The long history of puppetry Essay Example

The long history of puppetry Paper Prehistoric miniature stone figures have been excavated in many places. We can only guess what they may have been used for. Scholars try to attach cultural or mystical significance to these finds. Storytelling and play acting with dolls are invented spontaneously by children the world over. The making of miniature figures is basic to human nature. It is a fair guess that the main use is simply entertainment. In the fifth century BC Herodotus writes about ancient figures operated by strings. Xenophon of Athens refers to a travelling Greek showman putting on a puppet show. These men did not discover something new, they were just early-published writers, and they wrote about what was happening. A 12th century woodcut shows two youngsters playing with figures of armed knights on strings. In a 14th century illuminated manuscript we see three girls watching a puppet show. It looks a lot like Punch and Judy. Theatrical scripts have often made fun of authority and the injustices of life. In societies where the authorities had more power than we nowadays give them they often reacted angrily to deserved ridicule. The Commedia dellarte was an improvised popular comedy in Italian theatres of the 16th to 18th century. It was frequently banned and was often performed on the streets. The characters Harlequin, Columbine and Pulcinella originated here. Italian performers exported their art throughout Europe and further afield. In the French language Pulcinella became Polichinelle, in Russian Petroushka, and in English Punch. They also invented the slapstick, a stick that has two small paddles at the end of it or is divided at one or both ends to make a noise when it hits anything. We will write a custom essay sample on The long history of puppetry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The long history of puppetry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The long history of puppetry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This is where we get the term slapstick comedy. Polichinelle was playing in France by 1630. Samuel Pepys was a civil servant who kept a diary. He wrote it for himself in his own private code but it was published after his death. It gives a fascinating personal view of 17th century England. In 1662 this diary records the first English mention of open-air puppet performances. Pepys writes that he watched the puppets a few times, once he stopped for a show in Hyde Park and it made him late for an appointment with the king. First known as Punch and Joan, the puppets became a popular diversion on beaches and in parks. The performers were often itinerants and were often mentioned in literature. As readers of Dickens the Old Curiosity Shop will know they were sometimes of not too respectable personality. Henry Fielding wrote his brilliantly satirical novel Tom Jones in the 18th century. There were concerns about violence in puppetry then as now. Tom Jones meets a travelling Punch and Judy man who claims to have cleaned up his show and made it into a moral and refined spectacle. The entertainer enjoys a couple of mugs of beer with the patrons of a wayside tavern and then physically assaults his assistant. Fielding has his hero comment that he much preferred the show in its old form. George Cruikshank, who made a name for himself by illustrating the writings of Charles Dickens was involved in the production of a book that preserved a street performance of a Punch and Judy show. Cruikshank and publisher John Payne Collier hired an Italian performer, Signor Piccini, to put on a private show in the Kings Arms, a tavern in Drury Lane, London. The show was stopped frequently so that Cruikshank could make drawings and Collier could record the dialogue. Both of these illustrations are by Cruikshank. Piccini may or may not have been an Italian. Then, as now, entertainers sometimes invented exotic names and backgrounds for themselves. He was a great puppeteer. He could have one of his puppets take off his hat with one hand, throw it to the other hand, and put it back on his head. Punch and Judy proliferated in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Shows were seen everywhere and some of the performers became prosperous.

Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members

Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members The salary and benefits paid to the Senators and Representatives of the U.S. Congress is a constant source of public fascination, debate- and most of all- fake news.   For example, one massively-sent email states, â€Å"Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term.† Well, maybe many citizens do not have that idea, because it is just flat wrong. Another infamous email demanding passage of a mythical â€Å"Congressional Reform Act† claims members of Congress do not pay Social Security taxes. That, too, is wrong Salaries and benefits of members of the U.S. Congress have been the source of taxpayer unhappiness and myths over the years. Here are some facts for your consideration. As of 2019, the base salary for all rank-and-file members of the U.S. House and Senate was $174,000 per year, plus benefits. Salaries have not been increased since 2009. Compared to private-sector salaries, the salaries of members of Congress is lower than many mid-level executives and managers. Rank-and-File Members: The current salary (2019) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year. Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose to do so.In a complex system of calculations, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect the salaries of federal judges and other senior government executives. Congress: Leadership Members Salary  (2019) Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members. Senate Leadership Majority Party Leader - $193,400Minority Party Leader - $193,400 House Leadership Speaker of the House - $223,500Majority Leader - $193,400Minority Leader - $193,400 Pay Increases   Members of Congress are eligible to receive the same annual cost-of-living increase given to other federal employees if any. The raise takes effect automatically on January 1 of each year unless Congress, through the passage of a joint resolution, votes to decline it, as Congress has done since 2009. Benefits Paid to Members of Congress You may have read that Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security. Well, thats also a myth. Social Security Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. Of course, they were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees Retirement System Act of 1986. Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation. Health Insurance Since all provisions of the Affordable Care Act or â€Å"Obamacare† took effect in 2014, members of Congress have been required to purchase health insurance plans offered through one of the Affordable Care Act-approved exchanges in order to receive a government contribution toward their health coverage. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, insurance for members of Congress was provided through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB); the government’s employer-subsidized private insurance system. However, not even under the FEHB plan was the insurance â€Å"free.† On average, the government pays from 72% to 75% of the premiums for its workers. Like all other federal retirees, former members of Congress paid the same share of premiums as other federal employees. Retirement   Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching to FERS. As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants contributions. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes. Members of Congress become eligible to receive a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed a total of 5 years of service. Members who have completed a total of 20 years of service are eligible for a pension at age 50, are at any age after completing a total of 25 years of service. No matter their age when they retire, the amount of the members’ pension is based on their total years of service and the average of their highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. Can They Really Retire After Only One Term? Those mass emails also claim that members of Congress can get a pension equal to their full salaries after serving only one term. That one is partly true but mostly false. Under the current law, which requires at least 5 years of service, members of the House of Representatives would not be eligible to collect pensions of any amount after serving only one term, since they come up for reelection every two years. On the other hand, U.S, Senators - who serve six-year terms - would be eligible to collect pensions after completing only one full term. In neither case, however, would the pensions be equal to the member’s full salary. While it is highly unlikely and has never happened, it is possible for a longtime member of Congress whose pension began at or near 80% of his or her final salary could - after many years of accepted annual cost-of-living adjustments - see his or her pension rise to equal his or her final salary. Average Annual Pensions According to the Congressional Research Service, there were 611 retired members of Congress receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of October 1, 2016. Of this number, 335 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $74,028. A total of 276 Members had retired with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of $41,076 in 2016. Allowances Members of Congress are also provided with an annual allowance intended to defray expenses related carrying out their congressional duties, including official office expenses, including staff, mail, travel between a Members district or state and Washington, DC, and other goods and services. Outside Income Many members of Congress retain their private careers and other business interests while they serve. Members are allowed to retain an amount of permissible outside earned income limited to no more than 15% of the annual rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule for federal employees, or $28,400.00 a year in 2018. However, there is currently no limit on the amount of non-salary income members can retain from their investments, corporate dividends or profits. House and Senate rules define what sources of outside earned income are permissible. For example, House Rule XXV (112th Congress) limits permissible outside income to salaries, fees, and other amounts received or to be received as compensation for personal services actually rendered. Members are not allowed to retain compensation arising from fiduciary relationships, except for medical practices. Members are also barred from accepting honoraria - payments for professional services typically provided without charge. Perhaps most importantly to voters and taxpayers, member of Congress are strictly prohibited from earning or accepting income that may appear to be intended to influence the way they vote on legislation. Tax Deductions Members are allowed to deduct up to $3,000 a year from their federal income tax for living expenses while they are away from their home states or congressional districts. Early History of Congress Pay How and how much members of Congress should be paid has always been a debated issue. America’s Founding Fathers believed that since congressmen would typically be well-off anyway, they should serve for free, out of a sense of duty. Under the Articles of Confederation, if U.S. congressmen were paid at all, they were paid by the states they represented. The state legislatures adjusted their congressmen’s pay and could even suspend it completely if they became dissatisfied with them. By the time the first U.S. Congress under the Constitution convened in 1789, members of both the House and Senate were paid $6 for each day there were actually in session, which was then rarely more than five months a year. The $6 per-day rate remained the same until the Compensation Act of 1816 raised it to a flat $1,500 a year. However, faced with public outrage, Congress repealed the law in 1817. Not until 1855 did members of Congress return to being paid an annual salary, then $3,000 per year with no benefits. Sources and Further Reference Brudnick, Ida A. â€Å"Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief.† Congressional Research Service (April 11, 2018).Feran, Tom. â€Å"Can members of Congress retire with full pay after just one term?† Politifact Ohio (January 11, 2013)

