounter. For, the smugglers make lots of money in return for a happy arrival into the United States. In addition, other authorities offer high prices to give their passports to clients. In addition, Chinese government officials themselves pay the human smugglers to smuggle their families and friends into the United States at an obviously discounted price.   The human smuggling travel passes through several transit points. There are dangers along bend of the way. The trip takes from a few weeks to even a year. The ride passes through Southeast Asian countries, Europe and South or Central America The human smuggles are at the mercy of the snakeheads and the enforcers. Not all human smuggling was successful. On June, 1993, the freighter Golden Venture ran aground in New York. It was discovered that more than three hundred Chinese smuggles were packed in 800 square feet of cargo space and had been at sea for more than three months with little food and water, no lifer preservers and only one ladder as escape route in case of danger. Upon discovery, an estimated two hundred Chinese smuggles jumped ship and swim across the literally ice –cold New York waters ashore where more than ten people died from froze bite   swimming in the freezing water. Ten of the migrants died while trying to reach the shore(Schneider, Steiner, and Romaine 2003). In addition, the early nineties saw thirty two ships carrying a total of more than five thousand Chinese migrants traveling towards the United States that were caught   many stop –over points in Asia, South America and Europe. After the Golden Venture Crackdown, still continued to brave the odds that were heavily stocked in miniscule fashion in the Chinese smuggles’ favour in fishing boats. In fact, one United States INS   officer   stated that at any given point in time, thirty thousand Chinese are   literary packed in sardine like safe houses around the world waiting for that rare and opportune time to enter the United States through the discreet smuggle entry points. Importantly, any clear and fast distinction between human smuggling and human trafficking seems spurious (Skeldon 2003 p.1). In 1998, the United States INS service uncovered a criminal syndicate that focused on smuggling up to one hundred fifty Chinese people per month into the United States through the Canadian border (Smart, 994, p 98). The criminal syndicate’s network encompassed five continents because they earn lots of money in this illegal activity. The method was to smuggle the Chinese through Canada by giving them fake passports. The Chinese smuggles then   were sent to New York City passing through the Saint Regis Mohawk Territory at Akwesasne. This was an American Indian Reserve the lies between the boundary of the United States and Canada.   This smuggling was busted and thirty seven members of the smuggling ring were jailed.   After the Canada bust, the smugglers focused their entry point through Mexico City (Cholewinski 1997, 4). Smuggling humans through Mexico had declined during the Great Depression of 1929 (Hansen 2006; Spener and Staudt 1998, null5). Recently, the Chinese smuggling ring is using Guam as its stop –over point (Jandl, 2004). Furthermore, many human smugglers use commercial airplanes to deliver their human smuggles so that the coast guard and the border patrol could not find them. Flying the human smuggles through the air lanes was more successful and comfortable as compared to the overly tight border patrols. The Chinese smuggles would wait an average of two months for their fake travel documents to arrives so they could fly to the United States passing through Asia, Europe and other transit points. It is difficult to estimate the magnitude of the human smuggles because of their discreet operations (Guiraudon and Joppke 2001, 107). When caught by the INS people, the Snake heads instruct their Chinese smuggles to say that they are applying for political asylum because they are escaping China’s one child policy (Newman and Van Selm 2003, 9). Then, the snake heads hire lawyers to get the smuggles on parole and out of jail. After leaving jail, the Chinese Smuggles then disappear in the Chinese communities hide from detection. In reality though, the United States benefits from the cheap labor that these Chinese smuggles offer (Jandl, 2004). 3. Protocols The United States INS detention centers could not keep the overbulging Chinese human smuggles who come in droves and in regularly smuggled fashion.   The current US jails could not keep the surge of Chinese human smuggles arriving.   And, a Chinese woman was jailed by the United States INS in October 24, 1999 who gave birth in a United States Jail. The jail guards rushed the pregnant mother to the nearest hospital. Naturally, many human rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union have complained that jailing the human smuggles are a violation of their human rights. For, the jail was a harsh environment taking into consideration the hardships these Chinese had to face for three or more months inside inhuman ocean going containers. Despite the eighteen arrests of Chinese Stowaways in another ship in Seattle and the detention of more then two hundred Chinese human smuggles found in container vans bound for the United States and Canada, there are still more that have not be caught. The series of successful detection of the Chinese smuggles that were smuggled as part of cargo in ships is used by the United States INS as proof that they are successful in their endeavor to decrease or even stop the rampant human smuggling into the United States passing through the European Union countries, Asia, Canada, Mexico and the like. The difficulty in detecting the Chinese smuggles is because there are too many cargoes loaded in a Cargo ship. In addition, many of the shipping companies and their crew do not know if their ship is carrying human smuggles. In response, the United States INS are holding responsible the shipping lines if human smuggles are discovered hiding in their ships. To stave off the proliferation of human smuggling, the United States makes it a criminal offense for anyone to bring or to aid in bringing human smuggles into the United States.   