Monday, September 30, 2019

Black Cat Discussion Questions

1. From what point of view is Poe’s story told and why is this view particularly effective for this story? The story is being told from a first person narrative point of view. Poe chooses the first person narration to give the reader a better level of understanding of the characters emotion, mental state and setting the plot for the story. With the narrator’s sick and twisted mind, the story becomes more interesting. The most important effect the narrator portrays is his mental state. Without his narration you cannot get the full effect of this murderous madman. The glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. I burned to say if but one word, by way of triumph, and to render doubly sure their assurance of my guiltlessness† (7). The narrator has no remorse or guilt for killing his wife. For the narrator to say guiltlessness just goes to show how crazy he really became. A normal healthy person would never commit such an act nor have any remorse. 2. Explain how the reader knows the narrator is an unreliable narrator? The narrator’s opinions and actions are so far from normal that you are forced to wonder what is the real interpretation and reality of a madman.Insanity and unstableness are very unreliable sources. How do you know what to believe or if there is any truth behind what they say? â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence† (1). Using the word expect, is like he is already setting up the reader not to believe what he is going to say. The narrator blames the alcohol for his erratic and violent behavior. How reliable can one be if he blames his actions on drinking? You are your own person and make your own choice regardless of alcohol.Yes, alcohol can be mined altering, but you still no the difference between right and wrong. 3. The murderer takes great precautions to commit the perfect crime. What trips him up? Explain. The narrator makes you believe he has comm itted the perfect murder. He assures the reader that no one can tell the difference in the wall. How the plaster matched perfectly and the bricks look as they had never been dissembled. He is so sure of his work that he believes the police will not even look at him as a suspect. â€Å"The second and the third day passed, and still my tormentor came not.Once again I breathed as a freeman† (6). When the police come back for the fourth time, the narrator speaks about how strong the wall are and making comments. Then he starts hearing the cat that he buried with his wife in the wall. The main cause for the narrator’s trip was his guilt and vein he carried. Nothing ever turns out perfect as planned. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 7. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 1. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 6. Print.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Innocence project paper Essay

Since 1992, almost three hundred people in the United States have been exonerated by the Innocence Project. What this means is that almost three hundred people have been acquitted for a crime that they were falsely convicted of committing and were then released back into society. Many of these false convictions were the result of a lack of technology back in the time of the trials which lead to unvalidated or improper use of forensic science. Some additional reasons that people are wrongfully convicted are misidentifications from eyewitnesses and false confessions. In this paper, I plan to write about Kenneth Ireland. His story shows how wrongful convictions and exonerations are issues in the United States. On September 3, 1986, when Kenneth was only sixteen years old, a thirty year old woman named Barbara Pelkey was found dead in the factory where she worked overnight. She had been raped and suffered a massive blow to the head. Kenneth heard about the crime while watching from his bedroom and was stunned that something that horrific could happen to someone in his small town. There was an autopsy done on the victim as well as a rape kit being collected. The rape kit found that there were sperm cells present on the vaginal and anal swabs. The investigation continued for another year without any arrests, but soon after two informants came to the police and accused Kenneth Ireland and two other men of committing the crime. The police said that the two witnesses had claimed that Kenneth and the other men were making statements to them about their involvement in the crime. In addition to that information, these informants had also given additional unpublished details about the crime and had told the police that their knowledge of this information had come straight from Kenneth Ireland. Six months later, a third informant came to the police and told them that Kenneth had admitted to committing the crime. The informant wasn’t sure if Kenneth was awake at the time he had made the statements, nor was she sure that she hadn’t imagined them being said. All she was sure of that night was that she was drunk. Ultimately, because of these three informants, Kenneth Ireland was charged with felony murder, first degree sexual assault and third degree burglary. Despite being one of the three men that were accused of committing the crime, only Kenneth Ireland was tried for the crime. One of the three men had drowned before the trial took place and the other was never tried for some reason unknown to me. The trial was held in 1989, and Ireland’s attorney tried to prove that the initial two informants had presented false information to the police. They were thought to be protecting another potential suspect in the case. This other potential suspect had admitted to making inconsistent remarks to the police while the investigation was still ongoing. However, Ireland’s attorney was stopped by the judge when he attempted to present evidence regarding this other suspect. A police officer had stated during the trial that the fingerprints at the crime scene were not a match to Kenneth’s fingerprints and in addition to that a forensic analyst confirmed that the hairs from the scene were different from those of Kenneth. It was determined via the same analyst that the semen found in the rape kit was from a non-secretor. A non-secretor is a person whose blood type is not exhibited in their bodily secretions. Kenneth Ireland, along with twenty percent of all men, is a non-secretor, and the sample was also consistent with that of the victim. This meant that nobody could be excluded from the crime. During the first round of the deliberations, the jury was split 6-6. After three additional days, the jury had found Kenneth Ireland guilty and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison. It was said that Kenneth Ireland was convicted because he could not be ruled out of the blood or seminal evidence, his lawyer didn’t challenge that evidence, and his lawyer didn’t put Kenneth on the stand. In 1991, Ireland had appealed his conviction, stating that the two informants had been given a twenty thousand dollar reward in exchange for his implication. Ireland also declared that his attorney was unable to present evidence that would indicate another alternative suspect. This appeal would ultimately be denied. They again tried to appeal in 1999, when the biological evidence was put into DNA testing but results were proved nothing. It wasn’t until 207 that the Connecticut Innocence Project started to review Ireland’s case. With the help of new DNA testing methods, they were able to test the DNA evidence and rule out Kenneth as the person responsible for Barbara Pelkey’s murder. It then took another two years for Ireland to get a new trial, where he was proven innocent and allowed to be a free man. He ended up spending nineteen and a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit. As of today, Kenneth Ireland has not been compensated for his wrongful conviction and prison time. However, he and his lawyer have filed an eight million dollar claim against the state of Connecticut for the wrongful conviction. I’m not sure that eight million dollars is enough to compensate for almost twenty critical years of his life. He missed out on some of the most important years in anyone’s life and it is very difficult to put a price on something like that. Some good news is that the real killer has been found. In 2009, the blood evidence at the scene that was tested turned out to be that of Kevin Benefield. Kevin was initially a suspect when the investigation began, but the focus shifted towards Ireland. He worked at a deli near Pelkey’s workplace and was connected to her sexually but he denied the murder. Kevin was convicted in January of 2012 of the murder and felony murder of Barbara Pelkey. Both of those crimes carry twenty five to sixty years of prison time penalties. I think that it will be much harder for things like this happen in the future in the manner that it did in Kenneth Ireland’s case. It seemed to me that one of the major areas of evidence towards his conviction was the semen sample. He could not be ruled out because it was the semen of a non-secretor and he was a non-secretor. With the advances in DNA testing technology, they can test the semen and easily identify whose it is. This would have immediately been great evidence in proving that Ireland was innocent. I don’t really understand how the hair and fingerprint evidence weren’t weighed more heavily. If it was proven that the fingerprints and the hair at the scene of the crime weren’t his, that seems to me that it should have been pretty good evidence in his favor. To me it seems like he wasn’t given a fair chance at being proven innocent. In my opinion, this was a rather unfortunate trial for Kenneth Ireland. The fact that people were being paid off to implicate him was unlucky, and I feel like this is what really pushed him into the situation he was in. Even though his hair and fingerprints weren’t at the scene, because these three people came to the police saying that Kenneth had admitted to committing the crime really set him up for conviction. The blood and semen, which wasn’t able to be thoroughly examined due to the limitations in technology couldn’t save him because he was one of the twenty percent of all men who are non-secretors. Due to this, he could not be ruled out, even though to me it seems that if his hair and fingerprints weren’t present at the crime scene it wasn’t him who committed the crime. It also seems that his lawyer didn’t do a great job either. They had evidence to show the court that was denied that would have been really good for Kenneth’s case and he never had Kenneth go on the stand. I don’t know everything about the rules of a trial, but if there is evidence that can prove someone’s innocence, there must be something that you as a lawyer can do to get the court to see it. It is that important. It is terrible that Kenneth had to suffer for almost twenty years in prison for a crime that he did not commit and I couldn’t imagine what he must have went through. It really is a shame that the DNA testing technology couldn’t have been implemented or used earlier to at least lessen the nightmare that he had to endure. In conclusion, the amount of wrongful convictions that have taken place in the United States is too high. Lying informants, incorrect eyewitness reports, and the improper use of forensic science are many reasons that people are wrongfully convicted. Thankfully, there have been incredible advances in the technology used to test DNA that can now be used to help these wrongfully convicted people get back to the free world. It’s terrible to think of the years that they lost or even the lives that they might have lost if they were given the death penalty, but at least organizations like the Innocence Project are doing what they can to exonerate these wrongfully convicted people. The story of Kenneth Ireland is a sad tale of a young man falsely committed of raping and murdering a woman. He spent nineteen and a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit, missing out on his entire twenties and most of his thirties. These years are critical for people as they go to college, begin a career, and start a family. These are years that he cannot get back, but he is very fortunate to have the ability to move on as a free man as he looks towards the future. Works Cited Davis, Mark. â€Å"Freed by DNA, Ireland Speaks out.† WTNH TV. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"The Innocence Project – Know the Cases: Browse Profiles:Kenneth Ireland.† The Innocence Project – Know the Cases: Browse Profiles:Kenneth Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Kenneth Ireland.† Kenneth Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . Kovner, Josh, and Alaine Griffin. â€Å"Man Wrongly Imprisoned Plans To Skip Convicted Murderer’s Sentencing.† Hartford Courant. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Sentencing Today In 1986 CT Murder After Earlier Wrongful Conviction.† CBS New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. .