Android vs Apple

Both operating systems now dominate the smartphone market, Apple and android. It all began when Google launched its Android system six years ago. But that approach is quite different. Google is not software to allow mobile phone manufacturers to modify or adjust software for free, it just manufactures software. Google believes that by offering free services, you can increase advertising on mobile phones and Google that are more friendly to the Internet in the long run. Since Android is the world's most popular operating system that many smartphone users love, I believe this strategy has been successful. iPhone and Android phone are the latest mobile phone needs. But when Apple made Iphone 5, they guaranteed that the phone can be used up to 3 days. Papers on Iphone and Android essays can only be accessed from anti-essay. Apple Vs Android: S is also one of the top smartphones next to the Apples IPhone. Writing comparison paper on 28th March 2015: The paper statement used by Iphone and Galaxy Smartphone Apple Inc. is your first sentence, attracting the Galaxy series running on the Android system, of cell phones such as iPhones It became a major manufacturer. This system welcomes Google's competition between Google and Android Apple iOS is one of the most notable wars on the mobile gadget platform. The Google Android platform is a discussion paper dated 18th September 2016. It is an essay on Android and iOS. Customization is different from Android IOS used by Apple. Paper type: chapter of paper / paper. This article on October 11, 2014 will explain the main reasons why you need to use Android devices instead of Apple gadgets. Apple phone The iPhone and Android (or iOS and Android, or more precisely) was the best technical competitor in 10 years. In the past, the desktop war between Apple and Microsoft, Apple and IBM was halted. Both sides recorded some wonderful sales. Samsung is a leading manufacturer of Android mobile phones, which will post a sales volume of 385 .5 million units in 2016 and Huawei, Xiaomi etc will be adding more products, but Apple has 215 million units It is second in mobile phone. Profit: nearly 80% of the world smartphone's profit Analysts and bloggers are trying to position iPhone vs.. The history of the PC market is not an indication of this paper. Apple succeeds in Android's success, but since January 1, 2012 the success of innovation (to the short history of Apple's acquisition), Google released Android phone very soon, vertical method (software): Operating system and Microsoft. Apple February 19, 2016 FBI hopes Apple will help access to the iPhone 5C (due to its value this is not unique to the iPhone: my Android like my iPhone Mobile, September 2014 With the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple appeared on April 7, 2011. Friend: I like Google Friend Android vs. Android Speaking of closed system Has issued a statement on operating system developers and has not announced statements about developers.