Likewise, it is considered a violation of the United States law if a person aids in the smuggling of persons into the United States. In addition, any person who entices another to enter the United States illegally will be punished with the full strength of the United States law. The penalty for human smuggling could reach up to five years. In addition, the enticing human smuggler will pay dearly if his human smuggle dies on board. However, if the human smuggling is done on a large scale or business –like basis, the penalty would be fifty dollars. However, these sentences will not stop the Chinese smuggles from entering the United States through sheer luck.   The United States Congress in 1996 placed human smuggling and immigration related visa fraud as RICO predicate offense. The RICO approach focuses on the leaders of the smuggling rings and not on the smuggling middle men. The violation of the RICO protocol will give out a fine that may include imprisonment of up to twenty years (Jandl, 2004). The United States had partnered with the United States address human smuggling. However, the focus on the United Nations is on the human trafficking of women and children and also white slavery. Combating human smuggling is a combined world –wide effort. However, corruption of local governments officials in China and other countries had made the curtailment of human smuggling next to nothing.     Ã‚  In reality, the detection of Chinese human smuggles are generally successful if someone secretly tips the border patrols on possible hideouts of the jail escapees   (Kyle, 2003). Developed countries are trying to find ways to curtail human smuggling. However, they   are against any policy that would reduce the demand for illegal workers. Evidently, the more there are strict immigration policies, the more will be the smuggler’s will to smuggle people because of the money involved (Kyle, 2003).

Friday, November 15, 2019

Government systems Essay -- essays research papers

An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007 Government systems Essay -- essays research papers An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Philosophical Perspectives on Music Education Essay

Music is one subject that is very rarely given attention in the academe. The most controversial issue that is attached to this is whether or not music should be taught in schools, or why music should be taught, for that matter. Contrary to what most people believe, music education is an imperative part of student growth (Davidson, 1932). This issue has resulted to the perceived need to change public opinion. Several â€Å"music advocacies† which come in many forms were established, seeking to change this mindset that people have about music education. Most music advocacies are based on legitimate findings and scientific arguments, although many others rely on unconvincing and rather controversial data. It should be noted that students should be exposed to music so that they are able to communicate and understand their own feelings (Zbikowski, 2002). Arts, whether it be visual or audio allows us to have an insight to our emotional self and cultivates the growth of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence. In colleges, music education is usually one of the densest subjects. Although some schools and organizations encourage incorporation of arts in classes, such as music with other subjects such as Math, Science, or English, people still fail to see the importance of arts in the academics (Zbikowski, 2002). For many people, academic subjects should go beyond what is best for the students to learn. It should also incorporate things that will help students cultivate the need to learn. Music has taken the biggest cut on the academe—it has not been given importance as it should be. In this paper, the philosophical perspectives of three authors will explain why music is among the most important subjects that should be taught in schools and why there is a need to do so. Charles Fowler Charles Fowler believes that through artistic representations such as music, people are able to share, at some point, a common humanity. In the same manner, life would be meaningless without shared expressions which make people understand one another. He also very firmly believes that Science is not the only conveyor of what we may consider true. Science may be able to explain how flowers bloom or how humans are conceived, but it fails to convey its emotive meaning and impact, as the Arts does. He emphasizes that both are important, and that both should be given importance (Fowler, 1996). He considers Arts such as music as an act of intelligence and should be treated no less compared to other subjects as it is a form of thought that is every bit as important as science and mathematics when it comes to what these subjects convey. Inasmuch as the pyramids of Egypt, the Statue of Liberty, and the Hanging Garden of Babylon can be mathematically or scientifically explained as to how they were built, a musical piece can also show people many other evenly important aspects of its existence. Arts allow us to create our own representation to concepts, ideas and feelings as perceived by people. In the same manner, music was created for us to be able to react to the world in the form of music, to record our impressions and to analyze things and share them with other people. Like science and mathematics, music needs to be studied before being fully understood (Fowler, 1996). Because today’s schools are understood to be concerned as they should