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Jewish Understanding of the Nature of Ultimate Reality Essay

Jewish Understanding of the Nature of Ultimate Reality - Essay Example Addressing the Job, the Lord offers him a long list of questions. He does it not to injure Job’s pride but to make him think over more deeply about that what is well known to him: about God who laid the Earth’s Foundation and the secret that is present in it. Moreover, The Lord showed the Job ten peculiarities of the natural world arrangement as for instance, dead secret or nine types of animals that illustrate the secret of creating life. The last verse gives an opportunity to see or to understand the atmosphere of judicial proceedings between the Lord and the Job, and this is actually what Job tried to achieve. After all, the purpose of this conversation, however, is not to establish somebody’s fault or innocence, but the statement of truth about life as the God’s creation. Why do people give up, and others continue to fight despite everything? The best way of looking at this question is to consider the life and work of one of the famous neurologist Fran kl who is also known as the person that survived in Auschwitz (this camp is closely related to Jews as there were a lot of them there). He made certain discoveries and became the person who founded logo-therapy. This person had to endure the horror of concentration camps. Being the ordinary prisoner, Frankl described in his writing the painful camp reality which had a reflection on people’s state of mind. It is undeniable that it was a cruel fight for survival, even between prisoners; a grim struggle for the slice of bread and self-preservation.

Friday, September 27, 2019

First Crusade and the Gregorian Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

First Crusade and the Gregorian Reforms - Essay Example Yet for those interested in the late eleventh century but with limited facility in Latin, access to Urban is difficult, for almost nothing from his councils and correspondence is translated. What have been available are recreations of the famous sermon from the Council of Clermont which sparked the First Crusade, none of which is likely to offer a reliable account of what the pope said (Somerville & Kuttner, 1996, p. 38). Under such vague descriptions, Gregorian Reforms cannot be predicted in the light of Pope Gregory alone. Gregorian Revolution initiated in the eleventh century as 'peace movement' but these reforms had never been encouraged by Gregory VII and the Gregorian revolution. Today through various literatures analysis it has been discovered that Gregorian historiography never supported the first crusaders. It is also evident from the revolution that shows the clash of Gregory VII and Henry IV amalgamated the transformations of this period. It has long been held that the eleventh century was a pivotal era, on account of its social upheaval, its move from a gift to a profit economy, and, most especially perhaps, on account of the enormity of the urban advance. Historians write that it is due to the result of the first crusade that Gregory never favoured, European civilizations along with other small crusader states were created. It was a time which was characterized by a process of definition and distinction in all sectors and aspects of human existence. Kingdom of Jerusalem was created as an ou tcome to the first crusade which Gregory opposed. Gregory VII being a close ally of Matilda of Tuscany while acknowledging a deeper deficiency in the reformers' attempted at defining a new constitution for the Church and Christian society, explicitly articulated an appropriate mechanism by which a new code of behaviour was established. Gregory served to demonstrate and concern the despicable status of Rome and its bishop before reform began in earnest. Rome was already considered blessed in that era where the ultimate source of spiritual power were the tombs of Peter and Paul, the relics of the blessed martyrs: figures who actively worked on behalf of petitioners. Under the guidance of Gregory, the Amalfitan merchants in the eleventh century (1070) built hospitals or perhaps even further back to the establishment by Abbot Probus of a pilgrims' hospice for Latins in AD 603 which monks of St. Mary's ran. Just before the first Crusader rule the Armenian community in Jerusalem had earlier been located in different parts of the city. By the Crusader period it seems that the areas outside the city walls were no longer occupied by them, but they retained their quarter in the south-west of the city. That was the epoch which was papacy dependant as adequate fighting men were supposed to take authorisation by the church. History tells us that Urban II was not the first pope to help the eastern Christians against the Turks (Boas, 2001, p. 39). When Pope Gregory in 1074 showed keen interest in leading the first crusade, he did this by communicating in person with the Michael of Rome and Constantinople. He wrote three letters which did not reveal any response to the Byzantine VII in

Thursday, September 26, 2019

American hegemony in the global economic system Essay

American hegemony in the global economic system - Essay Example By the start of 1970s, currents of change were detected in the global economic order, with nationalism and protectionism being replaced by neo-liberalism and free flow of capital. Even as American elites promoted this new economic order, the process was facilitated by respective participant elites from nations across the world. The irony lies in the fact that communist China was at the forefront of the global neo-liberal program, despite claiming its socialist credentials. If the ideological gates of the authoritarian and highly protectionist China could be broken open for free-market capitalism, then it was only a matter of time and strategy before other power bastions of the world are broken through. And this is precisely what had happened. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and the shift in policy framework of several developing countries, the nature and complexion of geo-economics has taken a different form. Needless to say, Americas position as the sole supe rpower has been strengthened by this change. The unsavory aspects of this sweeping change include â€Å"the appearance of a nearly feral form of entrepreneurship in which black marketers, drug barons, arms merchants, rackets bosses, Mafiosi, and other profiteers are emerging as the economic and political leaders of the social transformations underway in their respective societies.† (Buchanan, 2000, p.1) Before embarking on answering the essay question, understanding what neo-liberal globalization truly entails.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Relevance of Clinical Care in Nursing Research Paper

Relevance of Clinical Care in Nursing - Research Paper Example The basic idea is to get involved in community services without expecting any reward. The idea is to serve the community and people by taking care of their needs. Extracurricular activities include taking time out of the normal routine and devoting much of time in community services to learn ways of serving others in a compassionate manner. This also requires leadership attributes as dealing with people and serving them comes under little guidance and individuals needs to decide the mode of interaction, behaviour and mannerism often requiring a participating and compassionate approach. Moreover, students are guided by people having prior experience in serving the community and thus there is ample scope to learn from the leaders to become leaders. The most significant experience can be of realising the fact that serving others offers great happiness that is unmatchable. The very idea of bringing smiles over the faces of others can be considered as the most significant experience and a chievement. Achievements show dedication and reward but in my case; being compassionate and dedicated reaped all achievements along with offering rewards in the form of priceless smiles and gratitude. I personally believe that nothing can beat this particular experience in terms of contentment. At times, serving the community exposes oneself to learn and the elements of risk are quite negligible. From an early age, I was fascinated to see doctors and their approach while serving others by curing them and bringing smiles on their faces. This created a profound impression over my mind along with making me think that serving the community and people is the real bliss. As a community care extender, my role will be to act as a volunteer in any hospital. This will help me in learning the intricacies of people and service management. With the primary goal of becoming a nurse, the role of community care extender will help in having a profound idea over how things are managed in hospital and how patients are managed and cared. As an intern, I will be receiving training in patient care that will be further utilised in my professional career. Overall, it can be said that the role of clinical care extender will assist me in meeting my career goals along with offering me a chance to evaluate my skills and attributes in a clear and precise manner. The core value of an internship is to follow the goals and objectives of the organisation along with devoting oneself in a selfless manner. The prime objective is to take care of patients along with learning new things by being active and zealous. At the same time, it is important to be honest, transparent and ethical in approach while initiating and completing tasks and responsibilities. Being an intern, it is very much evident that one has to assist the organisation in accomplishing its goals and objectives. In hospitals, it is important to have a compassionate and ethical approach in order to serve people and their needs. If I get selected as an intern, I will be ethical and honest in my approach. In last few years, I have learnt that ethics, honesty and transparency show the character of an individual and speak on his behalf. I will carry forward with this mindset along with embracing the legacy and objectives of the organisation to empower myself as a human being.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Design and Implementation of Virtual Classroom for Distance Essay

The Design and Implementation of Virtual Classroom for Distance Learning - Essay Example Based on the result of the survey questionnaires and personal interviews, the researcher will determine the best design of a virtual classroom for second language distance learning including a proposed implementation strategy. The use of the Internet and other related technologies has made a significant increase over the past ten years. (Lavooy and Palmer, 2003) In line with the progress in the development of Internet-based technology, changes in the educational approach has gone through a lot of major restructuring. Each year, a lot of colleges and universities have been investing a lot of money in developing reliable and real-time web-based classes (Ewing-Taylor, 1999) especially for the purpose of studying second language courses in distance learning. A virtual classroom is a computer based system used to deliver virtual teaching and learning. According to Karasavvidis et al. (2003), the learning and teaching behaviour of students and the teachers is an important factor that contributes to the success of using computer-based technology in education. For this reason, the design of a virtual classroom for distance learning has to be easily accessible, reliable, user-friendly, and interactive. The design of virtual classroom for distance learning should include online forums such as Blackboard Discussion Board, video conference, e-mails and chat rooms to allow the students and mentors to have an open communication link as it makes the course materials available to each learner 24/7. (Nian-Shing, Kinshuk, Yi-Hung, 2005) Ewing-Taylor and Overall (2003) emphasized the importance of constant interaction and collaboration between the teachers and the learners since it enables the students to learn more from its mentor. In relation to the point-of view of Ewing-Taylor and Overall (2003), the study of Kubala (1998) reveals that the use of an anonymous open communication through a

