Beowulf and the Hero’s Journey

Joseph Campbell’s term monomyth can be described as a hero’s journey. Many heroic characters follow the monomyth, no matter the time period or culture the literature was created in. The poem Beowulf is known to follow the adventure of the hero described in Campbell’s monomyth . The hero’s journey consists of three rites of passages: separation, initiation, and return. Beowulf endures each of these stages throughout the epic poem, so his journey does follow Campbell’s monomyth. The separation is the first stage a hero must go through in his or her journey. This stage consists of â€Å"a blunder -apparently the merest chance- reveals an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood. † (42) This is known as the hero’s call to adventure. In Beowulf, Beowulf â€Å"heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out. † (197-98) Beowulf couldn’t stay away when he heard that help was greatly needed defeating Grendel; he accumulated his men right away and shipped off to Denmark. The next step is the refusal to call. Beowulf does not refuse to go on this adventure because of his honor. He believes he is the strongest Geat and can defeat anything. Following this step is supernatural aid. Supernatural aid â€Å"provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass. † (Campbell 57) In Beowulf the help can be considered God. Beowulf often thanks God for helping him on his journey. For instance, â€Å"He relied on for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. † (1271-72) The final stage in separation is the crossing of the threshold. In this case the threshold can be considered the ocean. Beowulf and his crew had to cross the ocean in order to come to Denmark to kill Grendel. When they arrive in Denmark they are basically starting their adventure right then, vowing to try and protect. The second rite of passage in the monomyth is initiation. â€Å" The hero moves in a dream landscape or curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials. † (Campbell 81) This is known as the road of trials. Beowulf is tested when Grendel’s mother retaliates to her son’s death. She lashes out and kills Hrothgar’s best man. Then, Beowulf goes down into her cave where he duels her. He nearly loses his life when both his sword and armor fail him. â€Å"No sword could slice her evil skin , that Hrunting could not hurt her, was useless now when he needed it. † (1521-24) He took a magical sword that was hanging on her wall and killed her with it. Beowulf’s helpers in this stage would be the sword and God. Without the sword he would not have been to kill Grendel’s mother. Beowulf relies on God’s help and often gives Him thanks after a battle is over. The next stage in his journey is the climax or final battle. After defeating Grendel’s mother, Beowulf returns to his hometown where he reigns as king for fifty years. He is a good king, keeping peace in his country. After fifty years of peace, a fire-breathing dragon is awoken, so he must go protect his people. Beowulf and his warriors venture out to the dragon’s lair. He goes in alone, confident that he can defeat the beast. He is sadly mistaken; Beowulf’s armor starts to melt and his sword breaks against the dragon‘s scaly back. He was left there to die when all of his fellow warriors ran away cowardly into the woods. Only one brave soldier remained: Wiglaf. The final stage in initiation is the hero’s flight. This story’s flight is Wiglaf saving Beowulf. Wiglaf runs into the dragon’s home with honor saying, â€Å"I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord. † (2651-52) Wiglaf defeated the monster, but couldn’t save Beowulf. One of the dragon’s tusks have been stabbed into his neck, making it impossible to save him. As death surrounded Beowulf, he made Wiglaf the new ruler of the Geats. This was the final stage in the initiation of Beowulf’s journey The final rite of passage is the return. The return is the end of the hero’s adventure. Campells states, â€Å"his return is described as coming back out of the yonder zone. † (188) When Beowulf dies, peace is lost in his country. His country ultimately returns to fighting and war. The end is really the beginning for a new ruler, Wiglaf, and a new time period of fighting. The final part of the hero’s journey is the elixir. An elixir is something the hero obtained during his journey that can be shared with society. It often defines the hero’s role in the society. Beowulf’s elixir could be considered his story. Beowulf brought insight to his people and to the Danes that one can defeat demons and receive redemption. He showed them this when he defeated both Grendel and his mother and battled the dragon. Additionally, Beowulf’s blessing of peace could be considered the elixir. While he was in rule, his land was safe. He kept peace for his people. Beowulf acquired this peace by defeating Grendel and proving that he was strong. The final rite of passage in the hero’s journey is basically just returning back to the beginning, or where the hero was at before his adventure started. Beowulf is a great example of Campbell’s monomyth. â€Å"The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation — initiation — return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. (Campbell 23) Beowulf’s journey follows each of these passages. First, is the separation. Beowulf begins his journey here and defeats Grendel. Next, is the initiation. Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother, becomes king of the Geats, and battles the dragon in this stage. Finally, is the return. After he dies, peace is lost. The land he once ruled returns to a land of war and fighting. Although Beowulf does not exac tly follow the hero’s journey, he does follow the main points Campbell makes in his monomyth. In conclusion, Beowulf follows the monomyth on his adventure.

Outline Worksheet for Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the advantages of the online courses. Thesis Statement: Now, the online courses become more and more popular. However, why increasable students chose online courses, there are lots of homework, the limit time and the higher quality of the class. With the improvement of the online courses, the students can get same knowledge, but spend less time in the online courses. Introduction I. Attention-getter: At the beginning of my speech, I have several questions. Did you always spend a lot time between the school and home? Did you usually worry that you couldn’t catch up with the teacher? Did you ever think about the solutions for those? II. Establishment of ethos: In fact, I usually don’t get up until the class will begin in the morning, so I ever think that the classroom could move into my room someday. Now it becomes true. The online courses will bring more sleep time for me. III. Preview:Even though many students still prefer face-to-face lecture classes, I think online courses are more beneficial because the content is the same as classroom courses, the time is flexible and there is no peer pressure in online courses. With such great benefits, students should sign up for online courses considering the hectic lifestyle everyone has today. (Transition: Now, I will talk about the advantages about the online courses. ) Body I. First, the content of online courses is the same as the courses in a classroom. A. Professors can record their lectures into videos and teach live online, and professors can also assign homework for their students easily. The only difference for students is that they have to hand in their homework through the internet. However, this has nothing to do with the quality of the class. B. I found an article named â€Å"Students Can Take Class Online at Home,† which was published in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, said that â€Å"students log on to a designated Web site where lecture notes and slide shows are posted. † Therefore, online courses already became a helpful way to teach students. II. Second, the schedule is very flexible for students. A. For some online courses, professors will just put the materials on their own website and let students take courses at their own pace. For example, a math teacher can allow students to run through a lesson on the computer or use the computer to help illustrate what is being taught personally. The online courses can also be used to give extra help to students about to fail a class. B. In addition, if it is a class that requires a lot of time, they can take breaks whenever and then continue later on. It is also an effective way to take a class, because after a break, students can concentrate on the class better and remember more things at the same time. III. Third, some students think that if they take a classroom class, they will feel peer pressure, because if another student finishes faster than he or she does, then he or she will get nervous and can’t finish the rest well. A. The problem will be solved if they take an online course because it is just the students themselves at home so they can study the questions at their own pace without the pressure of feeling nervous. They may help the students get a high grade in the exam or an assignment. B. For example, in my Chinese university, there will often be a lot of students taking an exam in the classroom at the same time. I remember that one of my classmates in my English class took the mid-term exam with me and that he took a long time during the reading part. As time progressed, more and more students finished before he did and after the time was up, I asked him how he did and he told me he couldn’t concentrate on the test because of text anxiety and the constant distraction of students leaving before he did, so he got a low grade on this exam. Conclusion I. Summarize and Review: In conclusion, students can greatly benefit from online courses. The content in lecture classes is the same as online classes. Also, the peer pressure is gone when it comes to online courses. Most importantly, students who take online courses have more flexible study time. II. Tie to the introduction: Therefore, taking online courses, we will waste no time between school and home, but get the same knowledge. III. Creative concluding thought: I think online courses will become more available to all students in the future then students can probably learn more effectively from the online courses. References: Sophia Lezin Jones, Aug 7, 2000, Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Gwinnett students can take class online at home Carter, Rochelle, Aug 1, 2002, Atlanta Journal & Constitution, BACK TO SCHOOL: Online courses expand Clayton's Class.com gaining popularity http://oedb.org/library/distance-vs-local/10-advantages-to-taking-online-classes/ http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-The-Advantages-And-Disadvantages-Of-OnlineCourses?;id=317526 http://www.ehow.com/facts_4797506_online-training-advantages-disadvantages.html http://seacstudentweb.org/top-benefits-of-online-education.php

