‘After Midnight’ makes you feel as if you were living in...

‘After Midnight’ makes you feel as if you were living in Harlem during the 30s. BY VANESSA FARIA The by-gone era of 1920s and 30s, jam-packed with illicit alcohol, street cars and loud noises, are often remembered as a time when music was more important than content. If that is true, then After Midnight is definitely a product of its time. After midnight is an effervescent new Lincoln center jazz venue performed at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The production will mimic the highly acclaimed musical, Cotton Club Parade by inviting special celebrities to take the stage, starring American idol winner Fantasia Barrino, Emmy nominee Dulà © Hill and Tony winner Adriane Lenox. It was an era when swing was big in Harlem, after Midnight is a jazz†¦show more content†¦In a present-day twist, everything about the plot and the characters has been recycled from the old days. The performers are energetic and smiling all through the play and there are many things that bring a smile to even the weariest faces, such as balloons, trumpets, tap dancers and a bit of romantic comedy; it all creates stage magic. Another key component that adds a lot of character to this modern spin of the Harlem Renaissance is the exceptional costumes by a Cuban designer, Isabel Toledo; she found enough sparkle, feathers and beads to dress a flappe r army. Although the true stars of this play are the performers from the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-stars, it’s clear that the stage gets caught on fire when Fantasia Barrino performed â€Å"I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,† her smooth yet fierce voice embraced Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh classic with obvious fondness. Isabel Toledo evidently likes Fantasia’s curvy body, designing to her a well fitting, electric-blue, lampshade skirt. She also interacts with the public when she sang the lesser-known â€Å"Zaz Zuh Zaz† (by Cab Calloway and Harry White), inviting the public to be a â€Å"part† of this fantastic Jazz extravaganza. It feels like the show, did not want to be seen as an old copy, and indeed, the tricks there are self-explanatory. The notion of combining old school with today’s era has an obvious effect of spicing up the foundation. Yet, it does not eliminate the thought that the cast could’ve

Good Mothers Bad Gang Free Essays

Anita Anderson Dr. Mike Calvert Teenage Wasteland 18, July 2011 Good Mom/Bad Gang Kids on the street, parents that don’t care, looking for a sense of family or belonging; do you see a child at risk? While in some cases this may be true, in many instances this is not the case. In her article â€Å"Mothers, Sons, and The Gangs† Susan Horton tells of three different gang members and their families. We will write a custom essay sample on Good Mothers Bad Gang or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although the families had different backgrounds, beliefs, and techniques they all shared in common sons who were gang members. They are mothers who care but have to face alone the battle of raising their sons in a community lost to gangs. In Horton’s article we are introduced to three different families whose sons are involved with gangs. Teresa Rodriguez who still feels foreign and timid about the culture of America. Maggie Garcia who was raised in the same neighborhood as her son and believes that loyalty to the neighborhood is just and understandable. Gayle Thomas Kary, because of financial struggles was thrown into the gang community and fought her best to save her son. These young men were all minors living in a society pressured by gang affiliation. Although their homes had loving mothers their gangs had friends, boldness, acceptance, and a way of life. â€Å"There may be several deep-seated, underling motives for joining gangs: â€Å"Those who join gangs are struggling with the classic, desperate needs of adolescence: for the end of childhood; for acceptance as an adult; for sexual, social and economic identity; for status and success; for respect and a sense of belonging†. Sheldon, Tracy, Brown 77) Not all of these aspects are apparent in gang members but at least one is. In Teresa Rodriguez’s case her son at thirteen unbeknown to her belonged to the gang Sur 13. Because of his boldness he was shot and the family home has been victim to drive-bys ever since. The bullet missed his heart and fortunately he survived. Still he did not learn his lesson and claimed that he did not care if he died. Finally his mother threatened to send h im to live in Mexico if he continued to go out. â€Å"He did not want that, so he stayed inside. But that has not stopped him from dressing or acting like a member of the Sur 13. After the incident of the shooting Rodriguez also found out that all three of her older sons were part of gangs. Her 16-year-old threw away his cholo clothes right when he heard about his brother. He had not been with the gang since then. The two older boys are very repentant, but it is the father had always left rearing the children to the mother he did not have a strong, active, male role model. So, perhaps he felt as if he had no other alternatives. Maggie Garcia also has a son who is a gang member but her view and approach to her son’s affiliation is very different. She was raised in the same neighborhood as she raised her son in; she understands how much the neighborhood could mean. During school her son got into a fight with a rival gang member because each claimed a different neighborhood. Her son was expelled and she felt the principal at his school was upset because my son had stated that he would die for his neighborhood, but if he had said that if he would have died for his country, the principal probably would have given him an award. This mom understood that the danger in the inter-neighborhood conflicts that her son gets into because other family members have been lost to such conflicts. Sadly this is not enough for her to forbid her son from being with his friends. She feels that by doings so would be like her son telling her not to be with her friends. Garcia follows similar problems as the Rodriguez family; she mentions her history and connection to the neighborhood. In this story the father is also absent and the mother supports her son and find it difficult to believe that her son is wrong. She does not have a bad relationship with her son but he receives no discipline or clear-cut parameters from her. She seems to feel that he is loyal to his friends and at times perhaps takes his loyalty a little too far. Garcia seems to adopt the â€Å"boys will be boys† attitude and does not want to believe that her son may be committing crimes or may be with the wrong crowd or may be in a gang. When he was arrested she insisted that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She could not accept that maybe he is doing wrong and that he should have known better than to be in such situations. She tells him to stay out of the fire but her words are not strong enough to keep him out. Although she is not a bad mother, she is not giving her son reason to stay out of gangs. Because she could no longer afford to live in a community where her son had more opportunities and alternatives her son joined the only other thing, the gangs. The story of Gayle Thomas Kary may be the saddest one because the she tried everything and when she finally thought she succeeded her son, Jamee, died as a result of gang violence. Kary did more than the others, discipline, rules and action. When she caught her son cutting up soap to look like cocaine she sent him to his father, perhaps a change of venue would make the difference, but three weeks later, his dad sent him back because he couldn’t control him. She tried reasoning with him telling him â€Å"†¦ fast life goes fast. â€Å"(Horton) When he was arrested for possession of cocaine Kary was highly relieved but to her disappointment he was let out on probation. Kary refused to accept him and he was sentenced to juvenile hall and a youth camp. When he was released he had a probation officer Kary could turn to. Jamee was tired of life on the streets and his probation officer convinced him to turn himself into a youth facility away from Los Angeles. Finally things were turning around and he really seemed to have changed. He was like the child she use to know Unfortunately when she let him go out with his friends to get something to eat he was shot and died. She did everything she could but still she could not save her son’s life. Unlike the other two mothers Kary was really able to turn her son Jamee around. She finally made him understand and she can say that his death was an accident. He was not just a number or a statistic of children lost to gang violence. Although, these mothers were, loving they could not help that a major factor was absent from their son’s lives, their fathers. The fathers may have been there but none seemed to take an active role in their children’s lives. Parents can make a difference in their children’s lives but many times they cannot do it alone. Gangs are not only the problem of the parents it is a problem of society. â€Å"To prevent gangs, society, police, and parents have to work together to keep gangs out of neighborhoods and also to address the existing gang problem†. Ojile) It may be easier to blame the parents but the truth is the parents are not only the ones to blame. We have to realize that in a society where gangs are the neighborhood it could be our son, our daughter, our nephew, etc. that is lost in the gangs. Works Cited Horton, Susan. â€Å"Mother’s, Son’s and the Gangs. † Los Angeles Times 16 Oct. 1988. Print. Ojile, Todd. â€Å"Gang Activity in Wichita. † Teenage Wasteland. Baker University, Wichita Campus, Wichita, Kansas. 25 July 2011. Lecture. Shelden, Randall G. , Sharon K. Tracy, and William B. Brown. Youth Gangs in American Society. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004. Print. How to cite Good Mothers Bad Gang, Papers

Implementation of Flipped Classroom - Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of Flipped Classroom. Answer: Introduction The smart office network is designed in cisco packet tracer 7.1 and the configuration the server and the wireless access point the Student_ID = 11638837 is used. A new account is opened for the management of the IoT devices using the ID and the wireless access point is secured with WPA2 PSK and for the passphrase also the student ID is applied. Thus for connecting the IoT devices the interface is changed to wireless and the student ID is used for connecting with the wireless router and enabling management from the tablet connected to it. From the above report it can be concluded that the development of the smart office network helps in better management of the office network. The effort of the users can be reduces with the development of the IoT network design because it helps in better management of the device using a hand held device. The network is configured such that it can be managed from remote location and helps in getting the status of the device connected to the network. The configured file of the network is attached with the report and it is named with the student id and the name as per the requirement of the assignment. Bibliography Rayes, A., Salam, S. (2017). The Internet in IoTOSI, TCP/IP, IPv4, IPv6 and Internet Routing. InInternet of Things From Hype to Reality(pp. 35-56). Springer, Cham. ZHAMANOV, A., MIRTSKHULAVA, L., SAKHIYEVA, Z., ZHAPAROV, M. (2017). Implementation of Flipped Classroom as Element of IoT into Learning Process of Computer Networks Subject in Suleyman Demirel University.Journal of Technical Science and Technologies,6(1).