be to teaching literacy, it should be noted that literacy also includes understanding of music. This is because music allows us to fully express, represent, and communicate the full scale of human life, which is a pre-requisite to understanding the real essence of language, mathematics, science, economics, philosophy, and the list could go on and on. If one is asked, â€Å"What constitutes a good education? † one is expected to hear an answer which would mention about a full knowledge about Sciences and Math. True enough, this is very critical in a person’s life if he aims to have a place in the work force. Very few would also argue with that. However, this idea should not and never make us overlook how important music is and what it can do for the mind and spirit of people (Fowler, 1996). Fowler believes that school administrators, teachers, professors and educators should be reminded that one obligation that a school has for their students is to inspire them, in whatever way, and ignite their minds for them to be better individuals. Music often ignites that goal and serves as the fuel. It is one way to apply one’s imaginations, thoughts and feelings. In relation to the reform movement of America which focuses on improving the quality of education by inspiring them, introducing self discipline, discovering the joys of learning, the uniqueness of one’s being, the possibilities and wonders of life and the achievement and satisfaction, Fowler believes that arts can be used to attain these goals (Henry, 1958). He also emphasizes that the world does not need better and more arts education simply because the world needs more artists. He believes that there are far better reasons for schools to provide a healthy and in-depth education in Arts. Quite simply, this is one way people communicate with each other, although not generally verbally, but emotionally. Music is the language of the world which helps people express fear, anger, anxiety, curiosity, hunger, hopes, dreams and so on. Music is the universal language by which the world is able to express itself to its constituents; the world speaks through music. Music is not just important—Fowler believes that it is a center force of human existence. Arts in school should never be isolated from any other subjects in the academe. It should be included in the framework of general education and should be part of the curriculum of all American schools, or all schools in the world for that matter. Arts should at all times be related to general education because it is essential in establishing a strong curriculum. Every person should then be given the opportunity to learn as much as they can about arts (Fowler, 1996). Charles Leonhard  Leonhard believes that although it is an easy task for educators to make their students love music, they should still consider finding ways to make music education more effective and enjoyable. He discussed that there is a raising concern for higher standards of music education. For instance, students nowadays are more informed about music, which is why educators should also adapt to this by teaching higher standards of musical literature and musical performances, and using better musical instruments that will best fit the taste of students and will thus inspire them to learn more about music. By doing so, he stresses out that school administrators all over the world will be inspired to make music education as an equal part of the general education (Elliot, 1995). He was also concerned about music being part of everyone’s lives. As the motto of music educators has for years been â€Å"Music for every child and every child for music†, this applies that every child and youth should be taught to love music, regardless the degree of understanding or talent in music they have. Just as this is important, he also believes that the music teaching should be on the same footing to that of the regular academic subjects and should be made functional, instead of treating it like a fad. Leonhard feels that now is the time to firmly establish music in the school curriculum, to gain increased acceptance of the idea that music should be an essential part of general education for everyone. Achievement of this ambition requires an expanded range of communication between music educators and all other educators, plus the interested public. It is only by a wider sharing of ideas that changes can occur. To achieve this, a very sensible approach has been used. This approach is placing ideas about the values of music education in a broader context of ideas about education in general and of building relationships between the intellectual resources of music educators. This is surely advisable, even necessary. Nevertheless there are difficulties in this kind of operation. Estelle Jorgensen Estelle Jorgensen contested many philosophers who treated music as a â€Å"difficulty†, and who considered music not to be part of the general education. Jorgensen sees the importance of having people be aware of the need to understand, appreciate and use music for one to apply it in his or her everyday life. The arts then have a potential contribution to the general education, as it has in general life. While school subjects often included music, arts were not always present. She believes that most people fail to see the importance of arts in the reality of life, and what difference it does to the world. For instance, love in itself is art; the human body is an art; everything around us is an art, yet many fails to understand and realize this fact. In American schools where there is willingness on the part of the authorities to accord a reasonable amount of time to music, she believes that work in appreciation is sometimes undertaken. But to accomplish anything systematic and lasting, teachers would have to be content to attack the problem in a less spectacular manner than commonly