Monday, September 23, 2019

Germany 1933-1945 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Germany 1933-1945 - Essay Example Out of this development, Hitler eventually came to power in 1933 and provided the resources for his own ambitions. From this year until 1938, his government would be preoccupied with anti-Jewish policies and legislations. The so-called â€Å"Jewish question† has been the obsession of the Fuhrer and would remain up to the last moments of his life. As he took the reins of power, Hitler was able to immediately launch a genocidal policy against the Jews. This went unopposed in Germany throughout Hitler’s regime because his philosophy based on volkisch and biological racism was what united Germany under one banner and community. It empowered the state to pursue its aggression and European expansion. The war against the Jews eventually evolved into a multi-dimensional, considered process that embraced different tactics and distinct phases of driving the Jews out of the country, which finally involved the occupation of Europe, as countries refused to accept them as refugees. (Landau, p. 117) From a legal war of attrition against the Jews, it would escalate into a full scale global military conflict lasting from 1939 to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Bing Vs. Google Essay Example for Free

Bing Vs. Google Essay Over the past couple of days, I have been using Google and Bing to search for the same various topics to see if there were any differences and ultimately define which was the best search engine for me. I found that when I was looking for information or researching, I preferred Google to Bing ultimately because of the layout and ease. For one of my tests, I searched the word â€Å"Penguins†. I found that I preferred the layout of Google because it was cleaner and helped me stay on task. When I was using Bing, I felt a little overwhelmed with all the information that I was given on the results page and I ended up being pretty distracted by the tweets on the right hand side along with videos Bing suggested I look at. However, information wise, I found that both search engines gave me sufficient information, not one being better than the other. Some other key benefits I found that Google has that Bing does not is the â€Å"I feel lucky† button. This allows you to save that one more extra step by taking you directly to the most popular page for what you’re searching for. Google also allows you to remove certain older searches from the drop down list with one easy click on the â€Å"remove† button. Another benefit Google offers, is the ability to preview the search results without leaving the main results page. Finally, my favorite is the homepage where they change the word â€Å"Google† into different fonts, formats and games everyday. Because I own a Mac Book, and I use Chrome to do my entire web browsing, searching on Google has become second nature to me. I use Chrome because it starts up quickly. It also allows me to type anything into the URL address box and Chrome takes me directly to Google with the results. Although I will continue to use Google, I do believe that Bing can catch up to Google in search perhaps through disruptive innovation or exposing the search engine to the younger generations early on. If Bing were to create a search engine to compete with Chrome, I think it would be highly profitable, especially if this new operating system were available for free download and accessible to anyone for development. I also believe that one of the biggest problems that Bing faces is turning the users who have been using Google for years, to try Bing. And even if Bing faces up to the challenge, it’s hard to break a habit, especially in this case since Chrome makes it easier for the researcher to search on Google. Some other factors that could help Bing, is if Google makes a mistake. For example, whenever Facebook makes a new change, you see all the complaints in your newsfeed; however, people keep using it because there is nothing else like it out there. If Google changes certain attributes about their search engine, that the majority of people do not like, Bing can very well serve as their backup and in an instant become their number one search engine. However, since I still prefer using Google, I will continue to â€Å"Google it†.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

People Should Not Persuade Others to Join Their Religion Essay Example for Free

People Should Not Persuade Others to Join Their Religion Essay I agree with the statement ‘People should not persuade others to join their religion’ because it’s the persons choice. Everyone has the right to choose what religion they want, or don’t want, based on their own reasons and feelings and no one should try and influence them into choosing one religion that they may not actually believe in but have been persuaded by others that it is the best religion to choose. Traditional Christian Missionaries would most likely disagree with what the statement says. They believe that they should go around spreading the gospel to persuade people to join Christianity because it is a job that God wants them to do. They take passages from the bible like John 14; No one can get to God except through Jesus, and John 3:14; Whoever believes in Jesus will not die but have eternal life, literally and use them to convince others that they have to join the Christian faith because it is the only way they can truly be connected with God. I do not agree with this point of view because if they are following their faith to the letter, then most religions teach that God will always be there for you even if you don’t have a faith so you don’t have to believe in Jesus to connect with God. However the fact that they have based what they believe in on the bible shows at least that they are trying to do what they believe is right and what God has told them and what they are supposed to do. Alternatively, modern missionaries might also agree with the statement because, instead of trying to persuade people to join Christianity, they do good work and evangelise because they believe it’s what God wants them to do. They believe God does not need them to convince others to join Christianity but just to spread his word to everybody because they are all one in Jesus Christ no matter what their faith is and as long as they keep spreading the gospel rather than using it to encourage people to join their faith they are doing what God wants and if people do convert to Christianity because of it then it has been their choice to do so. I think this is a much better view of what a missionary should do because it means they can still spread the word of God to people who might need to know about it so it can help them and they can still do the good work that God wants them to but they are not trying to be bias to any religion and they do not take away anybodies right to choose the way that they feel or believe. Atheists do not believe in any religion or God which is why some people may believe that they need to be persuaded to a become religious because they  think everyone needs to believe in God or a God and everyone needs to have a faith. However I don’t think that atheists would want to have anybody trying to persuade them to join their faith because they do not think any God exists. They may also argue to people who say that everyone has to have a faith that their faith is that they believe that the Wholly Other is not real. They would probably agree with the statement if people have chosen what they want to believe in then people should accept what they have chosen. Overall I agree with what the statement says because it is everyone’s human right to have a choice about everything they believe and other people trying to change that shouldn’t happen.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Has Globalisation Changed The Disposition Of Music Cultural Studies Essay