Blood Diamond Movie Summary

It is 1999 and the troubled West African nation of Sierra Leone is ravaged by major political unrest. Rebel factions such as the Revolutionary United Front frequently terrorize the open countryside, intimidating Mende locals and enslaving many to harvest diamonds, which fund their increasingly successful war effort. One such unfortunate is fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), from Shenge, who has been assigned to a workforce overseen by a ruthless warlord, Captain Poison (David Harewood).On a particularly tense morning, Vandy discovers an enormous pink diamond in the riverbank and buries it in the soft earth. Captain Poison learns of the stone, but before he can act on this knowledge the area is raided by government security forces. Both men are subsequently incarcerated in Freetown along with Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white Rhodesian gunrunner jailed while attempting to smuggle diamonds into Liberia for corrupt South African mining executive Rudolph van de Kaap (Mariu s Weyers). Having managed to learn of the pink diamond's existence, Archer arranges to have Vandy freed from detention.He then travels to Cape Town, meeting with his former military contacts, including Colonel Coetzee (Arnold Vosloo) – an Afrikaner late of the apartheid-era South African Defence Force now freelancing with a private military firm. Archer remarks that he hopes to abscond with Vandy's stone and leave the Dark Continent forever, but Coetzee indicates that his lost stake in Archer's botched Liberian operation entitles him to the diamond as compensation. The former returns to Sierra Leone, locates Vandy, and offers to help him find his family if he will recover his prize.Meanwhile, RUF insurgents initiate an escalation of hostilities. Freetown falls to their advance while Vandy's son Dia (Kagiso Kuypers) is among those rounded up to serve as a child soldier under a liberated Captain Poison. Archer and Vandy narrowly escape to Guinea, where they plan to infiltrate K ono with an American journalist, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), in exchange for giving her inside information on the illicit diamond trade. Coetzee and his private army also turn up in the region, having been contracted by local authorities to repulse the renewed rebel offensive.While Bowen is evacuated with her story, the two men set out for Captain Poison's former encampment on their own. Dia, now stationed with the RUF garrison there, is confronted – although he refuses to acknowledge his father. Archer radios the site's coordinates to Coetzee, who directs an air strike via an Mi-24 helicopter gunship. Vandy locates Captain Poison and beats him to death with a shovel while attacking mercenaries rout the warlord's surviving men. Coeztee then forces a reluctant Vandy to produce the diamond, but is shot by Archer, who has deduced that he will have them both eliminated once their usefulness has expired.Dia holds them both at gunpoint, although Vandy convinces him of his own retained innocence and the two consummate their previous bond. Archer discloses he has been mortally wounded and cannot proceed as anticipated. He entrusts the stone to Vandy, ordering him to take it for his family. Vandy and his son rendezvous with a charter pilot, Nabil (Jimi Mistry), who flies them to safety while Archer makes a final phone call to Maddy Bowen, charging her to assist Vandy, as well as giving her consent to publish his revelations of the diamond trade, telling her â€Å"It's a real story now†.Gazing across the landscape, he grasps a handful of bloodstained earth and dies peacefully, fulfilling Coetzee's prediction that the smuggler would never leave his African home. Shortly afterwards, Vandy, who is now living in England, meets with representatives of van de Kaap, who wishes to acquire his jewel. Bowen photographs the deal for publication in her article detailing the trade in conflict gems and exposes van de Kaap's criminal actions. Meanwhile, Vandy's gues t appearance at a conference on â€Å"blood diamonds† in Kimberley is met with a standing ovation. Blood Diamond Movie Summary It is 1999 and the troubled West African nation of Sierra Leone is ravaged by major political unrest. Rebel factions such as the Revolutionary United Front frequently terrorize the open countryside, intimidating Mende locals and enslaving many to harvest diamonds, which fund their increasingly successful war effort. One such unfortunate is fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), from Shenge, who has been assigned to a workforce overseen by a ruthless warlord, Captain Poison (David Harewood).On a particularly tense morning, Vandy discovers an enormous pink diamond in the riverbank and buries it in the soft earth. Captain Poison learns of the stone, but before he can act on this knowledge the area is raided by government security forces. Both men are subsequently incarcerated in Freetown along with Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white Rhodesian gunrunner jailed while attempting to smuggle diamonds into Liberia for corrupt South African mining executive Rudolph van de Kaap (Mariu s Weyers). Having managed to learn of the pink diamond's existence, Archer arranges to have Vandy freed from detention.He then travels to Cape Town, meeting with his former military contacts, including Colonel Coetzee (Arnold Vosloo) – an Afrikaner late of the apartheid-era South African Defence Force now freelancing with a private military firm. Archer remarks that he hopes to abscond with Vandy's stone and leave the Dark Continent forever, but Coetzee indicates that his lost stake in Archer's botched Liberian operation entitles him to the diamond as compensation. The former returns to Sierra Leone, locates Vandy, and offers to help him find his family if he will recover his prize.Meanwhile, RUF insurgents initiate an escalation of hostilities. Freetown falls to their advance while Vandy's son Dia (Kagiso Kuypers) is among those rounded up to serve as a child soldier under a liberated Captain Poison. Archer and Vandy narrowly escape to Guinea, where they plan to infiltrate K ono with an American journalist, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), in exchange for giving her inside information on the illicit diamond trade. Coetzee and his private army also turn up in the region, having been contracted by local authorities to repulse the renewed rebel offensive.While Bowen is evacuated with her story, the two men set out for Captain Poison's former encampment on their own. Dia, now stationed with the RUF garrison there, is confronted – although he refuses to acknowledge his father. Archer radios the site's coordinates to Coetzee, who directs an air strike via an Mi-24 helicopter gunship. Vandy locates Captain Poison and beats him to death with a shovel while attacking mercenaries rout the warlord's surviving men. Coeztee then forces a reluctant Vandy to produce the diamond, but is shot by Archer, who has deduced that he will have them both eliminated once their usefulness has expired.Dia holds them both at gunpoint, although Vandy convinces him of his own retained innocence and the two consummate their previous bond. Archer discloses he has been mortally wounded and cannot proceed as anticipated. He entrusts the stone to Vandy, ordering him to take it for his family. Vandy and his son rendezvous with a charter pilot, Nabil (Jimi Mistry), who flies them to safety while Archer makes a final phone call to Maddy Bowen, charging her to assist Vandy, as well as giving her consent to publish his revelations of the diamond trade, telling her â€Å"It's a real story now†.Gazing across the landscape, he grasps a handful of bloodstained earth and dies peacefully, fulfilling Coetzee's prediction that the smuggler would never leave his African home. Shortly afterwards, Vandy, who is now living in England, meets with representatives of van de Kaap, who wishes to acquire his jewel. Bowen photographs the deal for publication in her article detailing the trade in conflict gems and exposes van de Kaap's criminal actions. Meanwhile, Vandy's gues t appearance at a conference on â€Å"blood diamonds† in Kimberley is met with a standing ovation.

The Performing Arts and Digital Reproduction Essay

The Performing Arts and Digital Reproduction - Essay Example Quality in the presentation of performing arts is not as enhanced as it is in the recorded arts, which poses a huge threat to attendance of theatre sessions. Technology has made a huge contribution in visual, audio and presentation for art, which is also taking part in the performing arts. Even if the two arts cannot be compared in terms of presentation quality, the relative role of performing arts by far out-competes recordings. According to Bendixen (2010), the status of performing arts in the society is indispensable concerning social vitality. He states that specifically, the modern society gets integrated in shaping the societies values, norms and structures using communication as the fundamental communication tool. The relative drop in the quality of art cannot therefore stand in the way of art achieving this objective. Location of attending a performance creates a lasting impression in the experience obtained in a performance. Human beings are social creatures that place a lot of importance in their emotions, especially when the environment becomes a factor. For instance, watching a movie at home with the family cannot be compared to attending a live performance with the family in a theatre. Romantic experiences have been reported to be at a pick high when an outing to a live art show is preferred in place of watching a romantic movie indoors. Social role of live performances cannot be captured in a better way than when social functions are taking place. It occupies a crucial position.