Warning Flash Flood free essay sample

Humans are born saplings. Vulnerable at first, we begin to grow and branch out. Each person is different; they could be a vibrant spruce or a steadfast sequoia. Together we grow up in communities and with institutions or, in other words, forests. Other trees that influence our growth surround us. I fancy myself as an Apple Blossom Dogwood in full bloom. My vibrant personality emanates from my rosy flowers. As a sixth grader in the familiar woods of St. Michael’s Parish Day School, I first met Jose Rincon. Jose was a Sycamore tree. One day he would be tall and steadfast, always reaching for the highest goal. In a small class of approximately forty-five students it was easy to know everyone, but I never talked much with Jose until eighth grade. I sat behind Jose in history class and we were lab partners for science. At the time, I never thought much about our relationship. We will write a custom essay sample on Warning: Flash Flood or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Whenever we received history test scores, I would anxiously poke his red polo covered back to inquire about his grade. He always scored higher than I. Then in science we would giggle in the back of the room while Mr. Smith, our science teacher with a bushy walrus mustache, would sarcastically guide us through the dissection of a starfish. Jose was brilliant. He was a proud, yet awkward, Hispanic Sycamore sapling with spiky gelled hair that he never let anyone touch, complete with glasses and braces. We were not best friends or even close friends, but his smile was infectious and we regularly were reprimanded for talking and laughing. On Saturday, January 12, 2008, Jose and I, along with most of our class, took the placement test for a private Catholic high school. After the test and amongst the thicket of middle school saplings, we waved goodbye and went our separate ways. I spent that night at my friend Olivia â€Å"Liv† Wolfe’s house. The next morning, Olivia and I were deciding between watching the movie Knocked Up and the television series, Laguna Beach, when her mother called us to breakfast. Sleepily I dragged myself into the kitchen table and plopped down in a seat. Mrs. Wolfe was sorting through the morning newspaper on the island while Mr. Wolfe flipped golden brown pancakes on the stove. I watched her parents lazily while Liv ran to her room to answer her ringing phone. I thought nothing of it as it was probably our friend Nicole calling Liv about seeing a movie. Before I knew what was happening my entire life changed. â€Å"No! No! You’re lying! No!† Liv screamed from the other room. This was not the joking squeal for which teenage girls are infamous. This scream was filled with shock and pain. Everyone in the kitchen froze and my mind raced. Liv slowly stumbled into the kitchen doorway from the hall, her face stricken with disbelief. Still clutching the phone and shaking, she choked, â€Å"Jose died†. The flash flood hit me so hard I could not breathe. Despite being rooted to the forest floor, I felt as though I had been dragged under and did not know which direction the surface was. My lungs were screaming for air while my stomach plummeted to the ground and my heart was ripped into infinite pieces. All I could manage to stammer was â€Å"what†¦?† â€Å"Jose is dead. Nicole just called me. Isabel, Jose is dead.† Numb. I could not and would not feel. Not really aware of what I was doing, I walked towards Liv and together we went to her room. I burst into tears. I could no longer repress the overwhelming grief of losing a classmate. Liv and I called other classmates to confirm that Jose was actually gone. By the time I called my parents I was hysterical. That afternoon my eighth grade class and their parents gathered at St. Michael’s to inform everyone about what had happened and help ease the pain. Nothing could ease the pain of a drunken woman swerving off the road and hitting Jose while he rode his bike with another classmate of mine. That night I experienced an unsettling epiphany. Children have the tendency to believe that, because they are young and have their entire lives ahead of them, they are impervious to anything that may cause them serious harm or kill them. In a moment of sheer terror I realized that I could die. I was not guaranteed a long, happy life simply because I was born. I had experienced the death of an elderly person, but it was natural for an old person to die. It was unnatural and wrong for a thirteen-year-old to die. A sapling had been swept away in a flash flood. There was no warning and no time for him to prepare himself for the coming storm. The rest of the woods remained intact except for the void where Jose had been unjustly uprooted and carried off. He left behind both his parents and two sisters along with the many lives he had touched. Everyone experienced the flash flood and some will never recover. In l ight of the tragedy, I learned that there is a reason roots grow so deep into the ground. A tree’s roots give it life. We are all rooted in our communities, families, countries, religions, sports teams, and clubs. Through those roots we gain strength. Whatever natural disaster may come, our roots are there to anchor us and keep us grounded despite the hurricanes, tornados, or tsunamis. We never know what could happen to us, but losing Jose taught me to be grateful for the things I have thus far and realize that I could lose everything in a second. I was not prepared for that loss, but I know now to be grateful for every day and for the wonderful people in my life with whom I am blessed. Because of Jose, I no longer take the precious gift of life for granted.

Abortion And Ethics Essays - Fertility, Gender Studies, Free Essays

Abortion And Ethics Essays - Fertility, Gender Studies, Free Essays Abortion And Ethics Abortion Question What would happen if I were to walk into a crowded restaurant and opened fire on the people inside, killing one? Well, more than likely I would be hauled off to jail and sentenced for murder. If murder is illegal then how come everyday women are continually having abortions? What is the difference between abortion and murder both of them involve taking the life of a living human being. How come the question of abortion is still undecided? If it is illegal to go out and kill someone then it should be illegal to receive an abortion. Abortion, many women feel that abortions do not take the life of a living human being. Wrong, from the moment of conception that baby is a living, breathing creation of God. Plus most women have abortions during the third trimester of pregnancy. In the third trimester the baby is developing lungs, arms and legs and is starting to develop fingers and toes. So during many abortions the baby is breathing, kicking, and very alive. There are many ways that abortions are performed. There is the partial-birth abortion, salt poisoning, and the suction or vacuum. However abortions are performed they are cruel and unnecessary. There are many other options besides having an abortion like adoption. There are millions of couples around the world that want so badly to have a child and then there are the millions that are destroying babys everyday. The abortion procedures go as followed: Partial-Birth Abortions- when the baby is partially delivered and then the doctor jam a pair of scissors into the back of the babys skull. Then the scissors are removed and a suction tube is placed inside of the babys skull. The tube is then turned on and the powerful suction sucks the babys brains out. Then the baby is delivered the rest of the way and tossed aside like a rag doll. The partial-birth abortion is the most widely used abortion technique. Salt Poisoning abortions take place when the mother has a doctor inject into the uterus a saline solution. The solution travels its way down into the babys lungs and starts to burn. The salt beings eating away at the babys lungs and basically suffocates the baby. Most babies that are aborted by the salt poisoning method will look like bright red candy apples. This is because the salt burns the layers of babys skin making them bright red. The salt poisoning method is the most painful for the baby because it takes up to hours for them to die and then some are born still alive. The last abortion technique is the vacuum. Vacuum abortions start out with the doctor inserting a power suction tube into the uterus where the baby is. Then the suction is turned on and by the guide of the sonogram picture the doctor starts sucking off limbs of the baby. The baby is fully alive and moving when the suction grabs a hold of the babys arms or legs and rips them off. All that is left in the uterus after everything is sucked out is the head. Then the doctor inserts a pair of forceps and crushes the skull of the baby so the suction tube can remove it. The baby is not the only one that suffers; many mothers that have abortions may put themselves at risk of infertility, depression, or even death. Post Abortion Syndrome may cause; if not treated depression and may even make the mother resort to suicide. Infertility may happen if the doctor slips and cuts parts of the uterus or the fallopian tubes. Death happens when the doctor cuts part of the uterus and the fallopian tubes causing internal bleeding. She was a young mother, single and carrying a second child, struggling to survive on minimum wage and welfare. He was a prominent man that had built himself a career out of performing abortions on women. During a routine abortion their fates collided. Within hours Sharon Hampltlon was dead and Bruce Steir was fighting for his freedom. At the center of the case is Steir who performed about 1,000 abortions each year, mostly at clinics in Sacramento, Chico, Santa Rosa, Redding, and Oakland. A couple