Has Globalisation Changed The Disposition Of Music Cultural Studies Essay To begin with the globalisation of music, we will have to understand that Intuitively, globalization is a process fuelled by, and resulting in, increasing cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people, information, and culture (Held et al. 1999:16). Sociologist Anthony Giddens (1990:64; 1991:21) proposes to regard globalization as a decoupling or distanciation between space and time, while geographer David Harvey (1989) and political scientist James Mittelman (1996) observe that globalization entails a compression of space and time, a shrinking of the world. The discourses over globalization of music constructed over these debates of Giddens and Harvey. When we talk about globalisation, we are in a sense talking about unity of the states across the globe. How this unity is brought up? Then how does it link the states together? What are the major contributors in this unification process? Along with a myriad of intellectuals I will also sum- up with an answer, global- culture. However, it is one of the measures required for the unification process. One set of theorists, who are pro-global- culture say, that the global culture is making the world closer and more united. The people of the world are combining their differences and being more cooperative towards one and other. This process of emerging global culture can be seen in times of need when everyone has pulled together to strive for peace and freedom. Although, there exists a wide range of religions of which people are becoming tolerant, forming a homogenised society. If we say that the global culture is the synonym of the common culture, then there are wide range of opinion on it. Wight uses the term common culture so loosely that it is unclear whether he has in mind a deep, historic sense of culture, or the more superficial agreed rules that compose a contractual society. (James 1993: 277-8) Alan James, System or society?, Review of International Studies 19: 3, 1993. I argue that to certain extent global culture is a common culture among the people of the world. Worldbeat is a term for various styles of world popular music, or pop, that are practiced outside the European-American mainstream. The Popular music (music produced and marketed on a mass-commodity basis) first emerged in the early 1900s, during which time numerous distinctive popular music styles began to develop around the world. The rise of such genres was linked to dramatic transformations-especially urbanization and modernization-occurring throughout the world. Such changes disrupted traditional attitudes, lifestyles, and forms of artistic patronage, while creating new urban social classes with new musical tastes. As per Terence Lancashire, The term world music usually conjures up images of musics from remote corners of the world. However, that remoteness is not always geographical and can. The formal emergence of world music in 1987 as a commercial gloss denoting a body of music which hitherto defied conventional categorisation namely musics other than popular and classic forms from North America and Western Europe or, alternatively, the incorporation of such musics into Western popular genres, has met with a variety of responses from musicologists/ethnomusicologists seeking to clarify the dynamics that underlie the production and reception of world musics and the related and sometimes indistinguishable genres of new age and healing. Regional case studies and overviews (e.g. Frith 1991; Keil and Feld 1994; Taylor 1997) often draw attention towards the relationship between the West and the rest where production and presentation of non-Western music has often meant some form of Western control in terms of discovery, production, marketing and distribution. Accusations of cultural exploitation and appropriation have, therefore, often run central to the debate on what appears to be yet another dimension of that unbalanced and uneasy relation between the first and third worlds. In reality, the question of who is exploiting whom is often a complicated one as non-Western musicians find access to markets hitherto only dreamt of. Nevertheless, in order for such musical projects to be realised, financial backing is essential and it is here that resources are, more often than not, concentrated inthe West. Thus, a music flow from south to north and east to west seems to define the world music equation. Yet, there are other players who, through cultural ambiguity, occupy an alternative arena less easily defined. Economic development in the Far East, coupled with rapid modernisation, has meant the emergence of countries which share similar economic goals, cultural interests and perce ptions with the West but, resulting from other cultural differences, most obviously language, are not so often included in debates on musics both popular and world. (Lancashire: 21) Globalisation, which generally implies westernisation and the Asianisation of Asia, is often posited to be a culturally, economically, technologically and socially homogenising force in the distribution of music, whilst localisation refers to the empowerment of local forces and the (re)emergence of local music cultures. These two notions of globalisation and localisation seem to be mutually contradictory, posing a fundamental dilemma for the understanding of the transformation of popular cultures into global forms. As argued by Law (forthcoming), the debate between globality and locality, or between homogeneity and heterogeneity in globalisation discourse, could be regarded as a product of similar antagonisms in the literature of development concerning theories of modernisation, dependency and world systems. Although there is no clear definition or model of globalisation (Hirst and Thompson 1996), its discourse attempts to theorise the phenomenon in terms of The temporal and spatial compression of human activities on the globe, to recognise, explore and explain the interaction and interdependence of economics, politics and cultures beyond local, regional and national boundaries, and to predict possible influences on human activities (Law, forthcoming, also see, for example, Featherstone 1995; Comeliau 1997; Poisson 1998; Jones 1999; Crawford 2000; Croteau and Hoynes 2000). Cohen (1995) suggests that locality could be most usefully used in popular music studies to discuss networks of social relationships, practices, and processes extending across particular places, and to draw attention to interconnections and interdependencies between, for example, space and time, the contextual and the conceptual, the individual and the collective, the self and the other (p. 65). In this respect the local is defined by reference not only to a community, but also to a shared sense of place within global culture. Globalisation promotes the meeting of musical cultures, whilst sim ultaneously encouraging regional differences. Local popular industries perceive their potential audience in international terms, and local pop markets are now awash with global sounds, since, as Wallis and Malm (1984) maintain, globalisation encourages popular musical practices to look towards global styles for possible inspiration, whilst also looking inwards to (re)create national music styles and forms. For decades, critics have depicted the international circulation of American and British pop as cultural imperialism. Yet US-American and British youth have increasingly been shaped by Asian cultural. Similarly, there is wide-spread recognition of the willingness amongst popular musicians to create novel forms that express a widespread experience of dislocation (Jenkins 2001, p. 89). For example, contemporary Afro-pop sometimes combines the electric guitars of Western rock and roll with melodies and rhythms of traditional African music, whilst Western rock drummers have long adopted a tradition from Africa whereby the sounds of different drums are combined (Croteau and Hoynes 2000, p. 333). Jenkins (2001) describes such musical eclecticism as the product of third culture youths, who fuse elements from mixed racial, national or linguistic backgrounds. Although the big international music companies affect local production, their markets are also influenced by particular local cultures. So, globalisation signifies more than environmental interconnectedness, and the meaning of musical products with global features strikes at the heart of the major social and political issues of our time. This is how Bennett (1999) represents the attempts to rework hip hop as a localised mode of expression by Turkish and Moroccan youth in Frankfurt. Economic globalisation is often con sidered to undermine the local foundations of the popular culture industry. The flow of capital through transnational monetary tems and multinational companies means that words, ideas, images and sounds of different cultures are made available to vast networks of people through the transmission of electronic media. Among the most prominent multinational electronic media companies are two Internet partnerships MusicNet, involving AOL, RealNetworks, EMI, BMG and Warner; and Duet, incorporating Yahoo!, Universal and Sony. The two most recognised online music providers so far, Napster and MP3.com, have also linked up with record companies (Source: http://www.grayzone.com/ifpi61201.htm). Furthermore, the international division of labour and the global circulation of commodities have ensured that processes of production and consumption are no longer confined to a geographically bounded territory. Consequently, economic globalisation has been characterised as the deterritorialisation. ( H o: 144) (Appadurai 1996) or denationalisation (Sassen 1996) of nation-states. Global economic forces reside in global networks that link different nations and cultures in profit-maximising webs of production, leading to the transformation of all sectors of all state economies and their mutual accommodation in the global context (Crawford 2000, pp. 71-2). Negus (1999) maintains that the global market is a concept that has to be constructed in a particular way to target the most profitable categories of music within the recording industry (p. 156). However, as we have seen, the (re)emergence of local cultures competes with global factors in a process that Morley and Robins (1995) refer to as the new dynamics of re-localisation in The attempt to achieve a new global-local nexus, about new and intricate relations between global space and local space (p. 116). Levitt (1983) explains that localisation is practised by multinational companies insofar as they must have a committed operating presence in the markets of other nations. However, electronic communications have also enabled the global broadcasting of messages of universal peace and love, and, in the case of www. indymedia.org, have even served as anti-capitalist noticeboards. Anderson (1983) suggested that the nation depends for its existence upon a sense of social- psychological affiliation to an imagined community, which was facilitated by the emergence of the mechanical printing press and consequent capital investment (Negus and Roman-Velazquez, 2000, p. 330). Similarly nowadays, global electronic communications can evoke a sense of a trans-national imagined community. In music, an example can be well illustrated by the 11 September 2001 tragedies in New York and Washington D.C. The US-American national anthem was thundered Not only all over the States but also in other countries, such as at St Pauls Cathedral in London. Whitney Houstons record company intends to re-release her version of the US-American national anthem that was produced ten years ago during the Gulf War. International popular artists such as U2, Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit and Destinys Child, worked together for the album Whats Going On, the market profits from which will be donated to funds for the relief of the families of victims of the tragedies of September 11. John Lennons Imagine, which evokes a world free from all state boundaries, has now become popular even in some non-English speaking regions, and was sung by all the artists involved in the Carlsbergs Rock Music Concert held in Hong Kong on 24 September 2001, who also prayed for those who died in the disaster two weeks earlier. Globalisation and localisation are in a dynamic dialectic. Globalisation is a process of local hybridisation that determines a great number of processes that change and even transcend the regional and national characteristics of popular music. Current debates about globalisation in popular music show that local actors become increasingly involved in global flows of meanings, images, sounds, capital, people, etc. Through the technology of global networks, new affinity group formation emerge, centring on particular musical styles and ways of expression. Economic globalisation always has cultural effects on the localisation of popular music. (Ho: 146) Hudson and Cohen bring out the detail of local musical cultures, the way in which music, produced through and producing space, may act as social glue.(431) Does globalisation of music produce convergaence? The very first argument for the present paper is the consequences of the globalisation of music as to the convergence of societies towards a uniform pattern of cultural organization. AS expressed in modernization theory, the spread of markets and technology is predicted to cause societies to converge from their preindustrial past, although total homogeneity is deemed unlikely. The sociologists reject the convergence debate by arguing that globalization homogenizes without destroying the local and the particularistic. For example, Viviana Zelizer (1999) about the economy that it differentiates and proliferates culturally in much the same way as other spheres of social life do, without losing national and even international connectedness. Robertson (1995:34-35) sees the global as the linking of localities. Issues of music getting de-territorialised Other argument is that the original is getting lost in the wake of globalisation. Other sets of arguments which emerge from this view are : How do listeners identify music with a particular place? The evolution and geographic distribution of instruments, use of specific melodies or scales, and existence of common rhythms are some key characteristics that help define and limit the territorial range of a music. How common traits can provide telltale clues about where a form of music originated and how it spread? How can music retain its association with certain places in an increasingly global society? If these questions could be answered the music could be retained as intact. IDENTITIES: Music and its origin Other argument flows that in a globalised village, where is the identity of the music? Four basic positions are highlighted in the successive integration of both MUSIC and identities, from separation to fusion: demonizing exclusion, primitivist polarization, diversifying hybridization and normalizing assimilation. Lomax also states that due to the widespread distribution of industrialized music and the loss of music that exemplifies cultural aspects and characteristics, civilizations are not maintaining a sense of national pride and identity. Without these distinguishing lines, Schiller states that at one time it was cultural diversity that flourished, and now we are witnessing the diffusion of such a process, if such a process of cultural breakdown were to keep evolving, we would have to face a global consumer monoculture. AMERICANISATION: Westernisation or polarisation of music Another argument of the discourses on the globalisation of music is that the music which is going global is by and large Americanised. One of the major fears associated with the globalization of music is the creation of a global monoculture. Barlow investigates how the global monoculture has infiltrated every corner of the earth. He feels that North American corporate culture, including the music industry, is destroying local tradition, knowledge, skill, artisans and values. Specifically artisans have been affected through the fact that the product that they have tried to market has been outdated and overrun by the popstar garbage that has taken over the world and destroyed cultures. The premise of Barlows argument finds that this is corporate America is not only destroying traditions, but it is burying a cultures overall identity. As best said by Nawal Hassan, a Egyptian artisan activist, This is an issue of identity. All our civilizations has ceased to be spiritual. Our civilizati on has become commercial. (Barlow 2001) I came up with the view that People arguing over the loss of a nations cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of ones own culture. With the music being the highly profitable, capitalist enterprise that it is today, it is no wonder that it is controlled and regulated by a few large conglomerates. COMMERCIALISATION: Consumerism of music Another issue of debate is that the transnational corporations are making money on music, whether the music is twisted or re-mixed. So it is a kind of threat on the originality of the music. Growth of a profitable and varied music services industry producing everything from remixes to music marketing strategies. Standing at the forefront of this growth industry are a large number of firms attempting to combine in innovative ways music and ICT. This can take a variety of forms, for instance: selling and distributing music over the internet; web design and computerised advertising services tailored to music products; software design focused on multimedia products and virtual instruments; high-tech post-production and mixing services; and virtual centres and communities of music industry actors. Brunnette in empirical studies of market concentration in music (1990, 1993),reports that seven corporations together controlled no less than 50 percent of market share in any country where they had operations and up to 80 percent in some countries (199:104-5).The seven corporations, with their nation of origin and reported 1990 sales, are:Sony (Japan, $3 billion), Time/Warner (U.S., $2.9 billion),Polygram(Netherlands/Germany, $2.6 billion), Bertelsmann Media Group (Germany, $2 billion),Thorn/EMI (U.K., $1.88 billion),MCA(U.S., $1 billion), and Virgin (U.K., $500 million), total 1990 sales $13.88 billion (1993, pp. 141-143).With no. such as these it is nearly impossible to deny the fact that these companies do not have a great affect on the influence of music and media that they distribute. Conglomerates not only run the market for music,but determine which music is to be distributed and to where, therefore pushing an idea or culture onto a nation. Seeing that westernization has beco me a industry term for many businesses it is surprising that recently much of the profit that has been received from music conglomerates has been non-U.S. artists. The contemporary music industry The making of music is not only a cultural and sociological process but an economic one. However, economic geography perhaps because of a lingering productivist bias has yet to undertake a serious appraisal of the dynamics of the music industry (see Sadler 1995). Trends of globalization, internal corporate restructuring and global-local relations are, however, as evident here as in other sectors. In 1992, the music industry generated worldwide sales of US$29 000 million, dominated by just five major global corporations: Warners, Bertlesmann Music Group, Polygram International Group, EMI-Virgin and Sony. Seventy per cent of world record sales were generated in just five national markets, each dominated by the majors which between them captured 73 per cent of sales in the USA (31 per cent of the global market), 60 pe cent of sales in Japan (15 per cent), 90 per cent of sales in Germany (9 per cent), 73 per cent of sales in the UK (7 per cent) and 87 per cent of sales in France (7 per c ent) (Monopolies and Mergers Commission 1994). (Leyshon. Mayshell, Revill: 427) Music and traditions? The music is a tradition? It is another issue of debate. Because there are other instances which suggest that sometimes the popular music of a place was against the traditions. In some cases, as with jazz, Greek rebetika, and the Argentine tango, the emergent popular music styles came from the colorful underworlds of urban taverns and brothels. As such styles grew in sophistication, they came to attract the interest of cultural nationalists and middle-class enthusiasts. Eventually these styles shed their less reputable origins and developed into dynamic national genres. Powne (1968:vii-viii) referred to a debased or Westernized music in Ethiopia, and Price (l930a; 16) to the slovenly and immoral music called jazz, which he regarded as crude, negroid in form and vulgar. Even the sensitive scholar Kunst referred to the partially Western-derived genre of Indonesian kroncong as a monotonous and characterless wail,listing it as one of the causes why the native is either dying away or dege nerating (ibid.) Some writers have indulged in a romantic zeal to save traditional music everywhere from the contamination that was often supposed to result from musical contact between the West and the non-West. Fryer (ibid., 482) laments cuts in musical education, For Fryer, the environment of pop is an anti-culture with universally commercialized African rhythm undermining the universal cultural standards of the classical wester canon. For Bunge, the new and global is to be celebrated because it is popular and young; Fryer (ibid, 482) chastises a resurrection by a professed radical of the discredited economic doctrine of consumer sovereignty. (Leyshon. Matless, Revill: 424) Caroline Bithell says, The world music marketplace opens up a new area of representation of a culture by its own participants, while the high density of recording in its turn stimulates an increased preoccupation within the culture with questions of musical identity, all of which provides fertile ground for ethnomusicological research. The ensuing detective work is aimed not at flushing out cases of inauthenticity, but at uncovering ever more pieces of a multi-dimensional jigsaw rich in unexpected meetings and happy accidents and documented in different ways by field recordings and commercial recordings alike. While some of the groups identify themselves completely with the notion of the tradition, regardless of what they are actually doing in practice, others are quite clear that they are simply doing what they want to do and resent the imposition of the spectre of tradition as a restrictive framework (e.g. Minicale interview 1994). They do not in any case view the tradition as some thing fixed this can only lead to ossificationbut as a continually evolving organic entity which needs to find contemporary forms of expression (e.g. Poli interview 1995). (Bithell: 61) They feel that they should not be held to ransom by the notion of tradition or More precisely by other peoples perception of their tradition. (They remain concerned, nonetheless, that they should be seen as being grounded in the tradition.) What is at stake is not what is done but the way in which the traditional label is appropriated. At the same time, the concept of tradition itself is clearly flexible and contested and does not necessarily imply either great age or superior status. (The alternative designation popular does not share this problem but, in the modern media age, creates new difficulties. It also fails to bestow a sufficiently elevated aura.) There is also a danger of idealising or romanticising the workings of the oral tradition where songs were passed down directly from one generatio n to the next. In reality, the process did not always run smoothly. Some older singers were jealous of their repertoire and reluctant to pass on their secrets to younger singers. In many places, singing remained the prerogative of the older men (Sarrocchi interview). The availability of commercial recordings means that some of these human difficulties can be by-passed and the younger generations of singers can empower themselves as and when they are ready to do so.( Bithell: 62) Globalisation of music J. Mc Gregor Wise : Music is a landscape in which people negotiate their identities. There is prevalent a view that the growing ease with which capital and commodities cross international boundaries will serve to erode and perhaps even obliterate that which might be considered local. This particular conviction invokes a range of starkly different political responses. On the one hand, there are high modernists like Anthony Giddens who foresee that individuals will be enabled increasingly to transcend the strictures of the local in order to participate in what is understood as the rather richer environs of a global community forged out of the communications revolution (Giddens 1991, pp. 1467; 1998, p. 36). On the other, there is a swelling band of critics who fear that globalisation entails simply the homogenisation of cultural practice and taste. These anxieties are captured best perhaps in the lucid polemic of Naomi Klein (2000). While the contention that trans-national forces are inexorably eroding that which is particular to given societies exercises considerable a ppeal, it has of course been challenged in various quarters. Some social scientists have sought to suggest that the process of globalisation will not in fact impose homogeneity but rather will illuminate and foster the local. This particular reading of contemporary social trends finds an especially keen illustration in a new book by Andy Bennett. In Popular Music and Youth Culture we encounter a distinctive conception of the ways in which the social world is experienced and understood. The author sets out to challenge the view that popular music constitutes a cultural text that has a meaning independent of its audience. Social actors are not Bennett insists mere cultural innocents who passively consume the wares of the music business. On the contrary, he argues, people are in fact reflexive agents who interpret and appropriate popular music in ways that are critical and creative. As a consequence, the meanings of musical texts should be acknowledged not as singular and given but r ather as plural and contested. The particular reading advanced within Popular Music and Youth Culture insists not only that social actors engage critically with popular music but that they do so principally in the context of the local. This is defined throughout the text not as a demarcated physical space but rather as a set of discourses. The specific discursive practices through which the local is called into being are, Bennett asserts, intimately associated with the production and consumption of popular music. Those musical texts that originate elsewhere are routinely read through sensibilities that emerge out of a specific understanding of place. These particular sensibilities are themselves, however, heavily influenced by exposure to musical texts that originate else- where. Looking at musicalised forms of social practice would seem to suggest, therefore, that the relationship of the global to the local is a complex one not of dominance but rather of dialogue. (See Willet : rev iew) African American musical adaptations formed the roots of blues, jazz, and other genres of modern music in the United States. But elsewhere in the Americas, especially in the Caribbean and Brazil, drums remained integral to the black musical tradition. In these areas, African music has mixed with both indigenous and non-African traditions to produce a variety of musical styles, including calypso and reggae. Further Andrew Leyshon, David Matless, George Revill, talk about universal and national music. Shepherd, the assumed fixed criteria against which all music can be judged are rooted in the musical languages of ruling groups privileging the classical over the popular and the masculine against the feminine. Such cultural distinctions were brought to bear both within and beyond thewest.n Leppert and McClary (1987, xviii) show how such formulations have legitimized western sophistication and complexity against the primitive and suggest that ethnomusicological questioning of music and society has been acceptable only when applied to other cultures: recognizing that other musics are bound up with social values does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that our music likewise might be: more often it simply results in the chauvinistic, ideological reaffirmation of the superiority of Western art, which is still widely held to be autonomous.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Gothic Arches Versus Romanesque Arches Essay -- Architecture