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Chinese Naturalism over Metaphysical Dualism Essay Example for Free

Chinese Naturalism over Metaphysical Dualism Essay Chinese metaphysics challenges the Greek paradigm of metaphysical dualism with naturalistic metaphysics. They argued that harmonious relationships in society and tolerance for change were the essentials of life, instead of the belief that you must separate your body and mind. Socrates and Plato laid out most of the foundation for Greek philosophy, but in Chinese metaphysics, Confucius and Laozi are the main front runners. Chinese metaphysics takes root in Confucius’s work, Analects. In this work he described the four central virtues: ren, yi, li, and zhi. These stand for co-humanity, appropriate conduct, ritual propriety, and wisdom, respectively. Not only do these establish the harmonious relationships that naturalistic metaphysics builds on, but they also establish a way of life that examines individuals based on their character. Yi even allows for shades of grey because it can differ in many situations; with it being context sensitive, the most correct response is what the individual should attain for. This is what leads an individual in developing character in their natural relationships. Laozi, the credited founder of Daoism, pioneered Chinese cosmology and acknowledged the â€Å"Dao† as the source and ideal of all existence. He believed that humans were manifestations of the Dao, and that immoral acts upset the natural balance of the Dao. He is often given credit for the Daodejing, translated to mean primodial, however scholars argue that there are multiple authors to the text. This text has a central concept named wu wei, which literally means â€Å"do nothing.† This explains harmony with the Dao, ziran. This leads Laozi to emphasize simplicity and humility, instead of selfish actions. Chinese metaphysics really takes a deeper look into the relationships of individuals with their families and how their character affects the decisions they make. Greek philosophy leaves these fundamentals on the back burner, and instead looks at the separation of mind and body.

Energy drinks Essay Example for Free

Energy drinks Essay An energy drink is a drink which contains drugs that increases levels of nervous activity in the body, mainly caffeine, which is known for its mental or physical stimulation. Energy drinks may or may not be carbonated, and contain large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants drugs, and many also contain sugar, herbal extracts and amino acids. They are sub branches of the group of energy products, which includes bars and gels. Energy drinks comes in many brands, qualities, flavors and varieties. Positive Points: 1. Significant amount of improvement in mental and cognitive performances as well as increased alertness. 2. It’s been suggested that the reversal of some components present in caffeine helps in leaving a good effect on mood and one’s performance. 3. After many tests it is observed that in young healthy adults an energy drink significantly increased upper body muscle strength. 4. Energy drinks help in improve memory. 5. Energy drinks improve circulation of blood in your brain, ears and eyes. 6. Many energy drink companies use fruits and herbs that are healthy (for example: berries they protect your body cells from oxidation). Negative points: With 30 to 50 percent of teens are taking energy drinks on daily basis, there are disadvantages of drinking these drinks, especially in children and teenagers, because they cannot safely consume as much caffeine as adults can. 1. Energy drinks are very high in sugar level, containing up to 35 grams of sugar per drink, which is above the recommended amount of sugars for women of 25 grams per day and very close to the recommended daily limit of 37.5 grams per men. Consuming a lot of added sugars increases your risk for obesity, because added sugars provide extra calories. 2. The caffeine in energy drinks increases the speed with which the alcohol is absorbed by a body making it more likely a person will stay awake long enough to consume more alcohol than a body would otherwise be able to. 3. The risks can be lessened by sticking to the recommended limts, which are listed on every drink, and by controlling the consumption of energy drinks by drinking one drink in a day. Extra ingredients , like amino acids, taurine, guarana and ginseng, are added in such small amounts that they are not likely to give any beneficial health effects or cause any negative side effects. Suggestion: 1. For many people, occasional drinks are fine, but try your best to limit yourself to about 500 milliliters a day. If youre consistently fatigued or rundown, however, figure a better and healthier way to boost your energy. Get good sleep, include yourself physical activity in your routine, and eat a healthy food. If these things dont help, consult your doctor. Sometimes fatigue is a sign medical condition, such as hypothyroidism or anemia. 2. There are energy drinks which are not recommended, If you have a heart disease or high blood pressure, consult your doctor if energy drinks may cause complications. Pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding may want to especially limit consumption of these beverages. 3. With the growing popularity of energy drinks on daily basis, most of the parents are concerned about how much caffeine their kids are taking. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents get no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. Younger children shouldnt drink caffeinated beverages on a regular basis.