Not all hybrids have electric motors and batteries

Not all hybrids have electric motors and batteries When it comes to transportation, hybridization is not new. Hybrid cars and trucks that combine an electric motor with a gasoline engine date back to the turn of the 20th century. Hybrid diesel-electric locomotives have been in operation for years, and in the 1970s, small numbers of diesel-electric buses began to appear. On a smaller scale, a moped is a hybrid - it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of the rider. So, any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power is considered a hybrid vehicle (HV). Today, when hybrid and vehicle are used together - think Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid or Honda Civic Hybrid - that vehicle, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Each of these vehicles combine an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor that receives electricity from a battery pack. Today’s gasoline- and diesel electric hybrid systems are very complex, high-tech wonders in design and operation. Components include controllers, generators, converters, inverters, regenerative braking and, of course, a battery pack - either nickel-metal hydride or lithium ion. HEVs offer benefits that their conventional gasoline or diesel counterparts do not have - increased fuel economy and fewer harmful emissions coming out the tailpipe. But to achieve the same results not all hybrid vehicles require electric motors and batteries. Here’s a look at three alternative hybrid systems. One is now employed in big trucks and could find its way into cars, one is likely to appear in a 2016 BMW and the third could be on the road in three years. Hydraulic - Not Just For The Big Dogs Last August I featured an article about a hydraulic hybrid system that has made its way into big diesel refuse trucks, the ones that come around once a week and pick up our trash. On a good day, a garbage hauler will eke out 4 to 5 mpg. Then there are all those icky, nasty pollutants pouring out of the exhaust stacks. But thanks to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), yes, those same government folks who monitor environmental laws and fuel mileage testing, a hydraulic hybrid system they pioneered increases fuel economy in the big rigs by as much as 33 percent and reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) by 40 percent. The principal of the hydraulic system is similar to a HEV. It recovers a portion of the energy normally lost as heat by the vehicle’s brakes. But instead of a battery pack, a hydraulic system uses pistons to capture the wasted energy by compressing nitrogen gas stored in a tank, called an accumulator. When the driver lets off the accelerator pedal, the wheels drive a hydraulic pump that pumps hydraulic fluid to compress the nitrogen gas and slows the truck down. When the driver accelerates, the nitrogen is allowed to expand and pushes a piston in a cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid. This action assists the diesel engine in turning the rear wheels. The hydraulic system performs remarkably well on the big dog trucks, but what about light duty trucks or passenger cars? The Center For Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota is working on that. The center’s â€Å"Generation 2† vehicle - a Ford F-150 pickup - utilizes a custom-built continuously variable power split hydraulic transmission. It is complemented with hydraulic accumulators to enable hybrid operation. To be competitive, the system must demonstrate advantages over BEVs. Design specifications for the vehicle include: vibration and harshness comparable to a passenger vehicle; a 0 to 60 mph time of 8 seconds; climb a grade of 8 percent; emissions that meet California standards; and the big one, fuel economy of 70 mpg under the federal drive cycles. Steaming Along Twin brothers Francis and Freelan Stanley, inventors of the Stanley Steamer, would likely approve of BMW’s innovative use of the same principal that worked to power their steam engine cars more than 100 years ago to improve the efficiency in modern vehicles. Called Turbosteamer, this system uses wasted heat energy from an engine’s wasted exhaust gases to contribute power to the automobile. This steam assist system starts with a heat exchanger located between the engine and the catalyst that turns water into steam. The pressurized steam is then carried to what is essentially a small steam engine. A second, smaller steam engine produces a little more mechanical energy. I began following this technology in 2005 when BMW said the two steam engines combined generated 14 horsepower and 15 pounds-feet of torque on a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. Additionally, fuel economy improved by 15 percent in overall driving. The automaker also said it intended to make the Turbosteamer ready for volume production in a number of its vehicles within a decade. Well, it’s 10 years later, will it see production? Since then, researchers and engineers focused on reducing the size of the components and making the system simpler to improve dynamics. They came up with an innovative expansion turbine based on the principle of the impulse turbine. The system is now smaller, costs less and the developers say fuel consumption is reduced by up to 10 percent during highway driving. While the Turbosteamer can’t compare its greenness to the BMW i3 all-electric car, a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy for an â€Å"Ultimate Driving Machine† is nothing to sneeze at. It’s possible a Turbosteamer equipped BMW vehicle will be introduced next year. Not Just A Bunch Of Hot Air The idea that compressed air could power a viable zero emissions car has been pursued for years by many respected engineers. In 2000, there was much ado about a new compressed air, zero pollution vehicle from French inventor and Formula One engine builder, Guy Nà ¨gre. His company, Motor Development International (MDI), rolled out an urban-sized car, taxi, pickup and van that were powered by an air engine. Instead of those tiny, tiny explosions of gasoline and oxygen pushing the pistons up and down, like in a normal internal combustion engine, the all-aluminum four-cylinder air engine used compressed air for the job. A hybrid version, using a small gasoline engine to power an onboard compressor for a constant supply of compressed air, was claimed to be able to travel from Los Angeles to New York on just one tank of gas. In 2007 MDI signed an agreement with Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile manufacturer to produce air cars in 2008, followed by the hybrid version in 2009. No cars were produced. That’s perhaps one of the reasons compressed air-powered cars have been the butt of jokes among the green car community. Today, the number of jokes has diminished. That’s the result of Peugeot’s introduction of the 208 HYbrid Air 2L Prototype at the 2014 Paris Auto in October. (Full Review). It employs a compressed air tank that turns a hydraulic motor for additional power or zero emissions city driving rather than a battery for the same functions. Like a BEV, during normal driving the car is powered by the gasoline engine. Compressed air is called upon for additional power when passing or traversing a hill. In this situation, power from both the engine and hydraulic motor are directed to the front wheels via an epicyclic transmission, similar to the planetary gear set transmission used by the Toyota Prius. In city driving, where less power is needed and emissions-free driving is the priority, rather than power provided by a battery, the compressed air alone motivates the car. The compressed air tank is recharged when braking or by using part of the energy developed by the three-cylinder gasoline engine to compress the air. During the Pairs Show, Peugeot said if another large auto manufacturer would buy into the technology to enable production in enough numbers to assure manufacturing affordability, the HYbrid Air could be on the market in three or so years. Two reports from Europe are suggesting, without naming the car company, that Peugeot has found an interested partner. Last Word It’s not certain that any of these three alternative hybrid systems will be available in production vehicles, and if they are, what kind of an impact they will have in the marketplace. What is clear is, electricity in the drivetrain isn’t the only way to hybridize a vehicle.

Gender Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Communication - Essay Example However, the major difference that plays a role in determining the manner which men and women communicate is their sexes. In the recent years, linguistics have begun studying the differences in the communication styles, between a man and a woman. The main reason for carrying out these studies is for purposes of identifying the differences in the communication styles that exists between a man and a woman. This in turn would help both men and women to adapt with each other, and hence form a meaningful relationship (Berger, 2006). The differences in these communication affects men and women in a variety of ways, and this includes in any social set up, and examples include in a religious set up, at work, in sports, and even in academics. Therefore, having an understanding on the manner of managing these differences is important in developing a relationship between a man and woman. This paper examines the various differences that exist in the manner which both men and women communicate. The roles that women and men play, is reflected in the manner which they are able to interact with each other, and the methods that they use for purposes of interaction. One of the most important elements that exist in the communication methods of women is to establish and maintain relationship with other people. This is one of the most dominant methods of defining the feminine use of the process of interaction. Berger (2006) explains that women normally use language, for purposes of developing connection, maintaining a sense of closeness, understanding each other, and providing support to each other. These are some of the essential elements that are needed for any relationship to be formed. Berger (2006) further explains that women normally value creating equality through achieving of asymmetry. In their communication, women are also known for expressing their emotions, and using language that can help in

Neoliberalism, growth and Accumulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neoliberalism, growth and Accumulation - Essay Example On the other hand, Japan went through a period of economic stagnation resulting from declining land prices while the unification of Germany also contributed to the slow economic growth in Europe. Essentially, all these observations imply that after the neoliberal changes that occurred from the perspective of the state and economy, the macroeconomic variables including inflation, interest and unemployment rates and aggregate outputs were affected (Glyn, 2006). In view of this, this paper will examine to what extent the macroeconomic variables of the neoliberal era are the result of neoliberal changes to the state and economy. By the 1970s, neoliberalism was increasingly becoming the prominent governance form in many economies of the world with its political ideals of liberating markets from governmental influences and interferences (Kotz, 2002). Seen as another way of looking at finance-led capitalism, neoliberalism was adopted in the place of capitalism after 1978. Neoliberalism came into being as a theory of political-economic practices founded on the notion that the well-being of humans will be guaranteed when individual entrepreneurial skills and freedoms are liberated in institutional frameworks with private property rights and free markets (Harvey, 2005). It follows, therefore, that neoliberal ideas and changes altered the way states operated and heavily promoted market-based economies that valued competition and efficiency highly. According to Campbell (2005), it was the exit of the state from its role in managing capital that led to the success of free markets and led to exceptional growth especi ally in the US. Therefore, financial liberalization led to growth in aspects such as consumption, investment in private business, financial internalization, land prices and technological productivity (Glyn, 2006). However, it is imperative to note that such growth and stability was mainly in the US because globally, the economy was facing

Family on Government and vice versa Essay Example for Free

Family on Government and vice versa Essay As far as the government’s functions go, it is the unit of the family that is able to gain the most benefits. I view the family as the most basic and the most unprotected aspect of society. It is the government’s ability to provide regulations, guidelines, and protection that the family is able to continue its development. It might be raised at this point that the individual should be considered the most unprotected unit of society. However, I persist in believing that it is the family. The individual can still become a member of larger societal units. In fact, the individual can even go so far as to become a member of government. It is because of this fact that the collection of individuals called the family is the most in need of the services offered by the government that presides over it. However, there are forms of government wherein it is the family that comprises it. In oligarchies and monarchies, for example, the royal family comprises the governmental unit. It is in these cases that the interaction is reduced to one of family with family, of ruling class family with non-ruling class family, of bourgeois family with lower class family. This can also be likened to the type of interaction described to exist between the family and the society to which it belongs. In other ways, the family is also able to affect the government. Because the family forms the entirety of society and because it is able to mirror the mechanisms of society, it is also able to mirror and spread the mechanisms of government. The family is in charge of the education of the younger generation with regards to the powers of the government, the need to follow the impositions of the government, and also the specific laws and regulations set forth by the constitution. The task of propagating the ethics and morals of a good citizen that obeys the government lie on the shoulders of the members of the family. The concepts of restriction of behavior, meting punishments for unacceptable actions, and of obeying authority figures are also first understood by the child in the confines of the family. (Hegel, 2001) Society on Government and vice versa The government is said to be the regulating institution of society. It represents the majority of the population and provides frameworks as well as maintains peace and order. However, as I have stipulated, I believe that the inherent state in nature is peace and not war. Why then would a government be needed to maintain peace and order between its constituents and even with other governments? The state of war is not inherent in nature. However, it is also very much present in observable society. Why is this so? I believe that war stems from the inability of society to meet the needs of its members. This is in accordance with the propositions of Habermas (1998). Because of the society’s inability to completely meet the needs of its members, there is unrest and turmoil. War and violent conflict arise from these feelings of dissatisfaction. It is only through a strong power of the will that dissatisfaction is allowed to exist in an individual’s consciousness. I believe that the ineffective structuring of society creates feelings of unrest and dissatisfaction. When those with more are given more and those with less are asked for more, society is placed at an imbalance. This imbalance is unnatural. It is not the natural order of things. There is disequilibrium in society and as a result, there are individuals who are abused and unsatisfied. Again, this is also in accordance with the views of Marx and Engel (1978) regarding ruling class and non-ruling class. There is no chance for equilibrium or stability to be attained because as Marx and Engel (1978) stated, the ruling class practices hegemony. They use their ideologies to maintain power over the lower class. It is only with active revolt from the lower class that the structure of society can be changed. Thus war becomes an option to those whose dissatisfaction has become so great that they can no longer live with it. Without the government, these feelings of dissatisfaction would reign across the world. There would, indeed, be numerous states of war across the globe. Peace would be hard to find and individuals would find it impossible to achieve their true personal goals in life. A government is needed in order to regulate the interaction of the ruling class and the non-ruling class. Without the government, society would be in a constant flux of change and revolt. It is the institution of the government that allows society to remain its peace and as such to progress. However, it may well be the case that the government is simply a tool of the ruling class to maintain power, a means to their option of hegemony. This is exactly why even though there are governments in place today, wars still occur. There is still a disequilibrium in the social structure. Also, the government is not representative of the majority. This is a fact stressed by Kant (1983) to be of the utmost importance in considering government models and systems utilized in a given state. There is, therefore, a type of government that will best serve the purposes of society and the individual. Although there are numerous forms of government, not all are adaptive to society and its members. The mode of government is a point of greater consideration than the type of sovereignty afforded. (Kant, 1983) Society, however, plays a greater role in government. It is more than just a place wherein the functions of government can be practiced. In fact, it is my belief that society and government act in much the same way that the President and the House of Congress act in a Republic government. That is that society and government act as checks and balances of each other. Although it is true that there is no clear definition of legal power that society has on a particular government – in the way that government has on society – it is also true that the dominant form of politics in a state are defined by society. Because most governments rely on society’s good will towards it, society is able to check and balance the processes of the government. In modes of government involving votation, society dictates the candidates to be deemed more capable and reliable to place in position. This is done through the ideologies espoused by society. Thus two different political parties can be chosen from but the thrust of the resulting government will be based on the value systems established by society on its members. For modes of government, on the other, hand that do not include an electoral system, society is able to operate as a larger checks and balances system. Because monarchies and oligarchies and other similar forms of government give the ruler the right to decree laws and statutes by himself, society plays a crucial role. Social agreement or social rejection may be the only difference between a ruler’s decree of implementing the death penalty, for example, as a punishment to a severe crime. Thus we see that society plays a large role in defining government actions even in these individualistic or familial forms of governance. On this point, however, the revision and reconsideration of laws in systems with electoral systems and with more formal methods of passing laws is also highly dependent on society’s moral and ethical stand. The three-strike law for example, wherein criminals convicted of a crime three times receive a heavier sentence or a longer imprisonment period, was not revised because the constituents of the State of California did not agree to the provision that only severe crimes would be subject to this law.