Thesis, Argument Outline, and Evidence In the late 12th century the Romanesque period of style morphed into the Gothic period of style. The Romanesque period was characterized by the following: thick walls, barrel/round arches, supporting groin vaults, and thick buttresses (Calkins 1998, 110). The Gothic period was characterized by the following: thin walls, pointed arches, stained glass, and flying buttresses (Icher 1998, 20-30). During the early medieval years, the use of thick walls in building a church or cathedral was not only to create a stable monumental building but to help protect the building during wars or battles. Building thick stone walls also helped protect the building from â€Å"incendiarism† which tended to happen frequently when older wooden churches were under attack (Fitchen 1981, 42-6). The seemingly smooth transition between the two periods can easily be seen with the change of using barrel arches to using pointed arches in cathedral architecture. By transitioning from barrel arches to point ed arches, cathedral builders were able to create greater support for cathedral roofs while conserving stone, reducing the sizes of buttresses and walls, and they also created a new meaning to what churches symbolized. The main argument, for the thesis above, is how with the use of pointed arches contributed to the downsizing use of stone in other sections of cathedral construction. The use of barrel arches in the past cathedral construction restricted the height limitations of the cathedral due to the height and width ratio of the barrel archway. But pointed archways increased the spectrum of height and width variations because of the design of the pointed arch itself. The flexibility of the pointed arch can be attributed... ... what cathedrals symbolize. With supporting evidence from the discipline of geometry and examples from cathedrals, such as Saint Denis and the Beauvis Cathedral; the use and development of the pointed arch has forever transformed the architectural landscape of medieval Europe. Works Cited Anderson, William. The Rise of the Gothic. New Hampshire: Salem House Publishers, 1985. Calkins, Robert G. Medieval Architecture in Western Europe: from A.D. 300 to 1500. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1998. Fitchen, John. The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: a Study of Medieval Vault Erection. Phoenix ed. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1981. Hiscock, Nigel. The Wise Master Builder: Platonic Geometry in Plans of Medieval Abbeys and Cathedrals. Chicago: Ashgate Pub Ltd, 2000. Icher, Franà §ois. Building the Great Cathedrals. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Essays -- Qualitative R