Mastery of Course Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mastery of Course Objectives - Essay Example You can call me by various names viz. trainer, instructor, faculty member etc. I basically teach the apprentices who join us from time to time. I feel a sense of accomplishment when my students move from strength to strength. I would like to formalise this inclination for teaching. I want to join a college nearby as a clinical instructor. I want to take baby steps and reach the pinnacle of my field. I have a crucial role to play in leading them in their careers. I bring together nurses from diverse backgrounds, personal, and to some extent, educational, onto a single nursing platform. Being in the academic field, I can only be complete through further education. I want to enrol in doctorate programs which can give me the academic edge that others have over me. This would mean a steep learning curve, but I am prepared to go all the way to pursue my goal. Even the duration of my continued education is not an issue as long as I am the best in my field. Mastery of Program Objectives To b ecome a nurse educator, I need to know the objectives of the course that I have selected. I should understand the implication of each goal and how it can assist me in my career. I describe briefly below some of the important program objectives in the context of nurse education. In a traditional nursing setting, a faculty member is only expected to teach. However, this job goes beyond just teaching. It involves moulding the students and making them good nurses. It requires not only theoretical knowledge, but the practical implementation of theory. Moreover, research is required to take it to a higher level. I need to constantly update and upgrade my knowledge to succeed in this service oriented sector. I was under the impression that scholarship limits itself to research. â€Å"Boyer outlines four †¦ functions of scholarship †¦ discovery, integration, application and teaching† (Boyer Model of Scholarship). Discovery relates to the search of new information, whereas i ntegration is placing isolated facts in perspective. Application is putting knowledge into practice to serve the community and the campus. Finally, teaching is gaining mastery over knowledge and presenting it to others in an understandable form. I am also aware that education cannot be imparted in isolation. It needs to be linked to the practice of the field. As a member of the education committee in my ED department the ideas and strategies learned through this course were helpful in evaluating and revising our orientation program for our newly hired graduates. Hence, faculty scholarship activities can help bridge the gap between academic preparation and the implementation. I realise that I should chalk out my own path for improving teaching. So that students can learn better, I apply knowledge to various clinical settings to get a holistic view of the nursing practice. Hence, I further my career due to the varied experience that I can give to the graduates. At the same time I ensu re that I formalise it by continuing my own education in the nursing area. I keep myself abreast of the latest changes in nursing and nursing education. I diligently follow all journals and manuals in this field. I also plan to contribute to such publications. I ensure that all latest developments are taken up in class for the benefit of students. I also make my students inculcate the habit of regularly reading, discussing and putting to practice what they acquire from such publications.

Einstein doesn't like it Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Einstein doesn't like it - Assignment Example It discusses probabilities of phenomenon and it is impossible to visualize such particles that form the probabilities. However, the Newton laws of motion were different from the quantum laws as they worked on visibility of motion. The three laws of motion presented by Newton were the remarkable discoveries of that time. Another contribution to the world of science was Newton’s law of Gravity that was a breakthrough in the field of physics. On the other hand quantum mechanics argues that it is not possible to know enough about the present so as to accurately predict the future. It is an impossible task that cannot be achieved even with sheer dedication in terms of time and technology. For example, if an object is moving at a certain speed in a certain direction we can determine its position at a certain time period based on its speed and direction. However, in the subatomic realm we can only approximate where the particle would be at a certain time and the more we narrow our focus on one particle the difficult it gets to approximate the other particles’ movements. Thus the entire discussion in this chapter concludes that Newton physics predicts events whereas quantum mechanics focuses on the probability of events. The two fields differ in their focus on the basic unit of observation but they both hold great significance in the field of