The Lasting Effects of the Columbian Exchange During the Age of Discove

The Lasting Effects of the Columbian Exchange During the Age of Discovery It should no longer come as any great surprise that Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas--Carthaginians, Vikings, and even St. Brendan may have set foot on the Western Hemisphere long before Columbus crossed the Atlantic. But none of these incidental contacts made the impact that Columbus did. Columbus and company were bound to bring more than the benefits of Christianity and double entry bookkeeping to America. His voyages started the Columbian Exchange, a hemispherical swap of peoples, plants, animals and diseases that transformed not only the world he had discovered but also the one he had left. The Old and New Worlds had been separated for millions of years before this voyage (except for periodic reconnections in the far north during the Ice Ages). This period of separation resulted in great species divergence and evolvement. There were still many similar species, such as deer and elm, but Europe had nothing like hummingbirds, rattlesnakes, and hickory and pecan trees. The differences were even greater in the southern hemispheres; the biggest mammal in Africa was the elephant, and the biggest mammal in South America was the cow-sized tapir. Both of these environmental systems struggled for a delicate sense of balance and homeostasis-- but their collision in 1492 began a whole new time of competition and struggle for dominance. The environmental impact of such a collision is enormous and should be looked at as part of our understanding of the Age of Discovery. PLANTS Thomas Jefferson once said that, " The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture." By this standard, Col... ...opened new windows to science and to all knowledge. The results of the Columbian Exchange come with mixed feelings, owing to the degree of death and slavery that such a clash of natures caused. But whatever the outcome of the two worlds "re-uniting," the Exchange was a major event in the process of discovery. Suggested Readings Crosby, Alfred W. The Columbus Voyages, the Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians: Essays on Global and Comparitive History. Washington, D.C.:American Historical Association, 1987. ---. The Voyages of Columbus: A Turning Point in World History. Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, 1989. Patrick, John J. "Columbus in the Curriculum: Ideas and Resources for Teachers of History in Elementary and Secondary Schools." International Journal of Social Education. 7.1

Demand and Supply Curves

We have a certain commodity, `pure Malaysia Laptop’, whose market we are going to analyze. Assume that exogenous (external) forces are equal in magnitude, while supply–demand curves are unitary elastic. Given a certain event/scenario, (a) analyze the curve/s affected, shifts or movements and the direction, and (b) effect to equilibrium price (P*) and equilibrium quantity (Q*) Scenario 1 a. Prices of optical drives suddenly increase The production cost has increased so the supply decreases and eventually the price go up.The supply curve shifts to the left. b. A new market-standard operating system is released to the market but costs at least 50% higher than the previous edition This issue is considered another production cost so the supply curve shifts to the left. The supply decreases and price goes up. c. News spread that local laptops were contaminated with melamine Demand decreases because people buy less due to the news so the demand curve shifts to the left and the Q and P both decrease. d.Video chatting and internet-on-the-go become fad New technology makes people buy more of the product so demand increases and as a consequence the demand curve shifts to the right and price and quantity both increases. Scenario 2 a. China laptop manufacturers were permitted to enter the Malaysian market Cheaper products attract consumers, so the demand for our product decreases. The shift in the demand curve goes to left and the P and Q both decreases. b. Average desktop computer prices have plunged to all-time lowsIf desktop computers become cheaper the demand for laptops decreases so the demand curve shifts to left and eventually the P and Q decrease. c. New taxes were imposed to laptops sales (per unit tax) Imposing new taxes to laptops is additional cost for the production. so it affects the supply and the supply curve shifts to left. so the P increases and Q decreases. d. A recession/economic downturn cause the income of consumers to decline and cause t he prices of laptop parts to increaseWhen consumer’s income decreases, the demand goes down and the demand curve shifts to the left. On the other hand the prices of laptop parts increases and that makes the production costs to increase so the supply decrease and the supply curve shifts to left. So the quantity decreases while we have an ambiguous equilibrium price. Scenario 3 a. Biggest local laptop manufacturer suddenly become bankrupt and the government gives subsidy to consumers to purchase `educational and computer-literacy’ related goodsBy the biggest local laptop manufacturer going bankrupt, our company’s supply goes up and eventually the price goes up. The demand curve shifts to the left. So the Q decreases. b. New production techniques were adopted by local laptop manufacturer and prices of inputs in the production of desktop computer decline significantly When the prices for laptops decease the demand goes up and as a consequence the demand curve shifts to the right so the price and quantity increase.