Contributory Factors To Formation Of ECOWAS

Contributory Factors To Formation Of ECOWAS Economic of West African State ECOWAS and SADC Southern African Development are two of the numerous regional integration bodies in Africa. While ECOWAS is one of the bodies that focus on West African economies, SADC focuses on southern African Economies. ECOWAS is a regional body created on 25th May, 1975 during its first conference in Lagos, where it treaty was signed. The idea of having a united west African body was first proposed by the then Nigerian head of staff, Yakubu Gowon. His idea was to collectively achieve a self-sufficiency through integration of the sixteen West African countries into an economic block with a single market controlled around an economic and monetary union.the community started with a5 members. Later on Cape Verde joined in 1976, but Mutituana withdrew it membership in December 2000. At the moment, the commission has 15 members namely Benin, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Sierra Leone ,Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso. Niger and Guinea have both been suspended due to coup dà ©tat incidences. in detail, the main objective of ECOWAS is to promote co-operation and integration in order to create an economic and monetary union for encouraging economic growth and develo pment in West Africa, through: The suppression of customs duties and equivalent taxes the establishment of a common external tariff; the harmonization of economic and financial policies the creation of a monetary zone. However, due to the slow pace encountered in implementing this treaties, the treaty was revised in Continuo in Benin on July 23, 1993. The new treaty adopted a less rigid collaboration. The new treaty subdivided ECOWAS into The Commission, The Community Parliament, The Community Court OF Justice, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID). These institutions are intended to be the tools used to implement their policies. Southern African Development Community (SADC), in like manner, is a regional integration body that encapsulates Southern African countries. It is an intergovernmental organization that primarily aims at achieving greater socio-economic corporation and integration as well as political and security collaborations among it 15 member states. The current day SADC is actually product of the formerly existing Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), which was formed in 1980. As the name of SADCC implies, it was only a conference since 1980 until the treaty was signed in Windhoek, Namibia, on 17th august, 1992 and SADC was formally created. After the signing of the treaty, it seized from being a coordinated conference to being a development community. The members are mainly southern African countries, namely: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republi c of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The core objectives of SADC are: Harmonise political and socio-economic policies and plans of Member States; Mobilise the peoples of the region and their institutions to take initiatives to develop economic, social and cultural ties across the region, and to participate fully in the implementation of the programmes and projects of SADC; Create appropriate institutions and mechanisms for the mobilisation of requisite resources for the implementation of the programmes and operations of SADC and its institutions; Develop policies aimed at the progressive elimination of obstacles to free movement of capital and labour, goods and services, and of the peoples of the region generally within Member States; Promote the development of human resources; Promote the development, transfer and mastery of technology; Improve economic management and performance through regional cooperation; Promote the coordination and harmonisation of the international relations of Member States; Secure international understanding, cooperation and support, mobilise the inflow of public and private resources into the region; and Develop such other activities as Member States may decide in furtherance of the objectives of SADC. On 14 August 2001, the 1992 SADC treaty was revised. The revision shows a change in the structure, policies and measures of SADC. One of the transformations is that political and security cooperation is included in the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security (OPDS). To achieve it objectives, the organisation was subdivided into 8 bodies. i.e. The Summit, comprising heads of state or heads of government, are at the top .OPDS, the Council of Ministers, Tribunal, SADC National Committees (SNCs), and the Secretariat. The formation of both bodies (ECOWAS and SADC) have been necessitated and expedited by many factors ranging from social, geographic, economic, political and security factors. In the subsequent chapter, we shall discuss these factors in detail. Discussion Economic Factors Economic factor is one important factor that contributed to the formation of ECOWAS and SADC. Normally countries where they form economic Integration they have stable and close economic condition. The aim of this chapter is to compare the economic condition of member of ECOWAS and SADC. In this chapter we will investigate about key economic Indicators such as GDP (PPP), GDP (real growth rate), and Inflation Rate, Exchange rate, Current account balance and Central bank discount rate. ECOWAS GDP (Purchasing power parity ) First Key indicator is GDP (PPP). Following graph shows the difference between members of ECOWAS. The average GDP of ECOWAS is 35.63 Billion. Nigeria got the highest GDP between member countries.bot rest of countries are bellow 50 billion USD per year. So we can say somehow they have similar condition in GDP (PPP) and their GDP is almost close to each other. GDP Real growth rate Second Economic factor is Real GDP growth rate, because of 2009 finical crisis we cannot have clear picture of economic growth of ECOWAS, however the graph shows that only one member of ECOWAS experienced negative growth rate in 2009 and rest of countries experienced positive growth rate. The average growth rate is 3.2 Inflation rate Average inflation in ECOWAS is 6.08% and Ghana got the highest inflation rate in ECOWAS which is 19.6% , and Niger got the lowest interest rate which is 0.1% Exchange Rate 6 members of 15 members of ECOWAS use one kind of currency which Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) and their exchange rate is 1 USD = 481.35 XOF. So using one single currency make it easier for countries to form and an economic integration and member of ECOWAS have this advantage and it make them to be more successful to reach their economic goals Current Account Balance: Following graph shows the current account balance of ECOWAS member. CoteDIvoire is the only country which had positive current account balance in year 2009 which was 65 Million USD. Average current account balance is negative $16440 million. Central Bank Discount rate 8 members of ECOWAS have same central bank discount rate which is 4.75%. highest discount rate between member countries belongs to Ghana. Having same discount rate is positive points for countries where they want to form an Economic Integration. SADC GDP (Purchasing power parity ) First Kye indicator is GDP (PPP). Following graph shows the difference between members of SADC. The average GDP of ECOWAS is 76.67 Billion. South Africa got the highest GDP between member countries.bot most of countries are bellow 25 billion USD per year. So we can say somehow they have similar condition in GDP (PPP) and their GDP is almost close to each other. GDP Real growth rate Second Economic factor is Real GDP growth rate, because of 2009 finical crisis we cannot have clear picture of economic growth of SADC, however the graph shows that 6 members of SADC experienced negative growth rate in 2009 and rest of countries experienced positive growth rate. The average growth rate is 0.33 Inflation rate Average inflation in SADC is 10.51%. Seychelles got the highest inflation rate in SADC which is 34%, In other hand Mauritius got the lowest interest rate which is 0.1%. over all they have similar condition. Exchange Rate Average exchange rate between SADC member countries is 1 USD = 836.1. The highest rate belongs to Lesotho and the lowest rate is for Zambia. Current Account Balance: Following graph shows the current account balance of SADC members. 3 countries have positive current account balance in year 2009. The average Current account balance is $165 Million. Angola got the best situation which shows that Angolas export is higher than its Import. However the rest of members got almost similar condition and their balance is almost near each other Central Bank Discount rate Following graph shows central banks discount rate of SADC members the lowest rate belongs to Mozambique which is 9.95 and highest belongs to Angola which is 19.57. the average rate is 13.65%.If we look closely we can see that the rates are very close to each other. and lending condition is almost similar in members country. Social and cultural factor By overview the factor of formation of both African union (ECOWAS and SADC), similarity of society can be claim as one of the factor toward the formation for both of the union. Due to geographical reason, nations that locate in same regions will affect each other in any of their decision making. Moreover, society daily activity or culture may also spread easier from one nation to another within a region due to easier of contact in geographical reason. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was created on May 28, 1975 by signed of Treaty of Lagos. It is a regional group of 16 West African countries namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d ivore, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and lastly Togo. ECOWAS was form for the purpose to achieve collective self-sufficient for the member states by means of economic and monetary union creating a single large trading bloc. Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from Nigeria through to Senegal, there are general similarities in dress, cuisine, music and culture that are not shared extensively with groups outside the geographic region. Islam is the predominant historical religion of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent; Christianity is the predominant religion in coastal regions of Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote dIvoire; and elements of indigenous religions are practiced throughout. Along with historic migrations, these religions have culturally linked the peoples of West Africa more than those in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Traditionally, musical and oral history as conveyed over generations by Griots are typical of West African culture. Many of the religious practices are Islamic, but most are Christian. However, over 50% of the West African populations are Islamic. Mbalax, Highlife, Fuji and Afro beat are all modern musical genres which enjoin listeners in this region. A typical formal attire worn in this region is the flowing Boubou (also known as Agbada and Babariga), which has its origins in the clothing of nobility of various West African empires in the 12th century. The Djembe drum, whose origins lie with the Mandinka peoples, is now a popularly played drum among many West African ethnic groups. The Kora is a 21-string harp-lute of Mandinkan origin, played by various groups in the region. The Djembe, Kora, the silk Kente cloth of the Akan. Peoples of Ghana and the distinct Sudano-Sahelian architectural style seen in the many mosques of the region are the primary symbolic icons of West African culture. The game Oware is quite popular in many parts of West Africa. Soccer is also a pastime enjoyed by many, either spectating or playing. The national teams of some West African nations, especially Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, regularly qu alify for the World Cup. Britain controlled The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria throughout the colonial era, while France unified Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cà ´te dIvoire and Niger into French West Africa. Portugal founded the colony of Guinea-Bissau, while Germany claimed Togoland, but was forced to divide it between France and Britain following First World War. Only Liberia retained its independence, at the price of major territorial concessions. Southern African Development Community (SADC) was formed in 1980. The origins of SADC lie in the 1960s and 1970s, when the leaders of majority-ruled countries and national liberation movements coordinated their political, diplomatic and military struggles to bring an end to colonial and white-minority rule in southern Africa. The immediate forerunner of the political and security cooperation leg of todays SADC was the informal Front Line States (FLS) grouping. SADC do have 15 members (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Seychelles, and Madagascar(suspended)) which all of them are from southern part of Africa. Southern Africa is home to many cultures and people. It was once populated by San, Namaqua and Pygmies in widely-dispersed concentrations. Due to the Bantu expansion which edged the previous peoples to the more remote areas of the region, the majority of ethnic groups in this region, including the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho, and Shona people, BaLunda, Mbundu, Kikuyu and Luo, speak languages which share common Bantu language traits. The process of colonization and settling resulted in a significant population of European (Afrikaners, Anglo-Africans, Portuguese Africans, etc.) and Asian descent (Cape Malays, Koreans, Indians, etc.) in many southern African countries. The region has a wide diversity of ecoregions including grassland, bushveld, karoo, savanna and riparian zones. Even though considerable disturbance has occurred in some regions from habitat loss due to human overpopulation, there remain significant numbers of various wildlife species, including White Rhino , lion, leopard, impala, kudu, blue Wildebeest, Vervet monkey and elephant. Moreover most of the southern Africa country did produce raw material like gold, diamonds, and iron ore. Political and security factors Besides trade and the benefit of the efficiencies of a regional market, the reason for the establishment of a regional block, is to promote political progress, more especially for government which have been installed due to majority votes of its electorates and the population in a democratic election. The report stresses democratically elected government for a few reasons: To ensure that checks and balances are properly in place, thereby preventing against the concentration of power in a particular political office. To ensure that the views of the people are properly addressed, somewhat ensuring that the government is installed to ensure socio-economic development. These and some others are the reasons why we focus on democratically elected government. Furthermore, there are presently 16 countries in the ECOWAS, with the exception of Republic of Guinea and the Republic of Niger which recently were taken over by military juntas ( more on these nations will follow ) all the other members of the ECOWAS countries are ruled by democratically elected governments. REPUBLIC OF GUINEA In December of 2008 a military coup led by a junior officer in the Guinean army, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, seized power in a bloodless coup after the death of president Lansana conte, after