Place like home Essay Example for Free

Place like home Essay They say that there is no place like home. I could not agree more. Simplicity and respectfulness towards others are the key characteristics that I believe I have acquired in my home. Although at this point in my life I have been living long enough in the United States for it not to be foreign for me, I know deep inside my heart my home is still with Tibet. My parents have built a home that is affectionate, cozy, and has faith. We moved here in the United State when I was three years old, but to me it did not seem like I moved away from my motherland. My parents made it a point that I still develop and possess Tibetan characteristics that will make me stronger and impenetrable to unwanted experiences. My parents taught me that even though life is hard, as they were immigrants trying to adapt the American way of life, they will get by if they have the support of family. They never kept anything from me. I learned of their hardships and I kept these experiences with me. I wanted to learn how to adapt to the new environment myself and with my parent’s experiences as my guide. Seeing how my parents flourished in spite and despite of the challenges they faced everyday made me believe that nothing is impossible with faith and determination. Just like my parents, I am determined to be successful and to overcome any obstacles that I face. I kept the religious side of me because it has been one of my pillars ever since time immemorial. Faith has kept me going and this is another one of the most valuable lesson that I learned from my family, I know that my thoughts and my beliefs are much more conservative than others, but this I do not regret. It is with these characteristics that I learned to respect other people’s beliefs and I learned to understand this too. In the same way that they respect me and my own religion I also respect theirs. All of these I learned from my parent’s humble ways. Never did I hear from them any complaints about our ethnicity or about how hard they worked. Only do I hear about their success and their determination to give me a beautiful life. A simple yet fulfilling and beautiful life is what I did get from them. The environment that my family made for me taught me everything that I needed to know to survive in this day and age. I believe that one does not have to be present in the country where he or she was born into to carry on traits and characteristics native to them. I deem that even in the presence of a foreign land with foreign people, key traits can still preserved through the guidance and support of family, most especially the parents. I have learned to interact with my school peers and I learned how to respect our differences and realized that it’s alright to be different. The United States is a place where individuality governs the most and is something that most people are not afraid to show. My experience is something that I believe cannot be taught in the school and is a lifelong experience that I would like to teach my children in the years to come. This is something that they can learn from and incorporate in their daily lives.

Adolescents on Mental Illness :: essays research papers

Watson, Amy C., Otey, Emeline, Westbrook, Anne L., Gardner, April L., Lamb, Theodore A., Corrigan, Patrick W., & Fenton, Wayne S. (2004). Changing Middle Schoolers’ Attitudes About Mental Illness Through Education. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30, 563-572. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article shows the attitudes and intellect of Middle Schoolers about Mental Illness. The investigators are interested in the amount of improvement that the Middle Schoolers receive after being well-informed and educated about Mental Illness. They are especially interested in the changes in the attitudes of the pupils that think pessimistically about Mental Illness. Finding out if a curriculum informing the students about Mental Illness would significantly impact them is the other main interest of the investigators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Previous studies show that many adults are almost naturally prejudice to people with Mental Illnesses. Most adults automatically stereotype them as people that are dangerous, shouldn’t be talked to, and have a slim-to-none chance of recovering. This comes from their lack of knowledge of Mental Illness growing up. In their childhood, they see Mental Illness as a disturbance and sway away from anything related to it. This concept is truly an unnoticed act of discrimination. Ultimately, the goal of the experiment was to find out how the minds of the students change toward Mental Illness after more knowledge of it is found out. The investigators supposed that there would be a bit of knowledge or at least some awareness of Mental Illness in the students’ minds. They figured that there would be many pessimists in the group (students that initially think negatively about Mental Illness.) Also, they assumed that the curriculum would benefit all of the students (especially the ones with the negative attitudes.) Method   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The investigators used The Science of Mental Illness curriculum to educate the students. This curriculum consists of unique scientific discoveries and case studies that help students understand the link between the sciences and their applications to health care. Some parts of the curriculum are classic, lecture-style teachings and some are more interactive including online programs and situations on video clips. The variety of the curriculum keeps the students interested throughout the 5-week program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helping the students understand that Mental Illness can be diagnosed and treated very well (unlike they might have thought) is one of the curriculum’s main goals. The other is to make the students more aware of Mental Illness and understand its different aspects. The curriculum is broken up into 5 lessons that cover everything from the brain’s functions to recognizing Mental Illness to methods of treatment.

