Politics and Education Essay

Education can develop the personality of a person not physically but mentally as well. An educated person can look at a certain issue from various perspectives. A politician has to control over a large community therefore, he needs some extra ordinary skills and the first thing which can make him distinguished, is his qualification. Education can increase his communication and speaking skills. A politician is a social member and his interactions with people are frequent, therefore, he needs maturity and sensibility in his talk and behavior. This is certainly possible with proper education. A politician is the representative of a nation and he should be the perfect person by all means and education plays an important role in making anyone perfect to a great extent. But then, I don’t necessarily think that they need to have degrees in a particular field but broader understanding would certainly help. They must have minimum qualification†¦they need to be knowledgeable and must understand the laws. Politicians like Abraham Lincoln set an example of people who had no real formal education and look at the jobs they did and the leadership they offered†¦It is true that there have been great leaders who were uneducated, Kamaraj in India, for example. But, such gems are a rarity. In life, compromises must be made. Until an intelligent and foolproof plan exists for electing such gems from the public, we must resort to what is best for the common man. An educated person is more likely to do a good job as a politician than an illiterate person. Education is a process that makes people more humane and teaches them a lot about the country, how to express themselves through effective communication and so on I think the only key thing they need to be educated in is the Constitution and process of government. A lot of the early leaders of the country were not well educated even for the time. Some foundation of knowledge is beneficial and they definitely need to be able to reason and learn. They need leadership quality, power in speech, integrity, sincerity, honesty and purity in whatever actions they take for development of country.

Assess Functionalists Explanations for Patterns of Crime and Deviance

â€Å"Assess functionalists explanations for patterns of crime and deviance. † The patterns of crime and deviance have proven to be a popular topic amongst sociological groups, arguably because it crosses over with many key ideas and debates discussed within sociology. Functionalists are just one of numerous groups who have thrown there hat in the ring by attempting to provide a definitive answer behind the patterns of crime and deviance. However, like all explanations in one way or another, functionalists have been subject to criticism.One of the most prominent functionalists to have lived, Durkheim, explained crime as a problem of modernity associated with the decline of mechanic solidarity, a society that is homogenous and in cohesion. In times of social change people may lose sight of the shared norms and values they’ve become accustomed too, creating a weaker collective conscience. Durkheim describes this state of ‘normlessness’ as anomie which is expr essed not just through crime but, also by suicide, marital breakdown and industrial disputes.Anomie is used to describe why some people become dysfunctional in society and turn to crime. According to Durkheim, society becomes more individualistic because of anomie as people resort to what they do know, themselves, therefore not looking out for their community which would have once been the norm. However, Durkheim doesn’t acknowledge that anomie may not always result in individualism and can lead to the exact opposite.For instance, some people have formed stronger ties to their religious group in reaction to the emergence of the new media, which has caused wide scale social change. Unlike most sociological theories of crime, Durkheim recognised that crime could be a force for good rather than always having negative repercussions. Too much crime and deviance can lead to uncertainty and disruption in society. However, a certain amount of crime can be viewed positively, helping t o promote change and reinforce values. Durkheim categorised crime using three groups: normal, universal and functional.Examples of crime that were beneficial to society are the Suffragette movement, Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man and Nelson Mandela forming the first black government in South Africa. Following on from the work of Durkheim, Merton developed ‘strain theory’ to reflect the strain between goals and means of achieving those goals. He listed five different forms of behaviour that could be understood as a strain between goals and means: Conformity (the individual continues to adhere to both goals and means, despite limited likelihood of success e. . the American Dream), Innovation (the individual accepts the goals of society but uses different means of achieving this e. g. criminal behaviour), Ritualism (individual adheres to societies means but loses sight of societies goals e. g. police officer enforcing the law, ignoring wh ether it’s just or not), Reteatism (individual rejects both means and goals of society e. g. depends upon drugs or alcohol) and Rebellion (individual substitutes societies goals and means with different ones e. g. religious fundamentalism).

A Report About Niccolo Machiavelli History Essay

A Report About Niccolo Machiavelli History Essay Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence. Since 1484, Florence had a republican government after ruling Medici family and its supporters were driven from power. Machiavelli suffered from this regime change: first he was sent to an internal exile and later was imprisoned and tortured for several weeks when (wrongly) suspected of conspiring against the Medici family in 1513. Following which, he retired to his farm outside Florence. This drove him to turn to literary pursuits and he wrote his famous study on power, ‘The Prince’ in 1517. The Prince was primarily a guide book for his prince, Lorenzo De Medici, to help him promote himself into the political set up of Italy. Machiavelli analyzed power and the ways for Italy to gain it to become independent and keep control. The explanations in the book were driven by Machiavelli’s own attraction with power and his deep desire for an independent Italy. His ideas on the rules of power caters to the struggles for a ll levels of power, from a common man struggling in the world of business to strategies performed by the political leaders in the sixteenth century to now. ‘The Prince’ is primarily a study of power in which Machiavelli suggests how political power should be acquired, utilized, and maintained by the ruler. (Fischer, 2000), (Source: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/machiavelli/ ) Machiavelli always asserted the importance of acquisition of power, he thinks it comes naturally to all humans and the one who does acquire power should be praised and not blamed. Machiavelli’s Philosophy beyond Acquisition of Power: Machiavelli doesn’t just concentrated on acquisition of power, he said that the real concern of any ruler is the not just acquisition but also maintenance of power. On the basis of his past experiences with the Florentine government, he supports the view that being right and good human being is not sufficient to acquire and maintain political offi ce. He feels power typically defines political activity; therefore any ruler must know how it is used. Since only by proper application of power, can rulers make individuals obey them and will be able to enforce law to maintain peace in the state. â€Å"one can say this in general of men: they are ungrateful, disloyal, insincere and deceitful, timid of danger and avid of profit†¦. Love is a bond of obligation which these miserable creatures break whenever it suits them to do so; but fear holds them fast by a dread of punishment that never passes† (Machiavelli 1965, 62; translation altered) Thus we see that Machiavelli believes that fear is always preferable to love while dealing with subjects, because laws are enforced on the basis of threat of coercive force, because people obey law due to the fear of results of not doing the same, whether the loss of life or other punishments. These are all Machiavelli’s views on how to maintain power not acquire it. His pragmat ic political ideas are based on two elements: The political environment in the world at that point in time was divided and commanded by powers with no possibility of unification. That time no political leader at that time who was using the kind of force Machiavelli thought was required for peace. He thought that a price feared by his subjects would ensure their loyalty. On human nature, Machiavelli thought humans are basically greedy and selfish and their actions are driven more by fear than by love. As a political philosopher, his attempt was to introduce a new way to create a society, which according to him was different from the one existing. Though his philosophy has been regarded as evil by many, but in practice most business leaders and politicians agree and follow it and regard it as the physics of power. The philosophy put forward in The Prince, is popularly known as Machiavellianism and is defined as: â€Å"The political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the rel evance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power.† We can explain this with simple saying that as far as power is concerned, the end justifies the means. The core thought of Machiavelianism is that the purpose of the ruler (power holder) is to maintain peace and security of the state irrespective of the morality of the means.