maintains in our schools. In view of the experience which precedes this work, the study of music appreciation in the high school should begin at the beginning and be satisfied to cover comparatively little ground. There are, moreover, three requisites without which any course of this kind would be practically worthless. First, the teacher must be a reasonably well-educated musician, possessing knowledge of the subject far more extensive than that required by his immediate work, and an acquaintance with other branches of education such as would enable him to draw parallels between music and other fields of learning. He should have, too, a highly cultivated taste, and a faith in the capacity of youth to perceive and enjoy beauty without the aid of sugar-coated musical palliatives or sensational devices which are calculated to enhance interest, but which, in reality, distract attention from the music itself. And last, the illustrations should offer as nearly as possible a true presentation of the work under discussion. She believes that music should be thought in an ideal way for it to be appreciated (Rogers, 1998). Conclusion Like other subjects in the curriculum of American schools, the arts provide an opportunity for children to realize certain talents and potentials. Particularly in their creative modes, the arts ask students to reach inside themselves to explore their own fascinations and perceptions and to give them suitable and precise representation. In the process of translating their inner discernments and revelations into a symbolic form, children discover and develop their capabilities and uncover some of their human possibilities. Because they are so personal in what they require of each would-be artist, the arts can disclose important insights and impart crucial–and practical-habits of thought that are generally not taught as well through other subjects (Swanwick, 1996). Among the three philosophers, Charles Fowler had much to say about Arts being an essential part of a school’s curriculum. It is precisely because the creative act flows from the inside out rather than the outside in that it helps youngsters discover their own resources, develop their own attributes, and realize their own personal potential. Education generally does not do this. That is, usually students are told, â€Å"Here is the way the world is,† rather than asked, â€Å"What do you think the world is or might be? † Through the process of refining their own personal visions, students discover and develop their own intellectual resources. Because the arts ask students to determine their own abilities, they are self motivating. They propel and stimulate, fascinate and captivate because they engage students personally with their true inner selves, not some concept of self imposed from outside. All human beings want to know what they can do. By having to draw on their own ideas, students discover and explore their own cognitive capacities (Swanwick, 1988). All three authors, Fowler, Leonhard and Jorgensen had similar views on music education. The three agreed that music should be treated as a vital part of student education. Just who is responsible for educating the next generation in the arts –the schools, other agencies, or a combination of both? Each community is responsible for providing opportunities to its youth to ensure that they will be adequately educated in the arts. How those responsibilities are carried out differs from one community to the next. In those communities with few cultural resources, the schools must assume the primary responsibility. In urban and suburban communities that have access to museums, arts centers, and living artists of all kinds, the responsibility can and should be shared between the schools and the community.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Manipulating and Controlling Women through Religions and Myths Essay

The first question is, who authored most of the religious dogma, myths, and other belief systems that we have at present? Until now, that is to say throughout all previous history, there has been a sharp gender asymmetry in the hierarchy of knowledge, and nowhere is this more clearly institutionalized than in religion (King 73). The written or oral creeds and their interpretation have for centuries dictated the societal roles that men or women played. Our epics, myths, and commandments arose from the creativity or imaginings of patriarchal society. The commonality of these expressions usually commanded woman’s subservience to the male superior its author. Before the emergence of women empowerment, it was the woman’s role to submit herself to the husband no matter what he is and did. If the setting was the home, she has to serve her king-the husband. Culture has dictated terms of what is feminine in behavior and appearance. Early Roman religious life has man as the dominant if not having the monopoly in a Roman city’s affairs. In the religious life of Rome we find reflected both the authority of the male members of society and the importance of the family as a unit of society. Women are as always not an active participant in its activities. Women are to a certain extent excluded from cult activities, not least in the public arena. They do not hold important positions of authority. Some may disagree with this and points to the so-called Vestal Virgins. Hinnels (Hinnels) points out that with the absence of women from public religious life there was one major exception, though that was a very significant one. The Vestal Virgins, the female priests of the cult of Vesta, were six women recruited as children of six years old and committed to the preservation of their virginity and the service of the goddess for thirty years. They were concerned with a very wide range of cults and rituals and it is clear that the security and health of the whole community depended on the