Detailed analysis of a chosen photograph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Detailed analysis of a chosen photograph - Essay Example The photographer is sharing the piece of his perceptional reality with the audience. The ship in the middle of the river is always journeying towards the home. Formal Elements: The picture â€Å"Rowing Home the Schoof-stuff† is an attempt of Peter Henry Emerson to widen the human vision with the depiction of a sole human existence in the wider scope of a scene (depicting the long life of a laborer). Emerson used selective focus to intensify the idea of weariness and loneliness of a laborer on his way home. The use of platinum printing is to fade away any bright toning and to add a more infused mood to create an impressionistic image. The image, like many other images following naturalism rules, did not use light, posturing and pretension. The concepts of retouching and the scientific elements that forego naturalist ideals of a scene are not used. The picture is innovative in creating and promoting impressionistic vision to be identified and followed by successors of Peterson. Historical Analysis The picture is taken by Emerson in 1886 as a part of his naturalist photography. Emerson was known as the leader of the Photographic Naturalistic movement. His idea was to present photographs in their originality without reducing the legitimacy of any image using the scientific techniques of blurring a tone, increasing the light or over-emphasizing on some aspects by clever tools rather than artistic focus. He believed in using the camera as a tool of capturing the details and was against the fragmentation of the natural scenes scientifically. The picture under consideration is a strong evidence of how naturalist movement believed photography to be. The picture is not fragmented or faked but rather used camera focus to omit or include details as required. The wider, calm and human-less background automatically turn the focus of the viewer to the laborer heading back. The wider scope of the picture is to show the extent of a laborer’s long and lone journey. Peterson, indeed, captured this image with an idea of showing the wider background without any being interrupting to the exposure of loneliness and tiresome journey of the laborer. Social and Artistic Analysis The image of a ship that is sailing in the sea is indeed an attempt to shed some light on the nature of lives that naval professionals opt. The humanistic approach towards an existence of a soldier is a unique one and provides a great deal of insights in soldier’s life. The embedded message in the image communicates the need of caution for those who have their families in the grasp. The people are strongly recommended to hold on to their loved ones while they can because whether or not one like the assumption of death. The death has the profound power to take one’s closed ones in a blink of an eye. The black and white context of the picture conveys hopelessness and depression of the crew that is looking to get home while; their distance from their loved ones is effectively communicated with the help of black and white color scheme of the picture. Additionally, the featured image captured a ship that is looking at dusk that its crew has to spend away from their families and friends. The human need to long for the closed ones is prominently evident in the image (Gidley 1994). The ships are customarily expected to throw the dead ones that meet their demise during the journey. The crewmen are aware of that fact and therefore, feared by the probability of death that might cause them to die away from the family. All of the humans

How would a Scholarship Assist Me After Graduation Essay Example for Free

How would a Scholarship Assist Me After Graduation Essay In my findings, it is not just enough to have enrichment of goal, fervency of passion and the keeping of focus, there is the place of vital impact played by pecuniary support from guardian(s) to actualize the desire. I strongly believe many brave and highly intelligent ones have been choked out of their academic dream in life after graduation. Statistical findings have unarguably revealed that financial incapability in one of the factors responsible for thwarted vision in academic excellence. I am very proud to note however, that our school is making part of her contributions in easing students’ financial burden as a responsible institution in the society. The scholarship is a gesture I really appreciate whole heartedly. I do forward this scholarship application to passionately appeal for my consideration in the grant in order to survive hardship in my future pursuit of academic excellence. See more: how to write a scholarship essay Being a promising member from a home with single mother who had lost his father as early as age five, I have only being struggling with ways out of incessant hopelessness, deprivation and unavoidable emotional abuse. I have labored assiduously with my parent to make both ends meet; during summer, I work at Boys and Girls Club to save some fund for school and trying hard to work-out element of laziness from exacerbating the poverty. Sooner after my graduation with me and my two other sisters in studying in college, the financial stress for our mother would climax. The cost of education even in a low grade school with the cheapest environment is overwhelming despite how hard I try to save. My two sisters also need optimum care to cater for their more demanding feminine nature. So huge are my worries despite the strong zeal to pursue academic excellence which I currently demonstrate in school for being among the top 10%. With the hope of scholarship aid, I look forward to a redemptive future from excellence incapacitation. In the college, the scholarship will assist to continual keep focus and meet up the grant expectation.