Persuasive writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Persuasive writing - Assignment Example Frank Daley, who is one of Ruth’s immediate superiors, Ruth’s workload has significantly increased. In addition to the fact, that Ruth only has a part time worker to support her. This situation has negatively affected Ruth’s efficiency and productivity as well as her overtime schedule causing the company additional expenses for her overtime pay. Jack on the other hand, has significantly reduced work due to the absence of Ms. Jessica Hilo. Jack having his full time assistant has had less workload resulting in his current lax attitude about his tasks. Given the circumstance, the imbalanced distribution of work should be addressed. The best solution would be to delegate the same workload and workers to the two offices. This can be done by switching the assistants to each office. Since Jack has lessened workload, the need for a full time assistant is unnecessary. Conversely, Ruth who has taken more responsibilities needs more help and a full time assistant shall bene fit her efficiency and work quality without causing additional expenses for the company. I also believe that this shall make the two employees and their supervisors contented because there would be minimal adjustment in terms of organization. The company even saves money and ensures the productivity of all their employees.

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Employment Law - Essay Example ee is used to make employment decisions that affects that particular individual; or, submission to sexual nature conduct is made implicitly or explicitly a condition or a term of employment of an individual (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). From the facts of the case, it is evidently clear that the conduct of Mr. Clark, the V.P towards Ms. Jensen amounts to sexual harassment. He requests her to spend a weekend at his cabin in Yosemite so as to discuss the details of him offering her a V.P position. While there, he tells her how lovely she is and that he had his eye on her from the first interview. He goes ahead and leans over to take a kiss, but she moves away. It is at that point that point that Mr. Clarke reacts and then relates: â€Å"why did you think I would offer you such position at your age†? Don’t you realize that unless you are my girl, you will never amount to anything in this company?† Ms. Jensen agrees at that point but realizes the next day that it was a mistake, and tells him she does not want the position with his condition. This scenario clearly amounts to sexual harassment, and as such, sexual harassment law should be applied. Majorly, there are two areas of sexual harassment, namely: Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment. Quid Pro Quo harassment is that which employment decisions for a particular employee are based on rejection of or submission to unwelcome sexual behavior. A good example for this type of harassment is when a supervisor fires an employee because of rejecting his sexual advances. On the other hand, Hostile Work Environment harassment happens when working environment creates unwelcome sexual behavior directed at an employee because of his or her sex that is intimidating, hostile, and/or offensive and therefore adversely affects performance of an employee (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Ms. Jensen’s case falls under Quid Pro Quo harassment because it comes from her supervisor. As such, the company

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 15

Final Exam - Essay Example Moreover, the organisms that are best suited to live in their underlying specific conditions possess relatively greater chance of passing their desirable traits to the corresponding next generation. Nevertheless, organisms that poorly adapt die and extinct in the environment. The reproduction and the survival is massive numbers than other kind of animals mainly ensures perpetuation of the favorable traits in regard to succeeding generations. Natural selection demands heritable variation within a particular trait and corresponding differential survival and reproduction related with the possession of the desired traits. Both domestic selection and natural selection entails choosing of desirable traits and passing them to the next generations. An undesirable trait which cannot survive competition is eliminated from the environment thus becoming extinct. Conversely, natural selection results from corresponding natural factors that mainly favor particular variations whilst domestic selection mainly entails the probability of particular naturalistic mechanisms that pertains to the evolutionary alterations (Darwin & Charles, 112-279). Moreover, domestic selection purely utilized as an analogy for the underlying natural systems that concern untargeted changes. Natural selection and domestic selection does not link into similar theory that normally cause need to contribute intensely new to science. Struggle for existence is mainly due competition of scarce resources and over production that results to the ecological pressure. Members of every species contest repeatedly in order to obtain food, living space and other supplementary requirements of life. It mainly emanates from the overproduction by the organisms thus making the available resources to be insufficient to sustain the larger population. This subsequently results to emergence of competition of limited resources to keep themselves alive (Darwin & Charles,

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse - Research Paper Example One of the essential research parts of Tamera is the environmental restoration of a nation and the self-sufficiency of a larger society with healthy food on the basis of  Ã‚   assistance with all beings of the environment. Since 2007, the people of Tamera region have been working in the company of the perm culture specialists and the mountain farmer on this basis, constructing a widespread and diverse water landscape (Holzer, & Mà ¼ller, 1). A representation plan for landscape healing is being made that presents a real ecological way out for many regions of the globe: making a water landscape can undo a beginning desertification of a landscape. An intellectual water management is the best central aspect of it. This is attained with the building of decentralized, joined water preservation spaces; situated in the basins of a landscape - that are prepared out of natural construction equipments and harvest, store and control rain water in the soil or body of earth. In the subsequent y ears, Tamera inhabitants plan to construct a smallest amount of ten more preservation spaces in Tamera to be in a position to store or keep the winter rain. Therefore, the neighboring body of earth will be in a position to permanently refill with water. This is the only technique to make the greening and reforestation o f the landscape probable. The worldwide shortage of water, desertification, the food crisis, overflows all over the globe and huge fires are not natural disasters but the consequence of water negligence. The technological and ecological knowledge of how to provide all inhabitants on the globe with high quality water, with enough food and with sustainable energy is at present available.In Tamera, a water preservation landscape, constructed with natural substances, is in the process of being developed with the aid of the creative Perm culture professional called Sepp Holzer (Holzer, & Mà ¼ller, 1). The water preservation landscape harvests and stores rainwater, gives it duration to go under into the soil, therefore, regulating the entire water cycle. This in the long land prevents deforestation.In comparison   to the above given instances, Water Retention Landscapes can smoothen the progress of complete change by restoring the water cycles that can in nature supply fresh, uncontaminated and vitalized water in large quantity, even in the globes’   dry lands. The decentralized structure of retention space assists rainwater to remain on the land and seep into the ground. Healthy ecosystems can bring back around the retention or preservation spaces, and organic agriculture needing less synthetic irrigation and assorted reforestation are enabled (Anderson, p. 45-56).   