In this paper, I will define quantitative and qualitative research methods and provide examples in the context of social issues which will hopefully provide insight into how this methods are properly applied. Social issues are very broad and diverse and are usually made up of factors or consequences which directly or indirectly affect a person or many members of a society and are considered to be problems, controversies or both and are related to moral values, therefore their immediate social environment may become vulnerable in some respect which may also effect several individuals environment and in turn society. There are two methods of approaching study of the world; deductive and inductive (L. Osburn, personal communication, August 11, 2011). Quantitative research uses a deductive reasoning also known as top to bottom or (top down approach) starting with a theory, then the hypothesis, followed by observation and finally confirmation , going from the general to the more specific. Quantitative methods use numbers and statistics to show the results of the research exercise and mainly are concerned with mathematics and statistics. In quantitative research there are levels of measurement being firstly nominal which are names of things followed by ordinal sequence of things, interval where the sequence has equal distance between each item, and ratio where there is a true zero (Alston & Bowles, 2003, p. 7-9). Quantitative research is the oldest form of research; it is incredibly formal, stemming from positivism paradigm, or the outside looking in approach. The method is about trying to establish cause and affect relationships between variables. This method can be considered non biased as the researcher isn’t us... ...or hindrance? Outcomes of social work student placements. Australian Social Work, 58(3), 301–312. doi:10.1111/j.1447-0748.2005.00222.x Barria, L., & Roper, S. (2010). The Development of institutions of human rights: A comparative stud. Palgrave Macmillan: New York. Faherty, V. (2008) Compassionate Statistics applied quantitative analysis for social services. Sage Publications: California. Research methods knowledge base, deduction and induction the web centre for social research methods. Retrieved from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.php Coster, P., & Woolf, A. (Eds.).(2011). World book: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, (pp. 56-57). Arcturus Publishers: Chicago. Stevenson, H. (1995). Relationship of Adolescent Perceptions of Racial Socialisation to Racial Identity. Journal of Black Psychology. DOI: 10.1177/00957984950211005

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Eth/125 Gender and Sex Worksheet

Associate Program Material Gender and Sex Worksheet Answer the following questions in 50 to 150 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not? According to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Eldis†Ã‚  (2013),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"'Gender' refers to the socially constructed roles of and relations between men and women. , while ‘Sex' refers to biological characteristics which define humans as female or male. † (1) Gender and sex are similar but they are not the same thing.I say this because a person can have the sexual characteristics of a man but still have the gender of a woman e. g. transgender. According to  Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center, Inc. (2013),†Transgender,† at its most basic level, is a word that applies to someone who doesn't fit within society's standards of how a woman or a man is supposed to look or act e. g. â€Å"Transgender† may be used to describe someone who was assigned female at birth but later realizes that label doesn't accurately reflect who they feel they are inside.This person may now live life as a man, or may feel that their gender identity can't be truly summed up by either of the two options we're usually given (male or female). (1, 2) How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? According to  Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc  Ã‚  (2013),   â€Å"Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and feminine. What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we are women or men is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics.How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. † Gender and sex does help with the construct ion of masculinity and femininity, but culture plays a huge role in determining your gender e. g. a boy that raised without a father figure and had more female role models might have more feminine traits. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity.I say this because it is the norm to act like the sex or gender we or born into or raised up to be. People are afraid of things that are not consider the norm. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation. I say this because what we understand gender and sex to be is what we use to create our beliefs of sexual orientation e. g. If we don’t believe that culture has anything to do with gender, and gender is what makes a person’s sexual orientation cle ar.Then we couldn’t possibly believe that a person could be â€Å"transgender†. Works cited Eldis. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. eldis. org/index. cfm? objectId=76FB2B59-BFA2-926C-DC2B394188B4DA92    Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center, Inc.. (2013). The Center. Retrieved from http://www. gaycenter. org/gip/transbasics/whatistrans Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. (2013). Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from http://www. plannedparenthood. org/health-topics/sexual-orientation-gender/gender-gender-identity-26530. htm Eth/125 Gender and Sex Worksheet Associate Program Material Gender and Sex Worksheet Answer the following questions in 50 to 150 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not? According to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Eldis†Ã‚  (2013),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"'Gender' refers to the socially constructed roles of and relations between men and women. , while ‘Sex' refers to biological characteristics which define humans as female or male. † (1) Gender and sex are similar but they are not the same thing.I say this because a person can have the sexual characteristics of a man but still have the gender of a woman e. g. transgender. According to  Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center, Inc. (2013),†Transgender,† at its most basic level, is a word that applies to someone who doesn't fit within society's standards of how a woman or a man is supposed to look or act e. g. â€Å"Transgender† may be used to describe someone who was assigned female at birth but later realizes that label doesn't accurately reflect who they feel they are inside.This person may now live life as a man, or may feel that their gender identity can't be truly summed up by either of the two options we're usually given (male or female). (1, 2) How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? According to  Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc  Ã‚  (2013),   â€Å"Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and feminine. What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we are women or men is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics.How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. † Gender and sex does help with the construct ion of masculinity and femininity, but culture plays a huge role in determining your gender e. g. a boy that raised without a father figure and had more female role models might have more feminine traits. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity.I say this because it is the norm to act like the sex or gender we or born into or raised up to be. People are afraid of things that are not consider the norm. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation. I say this because what we understand gender and sex to be is what we use to create our beliefs of sexual orientation e. g. If we don’t believe that culture has anything to do with gender, and gender is what makes a person’s sexual orientation cle ar.Then we couldn’t possibly believe that a person could be â€Å"transgender†. Works cited Eldis. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. eldis. org/index. cfm? objectId=76FB2B59-BFA2-926C-DC2B394188B4DA92    Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center, Inc.. (2013). The Center. Retrieved from http://www. gaycenter. org/gip/transbasics/whatistrans Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. (2013). Planned Parenthood. Retrieved from http://www. plannedparenthood. org/health-topics/sexual-orientation-gender/gender-gender-identity-26530. htm