Essay on Poetry in Prose in Cold Mountain -- Cold Mountain Essays

Poetry in Prose in Cold Mountain Cold Mountain is poetry in prose, and the examples of this are infinite.   Every character met is described down to the last hair on their head; the war-torn countryside still lives on for Inman to relive and Ada to discover.   The field burning, the sunrises and sunsets, the rivers flowing and the eternal rocks and trees that make up the landscape are all characters in themselves.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The definition of the word ‘poetry’ is allusive to say the least. Those in dictionaries run in circles from defining a poet as ‘one who writes poetry’ to defining a poetry as ‘the work of a poet’. It is more conclusive therefore, to describe what the poets themselves are aspiring to create: Coleridge distinguishes between prose – ‘the best words’- and poetry – ‘the best words in the best order’ – while Wordsworth said that poetry is ‘the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge.’ Therefore it is difficult to distinguish between the exact difference between prose and poetry. In some instances, such as translating foreign poetry, it has proved more satisfying to convert the poetry into prose to convey the meaning without worrying about the metre, which is often lost in translation anyway. However, ‘Cold Mountain’ is clearly one of the chosen few novels written in prose with poetic style. By describing scenes, be they uplifting or disturbing, in an innovative, different, detailed style, Frazier succeeds in surpassing other novels in library brilliance and ingenuity. From the first few words of the first chapter, the reader is captured. Different, or unusual words are used to describe what they do not usually do – morning ‘gesturing’, for instance, morning is not normally thought of as a gesture, b... ...head; the war-torn countryside still lives on for Inman to relive and Ada to discover.   The field burning, the sunrises and sunsets, the rivers flowing and the eternal rocks and trees that make up the landscape are all characters in themselves.   Frazier conveys his love of the land through every word of ‘Cold Mountain’ and uses unusual adjectives or verbs to explain his sight from a different angle.   (This is illustrated on page 215 as Inman is wedded to Lila; she ‘described little delighted circles in the dirt’.)   Matthew Arnold states that ‘genuine poetry is conceived and composed in the soul’, and Frazier has simply shared this genuine classic to give a hauntingly true-to-life insight in to the search for the American Dream, based on his own experience of the Appalachian Mountains. Works Cited: Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.