Global Warming - Cause and Effect Research Paper

Global Warming - Cause and Effect - Research Paper Example Global warming was started being considered as a threat which could cause many problems in the long-run like shortage of food and rise in the sea-level. Over the time, more negative effects like threats to the ecosystems and human health were identified. This paper discusses some of the most fundamental causes and effects of global warming. Key causes of global warming include human dependence on fossil fuels to meet the energy needs, growth of population, deforestation, natural processes generating methane in the atmosphere, and use of chemical fertilizers for agricultural purposes while the most significant effects of global warming include change of climate, rise in the sea-level, extinction of animal species as well as death of humans. Causes One of the most fundamental causes of global warming is increased dependence on power plants that burn coal to produce energy. Power plants generate a lot of carbon dioxide. According to EPA, electricity production in the US accounts for alm ost 40 per cent of the carbon dioxide, whereas 93 per cent of the carbon dioxide is released from the burning of coal in the electric utility industry. There is an ever-increasing availability of the electric gadgets in the market. Electricity for both personal and commercial use is largely produced from burning of coal in most of the countries around the world. The manufacture of globally sourced goods and car culture releases 33 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the US. Increase in the production of these goods can primarily be attributed to the growth of population. With the growth of population and the ever-increasing demand for consumer goods and vehicles, fossil fuels are being used in a greater amount for the manufacturing and transportation. Deforestation is a very important cause of global warming. In the photosynthesis process, plants consume carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and release oxygen which in effect is a two-way action directed at the decrease of global warming. Over the years, plants and trees have been cut in great numbers so as to make more land available for such reasons as construction and industrial development. One plant takes years to grow into a tree while it takes only few minutes to cut down the trees, which is why growing more plants is not a very effective measure to improve the environment. Second to carbon dioxide, methane is a potential contributor of global warming. Methane is produced as a result of decomposition of the organic matter by bacteria in anaerobic conditions which prevail in rice paddies. Methane is also produced in the anaerobic decomposition process that occurs in the intestines of animals that feed on grass and plants. In addition to that, increase in the production of concentrated livestock increases the amount of methane in the atmosphere. Escape of methane from the Arctic seabed also contributes to global warming. Use of chemical fertilizers to grow crops has increased rapidly since the second half of the 20th century. â€Å"The high rate of application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers has effects on the heat storage of cropland (nitrogen oxides have 300 times more heat-trapping capacity per unit of volume than carbon dioxide) and the run-off of excess fertilizers creates ‘dead-zones’ in our oceans† (Markham, 2009). Moreover, high content of nitrate in the groundwater caused by over-fertilization yields negative effects

Accounting II Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Accounting II - Article Example Such an individual promotes mediocrity in what they achieve as well as mediocrity in other individuals’ ability to achieve. A low EQ actually causes one to feel belittled, unworthy and inefficient. One example of a high EQ individual is my lecturer who is able to make every student’s response seem like gold or of Albert Einstein’s quality. On the other hand, an example of a low EQ individual would be my boss who constantly derides my every action and attempts to be excellent. I am left with the notion that it is impossible to achieve anything of substance. I believe that a high EQ can certainly help one’s personal and professional work. Likewise a low EQ can hinder one’s ability to progress. Firstly, a high EQ will cause one to relate at an optimum level with oneself as well as with others. Thus, one’s perception of self will improve to such an extent that others will want to be in the presence of such an individual. Similarly, a low EQ would cloud one’s ability to clearly accept oneself. Consequently, inability to objectively accept self will interfere with one’s ability to understand and relate to others. EQ therefore will affect both personal and professional life because one does not live in a vacuum. What affects one area of life will disperse to the other

People Resourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

People Resourcing - Essay Example Planning and better management of human resources is an issue that cannot be ignored in a country’s development strategies. Human resource planning is the critical evaluation as well as identification of labor requirements for planed projects to meet the social and economic targets in the society. The most efficient approach to good human resource planning starts with attaining information on a particular human resource function, the selection or recruitment of workers, training, motivations, work place diversity, and compensations when need rise. Human resource planning is indicated by sufficient man power, comprising of all categories of workers and diverse skill and talents. The workers should be available in specific locations and perform their duties when required. This discourse is about the importance of attaining labor market prevailing conditions before human resource planning. There is need to observe the labor market trends to correct the in balance between its dema nd and supply. Labor market can be categorized as either internal or external. Internal labor market refers to a pool of workers within a certain organization. It could also mean a mechanism through which employees are assigned to certain roles within the organization. The number of employees is determined by the human resource policy put in place like job security, investment levels, sophistication levels in the organization departments, and the business approach adopted. Available internal labor market information can assist the human resource planning team in greater ways (Pilbeam, 2010). Prior to annual recruitments, the company may decide to retain the existing workers and offer trainings to meet the current demands. The retained employees can be motivated further by developments, creation of better employment terms, and salary reviews. This would increase their productivity hence increase turn over to the company. This would be cheaper than hiring new employees who may require time to adjust to the company’s environment and working policies. Classical model of internal labor market is associated with sophisticated and structured pool of workers. Such employees have established experiences and complex technological skills that are ideal to the daily operations of a certain organizations’ department. Such pool of workers have limited interactions with the out side stake holders due to fears that they could be lured to join other organizations at higher salary hence they are motivated by annual incentives, job promotions, and securities so that they stick to their companies. Having full knowledge of such workers is a great deal to the human resource planning team to assist in their retention within the company. Having full knowledge of existing employees may determine who to be out sourced to external companies and generate more income to the company. A company may cut the annual expenses by reducing the existing labor. It will be wise for the human resource planning team to evaluate the existing employees before the retrenchment operations. It would be a great loss to the company to lose a vital team member due lack of internal labor market information. Internal labor market information is much easier and cheaper to be obtained than the external labor pool. External labor market represents the pool of workers available outside (externally) a certain organizations. The type of workers required by a firm is determined by