Group Lending and Mitigation of Adverse Selection in Microfinance

Maurya (2011) perfectly summarised the concepts of adverse selection and group lending. In essence, microfinance works on a joint liability model and the traditional theories of credit lending state that rural credit markets are imperfectly competitive and acquiring information about borrower types on who is risky and who is safe is not costless. This market imperfection leads to high interest rates and drives out safe borrowers from the credit market.In economic literature, this problem is considered as adverse selection problem and the joint liability model tries to solve the problem of adverse selection through group lending (Maurya, 2011). Group lending generally denotes a credit advancing model where individuals who do not have collateral form a group based on joint liability to access loans. It is widely regarded as one of the most important institutional innovations in development policy in the last quarter century (Morduch, 1999).The most understanding feature of group lendin g is joint liability. Joint liability to a group obligation that if one member of the group defaults on their loan all the other group members will contribute jointly to cover the defaulted amount. As a result the whole group is jointly liable for the pool of loans granted to each member of the group. Any member in default will spread the default to other group members regardless of them being personally in default or not.Recently many developments institutions have tried to use group lending to give loans to the poor and achieve the following: Avoid the use of collateral as it would be replaced by joint liability. pass off the screening, monitoring and enforcement of loans to the peers Reduce fixed transaction costs associated with issuing out very small loans The adverse selection problem occurs when lenders cannot distinguish inherently risky borrowers from safer borrowers. If lenders could distinguish by risk type, they could charge different interest rates to different types of borrowers.But with poor information, options are limited. The problem to lenders is that they cannot gather sufficient information at reasonable costs to determine the riskiness of the borrowers. As such to insulate themselves against losses of issuing loans at low interest to very risk borrowers they charge a high blanket interest rates for all loans. Adverse selection may lead to credit rationing as it induces lenders to charge everyone high interest rates to compensate for the possibility of having very risky borrowers in the customer population. (Morduch 2010).If the economy is consisting of safe and risky borrowers, only risk borrowers would remain in the market. Since safe borrowers regard themselves relatively safe debtors they will require a loans at low interest rates which is in tandem with their riskiness. Risky borrowers on the other hand know they are risky and would tolerate high interest rate as it perfectly relates their riskiness. As such when MFIs charge a high bl anket interest rate to avoid a mismatch in risk and return safe borrowers withdrawal from the market as they perceive the rate to be too high for their riskiness.Only risk borrowers would then be left in the market and all loan advances would be mad to risk borrowers – a situation that the MFI would be trying to avoid in the first place. So due to lack of information charging high interest rates to avoid risky borrowers would actually eliminate safe borrowers and attract risky borrowers – thus adverse selection. In principle, group lending with joint responsibility can mitigate this inefficiency (Armendariz and Morduch, 2010). Group lending mechanisms provide incentives to the borrowers to monitor each other to assess the creditworthiness of each member.Aghion (1999) showed theoretically how peer monitoring alone, with random formation of groups can help overcome adverse selection problems when monitoring is costly for lending institutions. Strong social networks have lower monitoring cost, which results in more credit being extended. Social networking provides a group of people who are well acquainted with each other and have a mutual trust in the economic viability and creditworthiness of each other. Poor borrowers cannot provide collateral to lending institutions and even when it is available, legal obstacles often prevent repossessing collateral when borrowers default. Ghatak, 1999). Ghatak (1999) have argued that group lending can solve this problem by taking advantage of information villagers have of each other’s type which is unavailable to the lender. Assortive matching can be discussed under two assumption: (1) when borrowers cannot distinguish the type of the other borrower – private information case and (2) when borrowers can distinguish the other borrower’s type. (Aghion and Gollier, 2000) Under the private information case, borrowers cannot distinguish if the other is of their own type – safe or risky.As s uch borrowers will form groups based on randomly selection cemented by their need for a loan. In such instances the group will be formed of both risky and safe borrowers. Due to joint liability safe borrowers can therefore repay defaulted loans on behalf of risky borrowers and in turn joint liability will reduce the interest rates which attract safe borrowers back into the market. Rates under such group lending will be reduced due to a frequent and stable rate of repayment. (Aghion and Gollier, 2000).Sometimes referred as negative assertive matching, this ensures that the proportion of safe borrowers in the group will generate returns high enough to cover for their defaulting partners. In turn safe borrowers will impose tough social sanctions on the risky borrowers so that they do not default deliberately. This implies that the lender can pass risk from risky borrowers to safe borrowers and thus reduce the overall riskiness of the group. Additionally, auditing costs, monitoring cost s and information gathering costs will be avoided.This enables the lender to reduce their lending rate significantly and still break even. As a result safe borrowers will be lured back into the market through negative assertive matching. In instances where peers have information about the type of the other borrower, safe borrowers will only group together and avoid risky borrowers in their group as this disadvantage them through joint liability. Risky borrowers on the other hand are excluded from safe groups so they will join together and form their own risky group – which won’t be so risky considering the benefit of joint liability.Since can positively assort themselves between safe and risky groups, the lending institution can charge differential rates between these groups depending on the overall riskiness of the group. Groups can be requested to provide information about their members if they want credit. This both reduce costs of information gathering and help the lender determine what class the group can be categorised into – safe or risky. Through use of assertive matching a differentiation previously inhibited due to information unavailability can be made and differential rates be charged to different types of borrowers.The level of gravity of social sanctions imposed by each member in the group helps increase the credibility of the group. As a result the higher the extend of social sanctions in a group the lower the groups risk of default and thus lower rates can be charged to retain safe borrowers. However, assertive cannot be able to completely solve the problem of adverse selection. For example in a group the better performer who is always covering for others defaults can deliberately default on his loan to distress the group and the whole group might default.This is amplified in negative assertive matching where a group may be highly dependent on the performance of one member. In conclusion, assertive matching can lower intere st rates and circumvent credit market inefficiencies even in the case where borrowers are imperfectly informed about each other’s type (Aghion and Gollier, 2000). REFERENCES: Armendariz de Aghion and Gollier. C. (2000), ‘Peer Group Formation in an Adverse Selection Model’, the Economic Journal, 110, p. 632-643. Armendariz de Aghion, B. 1999), â€Å"On the Design of a Credit Agreement with Peer Monitoring†, Journal of Development Economics, 60, p. 79-104 Ghatak, M. (1999), ‘Group Lending, Local Information and Peer Selection’, Journal of Development Economics, 60, p. 27-50 Kumar, A (2005), Self-help groups: Use of Modified ROSCA in Microfinance    Maurya, R. (2010) ‘Poverty Reduction through Microfinance: A study of SHG-Bank Linkage Model,’ the microfinance review, Vol. II (1), January-June 2010 Morduch J. (1999) ‘The microfinance promise,’ Journal of Economic Literature 37, 1569-1614 Group Lending and Mitigation of Adverse Selection in Microfinance Maurya (2011) perfectly summarised the concepts of adverse selection and group lending. In essence, microfinance works on a joint liability model and the traditional theories of credit lending state that rural credit markets are imperfectly competitive and acquiring information about borrower types on who is risky and who is safe is not costless. This market imperfection leads to high interest rates and drives out safe borrowers from the credit market.In economic literature, this problem is considered as adverse selection problem and the joint liability model tries to solve the problem of adverse selection through group lending (Maurya, 2011). Group lending generally denotes a credit advancing model where individuals who do not have collateral form a group based on joint liability to access loans. It is widely regarded as one of the most important institutional innovations in development policy in the last quarter century (Morduch, 1999).The most understanding feature of group lendin g is joint liability. Joint liability to a group obligation that if one member of the group defaults on their loan all the other group members will contribute jointly to cover the defaulted amount. As a result the whole group is jointly liable for the pool of loans granted to each member of the group. Any member in default will spread the default to other group members regardless of them being personally in default or not.Recently many developments institutions have tried to use group lending to give loans to the poor and achieve the following: Avoid the use of collateral as it would be replaced by joint liability. pass off the screening, monitoring and enforcement of loans to the peers Reduce fixed transaction costs associated with issuing out very small loans The adverse selection problem occurs when lenders cannot distinguish inherently risky borrowers from safer borrowers. If lenders could distinguish by risk type, they could charge different interest rates to different types of borrowers.But with poor information, options are limited. The problem to lenders is that they cannot gather sufficient information at reasonable costs to determine the riskiness of the borrowers. As such to insulate themselves against losses of issuing loans at low interest to very risk borrowers they charge a high blanket interest rates for all loans. Adverse selection may lead to credit rationing as it induces lenders to charge everyone high interest rates to compensate for the possibility of having very risky borrowers in the customer population. (Morduch 2010).If the economy is consisting of safe and risky borrowers, only risk borrowers would remain in the market. Since safe borrowers regard themselves relatively safe debtors they will require a loans at low interest rates which is in tandem with their riskiness. Risky borrowers on the other hand know they are risky and would tolerate high interest rate as it perfectly relates their riskiness. As such when MFIs charge a high bl anket interest rate to avoid a mismatch in risk and return safe borrowers withdrawal from the market as they perceive the rate to be too high for their riskiness.Only risk borrowers would then be left in the market and all loan advances would be mad to risk borrowers – a situation that the MFI would be trying to avoid in the first place. So due to lack of information charging high interest rates to avoid risky borrowers would actually eliminate safe borrowers and attract risky borrowers – thus adverse selection. In principle, group lending with joint responsibility can mitigate this inefficiency (Armendariz and Morduch, 2010). Group lending mechanisms provide incentives to the borrowers to monitor each other to assess the creditworthiness of each member.Aghion (1999) showed theoretically how peer monitoring alone, with random formation of groups can help overcome adverse selection problems when monitoring is costly for lending institutions. Strong social networks have lower monitoring cost, which results in more credit being extended. Social networking provides a group of people who are well acquainted with each other and have a mutual trust in the economic viability and creditworthiness of each other. Poor borrowers cannot provide collateral to lending institutions and even when it is available, legal obstacles often prevent repossessing collateral when borrowers default. Ghatak, 1999). Ghatak (1999) have argued that group lending can solve this problem by taking advantage of information villagers have of each other’s type which is unavailable to the lender. Assortive matching can be discussed under two assumption: (1) when borrowers cannot distinguish the type of the other borrower – private information case and (2) when borrowers can distinguish the other borrower’s type. (Aghion and Gollier, 2000) Under the private information case, borrowers cannot distinguish if the other is of their own type – safe or risky.As s uch borrowers will form groups based on randomly selection cemented by their need for a loan. In such instances the group will be formed of both risky and safe borrowers. Due to joint liability safe borrowers can therefore repay defaulted loans on behalf of risky borrowers and in turn joint liability will reduce the interest rates which attract safe borrowers back into the market. Rates under such group lending will be reduced due to a frequent and stable rate of repayment. (Aghion and Gollier, 2000).Sometimes referred as negative assertive matching, this ensures that the proportion of safe borrowers in the group will generate returns high enough to cover for their defaulting partners. In turn safe borrowers will impose tough social sanctions on the risky borrowers so that they do not default deliberately. This implies that the lender can pass risk from risky borrowers to safe borrowers and thus reduce the overall riskiness of the group. Additionally, auditing costs, monitoring cost s and information gathering costs will be avoided.This enables the lender to reduce their lending rate significantly and still break even. As a result safe borrowers will be lured back into the market through negative assertive matching. In instances where peers have information about the type of the other borrower, safe borrowers will only group together and avoid risky borrowers in their group as this disadvantage them through joint liability. Risky borrowers on the other hand are excluded from safe groups so they will join together and form their own risky group – which won’t be so risky considering the benefit of joint liability.Since can positively assort themselves between safe and risky groups, the lending institution can charge differential rates between these groups depending on the overall riskiness of the group. Groups can be requested to provide information about their members if they want credit. This both reduce costs of information gathering and help the lender determine what class the group can be categorised into – safe or risky. Through use of assertive matching a differentiation previously inhibited due to information unavailability can be made and differential rates be charged to different types of borrowers.The level of gravity of social sanctions imposed by each member in the group helps increase the credibility of the group. As a result the higher the extend of social sanctions in a group the lower the groups risk of default and thus lower rates can be charged to retain safe borrowers. However, assertive cannot be able to completely solve the problem of adverse selection. For example in a group the better performer who is always covering for others defaults can deliberately default on his loan to distress the group and the whole group might default.This is amplified in negative assertive matching where a group may be highly dependent on the performance of one member. In conclusion, assertive matching can lower intere st rates and circumvent credit market inefficiencies even in the case where borrowers are imperfectly informed about each other’s type (Aghion and Gollier, 2000). REFERENCES: Armendariz de Aghion and Gollier. C. (2000), ‘Peer Group Formation in an Adverse Selection Model’, the Economic Journal, 110, p. 632-643. Armendariz de Aghion, B. 1999), â€Å"On the Design of a Credit Agreement with Peer Monitoring†, Journal of Development Economics, 60, p. 79-104 Ghatak, M. (1999), ‘Group Lending, Local Information and Peer Selection’, Journal of Development Economics, 60, p. 27-50 Kumar, A (2005), Self-help groups: Use of Modified ROSCA in Microfinance    Maurya, R. (2010) ‘Poverty Reduction through Microfinance: A study of SHG-Bank Linkage Model,’ the microfinance review, Vol. II (1), January-June 2010 Morduch J. (1999) ‘The microfinance promise,’ Journal of Economic Literature 37, 1569-1614

Effective Public Management essays

Effective Public Management essays I have been employed in the public sector as a front-line staff worker for the past two and a half years under two different county Job and Family Services organizations. I have spent one year working with the Athens County Department and Job and Family Services (ACDJF), and one and a half years with the Fairfield County Department of Job and Family Services (FCDJFS). I have observed the different principles that Gordon Chase discussed in the essay Bromides for Public Mangers in a non-management position. During my stint as a public employee, I have spent little time distinguishing the differences between the private and public sectors. I have since formulated a new opinion since your class lecture on the public and private sectors. There are many differences that one may look over when reviewing the two. The private sectors primary purpose is to make money; with most or all the decisions being made internally. The public sectors primary purpose is to serve society, with the majority of goals and decision making coming externally (Chase, p.1). The public organization is monitored closely by individuals outside of the agency because it is the outside people whose taxes fund most public agencies. The general public is interested in seeing results. Public managers have the pressure of pleasing both their internal employees along with individuals outside the organization. These outside members include legislators and politicians, the media, the courts, community groups, federal a nd local officials, other public agencies, unions, and the general public (Case, p. 4). With all of these key players, decision making is often a lengthy drawn out process. Issues may be left unattended for fear that it may create conflicts with these external players. These external players have there own agendas and opinions on how you should run your agency to benefit their needs. As you can see, it is very difficult for the public manager to ma...