years of hanging on to power. As mention earlier, the report focuses on democratic governments and this was displayed when people were killed by the military under the new government. Human Rights Watch accused members of the presidential guard of carrying out a premeditated massacre of at least 150 people at the rally and raping dozens of women. REPUBLIC OF NIGER The ousted president of the republic is president Mamadou Tandja, who dissolved parliament after the countrys constitutional court ruled against plans to hold a referendum on whether to allow him a third term in office. According to the constitution, a new parliament was elected within three months.This touched off a political struggle between Tandja, trying to extend his term-limited authority beyond 2009 through the establishment of a Sixth Republic, and his opponents who demanded that he step down at the end of his second term in December 2009. Besides the example of Guinea and Niger, the political situation in the western Africa sub region, have been marred by conflicts, civil, societal, political and violent changes in government and revolts. In Sierra Leone, the Congo and Liberia, we have conflicts that erupted from the disagreements for the control of the nations vast deposits of Diamonds. This act put these countries in a state of chaos, and also led to the enslavement of individuals, some of whom were used to mine for diamonds at gun point. There were also reports of child soldiers in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The conflict in sierra loane was reportedly initiated by a former corporal in the sierra leoeneian army, Foday Sanko, and he was rumored to be supported by former rebel leader and president of Liberia president Charles Taylor. After years of conflicts, these nations have however achieved relative peace, with new and hopefully stable democratic governments. The political situation in the southern region of Africa is one of relative peace and stability. With the exception of Zimbabwe which has had some unrest due to a change in government policies and a shift in the political situation of the nation. The same also lies for Madagascar, which had a change of government in a bloodless coup, by the mayor of the capital (Antananarivo); the nation was subsequently suspended from the SADC after the fact. Regional peace and security ECOWAS became concerned early on with peace and regional security which are necessary factors in the socio-economic development of the Member States. Thus, the Authority of Heads of State and Government adopted a non-aggression protocol in 1978, a defence assistance protocol in 1981 and a declaration of political principles in July 1991. This declaration which is a plea for democratic principles in the sub-region condemns unequivocally any seizure of power by force of arms. It must also be pointed out that in 1990 the Authority of Heads of State and Government created an ECOWAS cease-fire follow-up group called ECOMOG. This peace-keeping force had cause to intervene in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau. LIBERIA After it had been deployed in the Republic of Liberia in August 1990, ECOMOG worked there to restore peace, ensure security and law and order. It also engaged in many humanitarian activities aimed at reducing the sufferings of the people. In sum, ECOMOG helped considerably to create favourable conditions for the holding in Liberia of the free and democratic presidential and parliamentary elections of 19 July 1997. Eleven Member States of ECOWAS provided contingents for the operations in Liberia these are: Burkina Faso, Cà ´te dIvoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.Two other African States also participated, Uganda and Tanzania. SIERRA LEONE The intervention of ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone occurred following the overthrow of the lawful government of this country headed by President Ahmed Teejan KABBAH. In February 1998, ECOMOG restored constitutional legality and reinstated the government of the democratically elected President. All the antagonists in the conflict, namely, the lawful government, the RUF rebels and the members of the (AFRC) military Junta signed in Lome in September 1999 an agreement protocol on the final settlement of the Sierra Leonean crisis. Following the appeals made to the international community for it to give meaningful assistance for a final restoration of peace, a United Nations peace-keeping force UNAMSIL replaced ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS countries which provided contingents for ECOMOG operations in Sierra Leone are Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Nigeria. GUINEA BISSAU In June 1998, units of the armed forces of Guinea Bissau led by the former Chief of Defence Staff went into rebellion. On account of the bilateral defence and security agreements that linked his country to Guinea and Senegal, President Joao Bernardo Vieira asked for the intervention of the armed forces of these two countries. At the request of the lawful authorities of Guinea Bissau and in order to reaffirm its support for the elected government of Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government decided to restore peace and reinstate President Vieira in authority over the entire country. A mechanism for supervision and control of the cease-fire was set up by ECOWAS with the contingents of soldiers sent by Benin, Niger and Togo. In spite of the numerous cease-fire agreements signed between the parties to the conflict in Guinea Bissau, the democratically elected government of President Vieira was finally overthrown. Drawing lessons from this failure and in order to reinforce peace and security in West Africa, the Executive Secretariat of ECOWAS initiated the establishment of a mechanism for the prevention, management and settlement of conflicts and for the maintenance of peace and security in the sub-region. The ECOWAS Mechanism For Conflict Prevention, Management And Resolution, Peace-Keeping And Security Our sub-region has been ravaged in recent times by violent upheavals which, each time, have resulted in the wholesale loss of human lives, wanton destruction of property, and suffering and desolation for the innocent civilian population. These civilians are frequently pushed by famine and disease into taking refuge in neighboring countries or becoming displaced persons within their own countries. It is fortunate that on each occasion, the ECOWAS sub-region, unlike the other regions in Africa, has been able to set in motion ad hoc conflict resolution procedures which have made it possible to circumscribe its crises. ECOWAS peace-keeping activities have in the main been considered commendable despite a few shortcomings noted. However, in view of the heavy human, material and financial cost of such conflicts and their negative impact on the development of the states concerned and on the sub-regional integration process, it has now become necessary to shift emphasis from conflict resolution to conflict prevention. To this end, but also for better management of full scale conflicts as well as internal crises which are now the most common, the Heads of States and Government decided at their meeting in Lome on 17 December 1997, to establish a mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution and for peace-keeping. The scope of the mechanism would be extended to include security-related issues. With respect to conflict prevention, management and resolution, appropriate proposals were advanced regarding the establishment of an observation and monitoring system and a number of organs that would assist in containing and defusing imminent conflicts. The observation system would consist essentially in the establishment of a regional network within which states would be grouped into zones. A Regional Observation and Monitoring Centre should be established within the Executive Secretariat to give warning of impending crisis. All information having a bearing on regional peace an security collected by zonal bureaux would be transmitted to the centre. The centre will record and analyze all such data and take action on any signs of a breakdown in relations between Member States or of alarming socio-political developments within Member States. Four (4) observation centers were created with headquarters in Banjul (The Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Monrovia (Liberia) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The necessary political implications can quickly be drawn and appropriate measures taken. To facilitate this process, it is proposed that a Council of Elders and a Mediation and Security Council should be established. It was proposed to use African traditional practice as a guide and establish a Committee of Elders made up of eminent personalities from the sub-region, Africa and beyond, who would use their vast experience, good offices and competence on behalf of ECOWAS to play the role of mediator, conciliator and arbiter. Its members would be chosen by the Executive Secretary in consultation with the Chairman of Council as and when the need arose. A Mediation and Security Council comprising nine Member States will be empowered, on behalf of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, to take such emergency decisions as may be required in crisis situations. It is proposed that the Mediation and Security Council should consist of 9 Member States elected for a two year mandate, and that the current and immediate past chair should have automatic membership on the Council. The Council may consider and make recommendations on issues within its area of competence within any or all of the following bodies: the Committee of Ambassadors of the nine (9) Member States; the Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Internal Affairs and Security, and the meeting of Heads of State of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council. These different bodies may solicit the opinion of defense and Security Commission. Membership of the Commission shall be dictated by the issues for discussion. Member States may therefore be represented by their Chief of Staff, security chiefs, experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heads of immigration, Customs, narcotics, or border patrols. The Commission shall examine the technical aspects of defense matters and advise on the requirements of the administration and logistics support for peace-keeping operations. In cases of armed conflict, ECOWAS shall employ both political and military intervention. The term ECOMOG shall continue to designate the military instrument of ECOWAS. ECOMOG shall be based on a standby arrangement involving the use of national contingents that shall be earmarked, trained and equipped, and organised for deployment at short notice. Another major innovation is the proposal that ECOWAS should intervene to undertake peace-keeping operations in internal conflict where the situation: threatens to trigger a humanitarian disaster; pose a serious threat to peace and security in the sub-region; erupts following the overthrow or attempted overthrow of a democratically-elected government. The draft mechanism lays down the procedure to be followed where the decision is taken to intervene. Proposals are also made regarding the composition of ECOMOG, its chain of command, duties and functions and funding for administrative and logistics support. In order to correct the impression that ECOWAS has failed, in previous operations, to adequately support its peace-keeping operations with humanitarian action, it is suggested that, in situations of conflicts or natural disasters, ECOWAS should ensure a high profile with regard to alleviating the suffering of the populace and hastening the return of normalcy. A number of recommendations were made in respect of this and of peace-building. The scope of the mechanism was widened to include security issues, in accordance with the directives of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and Security. A number of recommendations in the draft mechanism attempt to address the concerns of our leaders concerning the movement of light weapons and ammunitions and the increasing incidence of cross-border crime. The Executive Secretariat has sought to combat small arms proliferation more effectively by preparing a draft declaration of a moratorium on light weapons based on the moratorium presented by Mali on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons and the Programme for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development (PCASED). The draft declaration has been adopted by the Heads of State and Government. The European Union generously made available to ECOWAS an amount of 1.9 million Euros for undertaking certain operational activities of the mechanism. Having addressed the issue of a security outfit in western Africa, it is worthy to note that the SADC does not have an established military outfit. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION SADC The community adopted objectives to look out for the welfare of the member states. In dealing with matters of anything against this i.e violation of human rights all must be put in correcting and condemning such situations. However this has not been the case on the ongoing Zimbabwean catastrophe, in fact this is one of SADC s biggest failures. In attending to the matter in which Robert Mugabe has been in power for 40years now, in which he unlawfully took land from white people who contributed a lot to the economy through farming giving it to poor black people who cannot even do anything with it, breaking his own black peoples houses. The opposition took a stand against all the wrong that was going wrong in the country earning many of them brutal military attacks, many died, many imprisoned for no good reason the opposition leader even ran to Botswana after alleged rumors of plots to kill him by the Robert-led millitary. All that SADC did was send the former South-African president Th abo Mbeki for peace talks between the ruling ZANUPF and the opposition MDC. This effort could be applauded however Thabo Mbeki happens to be one of Roberts best friends back from the colonialism days they fought for freedom together, which is why he and SADC adopted the silent diplomacy way to go about the matter. This proved very useless the situation worsened civilians were killed everyday for opposing the ruling party, many people died of diseases even worse the economy collapsed, taking things to the core the world imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe. The world spoke SADC kept saying we will do things our way. This is to say SADC needs more efficient, effective and stronger methods in matters involving peoples lives. They should condemn when democracy is not well practiced only Botswana and Namibia took a strong stance to say this is inhuman and the situation should be given more seriousness. Silent diplomacy is not working more power-backed methods must be put in place to see to it t hat peoples rights are not violated ,democracy an rule of law are seen to. There is a continuing loss of millions of lives to HIV/AIDS but the message is being spread on how to prevent infection. It then becomes a problem when a prominent leader in society like Jacob Zuma the current South-African president promotes promiscuity otherwise. The man is married to five women but 2years back he was involved in a rape scandal in which he was alleged to have raped an HIV positive women knowing of her status but not caring to get infected and passing it on to his wife. The man hid behind culture