African American Culture Essay Example for Free

African American Culture Essay African American culture in the United States includes the various cultural traditions of African ethnic groups. It is both part of and distinct from American culture. The U. S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as people having origins in any of the Black race groups of Africa. [1] African American culture is indigenous to the descendants in the U. S. of survivors of the Middle Passage. It is rooted in Africa and is an amalgam of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Brer Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speakers tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or Black Arts Movement. The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later became known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that black is beautiful. During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Evry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the Negro National Anthem by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Evry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidors Hallelujah!, and operas such as George Gershwins Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and RB developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of rapping grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name The Highwaymen. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic]. A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and academic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African American women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head , has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as crowns. Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave ones hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in Gods eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to ones master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa consequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice such as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions. Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to jump the broom as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative responses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes cre.

Developed nations Essay Example for Free

Developed nations Essay Developed nations such as Canada, Japan, Australia and America are emitting the most air pollutants in the world and contribute in much emission of green house gases in the atmosphere. Developed nations use much of the natural resources until a near depletion occurs. Hover there are exceptions in that Germany, Sweden and Norway governments have worked with environment and they have benefited economically due to their environment sustainability (Pickering Owen, 213). Environmental degradation in the third world is exacerbated by international dumping of hazardous wastes and environmental imperialism. Third world countries do not have many choices to choose from and their environment is partly degraded by developed countries. These acts of the developed nations of cleaning their backyard and then transporting their hazardous wastes to the third world countries as well as forbidding the developed countries to develop violates the principles of sustainable environment. First world countries degrade the environment because they consume more of the natural resources (Pickering Owen, 213). Environmental issues of china and Latin America In china there is a growing concern of the ever increasing desertification on the northern and western side of the country. Desertification is being exacerbated by climate change in china and result from excessive industrialization on the fragile ecosystems and poor land management (Rajan, 321). The unrestrained industrialization and development that is taking place throughout the country is making china to be vulnerable to the growing changes of climate due to the increased levels of green house gas emissions in the atmosphere. For example extreme ecological events melting of glaciers and rising temperatures are now common in china besides desertification. These phenomena have detrimental effects on human health and the fragile ecosystems (Rajan, 328). Desertification engulfs the ecosystems with sand and reduces the available arable land thus creates eco- refugees. Shrinking glaciers on the other hand temporary raises the level of after in lakes and river and eventually disappears leaving an acute shortage of water. The economy of china is based mainly on coal for cheap energy and heavy industry that emits high levels of green house gases and thus accelerates global warming and climate change (Rajan, 321). However Chinese government is now using experimental means and artificial precipitation to alleviate the short term effects of the climate change. The government is also adopting stricter energy conservation legislation and increasing international cooperation to help fight the problem of climate change (Rajan, 3330). On the other hand the municipalities of china generate more than a hundred million tones of trash wastes per annum and currently the amount is rapidly rising. The existing land fills in china are reaching their capacity and therefore china will be required to build more land fills to satisfy the ever increasing amount of garbage accumulated. China will also be required to make up the poorly managed land fills (Rajan, 330). The problem of solid waste leakages from poorly managed land fills has rendered many hectares of land around the cities to be useless and therefore it is posing a great land constrains since china supports a big percentage of the world population and has a small percentage of the arable land. China is also facing human health and ecological threats from the Brownfield sites that are stemming from poorly managed landfills and from older landfills that do not have proper lining. There are problems of illegal dumping of industrial and municipal wastes that are exacerbating the situation. The incineration of waste in china is also emitting chemicals such as mercury, furans and dioxins which are harmful to the health of people globally (Rajan, 431). It is difficult to understate the environmental pollution of china on the pacific region of Asia and beyond. The prevailing wind often carries pollutants such as mercury particulate matters and ozone from one continent to another continent and in this case the pollutants are carried from Asia to North America. The overall trend of air pollution in china indicates a growing health and economic threats both within and outside china. The regional impact of air pollution in china has encouraged cooperation and new data on environmental, economic and human health implications of pollution of china on the north eastern side of Asia and western side of United States and Canada calls for global efforts to engage china in these issues (Rajan, 441). The majority of the regional trans-boundary air pollution in china originates from its heavy reliance on coal which constitutes about 70 percent of its global energy mix. Despite efforts to diversify the energy sources in china the country has continued to rely on coal and it seem it will continue to rely on the same for the fore seeable future. The dependence on coal and the lack of scrubbers and coal washing infrastructures at power plants and industrial facilities and its plan to build new coal powered stations translates to wide spread of environmental and health issues in pacific region of Asia and beyond. Car emission in china has replaced coal as the major source of air pollution in urban centers. Currently sixteen out of twenty most polluted sites are in china and therefore the emission will worsens the air quality in china. The current data shows that china has 22 cars per 1000 people compared to United States which has 764 cars per 1000 people however china is on its way of becoming the dominant market for automobiles. Due to WTO reduction the number of vehicle in china are expected to rise from the current 24 million to 100 million by the year 2020. In china there is a car culture that is developing similar to that was witnessed in 1940s in the United States. a prime example is the car driving clubs. There are many obstacles which face the policies for cleaner cars (Rajan, 450). On the other hand current industrial pollution in Latin America is a growing problem. Latin America is predominantly becoming an urban society and its environmental pollution issues are becoming important issues on the political agenda (Diaz West, 73). Mexico, Brazil and Argentina account for about four-fifth of manufacturing production in the region and hence constitute the bulk of industrial pollution in Latin America. Data for air pollution which have been obtained shows that concentrations of pollutant in the major cities are above World health organizations (WHO) guide lines for the air quality standards (Diaz West, 74). However it is only Sao Paulo whose data on air pollution falls within the quality standards provided by world health organization. Another element that is contributing to air pollution in Latin America is emissions from vehicles. There are also problems of water quality both to the regional rivers and coastal waters. For instance most watersheds in Mexico are strongly polluted (Diaz West, 76). The stretches of Paribas do Sul river of Rio de Janeiro and most of its tributaries are badly polluted as it is in Guanabara Bay. Due to lack of monitoring of pollution in Latin America it is difficult to obtain estimates of industrial effluents and emissions. Population growth in urban centers in Latin America has also caused slides deforestation and soil loss for agriculture in the peripheries of the urban centers (Hillstrom Hillstrom, 89).