maintenance of their duties. They had to keep the sacred fire on the hearth of Vesta burning at all times. In periods of extreme danger, the city sometimes turned on them and accused them of unchastity, evidently seeking to blame them for the crisis. If found guilty they were buried alive at the limit of the city. In some theories, they were originally the daughters of the old kings of Rome, so that their relationship to the fire and the hearth echoed the duties of the ordinary household. The theories are more attractive than reliable. Important though the Vestals may have been, they were no more than a single exception to the general exclusion of women from public positions of authority or power in the public life of Rome. Some women in the late Republic and early Empire did achieve personal power and influence, but this did not change the basic rules by which social institutions operated. If you are a Vestal virgin, your lifespan is dependent on the relative period of peace that your city enjoys. Otherwise being fired, terminated, and buried at the limit of the city is not an attractive prospect. Roman and Greek mythology may have given women important roles in their godhoods, since we have Athena, Demeter, Juno, and Aprodite, but the important chief position is always to the man- Jupiter or Zeus. For the world’s contemporary chief religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and the Confucian credos have directed that it is the primary duty of women to be obedient and devoted. The laws that enforce them are based on the existing religious and cultural belief systems and their derivations. When women are physically disfigured through foot binding and genital mutilation society, it is in compliance to tradition. How do these disfigurements served any purpose to the woman or the man? There have been disagreements as to the reason why footbinding has existed for a long time in China. Patricia Ebrey (Buckley)posits the following: Footbinding was an alteration of the body that changed everything about a woman’s physical being. Because the ideal upper-class man was by Song times a relatively subdued and refined figure, he might seem effeminate unless women could be made even more delicate, reticent, and stationary. What better than tiny feet to accomplish this? For the footbound Chinese woman, the debilitation confined her to the home and reinforced her role as the husband’s sole possession. Refinement and being subdued is no excuse for this abominable act. Female genital mutilation has been a tradition of many African tribal societies. It is a female circumcision done to prepare a young girl for marriage. This is a very unhygienic and therefore a very dangerous practice. Supposedly, mutilation ensures that the woman do not go astray since that part of her that makes her commit a sin has been removed. This inculcates a guilty feeling to the girls mind and reinforces the belief that women are morally weaker and therefore needed to be put in their position of low esteem. Such are the heavy prices that woman has to pay for being a woman. Gladly, their being widespread is confined in the past. Religion, myths, and our beliefs systems favor the man and ensure his dominance over the woman. The erstwhile Taliban regime of Afghanistan is the contemporary extreme believer of this. Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan at the beginning of the twenty-first century, for example, punishment for noncompliance with brutally extreme restrictions on women’s appearance and behavior included public flogging and execution. Compulsion, however, is not the only or even necessarily the most effective means for encouraging women to subscribe to femininity norms. Social rewards and personal satisfaction are also motivators. Piety is its own reward for a woman of any faith who believes she is behaving in accordance with divine will. Depending on how she interprets her faith, a contemporary Muslim woman may thus signal her femininity and her piety by choosing to wear the veil whether she lives under a theocratic or a secular political system. Her choice to veil may be reinforced by additional rewards, such as greater respect and personal autonomy accorded to her by her family and the local Muslim community (Hoodfar and Hoodfar). If you are publicly flogged for wearing a knee-length dress, it is not time to fire your dressmaker it is appropriate to question if the punishment is commensurate with the offense. If jihadists believed that bombing innocent civilians will ensure them heavenly virgins, what will women suicide bombers get? Making a distortion of a religious belief by subordinating women as men’s rewards acquits women from suspicion of establishing that belief. The Judeo-Christian belief is not spared from instilling guilty feeling and low-esteem to women. Consider this passage from Numbers 5:30: . . . or when feelings of jealousy come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to make her stand before the LORD and is to apply this entire law to her. The operative word her is â€Å"suspicion†. If you are suspected by your husband of having been unfaithful, you will be treated in the same manner as those proven to be guilty of the same. This could be a Damocles sword hanging over the head of the woman as she is proven once again to be not having the same rights as the man. What do you expect when your subsidiary position was ensured during creation when you were drawn from the rib of Adam. Children of Eve have borne their guilt when the first woman caused the man to transgress the law of God by eating that forsaken fruit. The woman may blame the snake who had scurried away but she had to stay by her man. This guilty feeling has always been foisted to the woman since paradise was lost. In the same vein that the Nazis annihilated the Jews for having caused the crucifixation of the Christ. In the Old Testament, having the same blood does not ensure the needed affection and respect; nothing is more abominable than the story of Lot who offered his two virgin daughters to the unruly crowd who wanted to sodomize guests. Ge. 19:5 They called to Lot, â€Å"Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. † Ge. 