Monday, September 16, 2019

How to Set Up a Marketing Plan

Somaliland Youth Development Association (SYDA) Tactical Marketing Plan Presented By: Issaq Gass Plan Overview Practice: Somaliland Policy & Reconstruction Institute (SOPRI) Name of Campaign: Somaliland Youth Development Association (SYDA) Campaign Manager: Issaq Gass Objective The objective is to open a youth complex facility which targets youth development in a country in the Horn of Africa following the market strategies specified in this plan. Target Market Product demographicsAll local schools and universities in the capital city of Hargeisa, local newspapers in the capital city, Somaliland TV, Horn Cable TV, Universal TV (The three major local TV networks in Somaliland), Flyers around every major business in the city, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Target contact demographics 1) Meet with the three major Somaliland TV networks to promote the new complex and benefits for youth joining as members. 2) Flyers all around the capital city of Hargeisa at schools, universities, Major Businesses, and transportation centers. ) Advertise on major Somaliland news websites as an ad. 4) Advertise in the local major newspapers, try to get front page appearance. 5) Create Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts to update news and information about the complex, take advantage of all social network feedback tools to see feedback. For examples likes, comments, tweets, and shares. 6) Discuss the new facility on the Somaliland National Radio. 7) Try to get in touch with the information ministry of the country to get an emailing list of all the youth enrolled in their system. Message SummaryThe Somaliland Policy and Reconstruction Institute (SOPRI) is an independent professional organization founded in Los Angeles, California in 1992 by a group of concerned Somali-Americans and Somalilanders who were deeply committed to help Somaliland. We will sponsor this Somaliland Youth Development Association to spearhead the high unemployment amongst the youth in the country and develop the youth everyday with community to make sure that the youth, regardless of background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in the country. Call to action Desired outcome?Sell – 50,000 memberships before opening day. Make the facility the new gathering spot for youth to not only offer enrichment programs for the youth but to help them avoid crime, drugs, and violence as well. What is the pull-through offer? Offer 500 free memberships through filling out a lottery online which we would email out to all the youth on the server as well post on all of our social media websites. Process Development list 1) Complete facility by Summer 2013 2) Create Facebook, Twitter, YouTube accounts. 3) Complete communication and deals between target contact demographics. ) Try to get a lot of government influence through our contact list. 5) Reach out to tribal sultans to help them promote amongst the specific tribes in the city. 6) Try to set up an assembly at local schools and univ ersities discussing ways they can create jobs by meeting at the facility to tackle the high unemployment amongst the youth. 7) Set up all interviews in the next few months. 8) Start lottery process for free memberships a month prior to opening. Pre – event follow up Consistently following up with the development list and target contact demographics list to make sure we are on the right path.Making sure we are gaining a lot of support throughout the capital city primarily the youth and parents of the youth. Also, daily check for feedback we might need to respond to via our social media websites. Post – event follow up Seeing if everything is going in the right direction and to see if everything was done and completed as planned. If we have time before opening possibly add more target demographics or make more appearances to broaden targets. SWOT Analysis Strengths: * SOPRI is a well-known and well established organization in Somaliland. We have the trust and support thr oughout the nation. SOPRI’S executive committee members and general members will strive to reach out to all target contacts that we already have a close relationship with for the most part. * Organization members will be working free of charge to help the make this facility a success. * The wide array of experience the members have will help make the process smooth. * SOPRI already has the capital to invest into the project from previous donations and fundraisers. * The Facility will enrich the youth. Weaknesses: * This will be the first time we sponsor a project that requires building a facility. Balancing time to contact the workers and organization members on the ground since time difference is 8 hours. * Lack of experience in this field. Opportunities: * If successful, it will become the first official youth complex in the country. * It will help build the esteem of the organization by tackling high employment rates, creating jobs, and enriching the youth. * It will be a location where the youth of country could meet and hold events. * It will build loyalty for us in the future for other business ventures to the same caliber.Threats: * Local indoor soccer stadiums. * Local gyms. * Local event halls. Project Plan: EVENT| CO-ORDINATOR| ESTIMATED WORK HOURS| Contact local newspapers| SOPRI members on ground| 5| Contact local TV networks| SOPRI members on ground| 1 week| Contact local schools and universities| SOPRI members on ground| 1 week| Create and manage social media| SOPRI Executive Committee| Continuously| Flyer creation and distribution| SOPRI members on ground| 2 months| Contact Somaliland news websites for advertisements| SOPRI Executive Committee| 5 ays| Manage entire marketing campaign| Issaq| Continuously| Distribution: The goal is to have our memberships ready and easily available to students both in K-12 and universities. Memberships will be sold all over the city at every major business office as well as every school district and univer sity. We will also have a website where students could buy it online. The memberships will be available all over Somalilands capital city Hargeisa. Which would make accessibility and exposure a lot easier.There will be 5 mediums of marketing for this facility(press, social media, flyers, emails and television) guaranteeing great exposure and accessibility so that we could capture and gain as many members as possible. Marketing Function and costs Medium| Base Cost| Duration| Total| Somaliland News websites| 0| Continuous| 0| Somaliland Newspapers| 0| Continuous| 0 | Facebook| 0| 0| 0| Twitter| 0| 0| 0| Somaliland TV networks| 0| 0| 0| *Since it’s for a good cause for the nations development a lot of our target contacts agreed for it to be free of charge until the project is completed.Metrics and Expectations: * To gain as many members as possible to help reduce unemployment rates, drug use, and crime in the city. * To enrich the youth through sports, events, tutoring, and gath erings. * To help the youth come together to build business plans of needs throughout the nation so we could then try to sell their ideas to the major corporations and business owners for funding. * Using SOPRI’s existing relationships to make this project a success. * Secure all outlets on our target contact demographics list to successfully reach our market plan strategies.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Belonging Pactise Essay

For a person to belong into a certain group, class or society, they must learn to fit in with that certain group, class or society and learn the rituals, language, behaviour responsibilities and culture. The sense of belonging to one of these social groups gives one a sense of belonging, and cancels out the feeling of exclusion and isolation. The journey into fitting into these groups can be a challenging task, which involves class clashes and other obstacles. Through the study of Educating Rita, we see the benefits of belonging, but contrasting them with the negatives in belonging. In order to fit in to a new class, one must learn the aspirations, culture, interests and language, otherwise they will not be able to communicate and feel the sense of belonging to the new class. In Educating Rita, the struggle Rita goes through in order to transforms her old self, into a new and improved Rita, shows us that in order to belong to a social class one must first have self-actualization, knowing what their purpose and aspirations are in life, in order to pursue the correct class for them. This is the problem that Rita has from the beginning of the play, the lack of self-actualization causes her the excessive want to change and to fit into the higher social class. Rita’s epiphany only comes towards the end of the play, but the struggles and obstacles that lead to the epiphany show us the importance of self-actualization. Throughout the play, we can clearly outline the differences between the two social classes, the working-class and the middle-class. These differences in language, culture, aspirations and rituals cause the obstacles to fit in. The task that Rita is pursuing is a very challenging one, that may not even be achieved. From the beginning of the play we see the struggles she is going to have, when she struggles to open the door. This is symbolic to the struggles and obstacles she will face during the process of trying to belong. The difference between language and education is shown when Frank is discussing the book Howard’s End, and Rita’s lack of education leads to the misunderstanding of the book’s title, and mocks the pun. The ambition and desire to belong into the higher social class is caused because of the lack of self-actualization. When Frank asks Rita why she has enrolled into the class, she answer, â€Å"I wanna know†¦ Everything†, this shows her lack of understanding about her own ambitions and aspirations, and shows that she is still looking for something to fulfil and enrich her life. The disproportionate use of tag questions suggests Rita’s lack of confidence, which reflects on her lack of self-actualization.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

ATDPTI Paper

The supplies used by the Indians on the reservation are completely outdated and unhelpful. An example of outdated supplies on the reservation is when Arnold is still at his school on the reservation and he receives a geometry textbook with his moms name inside of it. He then realizes that this geometry book was used when his mom went to school on the reservation. Soon Arnold had realized that his book was prehistoric he threw the book at his teachers face by accident and broke his nose. The last thing Arnold wanted to do was start the year off badly.As ell as supplies teachers are very different in the way they act and treat their students compared to the teachers at Reardon. Teachers at Arnold's old school on the reservation have terrible methods of teaching their students. When students go to school, they depend on their teachers to teach them, but when the teachers don't so their job right the motive for the students to learn is gone. An example of bad teaching methods or actions in the novel ADOPT is when Mr.. P who was Arnold's teacher on the reservation was talking about how teachers were expected to beat their students if something was one wrong.The way people are treated and taught at a young age can affect the way they act for the rest of their lives. Education is a very important aspect of ADOPT but their are many more. As well as education, money and income of a household of a family has a huge impact on the way that certain families act. In the novel ADOPT one of the differences in money be;en white people and Indian people is their wealth. Wealth determines how much money you receive and depending on that income someone could be poor or wealthy. In ADAPTS Arnold happens to live in a very poor family.When Arnold gets to his new school he notices that all the white people that attend Reardon have nice clothing and Arnold also notices that his clothing is not so nice compared to the other kids. This causes Arnold to feel like he does not fit in, which does not help him specifically on his first day. Money and income also affects peoples way of life. If someone is poor then they might set lower standards than people who are not poor. When people set lower standards than they should that could be bad because that can lead to not achieving goals that they would want to accomplish.An example of setting bad standards in the novel ADOPT is when Arnold is saying that he will get nowhere in life and the only chance of him getting anywhere in life is through drawing his cartoons. He thinks this way because he does not have the money to go to college or school which makes him feel like he can get no where in life. Money is needed for many things and can help in life if available. To be healthy, one must have a certain diet that suits them. When comparing the health of white people and Indians in the novel ADOPT one ill see that the state of health of the white people is depicted better than the health that of the Indians.To survive you mu st eat, but this often did not happen in many families on the reservation including Arnold's family. An example of bad health in the novel ADOPT is after Arnold and the Reardon basketball team beat the basketball team from the reservation. After Arnold had won the game he realized that the some of the players on the reservation team had not eaten the previous night. Arnold felt terrible about this and wished he could change what he had done. Another reason health is important is sickness.