Classical vs. Keynes Essay -- essays papers

Classical vs. Keynes The Classical model of the economy says that all markets always clear. The labor market failing to clear does not exist in the Classical model because of competitive exchange equilibrium in which prices and quantities always adjust perfectly. The Classical model is of a closed economy and the variables are real output, employment, real and nominal wages, the price level, and the rate of interest. It is easier to understand the classical model using five diagrams that are numbered one through five in Appendix One, The Classical Model. These diagrams represent the separate parts of the model that together illustrate, for the most part, the entire Classical model. Diagram one represents the production function, which shows the assumption that real output, y, is determined by the level of employment, N. So y is a function of N and from the slope of the function we can see that output rises as employment is increased. But there is a diminishing marginal productivity of labor, which m eans that each time employment increases, the increase in output will get smaller and smaller. Diagram one illustrates the relationship between output and employment in the short run, but does not determine the level of output or the level of employment. But when used together with other diagrams of the model, diagram one can be used to figure these things out. Diagram two is the labor market with the real wage, w, on the vertical axis and employment, N, on the horizontal axis. In the classical model, the supply of labor depends upon the real-wage level because as the real wage rises, more people are willing to work. The line SN represents the labor supply function and the line DN represents the demand for labor. As the real wage increases so does the labor supply function, but as the labor supply function increases, the demand for labor decreases. Because the Classical model makes real wages perfectly flexible and allows it to adjust to the level that clears the labor market, the real wage and the level of employment can be figured out by using diagram two. Once given the level of employment determined from diagram two, it is possible to use diagram one to figure out the level of output. So diagrams one and two, also know as the real sector, can be used to determine employment, real output, and the real wage without any knowledge of the monetary... ...se in bond prices. The decrease in interest rate causes an increase in investment and then this causes an increase in aggregate demand, which then causes income and employment to increase. This can be seen in diagram four, and then because of the increase in income, going back to graph three, we can see that this would cause an increase in consumption. From diagram five, we can see because of the increase in employment that this would cause a decrease in real wages. The decrease in real wages would then cause involuntary unemployment to decrease. Because of the different effects that money has on the economy in these models, they arrive at different conclusions. The Classical economy seems to be in favor of no policy since everything works itself out and ends up in equilibrium since all the markets clear. The opposite is true for the Keynes model, where they are in favor of government intervention since it is not inherently self-regulating and the markets do not clear. The Keynes model needs a little help from the government, or the central bank, to achieve equilibrium, where as the Classical model, assuming all assumptions were realistic, is self-regulating and all markets clear.

Essay --

Microchip Implant Technology is defined as an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, horse, parrot or other animal. The chip, about the size of a large grain of rice, uses passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. This device may appear innocent on the surface but as we take a deeper look into the subject the demons reveal themselves. I do not feel it is necessary or ethical to track humans with this form of technology. There has been much controversy over the last decade on the subject of Implant Tracking Technology. Implantations in humans has a lot of futurists worried. In October 2004, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the VeriChip in humans. VeriChip is a microchip, the size of a grain of rice, which can be implanted under the skin with a simple injection. Like the bar codes on consumer products, it stores coded information that can be read with a scanner. VeriChip is among the latest versions of an existing technology: radio frequency identification chips (RFIDs) that are small enough to be implanted in human beings, but used mostly by businesses to track their inventories and shipping companies to log cargo. RFIDs are also popular among wildlife managers, farmers, and pet owners: one million chips have been implanted in pets and livestock. The idea of tracking animals does not bring a negative feeling upon me unlike implantation in humans. It is one thing to track your livestock but when it comes to tracking humans it seems like such an invasion of privacy. Many people would likely welcome these tracking devices such as those caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, or parents worried about how well their day care center is wa... ...ers? You could be a ticking time bomb with your life in someone else’s hands. The Safe Medical Devices Act, which became a law in 1990, requires USA manufacturers of implants and medical devices, to adopt a method for identifying and tracking their products permanently implanted in humans, and to keep track of the recipients, in case malfunctions arise. Breast implants, pacemakers, replacement heart valves and prosthetic devices implanted in millions worldwide are all to be tracked. And one of the methods used to track these devices is implanting microchips which store data about the manufacturer, the surgeon, the date of implant, etc. The best way to prevent an invasion of privacy by implant tracking technology is to not receive the implant. At this point it cannot be forced. It is rumored that millions may already be carrying microchips in their body worldwide.

Use of Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth :: Movie Film Essays

Use of Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth The film â€Å"Yellow Earth† is the sad tale of a girl being forced to follow her â€Å"fate.† She sees an opportunity to escape in a foreigner, a soldier from the south. In this film, director Chen Kaige and cinematographer Zhang Yimou create windows into their characters. Several scenes are made more significant because of the use of mise en scene. This technique allows the viewer to see everything that happens during the course of the scene. The most impactful scene is perhaps when the soldier Gu is first brought into their home. Although the camera will show different shots, time is still continuous. It is not an interruption and is only moving to provide the audience with a better view. The continuousness of time is important because the audience knows everything that is occurring between the characters. The viewer hears their conversations and their silences. This use if mise en scene allows the viewer to get a sense of the tension between Gu and the family (as he is a newcomer), and between Cuiqiao and the others. There are two main angles that Yimou uses in this scene. One is centered on Gu and the other is centered on Cuiqiao, from slightly to the right of Gu’s perspective. Whenever the shot is facing Gu, it is at his level. Everything is level with his camera angle and straight with his life. Cuiqiao’s angle, however, is looking down on her. This is reflective of her current emotional state. She is sorrowful and repressed. Whenever a character performs an important action, the camera shows them. The first time that Cuiqiao and Han Han are spoken to, they become visible. Also, we see Cuiqiao’s reactions when they are important to her characterization. Gu speaks somewhat about the South and how free and wonderful it is. Cuiqiao’s curiosity is expressed on her face. The audience also sees Cuiqiao forgetting about what she is doing with the bellows.