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him Ge. 19:7 and said, â€Å"No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Ge. 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof. † If biblical characters and the Mosaic Law subordinate women to men, you cannot expect a different perspective from the society where these belief systems are integrated. When Jewish and Muslim men became polygamous, nothing is wrong about it, but when otherwise you can surely expect a stoning. In some parts of part of Tibet, polyandry is not frowned up, but Tibet is a very small country whose religious influence is confined within its small borders. Hindu Universe, an internet website explained that in Hinduism the religious root of women’s oppression stems from the belief that the son and daughter are not inherently equal. Though many sages argued that since both come from the father’s body, there is no difference between the two, ritual status of the son is higher. Perhaps this belief that â€Å"if a man’s vitality is greater then a son would be produced, but if a woman’s vitality is greater then a daughter would be produced† is also responsible. Men looked upon their sons â€Å"as mirrors of the father†. A son therefore conducts the funeral ceremony of the parents. Though in absence of a son, a daughter can also perform them, it is only in absence of a brother. A daughter is seen as belonging ultimately not to her father’s family, but to her husband’s. So the first thing that must be done is to remove this idea that a son is more value and that daughters are born to go to another’s house. Conclusion There is something wrong with the way women were manipulated and controlled in the past apparently in compliance with the written and traditional beliefs. If this was not so, widespread women empowerment at present would not have been possible. The United Nations’ Millennium Declaration pledges explicitly â€Å"to combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (Waldorf)†. And it further recognizes the importance of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as an effective pathway for combating poverty, hunger and disease and for stimulating truly sustainable development. Such declaration does not ensure that manipulation and control of women will cease in some corners of the world. Yet this global consensus is an indication that indeed misconceptions about gender roles are existing and should therefore be corrected. If this is a violation of Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Islamic, and other religious precepts, why then had this been adopted by many countries who had practiced the belief systems based on these religions? Why the shift to expanding women roles and even placing them in positions of leaderships in many countries? We can only conclude that this is an acceptance of women having been contained for so long. This is a silent acquiescence that indeed the forefathers and not the foremothers may have treated the children of Eve unjustly. References Buckley, Patricia. The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period. Berkeley: University of California, 1993. Hinnels, John R. Ed. A Handbook of ancient Religions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Hoodfar, Homa and Homa Hoodfar. More Than Clothing:Veiling as an Adaptive Strategy. Toronto: Women’s Press, 203. King, Ursula. Religion and Gender: Embedded Patterns, Interwoven Frameworks. Oxford: Blackwell, 1995. The Ages Digital Library. The Holy Bible. Albany: Ages Software, 1996. Waldorf, Lee. Pathway to Gender Equality. United Nations Fund for Women, n. d.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Christianity And Pagansim In Beowulf essays

Christianity And Pagansim In Beowulf essays The epic poem Beowulf, written in the Eighth Century, is predominantly written based on pagan beliefs. It is evident, as the story traveled by word of mouth, many Christian beliefs were added. Christianity, at the time this epic was written, was on a steady incline. Many missionaries were traveling all over England preaching the word and leaving their mark. Beowulf can be analyzed for both its pagan motifs- fate, superhuman behavior, reparation, and many gods- as well as its Christian overtones- Christian characterizations, Adam and Eve, and Resemblances to Jesus. The pagan motifs symbolize and represent the culture of the Anglo-Saxon people. Much like the writings of today, the Anglo-Saxon people tell stories of what they know and believe. Knowing this, one must agree Beowulf is a direct reflection of the Anglo-Saxon society. Fate is a key pagan concept mentioned many times throughout the epic poem. In a pagan society, fate determines all. Living short lives, the pagan people believe in destiny and everything happening for a reason. As one can see, even in battle ...fate decides/ Which of us wins (677-678). This line shows Beowulf believes fate is the higher power, and fate alone will decide the outcome of the battle. This view is very typical of the Anglo-Saxon people because they believe what happens is meant to be. Throughout the poem, Beowulf shows many superhuman or god-like qualities. These god-like qualities or superhuman personifications show that the people of that era believe in powers greater than the ordinary man, suc h as magic. The reader sees many examples of magic or blessed items such as swords and monsters, showing that the pagan people are very sacrificial and superstitious. They believe in order to defeat beasts blessed by evil, one must have weapons blessed by all that is good. This is an understandable concept, showing that the pagans in the po...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