Communities & Ecosystems Food Web Poster Assignment

Communities & Ecosystems Food Web Poster - Assignment Example While saprotrophs helps in speeding up decomposition of matter, they act like detritivores but decomposition of matter by saprotrophs happens externally as opposed to detritivores that consume dead organism (Begon et al 326). Food web describes a collection of food chains. Food web shows different organism depending on more than one organism. This because some organisms such as owl as shown above on food web do not rely on one source of food like grasshoppers that only eats grass. Tropical levels are different levels in the food chain where organisms are categorized into either producers or consumers. This level depicts the transfer of energy from one level to another level. There are different levels in a food chain. For example, in a food chain above, first level comprises of producers, second level are herbivorous that feeds on plants. The next level is carnivorous which depends on herbivorous. Highest level is carnivorous that eats other small carnivorous owl is an example (Rastogi and Kishore 72). The first energy comes from the sun where it is used by plants to make food hence generating energy. The nutrient made from a plant through photosynthesis keeps plants alive. Energy is transferred to herbivorous as the first consumers of plants. The transfer of energy goes on up to the last of tertiary consumers. All energy from the sun is not used by the plant. When herbivorous consume plant to gain energy not all the plant nutrients are used to create energy, some are lost through passing out of feces. Herbivorous uses the energy gained from food consumption, but some energy is lost through respiration and heat loss (Rastogi and Kishore 75). The shape of pyramid varies as it rises to the top based on the fact that energy is lost from one level to another as stated above. From the food web above, not all grass is eaten by grasshopper to gain all energy transferred from the sun through photosynthesis. Energy

Industry Research Part III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Industry Research Part III - Essay Example This paper, written by Enrico Moretti, is a very good source for analyzing and researching what factors led wage inequalities to grow in many countries in recent years. The housing market faces challenges unparalleled in the history. Wage inequality is another threat on the economy that seems to claims more victim day by day. This article argues that declining wages and wage inequality around the world present two different problems. The high levels of inequality can definitely lead to adverse social, economic and political troubles that would bring insecurity and unrest. The second is that, global purchasing power will be decreased due to declining wages and it may cause a decline in the global consumption. The severity of wage inequalities and its impacts on all our spheres have been well detailed in this article. According to the report published by International Labor Office, there are severe wage inequalities that lead to unemployment for workers in 83 countries around the world. (Dewan S, 2008). It means, the wage inequality raises issue to the 70% of world population. According to the research, the US is one of the developed countries where the difference between highest wages and lowest wages has grown more rapidly. Wage inequality is referred to the difference between wages of skilled and unskilled labors. The increase in wages inequality can be measured by using nominal wages. The wage difference between skilled and unskilled labors is significant in determining inequality. In the US, it is a known fact that, due to increased demand for skilled labors in cities, skilled labors have moved to metropolitan cities where housing costs are higher. The average daily expenses also get higher. As has been discussed by Moretti (2008), skilled labors are exposed to high cost living. At the same time, it shows that a relative increase in their real wage

Employment Law Compliance Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law Compliance Plan - Assignment Example Please note that the descriptions contain the consequences of the violation of the employment laws. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies to covered nonexempt employees (Fox & Davenport, 2013). The rate took effect from July 24, 2009. The minimum wage in Texas and Federal are equal. The federal minimum wage covers the workers of businesses with more than $500,000 (Canas & Cross, 2008). However, the administrative personnel, executives, and professional workers are exempted from the protection of the minimum wage. The non-exempted employees deserve a pay for the overtime for time worked over forty hours. The employers are liable for minimum wage if they classify the employees incorrectly as exempt when they do not qualify such status. The violation of the law attracts a fine of more than $100,000. It is a requirement for the employers to offer safety to the employees as stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The employees should work in a safe environment that is free of hazards such as toxic chemicals, excessive heat and noise, and mechanical dangers. The employees can file their complaints with the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDIDWC) (Fox & Davenport, 2013). The employers are liable to compensate the employees as determined by TDIDWC or OSHA. Employers cannot discriminate against the employees who file such complaints. The law prohibits any form of employment discrimination based on religion, race, sex, sexual orientation, color, national origin, disability, and age. Additionally, the law stipulates that employers should not discriminate employees who comply with a subpoena (Canas & Cross, 2008). Employers who violate the law are liable to prosecution and charges imposed on them. The courts have the rights to compel the employers to give compensation to the employees who have suffered due to discrimination. The employers should not

Compare and Contrast of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Essay

Compare and Contrast of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin - Essay Example Even though the genre of both the stories is different, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty takes a humorous look at marriage and The Story of an Hour is more intense, but both deal with the negative aspects of marriage.Besides the main theme of marriage I think the writers also discuss how male and female react differently to situations. If the basic concept is woven around failing marriage then the two protagonists being of different gender provide an understanding as to how the two genders react in the condition. In the next few pages I provide a summary of both the stories and then discuss the two main themes of the stories, gender roles and marriage, under separate headings. Finally a conclusion is provided to the discussion. â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† by James Thurber The story deals with the life of Walter Mitty, and old man, who has a dominant wife who bosses around her way while Walter Mitty helplessly listens to her. In order to escape from this reality he li ves in a secret world, a world where he is the boss, he daydreams. In fact he daydreams so often that it is only when somebody else nudges him that he’s brought back to reality. It is interesting to see how he dreams of himself as being a supergenious surgeon or a brave soldier. The writer has used humour to describe the situations however, underneath this humour lies the failure of a person and his inability to do or say anything against a dominant person. It is to be noted that even though it would seem that a dominant wife is the most probable reason for Mitty’s secret life however, the author does suggest that Mitty is the one who follows people cowardly. Despite that marriage can be considered as one of the themes of this story and hence it’s being discussed here. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin Here unlike the previous story the protagonist is a woman who apparently has a weak heart. Her husband has died in an accident and her well wisher s are wondering how to break the news to her considering her condition. However, to reader’s surprise the woman is more happy than sad on hearing about her husband’s death. Thus, Kate Chopin too discusses the negative side of marriage. Even her condition can be partly blamed on the marriage and the stress it must have brought on her. She is happy to learn that she might finally be free. She is overjoyed. Even though it seems a little cruel but the author provides a different aspect of human nature. It could be that the protagonist felt nothing for her husband anymore, maybe the burden of marriage and a strained relationship had killed all her feelings. In the end it is learned that her husband had not dies in the accident. However, to everybody’s astonishment the protagonist dies of a heart attack. She finally does get her freedom. Marriage as a theme In our society marriage is the legal certificate that recognizes the existence of a man and a woman as husband a nd wife. However, this institution seems to have its own stresses and responsibilities and writers have now and then discussed the various aspects of this institution. Here we discuss the two stories that bring the negative aspect of the institution to light. Marriage involves understanding your partner in order to carry on the relationship, which is the same with any other relationship. However, when two people live together the sense of mystery is lost and when one of the partners happens to be of dominant nature the other inevitably suffers.