Education and Classroom

Running head: STUDENT DIVERSITY 1 Student Diversity and Classroom Management Kelly Shipley Grand Canyon University EDU 450 March 17, 2013 STUDENT DIVERSTY AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT2 Student Diversity and Classroom Management When teaching middle school age student’s classroom management is an important aspect in the educational process, there are so many changes going on within the middle school student classroom, management is important to have control and success in the classroom. There are a multitude of strategies to help manage the middle school classroom.In this paper I will list five different strategies of classroom management. There are many challenges within the middle school classroom and knowing what strategies to use to keep control and management can be difficult at times. With the diversity of children in the classroom changes may need to be made. Some strategies may not work in one classroom but work well in another. â€Å"Classroom management refers to those a ctivities of classroom teachers that create a positive classroom climate within which effective teaching and learning can occur (Martin & Sugarman, p. 1993)†. The first strategy is keeping the lesson moving. Don’t just lecture for the whole class period. Find engaging ways to keep the students motivated. If you have a classroom of seventh grade English students, lecturing the entire class period would not benefit nor would it keep the attention of the students. Instead engaging the students with hands on activities would keep the learning process going and would alleviate some disruption in the classroom. Keeping consistency in the classroom is another great strategy to implement in the middle school classroom.Middle school students need consistency to keep control of them. Developing and maintaining a set of classroom rules will keep disruptive students at bay. Middle STUDENT DIVERSTY AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT2 School classrooms need to be structured and rules need to b e set and followed on an everyday basis. By keeping up with the classroom rules and never slacking will help students become responsible in their own self-discipline. When there is disruption in the classroom knowing what to do immediately will help detour any other disruptions that may occur.For instance if you have a middle school student that consistently talks during class time and is disruptive to other students, knowing what to do immediately will keep the class moving successfully. Kellie Hayden author of Top Five Classroom Management Strategies states â€Å"when students are being disruptive by talking, poking, pulling or crumpling up paper, go stand by them, this sends a direct message to stop what they are doing. Most of the time they stop and go back to work (Hayden, 2010)†.Getting to know your students is a helpful way in managing your classroom. Knowing who your students are will help you as a teacher know what is going on with your students. For example; you hav e a seventh grade student whose parent is terminally ill with cancer. For the past few weeks you have seen a change in attitude, and class performance in this student. The student seems withdrawn and has not turned in the past few assignments. Knowing the students family situation is helpful in knowing how to handle this situation.By knowing the students background will help in knowing if you the problem you see can be handled in the classroom by you the teacher or if you should seek outside help for your student. The last classroom strategy is probably the most important after the events that have happened this year. I think that classroom safety is very important in the learning process. If a student doesn’t feel safe in the classroom the learning process ceases. As a teacher it is important STUDENT DIVERSTY AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT4 hat students in your classroom feel safe and know that your classroom is secure for them to learn. With all the school shootings that have hap pened this past year, students all around the county have the need for safety in their home schools. As a teacher it is your responsibility to maintain a safe learning environment for your students. Keeping classroom doors locked is one way to maintain classroom safety. Not allowing objects that can be used as weapons in the classroom is another way to maintain safety.Making sure that your students know the rules of safety not only in the classroom but in the school as well will maintain the learning process and make sure that students can successfully learn. As I stated earlier there are so many strategies for classroom management and not all strategies may work in your classroom, but knowing which strategies do work and making sure that you keep a routine and consistency in the classroom will provide a successful learning environment for the students that are in your classroom and control among the students as well.STUDENT DIVERSTY AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT5 Resources Hayden, K. (2 010). Top Five Classroom Management Strategies-They Really Work. Retrieved on March 15, 2013 http://www. brighthubeducation. com Martin, J. & Sugarman, J. (1993). Models of Classroom Management, Second Edition. Bellingham, Washington: Temeron Books Inc.

The Shack, a Discussion of Symbolism

2/16/09 The Shack: A Discussion of Symbolism The Shack, written by William P. Young, tackles one man’s quest for faith and reassurance in God through several metaphors, parables and symbols. These symbols are used to compare the story religion itself; and from this comparison it is easier to grasp a deeper understanding. However, with this underlying symbolism, it’s possible to over analyze and disregard the fictitious nature of the book. Despite this, there are many symbols within The Shack that are essential to the story and the deeper significance within it. Symbols are used within The Shack to really enunciate the relationship transition that Mack experiences while visiting the shack and the new found relationship that he develops within the Trinity. Symbolism within The Shack is found almost everywhere, with symbolism it is possible to understand God through the analogies expressed. These analogies range from simple to complex and have many dimensions; the symbol itself and the reality it exposes. There are many different symbols hidden within the shack, some are obvious and some are vaguer. One of the more obvious pieces of symbolism would be the story of the Indian Princess that Mack tells Missy. (Young, 30-31) The story is a clear representation of the death of Jesus Christ. Missy is unnerved by the death of the Indian Princess and Jesus and raises the essential question, as to why God is so mean? (31) Mack answers the question the best he can but it still unnerves him. He says that Jesus didn't have to die, he chose to. He then tells Missy that  God will never ask us to do something like that, as Jesus already covered it. He's shaken though by the depth of his young daughter’s question. However, not quite as shaken as he will be in the days ahead as he wonders the same thing himself. In the coming days ahead When Missy is abducted, Mack will think back to this, thus, creating distrust in God for Mack. Now that Mack has developed a type of disbelieve in God, he becomes immersed in another piece of symbolism that he has taken to calling â€Å"the Great Sadness†. †¦he [Mack] allowed himself to consider the range of horrendous possibilities, and once it started he couldn't stop; the imaginations of good and evil all mixed up together in a soundless but terrifying parade. 53) This â€Å"Great Sadness† seems to be a lot like depression but there are some things here that seem to even go beyond such a simple definition. It appears to more than physical, more than psychological; it's almost a spiritual type of thing that hits to the very core of his being to where his entire world is impacted by its presence. It haunts his dreams, and leaves him in a stat e of almost perpetual fatigue and anguish. It can be argued that this state was brought on solely because of his daughter’s disappearance; however that may just be one of the factors contributing to the â€Å"Great Sadness†. Mack’s â€Å"Great Sadness† seems to come more from his loss of faith because of the loss of his daughters which could imply that both of these are the causes of his grief induced state. Whether it’s depression, or something else, Mack has a condition in which pain becomes so overwhelming that there are few options other than suppressing the pain, which is what Mack chooses to do. One of the contributing sources to Mack’s great sadness is the loss of his daughter, Missy. Missy can also be viewed as yet another symbol within The Shack. She is innocent and unassuming; therefore she can be regarded as somewhat of an inner child or symbol of youthful innocence. And now Mack could clearly see the voice that had called his Missy. It was Jesus playing in the middle of his children. (168) However, with her disappearance she brings despair and sadness to her family, therefore she is also representative of great pain and loss. Missy, can also be compared to Jesus. She was innocent, but ended up dying for no reason. Although her death was tragic and hurt her family, Mack manages to gain a new relationship with God from it. Much like Jesus, who died unjustly, but ended up saving humanity, Missy in a way saves her father. Another symbol found several times throughout the story would be the lady bug. Before the family leaves to go on a camping trip, Missy asks her mother and her father if she can bring her insects with her. Her father says yes, while her mother says no, because they will be safer at home. This is symbolic because it turns out that Missy would have been safer at home too. Perhaps the most noted symbols in the entire story would be the physical human representations of the Trinity. God is represented by a large African American woman; however this is just the form that God chose to spoke to Mack through, because â€Å"Papa† (God) says that God is neither male nor female. (93) Jesus is portrayed as a clumsy Jewish man. While the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman, who behaves rather strangely and flits in and out of Mack’s vision and can appear in more than one place at once, (128) these are all metaphorical representations of the manifestation of the Trinity. Mack in his first meeting with God following his cathartic regeneration of unloading his anger and rage sees God in a quite different manner than he expected, which is why God is portrayed this specific way. This materialization of God in this form is important because this isn’t a literal assembly with God. This is a parable or metaphor that represents Mack’s introduction to a God that isn't the remote, presentiment, ominous, hypercritical figure that Mack has believed him to be, until now. To reveal myself to you as a very large, white grandfather figure with flowing beard, like Gandalf, would simply reinforce your religious stereotypes, and this weekend is not about reinforcing your religious stereotypes. (93) God or Papa in The Shack isn’t revealing himself in all of his splendor and sanctity for a specific reason. This is because the general rationale of this weekend in the shack is focused upon constructing a relationship with God. Through this, Mack discovers the idea that God's love extends so much that God has chosen to reveal himself in a manner that Mack can relate to and identify with. God also wishes for Mack’s religious stereotypes to be abolished, so he can be closer with God. Mack’s religious stereotype of God in his head is similar to Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, like a sort of grandfatherly figure with a long white flowing beard. (73) So, Mack is shaken immensely when God appears to him in the way that he does, in order to try to bring himself down to Mack’s level. Through the symbolism in this story dealing with the trinity, Mack begins to start the road to restoration nd healing. The whole meeting in the shack is symbolic in itself because it is possible that it did not even occur in reality. Mack discovers that his accident was on Friday night, and also when he wakes up wakes up in the shack and it is cold (237) and also he appears to be in the same spot on the floor where he fell asleep (79) near the old blood stain. This leads to the conclusion that the manifestation of the trinity, may have occurred just not as a part of reality, more as in a visionary meeting. These events are seemingly real as Mack experiences them and he is able to grasp that there is a truth being represented here through this weekend at the shack and from that he reaches the truth about his relationship with God. Even though it is possible to conclude that the actual meeting did not occur, there is a reality here in the truth of the concepts and life changes that occur because of this meeting. The purpose of this metaphorical vision was to save Mack, so he could forgive and mend his relationship with God. Parables, symbols and metaphors are all essential elements in The Shack. They help to intertwine the pieces of the story together and allow for greater significance. Although some of the symbolism is blatant and quite obvious; there are other pieces of symbolism that are vaguer and harder to pick out. The Shack is a story about, healing and forgiveness, and within the tale of anguish and spiritual redemption there are symbols that act as signposts helping to lead Mack to conclusion and build a stronger relationship with the Trinity. Works Cited Young, William P. The Shack. Newbury Park, CA, 2007