urban fashion essays

urban fashion essays Fashion Trends Have Effected females Self-esteem Fashion can be thought of as a type of art utilizing cultural materials to transform the appearance of the natural body. It communicates things like social status and sex as well as enhancing attractiveness. While it may have evolutionary links with the flamboyant displays of peacocks and other birds it is clearly a way in which humans distance themselves from the natural world. Through the years, the definition for what was thought to be beautiful has changed a great deal, but culture as always had control over womens bodies. The multi-billion dollar fashion and beauty industry of today moves at such a fast pace that trends come and go everyday. What was considered beautiful two hundred years ago probably wouldnt be thought of in the same way today? The fashions and trends that have occurred over the past four decades are leading to a problem that is getting worse every year. It was somehow decided many years ago that it was desirable for women to be thin, or at least not over weig ht. And it seems that most beautiful and most admired women of todays age get smaller every year. To understand where we are at today, we must first understand the major influences that have happened in the fashion industry in the past 40 years. What has to be known as the Youth Culture started in the 1960s? During the same period of time Barbie was introduced to young girls. Though meant to be an ideal in feminine glamour, Barbie was very unrealistically proportioned, with larger than average breasts, extremely long legs, and very slender hips. Fashion went to extremely different lengths during this decade. The fashion industry cut inches from the hems of skirts, creating the very popular miniskirt. Women started wearing bikinis instead of one-piece bathing suits, and tight fitting body suits also became popular. These fashion revolutions"...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Steinbeck's depiction of the struggle of Agricultural workers during Essay

Steinbeck's depiction of the struggle of Agricultural workers during the Depression, his role as a social commentator, and its impact upon his work - Essay Example The novels also serve the purpose of a social documentary and present a picture of the prevailing systemic injustices in the United States. It is fashionable with the new breed of novelists to separate politics from art. But in the case of John Steinbeck, this distinction is not evident. The author, in the process of creating a work of art had also taken upon himself to ask questions of social injustices in general and economic disparities in particular. Hence, Steinbeck’s body of work are in essence are full of his own perspective on the state of rural American society; the medium of the novel have given Steinbeck the requisite scope and opportunity to fulfill his role as a social commentator. The rest of the essay will cite instances from the two novels as well as foray into the biographical aspects of the author himself to support this assertion. To understand this social activist trait in Steinbeck’s character one has to look at the experiences and circumstances that shaped his vision of America. Firstly, his years as an adolescent in Salinas, where he got a first hand experience of his parents’ struggle for survival is a formative influence. It is the next phase of his life however, that will prove more important – his long-time relationship with the radical social worker Carol Henning. The influence of Carol Henning cannot be underestimated, for her socialist views on life had clearly rubbed off on Steinbeck, which is evident from the earliest journalistic assignments that Steinbeck undertook. His years as a novice journalist also had a key role in the shaping of his character, for these early writing assignments were the foundations for his later literary pursuits. In both the works in discussion – The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, the influences of these formative stages of his early l ife are quite obvious. While Steinbeck never really espoused a

Friday, November 1, 2019

Methods of communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Methods of communication - Essay Example As for culture, this has been characterized as ‘a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms of behavior; it refers to coherent groups of people whether resident wholly or partly within state territories or existing without residence in any particular territory’. In accordance with the above definition, culture can be a severe obstacle to communication in case that the attitudes or the values of the people involved are different. The elimination of this differentiation is a task that requires a significant amount of time and intensive effort by the interested parties – with no guarantee that the relevant attempt will be successful. In fact the study of Lalonde et al. showed that there are ‘predicted differences in beliefs about PC between members of social groups based on gender ideology and sexual orientation while more conservative views (e.g. right-wing authoritarianism, modem prejudice) would be associated with a belief in a PC movement and endorsement of a PC crusader stereotype’. In other words, political correctness is very likely to operate as a barrier to communication attempts – though this assumption could be more applicable when referring to groups than to individuals. In the same way, personal tendencies can be a barrier to communication especially under the influence of the following circumstances: a) a negative event of the past leads the person to avoid communication, b) the person’s environment (family, school) does not promote communication and so on.