Stock-Flow Trap in US Economy

The model used in analyzing the article is the Balance of payments model. This model determines payments from one particular country to all the others. It condenses all economic transactions that a country performs in a year. The country’s exports and imports of commodities may exist in forms of goods, services, financial capital, and transfers. This moulds the countries balance of payments. All transactions resulting to any payment or liabilities from debit holders and credit holders are indicated here. The calculation for the balance of payments involves the Current Account, derived from movement of goods and services; the capital account, consequent to capital transfers and the attainment and the discard of non-financial assets that failed to be produced; and the financial account, which accounts for movement of investments. This model involves the economic ideas found in the article like balances between investments both locally and internationally. It also involves the key reason for the high amount of critical stock of US. This model also touches the issue regarding dollar as a prime currency for both US and the world. However, to further explain the model and relate to the article of Eatwell and Taylor, the American Stock-flow Trap, we will need to define another macroeconomic concept, the liquidity trap. (Catherine) â€Å"When expected returns from investments in securities or real plant and equipment are low, investment falls, a recession begins, and cash holdings in banks rise. People and businesses then continue to hold cash because they expect spending and investment to be low. This is a self-fulfilling trap.†(Mike Moffatt) In the article, the stock-flow trap is the main subject for discussion. â€Å"The stock-flow trap happens when stock/flow ratios become large, players in the financial markets first become suspicious and then may very rapidly flee into liquid holdings as they sell all the liabilities of the economy in question.† (Eatwell and Taylor) The stock-flow trap creates the very foundations for liquidity trap to happen. This condition, as stated in the article, is also likely happen in stable economies like the US. During the 1980s budget deficit is $153 billion. This deficit gradually increases to $233 billion during the 1990s. At present, trade deficit still subsists in US economy. From 1980s, several administrations came out with plans to reduce budget deficit but these discrepancies prove that the policies were not that effective. Among these are the present policies of US President George W. Bush. Based on the article written by Heffner titled â€Å"Bush’s Economic Policies Pt. 1† the US government estimated a $5.6 trillion surplus. But upon office, Bush came up with a towering $2.8 trillion deficit. Because of this budget deficit, the federal government made amends through foreign borrowings that lead them deeper into the arms of stock-flow trap. By having these kinds of policies, the US government failed to eliminate the problem regarding critical stocks. Based on this observation, we can say that the US economy has not significantly change from the last two decades. Thus, a stock-flow trap still bounds to happen. (Heffner) References Catherine, L. M. (August 19, 1999 ). On the Causes of the US Current Account Deficit. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from Peterson Institute for International Economics Web site: http://www.iie.com/publications/papers/paper.cfm?ResearchID=353 Heffner, J. (Mar 21, 2003). Bush's Economic Policies Pt. 1. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from Jobs and the Economy Web site: http://www.mikehersh.com/Bush_Economics_Pt_1.shtml Eatwell, Taylor, J., L. (1999, September).The American Stock-Flow Trap. Challenge. 34-49. Mike Moffatt. â€Å"What Happens If Interest Rates Go to Zero?†Ã‚   2006.   The New York Times Company. december 12 2006. ;http://economics.about.com/cs/interestrates/a/zero_interest.htm;. ;