Smart Clothing Was Designed With Technology Media Essay

Smart Clothing Was Designed With Technology Media Essay In Bostons museum of science, the second annual seamless fashion show was held. A show where technology and art, meet clothing. The purpose of this show was twofold, showing the work of designers, and the display of technological clothing. A lot of people think wearable technology is only things like watches says Liu a participant(Toupin,26). Fashion and style should fit naturally into our life and wearable technology comes in allowing connection and interaction with our environment more better(Toupin,26). Many of the projects in this show have a message or hidden agenda. The artists want to make a statement about the world outside. For example Liu created a messenger bag that would display images that describe the person who owns the bag. She says this would communicate a true characteristic of that person since people judge others just by the way they look. The messenger bag shows a picture from your favourite CD or your blog. There is a device in the bag that connects to an image sharing database allowing transmission of files to other people with the same bag within a certain distance(26). This type of wearable technology allows huge communication and simple connections with others surrounding us, and especially today, people are hungry for connections Lisa Monrose(Toupin, 26). So what is the future of technology embedded in fashionable wearables? Predictions of the near future according to industry analysts are that clothing may provide a benefit to our health with the prediction of garments delivering vitamin supplements to the skin, that help maintain the moisture and temperature of the human body(Abernathy 1999) One can predict things like cellphones in clothing, food holders in clothing, memory glasses,and maybe even internet access within the clothing we wear. Senior vice president of Xybernaut Corporation which created a wearable computer with the companys name on it, says that even though these gadgets may be omnipresent as the future arrives, there will be a huge constant issue for power for tech wearables(Abernathy 1999). There are a few concerns and negative aspects of mixing technology in with a wearable. What is the point? Well ABC news, Washington post and other institutes had a say in this topic: Donna Abernathy: Privacy becomes an issue with technology when technologies monitor, trade alter and hold hostage of out personal data. Haidee Allerton: The same way smoking is banned in places, the same way cell phones in public will be banned. Well all be using these things, technology becomes everything everywhere Aims for wearable computing came about around the mid and late 1990s. Barfield and Caudell claim the development of wearable computing is as a result of the need and desire for people to access data and information while being mobile(Beloff 47-53). Wearable technologies today are compared to cyborgs. In 1960 two scientists Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline thought about how an interaction between a machine and a person could make a person feel as if the machines were a part of them(Heibeck 2006). Cyborgs was coined as a concept extending human functionality to achieve things(Beloff 47-53). Something like driving your own car makes you cyborg. As you drive your car, the car becomes an extension of your body allowing you to drive something you cannot do without a car. What about if you never got out of the car? How would having the car connected to you change your day to day life? With the developing of smart clothing, scientists look at what life might be like if the human-machine inte raction lasted more than the normal periods. We wear clothes on our bodies nearly 24/7. We could practically become cyborgs. Scientist and professor Alex Pentland, says we need smart clothing to be smarter. Humans have problems learning things they need to learn as it is. Smart clothing can help you get information just when you might need it(Heibeck 2006). He predicts things like memory glasses, health monitors built into clothes, and a sixth sense type thing where one can know where all their friends are and how their doing. For ex. A smart clothing can sense your mood and communicate how you feel to others. A signal would then show up on your friends mood ring(Heibeck 2006) can we say emotional instant messaging? So what about people cheating and using this technology to their easy advantage? Alex says calculators are already like cheating. When something becomes common everywhere, it becomes a part of everywhere(Heibeck 2006). Alex says privacy is a huge advantage of smart clot hes. He says he would rather info on his body than on a computer people can log onto. The only negativity he sees in these wearables is making these clothes washable since water and technology dont quite get along(Heibeck 2006). Research is saying wearable technology is present and will definitely have a future. During the 1960s the earlier developments emerged in the field of wearable technology and virtual and augmented reality. The first head mounted display was done around this time by Ivan Sutherland created the first wearable see through head mounted display. This along with many other examples are considered predecessors in the wearable technology field. With ubiquitous computing, it has been argued that technology has become invisible because of its success WeiseWeiser Brown 1996; (Clark 2003). The general acceptance of technology allowing everyday use of it, causes this invisibility(Beloff 47-53). This type of transparency of technologies and the focus of technologys functionality leaves out how these devices actually impact the world. For example, the clock, it structured and organized the lives of people. Even though we have so many technologies today, many of them are deeply embedded into society(Beloff 47-53). Clearly there are points of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to integrating fashionable wearables and technology. But wearable technology within our clothing and fashion can be life altering. The relationship between fashion and technology is a large gap between visual vs. Functional. Within our environment, many practises and actions occur simultaneously. With technology enabled in this space, its potential is high. This opens doors to constructing other perspectives to technology and everyday life(Beloff 47-53) . There is so much potential for fashionable wearables if we integrate technology within it. Something as important and global as saving peoples lives can be heightened in the realm of what we wear. People with Parkinsons disease could decrease the risk of injuries in their lives with the use of something they wear everyday- clothes, wearables! The use of sensors in clothing can monitor adults who live alone. Signal sensors that can record movement, evaluating over time, can allow sick elderly people to engage in their usual daily routines with no interruptions, while facilitating medication dosages improving the life in patients with this disease(Patel 200). Something like this would be worn more for the purpose of its function rather than the purpose of looking great in a fashion sense. In this case, functionality overrules fashion. Marcy Koontz says electronic garments are making their way into the spotlight of media and now into our closets. People want and need the access to information and communication on the go(USA Today 2001). Koontz notes that the development of these technologies are already there. Smart clothes used to mean something like a jacket with tons of pockets or water resistant coats. 21st century smart clothes are now in the world of integrated technology(USA Today 2001). Smart clothing was designed with technology as its focus and not fashion(USA Today 2001). But if we can integrate technology into clothing and make it work, then our next step can be making it look good. If we can make wearable technology a fashion of its own we can create a whole new culture, and a whole new style. The smart clothing discussed throughout this paper were usually meant for office geeks or performance athletes:(USA Today 2001). Technology and fashion haven;t become completely hybrid yet because functionality is still a key issue today. In places like The fashion institute of technology in NY, Ari Vega says fashion designers now recognize high tech clothing(USA Today 2001). Scott Jordan, CEO and founder of ScotteVest, says technology along with a clothing designer, will give you the opportunity to buy the coolest clothes with a benefit, even if you are not the fashionist or the geek:(USA Today 2001). Fashion says its got to look great. Technology says its got to work. W e can make both happen. Technology connects us. The most key thing about the research on the relationship between fashionable wearables and functionality is that functionality must come first in order to make fashionable tech-wearables sell in the business industry. These wearables will then function to connect, to give easy access, to enhance knowledge, to understand data easily, to gain access to sound and imagery instantly, to possibly improve heath, and to basically make life a whole lot easier. Fashion is an extension of the body that can or cannot be visually appealing, visually noticeable, or visually meaningful. It is only an extension of the body that can serve for a few purposes. These purposes arent as powerful as technology in the eyes of a new media student. That core relationship between fashion and functionality is heightened when technology takes a role in the fashion industry. Since technology is considered a useful servant for humanity, we have certain expectations for it(Beloff 47-53). If technology as a tool is successful it allows the transparency of technology to grow that we no longer see the implication of it in our lives because we are so used to it. With wearable technology, this is also the case, following ubiquitous computing and aims at smooth integrating of users and the environment. There are wearable technologies that dont follow traditional guidelines but challenge the aim of technology and make technology visible(Beloff 47-53). These projects open interpretation of possibilities for the way we look at technology today. With this we can develop a better understanding of the relationships between body, technology, and the environment allowing future potential for wearable technologies (Beloff 47-53)