The Sea and the Fury

The Sea and The Fury Piracy seems more suited to Johnny Depp and Robert Louis Stevenson books, not devastating violent acts that have had an ever-growing fear in the 21st century. Southeast Asia, or the `Arc of Instability' (a more appropriate name for this essay), has become a hot spot for modern day pirates within the last decade. Maritime Terrorism has also become more widespread due to several Southeast Asian terrorist groups who have the intention and capability of waging terror on the high seas. However, one cannot say that piracy is a more persistent and significant threat to regional security than international terrorist networks.In many cases, piracy and terrorism overlap, and can therefore be constituted as the same thing. Piracy is defined by the United Nations as â€Å"violence on the high seas, that is, beyond any state's territorial waters† (Young & Valencia, 269) and to the International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau as â€Å"an act of boa rding or attempting to board any ship with the intent to commit theft or any other crime and with the intent or capability to use force in furtherance of that act†. (Young & Valencia, 269. Maritime Terrorism is defined as â€Å"political piracy† which is â€Å"any illegal act directed against ships, their passengers, cargo, crew or against sea ports with the intent of directly or indirectly influencing a government or group of individuals. † (Young & Valencia, 270. ) Because these acts are similar in nature and intent, one cannot be said to be more of a threat than the other. This paper will analyze separate cases of piracy and terrorism and cases where the acts overlap, with attention given to the Straits of Malacca, one of the world's busiest waterways and a veritable sitting duck for terrorism and piracy.Piracy has made a remarkable return to the new world with hundreds of cases being reported every year. With many of the surrounding countries in the South Pac ific being economically and politically unstable, and the fact that the seas are some of the most heavily trafficked in the world, piracy has become a viable means of thievery. â€Å"Reported incidents of piracy worldwide have dramatically increased over the last 5 years, peaking at 469 in 2000. A significant portion of these incidents occurred in Southeast Asian waters, increasing from 22 in 1997 to 164 in 2002.Indonesian waters alone accounted for 119 out of 469 reported worldwide incidents in 2000, 91 out of 335 incidents in 2001, and 103 incidents of a total 370 reported incidents in 2002. † (Young & Valencia, 270. ) Piracy is used for financial gain, with different levels of piracy set at common thievery, temporary seizures, long-term seizure and hijacking. The Straits of Malacca saw a cargo ship, the Alondra Rainbow, of aluminum ingots hijacked on its way to Japan. The crew was held hostage for a week before being set adrift; they were later found by a Thai fishing boat .The ship was found weeks later in Indian waters. Terrorism is usually not heard of at sea, but is just as serious as it is on land. â€Å"Terrorism, and its maritime manifestation, political piracy or maritime terrorism, is motivated by political goals beyond the immediate act of attacking or hijacking a maritime target. † (Young & Valencia, 271. ) The Abu Sayyaf Group, the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka and the Jemaah Islamiyah are three terrorist groups with roots in the South Pacific that have taken advantage of the high volume of shipping that passes through the waters by perpetrating acts of piracy and terrorism.Al-Qaeda is also thought to be an enemy that would terrorize ships traveling through the region. â€Å"Not only do pirates terrorize ships' crews, but terror groups like al-Qaeda could also use pirates' methods either to attack ships, or to seize ships to use in terror attacks at mega-ports, much like the Sept. 11 hijackers used planes. A more sinister scenario is that a small but lethal biological weapon could be smuggled into a harbor aboard ship and released.Terrorist groups regard seaports and international cruise lines as attractive targets because they lie in the intersection of terrorist intent, capability and opportunity. † (Banaloi, 67. ) This has affected Southeast Asia horribly, causing drops in tourism, trade and shipping revenues. Terrorist groups are more rampant in this region because of the great amount of political unrest and are usually able to procure the weapons needed for such activities relatively easily due to the political climate and amount of Black Market goods. This may be only the beginning of Maritime Terrorism.In 1982, the United Nations drew up the Laws of Sea, detailing how many miles offshore nations could call their own and where maritime boundaries were regarding international waters. However, the flaw here lies in the fact that the United Nations did nothing to provide for nations that have conflicting boun daries except add an addendum that stated that nations had to â€Å"peaceably† come to a compromise. Conflicts have arisen due to the fact common waterways are narrow, nations have competing claims for boundaries, and an abundance of rich resources have been found in the area. Piracy and terrorism overlap in several ways, particularly in the tactics of ship seizures and hijackings. And some of the conditions which allow it to thrive are also similar to the causes of terrorism, for example, poverty, political instability, permeable international boundaries, and ineffective enforcement. † (Young & Valencia, 271. ) Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore all border the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping areas in the world. Oil has been tapped and pumped off the coast of East Timor by Australia.Brunei is rich from oil deposits, as would the Philippines, Vietnam and China be – if someone drew up a proper boundary and split the territory. All of these claims hav e led to an amazing amount of unrest in the area, culminating with escalating violence. â€Å"Because piracy is frequent in Southeast Asia, terrorists have found it an attractive cover for maritime terrorism terrorists could adopt pirate tactics of stealing a ship, which they could then blow up or ram into another vessel or a port facility, to sow fear.Thus, security experts consider the line between piracy and terrorism to have blurred in Southeast Asia. † (Banalaoi, 64. ) A narrow waterway linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Straits of Malacca are bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and sees thousands of shipping cargo pass through its ports every year. â€Å"The Malacca Strait alone carries more than a quarter of the world's maritime trade each year – more than fifty thousand large ships pass, including forty to fifty tankers.Because the strait is the maritime gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, it will remain a world center of maritime activity. It has been argued that it would be difficult for terrorists to disrupt shipping in the strait by sinking a ship in a precise spot. However, were terrorists to hijack one and turn it into a floating bomb to destroy ports or oil refineries, the effect would be catastrophic. Such an attack incident would not only cripple world trade and slow down international shipping but spread fear-more broadly than on 9/11. † (Banaloi, 65. The United States has expressed grave fear over the possibility of sinking a tanker in the Straits, and has, along with India, taken to patrolling the waters. Japan has also expressed concern over the safety of the Strait with good reason: Japanese ships were hijacked in 1998, 1999 and 2000, one of which was the infamous Alondra Rainbow. Needless to say, the problem is not going to go away. Piracy has become more rampant in the Straits during the last few years, and is expected to rise even more when China begins using more oil. â€Å"T he number of such attacks has tripled over the past decade.In the first week of June, for example, a tug and barge disappeared on their way to Port Klang in Malaysia, armed robbers looted a tanker in Indonesian waters and crews repelled two other attacks in the Strait itself. † (www. economist. com. ) Despite the apparent rise of piracy and the serious potential for terrorist acts, all hope should not be lost. â€Å"A total of 16 countries and one administrative region were represented at the Asian Maritime Security Summit: Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.After discussing measures to deal with piracy and maritime terrorism, the participants adopted an â€Å"Asia Maritime Security Initiative 2004† calling for cooperation among their countries in this area. It seems fair to see this development as an expression by Japan of its readiness to take the initiative in regional maritime security. † (Isami, 49. ) Recently, Japan, no doubt influenced by its hijackings, has spearheaded a campaign to end piracy and terrorism in the Straits and other sea-lanes in the South Pacific.One popular idea raised at the conference was building an Asian Coast Guard, wherein each nation would send people to be trained as officers and be able to patrol and safe guard the waters. The Copenhagen School in Denmark â€Å"introduced the concept of â€Å"securitization† to challenge the traditional conception of security. Emmers applies the â€Å"securitization theory† to have a deeper understanding of the â€Å"securitization† of drug trafficking, piracy/maritime terrorism, and people smuggling in Thailand, Singapore and Australia, respectively. (Banaloi, 388. ) â€Å"Securitization† has become a theory used to pinpoint the ways in which regions become â€Å"securitized† and â€Å"de-securitized. † The theory has been met with gr eat fanfare, especially in the South Pacific. Yet another theory to help scholars and government aides with the situation is the Grey Area Theory presented by Peter Chalk, where threats to the stability of nations are provided by non-nation processes, organizations and people.A review of his theory stated, â€Å"The piracy chapter touches on important weaknesses in international law, particularly in relation to the sensitive issue of â€Å"hot pursuit† and the problems of seas where there are disputed or no clear maritime boundaries, truly â€Å"grey-areas. † It also raises significant regional examples of active cooperation, such as the joint maritime patrols by the littoral states of the Malacca and Singapore Straits which have helped to reduce incidents of piracy. (Grundy-Warr, 111. ) The Royal Malaysian Navy has stepped up efforts to patrol the Straits, as has the Singaporean Navy. While the navies have reduced some acts of piracy and terrorism, the Straits under the Indonesian zone are largely unguarded due to lack of funds. The United States has offered assistance, but Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have declined, preferring advice and equipment rather than actual presence, which they fear might anger their country's inhabitants.Piracy and terrorism have been blended together to form a rather extreme form of diabolical action. Terrorism is the face of global disorder in the coming decade and will need to be prevented in order to ensure a safer world. The war over installing a democracy in Iraq may not be the way to staunch the flow of terrorism, but a â€Å"securitized† Straits of Malacca could ensure the safety of people, trade and economic cooperation for years to come.