James Baldwin Essay

Has writing ever changed your life? Have you wondered about the author of the amazing work? James Baldwin was the author of books, plays, and essays that broke literary ground. His work explored social and racial issues regarding discrimination. James Arthur Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York in August 2, 1924 to Emma Berdis Jones and an unknown father. His stepfather was David Baldwin, a Baptist preacher and a factory worker. Baldwin grew up with an abusive father and a poor family with eight siblings. He wrote and edited the school magazine at his middle school, Frederic Douglass Junior High, at the age of 11. At the ages of 14 through 16, Baldwin was a Pentecostal preacher at Pentecostal Church, delivered by the difficulties of life, as well as his abusive stepfather, who was also a preacher. At the age of 15, a running buddy, Emile Capouya, recommended the young Baldwin to meet Beauford Delaney, an American modernist painter. Delaney became Baldwin’s mentor, living proof that African-American artists exist and that he could become one himself. You might be wondering what Baldwin achieved in young adulthood as he matured into the revolutionary writer he became. After attending high school, Baldwin started a string of ill paid jobs, self-study, but earned a literary apprenticeship in New York City. Around the age of 20, Baldwin moved to Greenwich Village, New York a popular home of African American artists and writers. While in New York, he befriended Richard Wright, a fellow African-American writer. At the age of 21, Baldwin landed a fellowship through Wright. He started to publish his first essays and short stories (ex: The Nation, Partisan Review, and Commentary). Three years later, at the age of 24, Baldwin moved to Paris on another fellowship. His personal life was lonely. He once loved Lucien Happersberg, a Swiss artist that he lived with while he stayed in Switzerland. He was single and had no children. His personal hobbies included writing and reading which lead to his writing career. He enjoyed writing poems, essays, short stories, and plays that were against discrimination. Baldwin was one of the leading voices in the civil rights movement. His work broke literary ground by influencing others. Maya Angelou called Baldwin her â€Å"friend and brother† and was greatly influenced by his work. He was especially well known for his essays on the black experience in America. He provided an unflinching look at the black experience in America through his work. Nobody Knows My Name, one of Baldwin’s touching books, hit the best-sellers list, selling more than a million copies. Early on December 1, 1987, Baldwin died of esophageal cancer in Saint-Paul-de-Venice, France. He was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, near New York City. Baldwin was cheerful and active days before his death, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. He had continued to write until his death at the age of 63. He had finished Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings, and had published The Price of the Ticket in 1985, just two years from his death. James Baldwin was an influential person. I learned that anyone can change things within and without your reach with determination. I was impressed that he was eager to change people’s perspectives of the world around them. The lesson that I learned from him was that one should do the right thing in bad situations. James Baldwin was a truly amazing person.

Satire on Global Warming Essays

Satire on Global Warming Essays Satire on Global Warming Paper Satire on Global Warming Paper I am proposing that the people of the world minimize their heat usage to the extreme. This means minimal heating in cars, houses, and the use of appliances that generate heat must be minimized. If everyone sacrifices this amount of heating, we can get the earth back down to a normal temperature. The use of hair dryers, curling irons, computers, copy machines, or any other electrical appliance which generates any amount of heat must be limited to an hour per day. At the present moment, most electrical machines r devices are kept turned on throughout the entire day, whether they are in use or just sitting somewhere producing heat, which in turn, is causing global warming. In recent news reports, 49 out of the 50 states have had snowfall in the same day. The only state that did not have snow was Hawaii. This means the typical hot states like Florida, Texas, and Alabama had snowfall. This is not normal, especially since this has been a repeated occurrence Global warming is causing chaos in the weather systems!!! This news should stop he people of the world in their tracks and cause them to change their ways immediately, but yet it does not. What will stop people in their tracks? When the world explodes because of too much global warming? This issue has gotten out of hand and it is time to end it. So, people of the world! It is your time to make a difference. Turn off the TVs, lights, and computers. Unplug the cell phones, hair dryers, and toasters. Use less electricity-sucking appliances which are heating everything up and join in the force to save the planet!