Analysis of Mores The Prince and Utopia Essay -- essays research pape

i. Introduction Sir Thomas More was born in London to Agnes and John More a lawyer in 1477. Tomas after being a page in the Morton Household was sent to Oxford University and became a successful lawyer. After becoming an MP for the Under-Sheriff of London he started writing the book Utopia and finishing it 1516. After writing the book he was appointed as the privy councilor to King Henry VIII in 1518. He was latter executed in 1535 for refusing King Henry VIII to be the head of the church. Utopia is a fictional book about Mores talk with Raphael Nonsenso and his travels to Utopia. Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy in 1469 to a middleclass family. The time in which Machiavelli lived Italy as a country was not united but divide and split into little providences and republics. He latter became responsible for the Florentine militia against the Medici government and rule. When the Medici power reclaimed Florence Machiavelli was arrested for conspiracy he was tortured and then banished from Florence. During his banishment he wrote the book The Prince in 1513 which is dedicated to the new prince of Florence Lorenzo De Medici. The book was a discourse to the prince on how to run a country and also a way Machiavelli can get a job working in politics again. ii. Towns & Local Governments The local towns and governments in Utopia are split up into 54 separate large towns all equally alike in language, laws, customs, education and is no more than 26 miles apart from the next town. Each town in Utopia has about 30 houses that hold about 40 people each and 2 slave per house. Each house sends 20 members out to country for farming every 2 years the first year is spent training and the... ... instruction manual to run a kingdom and at the same time it?s a resume for a job. The reason in which Machiavelli is writing this is to re-enter a political life and political job for the prince. vii. Thesis Sir Thomas Mores Utopia and Niccolo Machiavelli?s The Prince both concern themselves with the basic issues of how a society works and maintains itself. Utopia?s aim is to show and portray of a perfect government and society. The Prince is telling how to run a country successfully and not to be hated or demised in the end. Both of these books deal with the central message of governments and how they should be run from different view and from two very different men. The one issues that they both did agree on is the issue on communism where both said no to the issues both agreeing in the same fact that communism is a government for the lazy.

Essay example --

The Republic by Plato talks about justice and what it means to be a just person. When having a conversation with Glaucon about justice, the ring of Gyges is brought up to prove a theory about people and the social contracts that make up our society. The legend of the Ring of Gyges tells the story of a man who was a shepherd but when an earthquake revealed a body of a skeleton of a giant from the past he was giving an opportunity to change his status. He stole the ring and discovered that by twisting it in a certain way he could become invisible. The thief would then sneak in to the castle and convince the queen to help murder her husband, and the thief took the throne. With the common knowledge of the thief and the ring Glaucon poses a question about what a supposedly good and decent individual finding the ring would do with the power of invisibility. Socrates believes that a just person would not even put the ring on, directly contradicting Glaucon. There would be no reason to be moral because the impulses would be too overwhelming. Glaucon argues that if someone had a ring which made him invisible, then that person would be foolish not to use it for personal advantage. Hence, Glaucon is arguing for ethical egoism.He acknowledges that "all who practice it [justice] do so unwillingly, as something necessary, not as something good." (358c) He explains that the only reason that people act the way they do is because they are afraid of the consequences that they could face if they get caught. The common conception of justice in Plato's day was a social one, which involved the following of laws and conventions. Glaucon states that, for most people, "what the law commands they call lawful and just." (359) The laws of the time were ... ...e is still striving to find that knowledge. One of the most famous doctrines associated with Socrates is the virtue is knowledge. It comes up time and time again in Plato’s books The Apology and The Republic as an aspiration to help lead the most just life. In the case of the ring of Gyges internal harmony has to be achieved so that the just person would not even want to touch the ring because putting on the ring means that the appetite part of the soul is overpowering the knowledge and spirit in the internal soul. The kind of intellectuality that the Sophists were applying to the practical affairs of life Socrates thought should be applied to the moral life. One could not be virtuous without first knowing what virtue is. Once one has attained the knowledge of virtue, then, according to Socrates, one cannot help but be virtuous since no one does wrong voluntarily. Essay example -- The Republic by Plato talks about justice and what it means to be a just person. When having a conversation with Glaucon about justice, the ring of Gyges is brought up to prove a theory about people and the social contracts that make up our society. The legend of the Ring of Gyges tells the story of a man who was a shepherd but when an earthquake revealed a body of a skeleton of a giant from the past he was giving an opportunity to change his status. He stole the ring and discovered that by twisting it in a certain way he could become invisible. The thief would then sneak in to the castle and convince the queen to help murder her husband, and the thief took the throne. With the common knowledge of the thief and the ring Glaucon poses a question about what a supposedly good and decent individual finding the ring would do with the power of invisibility. Socrates believes that a just person would not even put the ring on, directly contradicting Glaucon. There would be no reason to be moral because the impulses would be too overwhelming. Glaucon argues that if someone had a ring which made him invisible, then that person would be foolish not to use it for personal advantage. Hence, Glaucon is arguing for ethical egoism.He acknowledges that "all who practice it [justice] do so unwillingly, as something necessary, not as something good." (358c) He explains that the only reason that people act the way they do is because they are afraid of the consequences that they could face if they get caught. The common conception of justice in Plato's day was a social one, which involved the following of laws and conventions. Glaucon states that, for most people, "what the law commands they call lawful and just." (359) The laws of the time were ... ...e is still striving to find that knowledge. One of the most famous doctrines associated with Socrates is the virtue is knowledge. It comes up time and time again in Plato’s books The Apology and The Republic as an aspiration to help lead the most just life. In the case of the ring of Gyges internal harmony has to be achieved so that the just person would not even want to touch the ring because putting on the ring means that the appetite part of the soul is overpowering the knowledge and spirit in the internal soul. The kind of intellectuality that the Sophists were applying to the practical affairs of life Socrates thought should be applied to the moral life. One could not be virtuous without first knowing what virtue is. Once one has attained the knowledge of virtue, then, according to Socrates, one cannot help but be virtuous since no one does wrong voluntarily.