Energy Efficiency Maximisation in Large-Scale MIMO Systems

Energy Efficiency Maximisation in Large-Scale MIMO Systems Analysis of Energy Efficiency Maximisation in Large-Scale MIMO Systems Introduction and Motivation 1.1 Background The development of smart terminals and their application, the need for multimedia services rapidly increases lately [1]. The capacity of wireless the Quality of Service necessities of mobile applications of wireless communication networks is increasing exponentially [1]. Bandwidth Efficiency is typically one of the important metrics to Systems [1], [1]. Energy Efficiency become a metric for assessing the performances of wireless communications systems with some BE restrictions [1] [1]. 1.2 Research Motivations An accurate modelling of the total power consumption is the primary of (BS) antennas and number of active (UEs) for LS-MIMO systems [15]. 1.3 Research Aim and Objectives The research objectives which are briefly explained and summarized as below: To compare the performance of the proposed uplink and downlink of LS-MIMO systems for ZF, MRT/MRC, and MMSE processing schemes at BS. To implement a new refined model of the total power consumption for LS-MIMO system. To derive closed-form EE-maximal values of number of (BS) antennas, number of active (UEs), and the transmit power using ZF processing in single-cell system and new refined model of the total power consumption when the other two are fixed. To evaluate analytic results for ZF processing scheme with perfect CSI. To measure numerical results for ZF, MRT/MRC, and MMSE processing schemes processing schemes with perfect CSI in a single-cell scenario. To measure numerical results for ZR processing schemes with imperfect CSI, and in a multi-cell scenario. 1.4 Main Contributions This thesis has contributions to knowledge in three research issues for LS-MIMO system, which are the new refined circuit power consumption model, energy efficiency maximisation with ZF processing scheme, and deployment of imperfect CSI case and symmetric multi-cell scenario. Those main contributions of this thesis are summarized and elaborated more detail as follows: The circuit power consumption is the sum of the power consumed by different analogue components and digital signal processing. The new refined model of the total power explicitly described how the total power consumption depends non-linearly on number of number of UEs, number of BS antennas, and transmit power. The closed-form EE expression under the assumption of ZF processing scheme is employed in the uplink and downlink for optimal number of UEs, number of BS antennas, and transmit power for a single-cell scenario with perfect CSI. This option is driven by analytic convenience and numerical results likewise which are close to optimal. Analysis of imperfect CSI case and symmetric multi-cell scenarios deployment are extended using the same method above. A New achievable rate derived for symmetric multi-cell scenarios with ZF processing. 1.5 Research Methodology In the first stage of the research, literature review of past and current works on the area of MIMO, MU-MIMO, and LS-MIMO are extensively conducted to broaden the perspective on such areas of study. Furthermore, state of the art related to those addressed issues are deeply studied and intensively explored during this period. Following the literature review phase, implementation starts with formulating the EE maximisation problem. A new refined circuit power consumption model is proposed. All this then used to compute closed-form expression for the optimal number of UEs, number of BS antennas, and transmit power under the assumption of ZF processing scheme. The testing stage starts with simulation. All the simulations were performed using Monte Carlo Simulation techniques in Matlab. Monte Carlo simulation can handle very complex and realistic. Monte Carlo Simulation were executed for all the investigated schemes with perfect CSI, for ZF with imperfect CSI, and in a multi-cell scenario In the validation stage, numerical results are used to authenticate the theoretical analysis and make comparison amongst different processing schemes. 1.6 Thesis Structure This thesis comprises of six chapters, where each chapter is inter- dependent. Chapter 1 Introduction: Chapter 2 LS-MIMO-An overview: This chapter presents an overview of the LS-MIMO concept. Chapter 3 Literature Review- Energy Efficiency Maximisation in LS-MIMO: Chapter 4 Techniques to Maximise Energy Efficiency: The simulation procedures will be explained in this chapter. Chapter 5 Result and Analysis: This chapter describes description and evaluation for this investigation of LS-MIMO . Chapter 6 Conclusion Further Work: This chapter concludes the results of the implementations, and recommendation of developing revised model for LS-MIMO systems. LS-MIMO An Overview 2.1 Introduction to LS-MIMO Wireless communication is one of the most successful technologies is one of the most successful technologies in modern years, given that an exponential growth rate in wireless traffic (known as Coopers law) [1]. This trend will certainly drive by; for example, augmented reality and internet-of-things [1]. Figure 2-1:[6] 2.2 Antenna configurations Radio-Frequency (RF) circuit is usually connected to its physical antennas through an RF cable in a passive AA. A Remote Radio Unit (RRU) in with a Baseband Unit (BBU) has become a preferred configuration recently [1]. 2.3 Channel Measurements Realistic channel measurements have been carried out in in an effort to identify the main characteristics of LS-MIMO channels [15] 2.4 Channel Model Three types of channel models have been used for evaluating the performance of wireless communications systems, namely the Correlation-Based Stochastic Model (CBSM), the Parametric Stochastic Model (PSM) and the Geometry- Based Stochastic Model (GBSM) in [1]. 2.5 Processing Schemes Precoding LS-MIMO is based on linear processing at the BS. BS has observation of the multiple access channels from the terminals [6]. The BS applies linear receive combining to discriminate the signal transmitted [6]. The simplest choice is maximum ratio (MR) combining by adding the signal components coherently. In [6], this result signal amplification proportional to. Energy Efficiency Problem Literature Review 3.1 System and Signal Model The uplink and downlink of a single-cell multiuser MIMO system operating is considered over a bandwidth of B Hz [15]. 3.2 Channel Model and Linear Processing The M antennas at the BS are spaced apart such that the channel components between the BS antennas and the single-antenna UEs are uncorrelated [15]. The channel describes propagation channel between antenna at the BS and the UE. We assume small scale fading distribution [15]. 3.3 Uplink In [15], under the assumption of Gaussian, linear processing, and the perfect CSI, the achievable uplink rate of the th UE is (3.6) the pre-log factor accounts for pilot overhead and is the fraction of uplink transmission [15]. In addition, (3.7) 3.4 Downlink A normalized precoding vector and the downlink signal to the kth is assigned a transmit power of . In [15], assuming Gaussian codebooks and perfect CSI the achievable downlink rate of the kth UE with linear processing is (3.13) 3.5 Problem Statement The EE of a communication system is measured in bit/Joule and the average total power consumption (in Watt = Joule/second) [15]. The total EE of the uplink and downlink is (3.20) Energy Efficiency Maximisation-Techniques 4.1 Realistic Circuit Power Consumption Model The sum of the power consumed by different components and signal processing is the circuit consumption is [15]. A power consumption model is proposed (3.22) 4.2 Energy Efficiency Maximisation with ZF Processing The EE maximisation problem is resolved under the assumption that ZF processing is employed. This solution is driven by analytic and the numerical results [15]. For ZF processing, Problem 1 reduces to (3.30) 4.3 Extension to Imperfect CSI and Multi-Cell The analysis is prolonged to single-cell scenarios with imperfect CSI. A new achievable rate is derived with ZF forcing processing. The achievable user rates in single-cell scenarios with imperfect CSI [15]. (3.52) Simulation Setup and Numerical Results 5.1 Simulation Setup Simulations used to validate the system design guidelines under ZF processing and to make comparison with other processing schemes [15]. Numerical results provided under both perfect and imperfect CSI, and for single-cell and multi-cell scenarios [ 15]. For stimulating ZF, and MRT analytic results were executed and MMSE, and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to maximise EE [15]. 5.2 Single-Cell Scenario The chosen deployment model validated. 5.3 Multi-Cell Scenario A lot of studies have been carried out. Conclusions and Future Research 6.1 Conclusions This thesis focuses on the energy maximisation improvement of the LS-MIMO systems to cope with energy maximisation problem. The thesis has three main contributions; all are elaborated in detail. 6.2 Future Research Several recommendations, which may guide to the future research directions on LS-MIMO systems. Bibliography [1] K. Zheng, L. Zhao, J. Mei, B. Shao, W. Xiang and L. Hanzo, Survey of  Large- Scale MIMO Systems, in IEEE Communications Surveys   Tutorials, vol.17, no. 3, pp. 1738-1760, third quarter 2015. [2] D. Feng et al., A survey of energy-efficient wireless communications, IEEE Commun. Surveys Tuts., vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 167-168, 1st Quart. 2012. [3] T. Kailath and A. J. Paulraj, Increasing capacity in wireless broadcast   systems using Distributed Transmission/Directional Reception (DTDR), U.S. Patent 5 345 599, Sep. 6, 1994. [4] E. G. Larsson, F. Tufvesson, O. Edfors, and T. L. Marzetta, Massive MIMO for next generation wireless systems, IEEE Commun. Mag., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 186-195, Feb. 2014. [5] Views on Rel-12 and Onwards for LTE and UMTS, 3GPP RWS-120006, HUAWEI and HiSilicon, 2013. [6] E. Bjà ¶rnson, E. G. Larsson and T. L. Marzetta, Massive MIMO: ten myths  and One critical question, in IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 54,  no. 2, pp.114-123, February 2016. [7] S. Tombaz, A. Và ¤stberg, and J. Zander, Energy- and cost-efficient ultra- high-capacity wireless access, IEEE Wireless Commun. Mag., vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 18-24, Oct. 2011. [8] E. Bjà ¶rnson, M. Kountouris, and M. Debbah, Massive MIMO and small  cells: Improving energy efficiency by optimal soft-cell coordination, in  Proc. ICT, 2013, pp. 1-5. [9] E. Bjà ¶rnson and E. Jorswieck, Optimal resource allocation in  Coordinated multi-cell systems, Found. Trends Commun. Inf. Theory,  vol. 9, no. 2/3, pp. 113-381, 2013. [10] Y. Wu, R. Zhou, and W. Zhang, Active antenna system: Utilizing the full  potential of radio sources in the spatial domain, Huawei, Shenzhen,  China, 2012. [11] S. Payami and F. Tufvesson, Channel measurements and analysis for very large array systems at 2.6 GHz, in Proc. 6th EUCAP, Prague, Czech Republic, Mar. 2012, pp. 433-437. [12] Further Advancements for E-UTRA Physical Layer Aspects (Release   9),3GPP TS 36.814, Mar. 2010. [13] H. Boche and M. Schubert, A general duality theory for uplink and  downlink beamforming, in Proc. IEEE VTC-Fall, 2002, pp. 87-91. [14] R. Kumar and J. Gurugubelli, How green the LTE technology can be?in  Proc. Wireless VITAE, 2011, pp. 1-5. [15] E. Bjà ¶rnson, L. Sanguinetti, J. Hoydis and M. Debbah, Optimal  Design of Energy-Efficient Multi-User MIMO Systems: Is Massive  MIMO the Answer?, in IEEE Transactions on Wireless  Communications, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 3059-3075, June 2015.

Johannes Brahms Essay -- biographies bio biography musician

Johannes Brahms was a German Composer, Pianist and conductor of the 19th century or the Romantic period. He was one of the 3 B's or the Big three: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. Johannes was a very self-critic man he burned many of his pieces before he could get anyone's opinion on them and he burned all of his compositions that he wrote before the age of 19. Johannes Brahms was born on Tuesday 7th may 1833, in the city of Hamburg the birthplace also of Mendelssohn. Johann Brahms was himself a musician, and played the double bass for a time at the Karl Schultze Theatre, and later in the Stadttheater orchestra. In 1847 Johannes attended a good Burgerschule (citizens? school), and in 1848 a better, that of one Hoffmann. When he was eight years old his father requested the teachers to be very easy with him because of the time that he must take for his musical studies. Brahms?s boyhood days passed uneventfull. He grew up with his brother fritz and sister Elise amid the poorest surroundings. Fritz turned to music (the Neue Zeitschrift mentions his successful debut at Hamburg in January 1864) was a piano teacher in Hamburg, lived for many years in Caracas, and died at an early age in Hamburg of a disease of the brain. Elise married a watchmaker, much to Johannes? disappointment. As a boy Johannes worked and studied with his father and learnt lessons from books with his mother, with whom he would play ?four-hands? at the piano, ?just for fun.? There were never any doubts as to his becoming a musician. From early childhood he learn everything his father could teach him, read everything he could lay hands on, practiced with undeviating enthusiasm, and filled reams of paper with exercises and variations. The soul of the child went out in music. He played scales long before he knew the notes, and great was his joy when at the age of six he discovered the possibility of making a melody visible by placing black dots on lines at different intervals, inventing a system of notation of his own before he had been made acquainted with the method which the musical world had been using for some centuries. When Johannes was in his tenth year he had made such remarkable progress that Cossel thought it best to secure a more advanced instructor. He was thus put under the care of Eduard Marxsen (Cossel?s own teacher), the royal music director at Altona, who took him unwillingly ... ...for the folksong of his fatherland, which he used as themes for some remarkable variations a musical form, by the way, which he rescued by his masterly treatment form the disrepute into which it had fallen. No career, however, open up before him. He had to continue playing at the low sailors? haunts and to eke out his earnings by giving cheap lessons and arranging popular music for the piano or for brass bands. This hack work continued for what must have seemed a distressingly long time, and it was brightened for him only by the composition of three important works for his instrument, the scherzo in E flat minor (Op. 4) in 1851, the Sonata in F sharp minor (Op.2) in 1852 and the Sonata in C major (Op. I) early in 1853.] It was not only until the spring of that year that he for first time left Hamburg professionally. He undertook a tour with the Hungarian violinist Eduard Remenyi for the purpose of introducing himself and his works. At Gottingen they gave a concert in which the young pianist made a deep impression upon the musicians present. He and Remenyi were to play Beethoven?s Kreutzer sonata, but at the last moment it was discovered that the piano was half a tone too low.