Bruce Lee Speech

Gangs ruled the city streets and Lee was often forced to fight them. Bruce’s street fighting began to escalate * Eventually, Lee’s father decided for him to leave Hong Kong to pursue a safer and healthier avenue in the United States New Life in America While in the United Lee abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts but a martial arts exhibition on Long beach led to the invitation for the role of Kato in the Green Hornet and many other movies including the big Boss which was a big success and catapulted him to stardom. Followed by Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon where he was given complete control of the film’s production as the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. * In 1964 Lee had met Karate champion Chuck Norris. * In the movie Way of the Dragon He introduced Norris as his opponent in the final death fight. Today considered one of Lee’s most legendary fight scenes and one of the most memorable fight scenes in martial arts film history Essentially bruce lee became obsessed with martial arts and fitness FITNESS AND NUTRITION * HIs interpretation of keeping in shape was constant daily workouts. His workout consisted of three categories: martial arts sparring, weight training, and extensive AB training. * The workout first consists of hours upon hours of martial arts sparring. Secondly, a series of heavy weight training of his main muscles. Finally, is his extensive workout towards his ABs. Bruce Lee’s favorite muscle was his ABs and whenever he had time, such as watching TV, he would do sit-ups or crunches. Bruce Lee had what most people called â€Å"washboard ABs† and was not afraid to show it, you can see this in almost every fight scene he had in his films. * PHYSICAL FEATS: Lee could land a punch in around five hundredths of a second (0. 05 second) from 3 feet away * Lee could snatch a dime off a person’s open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind * Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger Bruce not only took care of his body by working out but as well as having a proper nutrition. Lee took nutrition seriously and his diet consisted high-protein drinks, vitamins, mineral supplements, green veggies and fruit every day. UNFORTUNATELY HE SUFFERED A SUDDEN DEATH ON DEATH AND LEGACY: * On July 20, 1973, just one month before the premiere of  Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee died in Hong Kong at the age of 32. The official cause of his sudden and unexpected death was a brain edema, found in an autopsy to have been caused by a strange reaction to a prescription painkiller he was reportedly taking for a back injury. Controversy surrounded Lee’s death from the beginning, as some claimed he had been murdered. Summary: * Bruce Lee, pound for pound, was arguably the greatest fighter of our time. Twenty-four years after his death, he remains the standard by which all other fighters are measured. His passion, skill, charisma, philosophy, and innovative martial arts concepts brought him worldwide acclaim– incredibly, all by the age of 32. In such a short span, Lee managed to accomplish more than most of us will ever achieve in our lives. Bruce Lee Speech Gangs ruled the city streets and Lee was often forced to fight them. Bruce’s street fighting began to escalate * Eventually, Lee’s father decided for him to leave Hong Kong to pursue a safer and healthier avenue in the United States New Life in America While in the United Lee abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts but a martial arts exhibition on Long beach led to the invitation for the role of Kato in the Green Hornet and many other movies including the big Boss which was a big success and catapulted him to stardom. Followed by Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon where he was given complete control of the film’s production as the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. * In 1964 Lee had met Karate champion Chuck Norris. * In the movie Way of the Dragon He introduced Norris as his opponent in the final death fight. Today considered one of Lee’s most legendary fight scenes and one of the most memorable fight scenes in martial arts film history Essentially bruce lee became obsessed with martial arts and fitness FITNESS AND NUTRITION * HIs interpretation of keeping in shape was constant daily workouts. His workout consisted of three categories: martial arts sparring, weight training, and extensive AB training. * The workout first consists of hours upon hours of martial arts sparring. Secondly, a series of heavy weight training of his main muscles. Finally, is his extensive workout towards his ABs. Bruce Lee’s favorite muscle was his ABs and whenever he had time, such as watching TV, he would do sit-ups or crunches. Bruce Lee had what most people called â€Å"washboard ABs† and was not afraid to show it, you can see this in almost every fight scene he had in his films. * PHYSICAL FEATS: Lee could land a punch in around five hundredths of a second (0. 05 second) from 3 feet away * Lee could snatch a dime off a person’s open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind * Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger Bruce not only took care of his body by working out but as well as having a proper nutrition. Lee took nutrition seriously and his diet consisted high-protein drinks, vitamins, mineral supplements, green veggies and fruit every day. UNFORTUNATELY HE SUFFERED A SUDDEN DEATH ON DEATH AND LEGACY: * On July 20, 1973, just one month before the premiere of  Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee died in Hong Kong at the age of 32. The official cause of his sudden and unexpected death was a brain edema, found in an autopsy to have been caused by a strange reaction to a prescription painkiller he was reportedly taking for a back injury. Controversy surrounded Lee’s death from the beginning, as some claimed he had been murdered. Summary: * Bruce Lee, pound for pound, was arguably the greatest fighter of our time. Twenty-four years after his death, he remains the standard by which all other fighters are measured. His passion, skill, charisma, philosophy, and innovative martial arts concepts brought him worldwide acclaim– incredibly, all by the age of 32. In such a short span, Lee managed to accomplish more than most of us will ever achieve in our lives.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Marketing plan for rent a runway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing plan for rent a runway - Essay Example This report will analyze the strengths of this company in creating the right options for marketing while offering new ways and initiatives which the company can use to continue to expand the product line and interest in the runway. Business Mission The basis of Rent a Runway is to assist individuals who like high fashion but are on a budget or only need a fashion item for one occasion. The objective is to offer individual options from professional stylists while assisting with fashion forward looks for any occasion. The mission is based on women being able to look their best at any occasion while providing fashion forward advice and alternatives to assist with the best looks for any occasion. The team has expanded to designers and professionals that are able to assist in creating the perfect outfits for women and men that are preparing for any occasion (Rent the Runway, 2011). External Marketing Audit: Market Competition The fashion items that are offered through the Internet are con tinuing to grow and bring attention to the runway items of the season. The main competition is coming from emerging fashion stores that are able to offer luxury and brand name items at a lower price. These are combined with wholesale stores that offer even more opportunities for those looking at different fashions and designs. These are known to move higher into the competition based on price, types of designers available and the region which they are located in. They are furthered with competition that is based on finding the right clothes at a lower price. The current marketing competition for fashion is based on an emerging market that is expected to grow by 7 – 15% by the year 2020. These demands are based on the ability to get low priced fashions that are in style for the season and based on luxury and brand names at a discount (BofF Team, 2011). The continuous growth and expectations for online portals is causing several to turn to Internet solutions for their business. There is now advice that is being sent to those who are looking for new ways to promote business to move online, including retailers and those interested in the fashion business. This is leading brick and mortar retailers, wholesale businesses and others involved in creating other links to customers to set up businesses online. This is combined with emerging designers and brand names that are creating the same links to an online presence. Each of these are combining strategies for a stronger presence, leading to competitive alternatives based on customer loyalty and a growing global market. The association is based on creating a stronger sense of customer loyalty through the businesses that are working together (Haley, 2011). Internal Marketing Audit The association with Rent the Runway is one which is taking the main trends with the online presence among fashion lovers and expanding the market into one that holds several strengths. For the online portal to continue to work; howeve r, there is the need to extensively examine the marketing tactics and alternatives that are available. By doing this, there is the ability to create a stronger presence while moving forward with the competition that is online. Operating Results The operations that are a part of the online portal are based on a process that is required for an individual to be a part of. When one goes to the website, they are immediately

Thursday, September 12, 2019

A Good Man Must Know One Song by Heart Movie Review

A Good Man Must Know One Song by Heart - Movie Review Example A gripping story set in 1929 about a family of three. The father leaves home for New York to work there along with his friends as members of a band. The band becomes popular at that area, and pay becomes even better. Way back home, the ten-year old son and his mother alternates time among playing piano, strolling around the vicinity, and cooking food. The situation forces the son to look for his father bringing only with him a song that his father taught him years ago.The film's narration played as a flashback starting out promisingly in what is supposed to be an abandoned area in New York, where the son is shown to be cuddling his father while humming a tune. The father was looking aimlessly at nowhere in his tattered suits, while the son looked simple in his pants and jacket. The transition to the next scene was poignant and dramatic because the succeeding scene was beautifully juxtaposed with the previous scene. In the second scene, the father was seen cuddling his son while singi ng the song "While My Baby Lulls in a Hammock." The mother entered the scene, and then all at once, the audience was introduced to all the principal characters of the film. But just when you are expecting things to get even better, as the film tried to give the audience an idea of the setting and the zeitgeist of the story, the film slowed down and devoted too much time to the protagonists' uneventful music sessions. There, the film accommodated half of the total number of songs-there were ten-that were supposed to be played in the entire film. While the film's first half tried your patience, it picked up speed as the focus shifted to where it should be: New York and the specter of the Great Depression. There were two significant events between the period of 1925 and 1935 that were woven into or depicted in the film: 1) The movie's moral crackdown in 1934-Due to the newly-enforced rigorous production code courtesy of Will Hays, the film's dialogues, song lyrics, and the presentation of the visuals were seemingly sanitized. Rumor has it that several lines-including "Mother, do you think is it acceptable for Father if I were to fall in love with someone, but not marry her"-were intentionally omitted during the post-production to suit the taste of the members of the so-called Legion of Decency. As a result of this, the film in its entirety was devoid of any shocking but commercially appealing dialogue and situations. Instead, unnecessary optimism pervaded all throughout in its less than 90-minute run. Such existential optimism was manifested in script like "Do not worry son. Your father will soon find his way to us." 2) The ushering of the Great Depression in 1929-discussions among bankers visiting the club where the father plays centered on the issue of Wall Street's fall. Although, the site of Wall Street was never included in any of the scenes, the actors really talked about blue chips like Standard Oil and Westinghouse, and the plummeting values of the shares of White Sewing Machine with ease that one could have an impression that bankers who were forced to resign from financial institutions were acquired as actors. Commentaries One critic said that there was a visible effort on the part of the filmmakers to show that this film had set the bar high in terms of visuals, sounds, and historical accuracy. Although the visuals, through camerawork, hardly moved to prevent the scratches made by camera from being recorded, the actors' faces registered clearly and properly projected to create an impression of a depressing scenario. The sounds consisted of a few songs of longing and melancholia and crisp and concise audible (and inaudible) dialogue. The claim to historical accurac