Educating Rita Essay examples -- Education Educating Rita Willy Russel

Educating Rita The play Educating Rita, only has two characters, Frank and Rita, Rita wants to learn literacy, and Frank is her tutor. The play is set in the 1970's, when there was not a lot of unemployment, and there was plenty of money. Although Rita has everything she needs, she is dis-satisfied with her life, she wants something more. Rita feels that there is no meaning to life, and she wants to find one. The characters Rita and Frank are two totally different people, Rita is uneducated and common, whereas Frank is educated and well spoken. I found the play has no specific genre, I found it came under realist, with the issues it covers like divorce, I found it came under comedy, because it made you laugh in places, and I thought it also came under drama. Frank has a serious drinking habit; we are first introduced to this at the beginning of the play, when Frank, "pulls out a pile of books to reveal a bottle of whisky." This shows the audience that he his trying to hide his habit because perhaps he feels it is wrong, or perhaps he doesn't want to get caught drinking at work. Rita's first reaction to this habit was "y' wanna be careful with that stuff, it kills y' brain cells." This shows the audience that she might be a person who jokes a lot, but if she says it in a serious way, then it shows that she doesn't really like drinking, or that she is concerned for Frank, in case he throws his life away. In the rest of the play Frank is nearly always drunk, he is always pouring himself a drink. In act 2 scene 5 Rita has read Franks poems, "are you sober? Are you?" This question suggests that Frank was drunk a lot and Rita wanted to speak to him when he wasn't. We discover the type of relat... ...Ritas. So there may be a lot of confusion between them in the future. When Rita and Frank have finished confusing each other over Ritas name, Rita notices an erotic painting on the wall, "its very erotic isn't it?" This shows Rita sees it in a different view than Frank because he doesn't/didn't see it as erotic. This might symbolise the fact that they are from different lifestyles, or that they may not always see things in the same perspective. Overall I think the first three pages introduce the audience quite well to the main themes, it introduces Frank as an obvious alcoholic and Rita as an uneducated woman. It shows they both have different views and may find it difficult to see each other's at times. After reading the play, I found it was a good laugh, it made me understand a bit more about the two different cultures and inspired me to learn.

Abortion Essay

Lucinda Seongbae Eng : Persuasive essay on abortion Prof. Fitzgerald A Positive View on Pro Abortion Abortion has been a controversy for many years and viewed in many different perspectives. Some individuals see it from a very positive point when this is being caused by the nature of the woman’s health, the age and others. It may also be seen as a way of getting rid of an unwanted or accidental pregnancy for reasons that are positive and beneficial for most women. According to feminist perspectives on reproduction and the family, in some cases abortion can be a positive act depending on the cause. For instance, in the case of a rape, health reasons or in the case of having an unwanted child for reasons of age, marital status, and economical reasons abortion is a potent tool to undo some mistakes. However, whichever ways it is perceived abortion gives a woman the right to choose and should not be viewed as a negative act but instead can be seen as a positive act in most circumstances. Based on the many positive reasons for abortion, abortion should be supported. Concerning the woman’s health an abortion can be performed when the woman cannot hold the fetus for health reasons. For example a woman who has AIDs and the fetus infected already can obtain an abortion because there is no life for the baby. Also a woman who has cancer at an advanced stage cannot keep a child in her womb or she will risk dying at birth. In the case of some diseases, kidney disease, severe hypertension, sickle-cell anemia, severe diabetes, etc that can be life threatening, an abortion often helps to avoid serious medical complications from childbirth. This also brings emphasis to Roe V. Wade (1973), which granted women the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, based on an implicit fundamental right to privacy and argued that it must be weighed against competing state interests in maternal safety and the protection of prenatal life; it protected this right during the first trimester of pregnancy (Thompson, 50). At this juncture the person has very good justifications of her action and is considered a positive act on her part. Another positive issue concerning abortion is a situation where girls below fifteen years are pregnant. In such situation abortion is possible because the girls are too young for child bearing. Also in situations where very young girls have little or no health facilities to ensure safe delivery, such as in developing countries, abortion is the only possible answer in order to avoid some major complication. According to researcher Mayor, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death in young women aged fifteen to nineteen in developing countries. An estimated 70,000 adolescent mothers die each year because they have children before they are physically ready for parenthood, and more than 90% of these births are in developing countries the report says (www. bmjjournals. com). In this case, if a girl of these ages chooses to get an abortion to avoid complications of childbirth and/or death she is only making a positive decision for her life. According to those against abortion or those who perceive abortion as a negative act, one would argue that since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life. In contrary, most abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb. Therefore, in this case abortion cannot be considered murder. According to Thomson (1971), â€Å"if women have rights over their own bodies, then they have rights not to have their bodies used by others against their will† (Thompson, 35-65). Therefore, even if it is argued that the fetus is a human life, the state has no right to force someone to donate use of their body to another person, even if that person is in extreme need. Another may argue that those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards. In defense to that, teenagers who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. They are much more likely to leave school; receive inadequate prenatal care; rely on public ssistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or end up divorced. Teenage births are associated with lower annual income for the mother. According to researcher Stanley, eighty percent of teen mothers must rely on welfare at some point. Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school. Only about one-third of teen mothers obtain a high school diploma. Teenage pregnancies are associated with increased rates of alcohol a nd substance abuse, and lower educational level (www. womenshealthchannel. com/teenpregnacy. index). In the modern world, abortions have become a norm of life and should not be looked upon as a negative act but an act of making a positive decision to undo some mistakes in life. Though women have been endowed with the gift of bearing a life form, an abortion gives them the option of whether they want to keep the present or not. However, an abortion should not be misunderstood for a convenience, as it does have its own advantages and disadvantages. The bigger picture that is being stressed is bodily integrity and self-ownership.