Indonesian Traditional Music with Modern Music Essay

My name is Heru Sulaksono , I’m standing here today because I want to tell you all about Indonesian Traditional music call â€Å" Keroncong† . The history of Keroncong music itself was started when the Portugese invaded Indonesia in the 16th century, this music was first introduced by the sailors and the slaves on the portugese ship as known as â€Å"Fadu†. But weakening Influence of the portugese in the 17th century did not make â€Å"Keroncong† disappear from Indonesia. This music just continued to grow in Indonesia. In the early 19th century some Indonesian traditional instruments were introduced and influenced this music like the Seruling and Gamelan. The Golden age of â€Å"Keroncong† Music ended in 1960 due to introduction of rock music to Indonesia . Even with this music beginning to disappear, Keroncong music is still played and listened to but most of the listeners are old people in Indonesia. But in the 21st century the young generation of Indonesia ,is making many new breakthroughs to save Indonesia’s traditional music and make it known to the world, for example Bondan Prakoso Ft Fade2Black made a song titled â€Å"Keroncong Protol†, this song combines â€Å"Keroncong† With â€Å"Rap† and â€Å"Rock† the result of this combination is good music that everybody can listen to. This type of breakthrough can preserve Indonesian traditional music like the â€Å"Keroncong†. So the moral message that I want to tell you about is how the young generation of any country should be working to preserve their country’s traditional music. Every nation has its own traditional music, just like Indonesia, and everywhere in the world traditional music is disappearing. every young generation I think likes modern music better than traditional music. They think it’s not cool to sing traditional music or to like traditional music. Hey! It’s not that bad. f we want to preserve our traditional music it means that our next generation can hear that music. Even if you really like modern music it’s doesn’t mean you can’t preserve your nation’s traditional music, because there are so many innovations that can be used to preserve traditional music, like combining traditional music with modern music. This is just one of the innovations, that lets us save our traditional music! , so that is the message that I want to `tell to all of you, thank you for your attention,wassalamualaikum wr wb good morning.

Causal Argument: Does Violence In The Media Affect Children

Violence is found all around us in the media. Parents are becoming worried about what their children are exposed to. There has been an ongoing debate as to whether violence in the media can affect children to imitate acts of violence. After much research I have found there is a link between watching violence, and committing acts of violence. Children who are exposed to excessive amounts of violence on television, in video games, and through song lyrics, than children who are not, are much more likely to commit acts of violence later in their lives. Many wonder if watching violence on television can influence individuals to act violently, and many studies have found a link between viewing violence on TV and committing acts of violence later in life. For example, University of Michigan psychologists Leonard Eron and Rowell Huesmann conducted a study spanning decades where they watched over 800 preschoolers, and followed them until adulthood to see how television violence affected them. The study concluded that children who watched excessive amounts of television tended to be more aggressive towards other children. Eron and Huesman checked back with the preschoolers eleven and twenty two years ago, and found that the aggressive preschools became even more aggressive as they got older with more acts of domestic violence, and more traffic tickets than their peers. Many experts also believe that when children view violence on television they try to imitate what they see. For instance, there was an incident when a five year old, while watching the cartoon Beavis and Butthead saw the characters bsession with fire, and decided to light his house on fire, which killed his little sister (Children, Media and Violence). Not only are children exposed to violence on television, violence is also found in video games. With the recent advancements in technology, video games are looking more and more realistic every day. With the introduction of better video games systems, and graphics, video games are becoming increasingly popular with children and teenagers. Some might argue that video games cannot influence young people, because they are aware that the games are fantasy, but studies conducted by the Surgeon General and a National Institute of Mental Health concluded that the more realistic something looks, the more likely it will be learned. This simply means that the more realistic something looks, the more influential it will be to the individual viewing it. (American Academy of Pediatrics Online). The National Institute of Mental Health also claims that children up to age eight cannot distinguish between real life and fantasy, so when they play these games they believe that committing acts of violence is an effective form of problem solving. The National Coalition on Television Violence found that in Mortal Kombat, one of the best selling video games of all time, your object is not just to kill your opponent, but to master your skills at doing so (Children Youth and Family Consortium Electronic Clearinghouse). This kind of play has to affect children. People are most impressionistic when they are young, and they learn by their actions. They win the game for killing everyone. This teaches makes them more tolerant of violence, and more likely to commit violent crimes later in life. Music is another form of media, which influences children and teenagers. In 1995, Entertainment Monitor reported that only 10 out of the top 40 popular CD s on sale during the holiday season were free of profanity, or lyrics dealing with drugs, violence, and sex. Rap superstar, Eminem s CD titled, The Marshall Mathers LP as already sold more than 4. 1 million albums, and is currently at the top of the music charts (Billboard. com) has already stirred up tons of controversy with its lyrics. The Marshall Mathers LP has songs titled Criminal, Drug Ballad, and Kill You. According to Eminem s success, this is what people enjoy listening to. They do not seem bothered by the language or subjects. Not only are the lyrics explicitly violent, but they do influence the children who listen to it. Rap music is not the only genre of music containing violent lyrics. There was an incident where a teenager shot his parents, and claimed that listing to music by gothic artist Marilyn Manson drove him to such extremes. Marilyn Manson has created a whole new trend among young people. They call their look gothic and wear black clothing. Sometimes they paint their faces white, and wear dog collars, much like their idol Manson. If there is someone to blame for all this violence in our media, it would be the entertainment industry; however, they argue that they are giving the public what they want. This is not a true statement according to Michael Medved, who has written books where he analyzed media violence. Medved analyzed all films that were released between 1980 and 1992 and found that family films earned more than twice as much on average as violent films. This data is surprising considering that violent films made up over sixty percent of the films released. So, is the public really getting what they want The entertainment industry also claims that television does not harm children, because they can distinguish between what is real and what is fake. Once again, they are wrong. Many preschoolers while watching Sesame Street cannot tell whether the Muppets are real or fake. They do not comprehend that Big Bird is really a man dressed up in a costume (American Academy of Pediatrics). In conclusion, violence in the media does not seem to be going away. It is all around our children; on television, in video games, and in music. Until the entertainment industry decides to limit the amount of violence we are exposed to, it will always be a problem. Then again, without the media who knows where we would be today. We might live in a much safer society.