The Erosion of Language and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Erosion of Language and Culture - Essay Example A language represents human experience and knowledge, and, as such, must be preserved. Technology, specifically the Internet and electronic communications, offers an unprecedented opportunity to reinvigorate language and culture among a whole new community, one that exists in cyberspace. Keywords: Globalization, cultures, languages, homogenization, lingua franca, English, Internet.   The Erosion of Language and Culture: The High Price of Globalization The most important cultural issue facing the world is globalization and its overwhelming impact on so much that is culturally unique and worthy of preservation. The great downside of the technological revolution that has super-connected the most distant reaches of the planet is the homogenization of disparate cultures. While the developmental and economic benefits of electronic communication technologies cannot be denied, particularly in economically disadvantaged countries, the means by which â€Å"improvement† is accomplished is also the means by which traditions are marginalized and, most significantly, by which languages are threatened. Language is the expression of a culture’s soul and the repository of its history and artistic achievement. Yet globalization and the concomitant spread of the English language have contributed to the extinction of many languages and threaten countless others. It is as if technology and finance have succeeded in accomplishing, in a relatively short span of time, what centuries of imperialism, subjugation, and criminalization of native languages could not. Language extinction is not simply a matter of natural selection, a Darwinian weeding-out of moribund tongues. â€Å"Languages change as they pass from the lips of one generation to the next, but there is nothing about this process of transmission which makes for decay or extinction† (Ostler, 2006). When English overwhelms an ancient language it is, to be sure, a matter of â€Å"survival of the fittest.â €  It is also an erosion of human knowledge, a marginalization of the expressing and sharing of human experience (Haviland, Prins, McBride & Walrath, 2009, p. 170-71). As the medium for transmitting and growing culture, language is the source of the most desperate cultural struggle against the assimilating effects of globalization. In Haviland, there are two sections that address this issue, expanding on globalization as something much more than a mindless technological phenomenon that sprang into being so that countries could do business rapidly and efficiently. In â€Å"Language and Communication† and â€Å"Global Changes and the Role of Anthropology,† language is examined as an exploitable and vulnerable precious resource (Haviland, Prins, et al, 2009, pp. 162, 316). This being so, the rise of globalization has inspired a consequent reaction in many countries. Where once languages were taken for granted, many countries now regard their native tongues as priceless assets to be protected against foreign incursion. In France, a growing concern over the purity of the French language has led the government to launch a dubious campaign to expunge English terms, such as le hamburger and e-mail (Haviland, Prins, et al, 2009, p. 170).  Ã‚  

To What Extent Does the Principle of Good Faith Play in English Contra Research Paper

To What Extent Does the Principle of Good Faith Play in English Contract Law, and French Contract Law - Research Paper Example In this context, Collins (1994, 230) stated that â€Å"the traditional solution for international transactions invokes the choice of law rules of private international law; under these rules, now codified by the Rome Convention, the parties to a contract are free to select the governing law, and in the absence of an express choice, the default rule applies the law which is most closely connected to the transaction†. In other words, the law applicable in a specific contract is decided primarily by the parties of this contract and only in cases that no special provision exists, then this issue is resolved directly by the relevant legal provisions referring to jurisdiction in cases of international transactions. The examination of the validity and the content of a contract has been traditionally an issue of primary importance for countries of civil law. For common law countries, the above issues are also extensively examined by the courts. In this context, the study of Beatson et al., (1997, 14) showed that â€Å"once the contract passes the test of initial validity, the control of its terms on the ground of unfairness becomes problematical since it is in direct conflict with the notion of freedom of contract; nevertheless, the law has for centuries possessed tools that could be utilized in order to exercise such control, notably the doctrine of public policy and the equitable rules against penalty and forfeiture; the doctrine of good faith provides another important tool for the control of contractual terms and their application; the doctrine has long been recognized by continental law; recently it has been gradually absorbed by a number of common law jurisdictions†. In accordance with the above researcher, the doctrine of ‘good faith’ is not broadly used in common law countries but only in cases where its application is inevitable taking into account the circumstances of a specific country and the behaviour of the parties involved. As pointed out by Summers (1968, 198) ‘Without a principle of good faith, a judge might, in particular cases, be unable to do justice at all, or he might be able to do it only at the cost of fictionalizing existing legal concepts and rules, thereby snarling up the law for future cases; in begetting snarl, fiction may introduce inequity, unclarity or unpredictability; in addition, fiction can divert analytical focus or even cast aspersions on an innocent party’.