3 Levels of Society Essay

Society consists of three levels: the upper, middle, and lower class. This was established by philosophers Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. Marx stated his views, known as the Marxist Theory. The Marxist view of scientific socialism was based on the short writings and views from two social scientists. The theory conceived by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels provided theoretical basis for the struggle of the working class to gain a higher class in society. â€Å"They viewed crime as function of social demoralization, caused by the Capitalist society. While Karl Marx himself did not write much on the topic of crime, his views on the relationship between the concept of social conflict, this concept was first applied to criminology by three distinguished scholars: Willem Bonger, Ralf Dahrendorf, and George Vold.† (Pg. 269 Seigel Larry J.). Willem Bonger had the belief that society was divided into two groups, the â€Å"have’s† or â€Å"the ruling class† and the â€Å"have not’s† or â€Å"the inferior class†. The law is supposed to protect all classes of society, but in reality the law serves the will of the ruling class. Unless a situation is in a potentially harmful way of the ruling class, no actions are taken. But when actions such as crime affect the people of power and something has to be done, the legal system discriminates against the poor because of the capitalist society. Being the lower class, people are deprived of materials and are still monopolized by the upper class, they now are more likely to commit crime. Ralf Dahrendorf argued that society of today was organized into imperatively coordinated associations. There are two associations who make up society, the people who have authority and us it for social domination and then there’s those who lack authority and are dominated. He says that society needs to step away from the ruling of classes and adhere to the idea of authority. Ralf states that society is made up of competing interest groups and formed his own theory on human behavior called the â€Å"conflict theory†. This theory is based off of a few ideas, such as, social change is everywhere, social conflict is everywhere, and every element in society iis a contribution to its own change. George Vold argued that the laws are made to help politically orienteered groups, who seek aid by the government. They need help protecting their rights and interests so they need someone with forceful power to help. He feels that a law can be created be enough people who share the same view and interests. In the end every case and criminal situation involves conflict of some sort. Crime is viewed as a social demoralization, as stated earlier. All three of these distinguished scholars had their own theories, overlapping in belief or not, on how society and crime worked. Willem Bonger believed society was divided into two groups, the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"Have nots†. Ralf Dahrendorf argued that society was organized into imperatively coordinated associations. And George Vold said that the laws were/are made to help politically orienteered groups, who seek aid by the government.

Narrative Essay – a Scary Experience

We had chicken breast for lunch t Helvetica and then we left to our respective homes. It was early summer. So I went to sleep after a shower and didn't wake up till 9 p. M. My Parents were leaving for Dad's business tour to Delhi and they won't be back for at least two weeks. My sister and I were quite happy about the fact that we can do whatever we want for two whole weeks. I was planning to stay awake till late night and watch movies. But little did we know that we were going to regret these feelings later. Mom and Dad left around 11. So it was only me and my elder Sister Sees In the whole apartment.It's a three storied old apartment building with only one unit per floor. But the apartments are really big considering they have almost 2500 sq feet space. Our apartment has four bed rooms, two Verandas, one dining room, one drawing room, one kitchen and 3 washrooms. My sister and I shared a common washroom between our rooms where our parents room and the guest room had an attached was hroom. So right after our parents left. I went back to my room and started watching this movie called â€Å"The matrix†and Sees was talking to her friend on phone. A quarter passed midnight when iris heard it.A knock in my door. I thought it was Sees so I did not bother to open up right away. Then I heard It again . This time louder and harder than before. I was both annoyed and a bit angry because I was really enjoying the movie. So I went rushing to the door and opened it. It was strange as I found no one outside my door. At first I thought Sees was trying to play a prank on me so I went to her room which was around 20 Ft away from my room and her door was closed. When I went inside , I found her lying on her bed talking to her friend loudly as usual. And she looked at e with a question in her eyes. Asked her In a loud pap! Why did you knock so hard on my door? What do you want? This Isn't funny you know'. She told her friend to hold for a second and asked me what I was tal king about. When I told her again she replied angrily that she was talking with friend all the time and didn't even get up from her bed. Obviously didn't believe her and asked her to stay away. She then gave me the phone and her friend confirmed she was talking with her. Left without prolonging the argument shutting the door loudly. And I went back to watch my movie. Then it happened again after half an hour.First a gentle knock and then followed by loud and hard knocks on my door. This time I almost ran towards the door determined to catch Sees pap on the act but found no one outside again. But I didn't waste my time standing there. I kept on running towards Sees pap's room 1 OFF Ana Tuna near again lying on near Dead still talking to near Eternal . Eater another neaten discussion Sees Pap decided to follow me back to my room and talk there on phone. She said, â€Å"Naval! Obviously you are not believing me when I am telling you I have not oft my room or my bed.So I am going to yo ur room now so you can't blame me anymore. † I agreed silently but still did not believe her. So I started watching my movie or what was left of it after all these interruption and arguments while Sees pap was lying on my bed now talking to her friend on phone. After ten more minutes the knocking started again. And then it got louder and louder until the door started shaking. Sees looked startled. I wasn't moving from my chair either. We looked at each other and finally realized that both of us were not lying to catheter.