apanese Cinema and Western Audiences

Japanese Cinema and Western Audiences: Why a Foreknowledge of Japan's Social, Cultural and Historical Background Is a Necessity in Order to â€Å"Properly† Appreciate Japanese Cinema and Western Audiences: Why a foreknowledge of Japan’s social, cultural and historical background is a necessity in order to â€Å"properly† appreciate Japanese Cinema. Discuss the claim that Japanese cinema cannot be properly understood by Western audiences without a wider understanding of Japanese history, culture and society. In this essay I intend to prove that a foreknowledge of Japan’s social, cultural and historical background is a necessity in order to â€Å"properly† appreciate Japanese Cinema.With reference to films such as Ugetsu Monogatari and Tokyo Story, my aim is to use my illustrative examples, analysis and references to scholarly sources to clearly show that in order to â€Å"properly† understand Japanese Cinema, a foreknowledge of Japanese histor y, culture and society is a definite requirement a western audience. The concept of world cinema has become commercially a genre. This genre creates the concept of the ‘other’; this is because it is other to what a western audience is used to (which is Hollywood or European cinema). It is also categorized as â€Å"third cinema†, with â€Å"first cinema† being Hollywood.This grouping normally means that the film is in a foreign language (non-english), it is culturally specific to the culture that produces it and is pre-occupied with culture and history or specific social and political ideas. These forms of categorization alone are evidence that western audiences consider Japanese cinema outside of their understanding of traditional cinema. To begin the argument we can relate to one significant theorist. Donald Richie moved to Japan during the occupation in order to study Japanese films, in order to gain an understanding of the Japanese national character, t o assist in defeating the Japanese military forces.In his long stay in Japan, he familiarized himself with Japanese theatre, art, culture, cinema and society. This allowed him to play the role of â€Å"mediator† between Japanese cinema and the west† Without Richie’s knowledge of Japanese culture, history and society, his appreciation for Japanese cinema would be sparse. Fumiaki Itakura commented on Western audiences â€Å"Japaneseness† was invented just one hundred years ago, and were based on cultural nationalism. They are not likely to understand the ideology of this â€Å"Japaneseness. † It is clear that Japanese cinema is too culturally specific for a western audience to ‘fully’ appreciate.Kenji Mizoguchi’s films have been put forward by critics and scholars as perhaps the most culturally specific Japanese films. His film â€Å"Ugetsu Monogatari† (1953) is a Jidai-geki film, (a period drama) for which he has become rec ognised as an auteur. Themes revolving around wealth, family and spirituality play a main role in the film. Freda Freinberg described the film as â€Å"Totally other to the world we knew† in relation to western audiences. The geisha dance scene would be completely disregarded by a western audience. Firstly her singing is very culturally specific, and is a Japanese form of chanting.According to Leger Grindon in reference to the â€Å"Realms of the Senses† , the geisha functions as a sign of the Japanese forbidden, and the surrender of emotions in replacement of sexual passion. Genjuro has left his wife, and is being seduced by Lady Wakasa. The camera work is very insignificant to how the dance is portrayed. The camera stays at a mid-shot whilst she performs, only following her movement. The dance is a Japanese traditional dance, it’s very slow paced, as she dances she waves a fan. During this scene the attention is never on Genjuro. We can see in back ground of t he shot that he is hypnotised by her dancing.Mizouchi wants the audience main focus to be on the dance. The traditional dance and song of this scene is very culturally specific, a western audience would not be able to â€Å"properly† appreciate it without a foreknowledge of Japanese Culture. The most significant part of this scene is the voice of her father. A low chant begins to accompany Lady Wakasa singing, this shocks the mistress and stops her from singing. The camera is still only focused on Lady Wakasa, the audience don’t see where the voice is coming from. The camera then pans slowly to their statue.Lady Wakasa falls to Genjuro using very exaggerated and expressive movement. This is inspired by traditional Kabuki theatre, which a western audience wouldn’t appreciate without foreknowledge. Lady Wakasa claims that it’s the voice of her late father. He is expressing his happiness for his daughter. These strong spiritual and religious themes are commo n in Japanese culture. Buddah, evil spirits, the omen, ghosts and after life are all common themes of Japan’s beliefs of spirituality. Leger Grindon comments on religion that â€Å"in few cultures is it taken seriously and as it as much a part of daily life as in Japan. This scene would be disregarded, and not ‘properly’ appreciated by a western audience, without a further insight to Japanese culture. Lady Wakasa’s spirit is used as a representation of Japan’s past. Genjuro is seduced by a spirit, this is a representation of being seduced to return to their fugal past. i Here Mizoguchi is using form to represent the past. A understanding of Japanese History is significant when viewing Japanese Cinema. In â€Å"Ugetsu Monogatari† there is a lot of narrative revolved around Tobei, who longs to be a Samurai, as it is a respected role society.The samuri status has also been criticized in â€Å"Life of Oharu†, as Oharu is disgraced by her family due to falling in love with a Samurai, which leads to her fate of prostitution. In â€Å"Ugetsu Monogatari† Tobei’s spots a famous general’s vassal behead his lord. Mizoguchi’s use of camera work means that the beheading is hidden from the shot. The main focus is not on the camera work and editing, (as it does in Hollywood) instead the camera work works around the action. Long takes and wide shots allow the action to tell the story. This gives the impression that we are viewing the scene in real time.Critic Freda Freiberg stated that â€Å"Mizoguchi is one of the masters of the long take. † A long take, pans out from the vassal as he begins to walk away. Dues to Tobei’s desperation to become a samurai, he kills the vassal and steals the head. To a western audience the idealisation of the samurai would not be understood without a wider understanding of Japans history. This means that an audience could not ‘properly’ apprec iate the film without a foreknowledge of Japans history. Yasujiro Ozu has been considered by David Bordowell as â€Å"quintessentially Japanese† . His films are made up of small domestic stories, shot mainly in interior sets.Unlike the Hollywood system, Ozu prioritised space over narrative. i In his film â€Å"Tokyo Story† (1953), he directly confronts the idea of where Japan is going after the war, in terms of national identity. He effectively documents a Japanese life at this time, and touches on the idea of society changing through their past, present and future. Tokyo Story really deals with three generations passing through life, but mostly with the generation that is passing out of it. The scene when the grand parents arrive at the house, they enter wearing traditional Kimonos and bow when greeting.This juxtaposes with their son who is dressed in a suit. Already we can see the grand father and the son playing representation of the changing generations: the grandf ather representing the past, and his son of the present. In another scene, the grandson is pictured studying English as a desk, wearing a baseball cap. This representation, as small as it is, shows the future for Japan and where it is headed. Baseball is an American sport that was adapted by the Japanese during the occupation. Also, by sitting the boy at a desk, Ozu is making a statement about what Japan’s future holds, in this he is relating to westernization.Relating to westernization is a common idea in Japanese films. For instance Seijun Suzuki’s â€Å"Tokyo Drifter† features night clubs influenced by western music, and even involves western characters in one of his scenes, making a statement about Japanese westernization. All of these representations would mean nothing to a western audience without foreknowledge of Japans social traits. In a later scene feature the grand father and his friends, he says â€Å"young people today have no backbone, where is th eir spirit? † He is touching on younger generation having no ambitions, and how times are changing.Ozu’s films commonly deal with role reversals, mostly between generations. As example the scene where the grandmother wishes to spend time with her grandchildren, we can see that the mother has little control over her son. He spins around in his chair and kicks his legs about as his mother tries to convince him to accompany his grandmother. At the end of the scene the mother (Fumiko), gives in and leaves her son to spin in his chair. In the case of the grandparents, their children are to preoccupied with their own lives to spend time with them, instead they send them away to a spa.These are two examples of how roles have been reversed, with younger generations gaining the most control. This is a representation of where Japan is headed, and that it’s in the hand of the younger generation. Without a previous understanding of the Japanese social state, a western audien ce would not be able to ‘properly’ appreciate the film to it’s fullest. Women’s status in society is commented on in the film, how their roles are changing. Noriko is seen working a desk job, she lives by herself and is only dependant on herself. She is seen throughout the film in a skirt and shirt, rather than the traditional Kimono.This is stating how women’s roles are changing. However Noriko appears to be clinging on the memory of her late husband. The grandmother asks of her to move on from the memory of her son, and find another partner. Socially, Japanese have presented a hierarchy with the male above the female. This is a dominant theme in â€Å"Ugetsu Monogatari† and â€Å"Life of Oharu†(1958) women are left in ruins because their man has abandoned them. In â€Å"Tokyo Story† it presents a modern picture of women in society, and show that although their roles may have changed, they still are classed below men.Noriko is still dependant on her husband, even after his death. Kishi Matsuo commented on women’s role in society â€Å"comparing today with the Ginkgo and Nara periods, I don’t find much difference, women have always been treated like slaves. † Without a wider understanding of Japanese society, the representation of women would be misunderstood. What the analysis of Mizoguchi’s â€Å"Ugetsu Monogatari† and Ozu’s â€Å"Tokyo Story† has clearly shown is that it is entirely right to claim that Japanese cinema cannot be properly understood by Western audiences without a wider understanding of Japanese country’s history, culture and society.Japanese cinema is too culturally specific that a western audience wouldn’t be able to ‘properly’ appreciate it. Japanese history, culture and society are all commented on throughout Ozu and Mizoguchi’s films. The content of this essay has explained that what is being commented on is too complex for a western audience, meaning they could not ‘properly’ appreciate these films, and Japanese cinema overall.