Essay on “Bread Givers” by Anzia Yezierska

Bread Givers Essay: Sara’s Identity In the book â€Å"Bread Givers† by Anzia Yezierska a young girl from poland grows up in america. Set in the 1920s conditions for immigrants living in the United States were tough, not to mention living in the lower East side of Manhattan, New York. Reb Smolinsky the father of Sara in this book really tries on impressing his beliefs onto his children for he is very set on his traditional ways. This becomes a very prominent underlying to the story as Sara grows throughout the book moving from her fathers beliefs to her own.This clash between the â€Å"old way† of doing things and her new american life style Sara breaks free from this conflict in finding her own identity in this new world. By doing so Sara really connect and Identifies with three main factors in her life independence, education and hard work. With these three basic elements in Sara’s life she really transitions into her own being and self identity. Througho ut most of the beginning of the book Sara is oppressed by her father’s tyranny that drives her to crave independence.After her father demolishes the lives of Sara’s three other sisters she â€Å"began to see that Father, in his innocent craziness to hold up the Light of the Law to his children, was as a tyrant more terrible than the Tsar from Russia† (Yezierska, 64-65). As this is just the beginning of Sara’s unrest with her father it is none the less the beginning of the end for their relationship. Because she does come to the end of her patience with her father. With him constantly beating her her down she would never be able to vocalize or blossom into her own ideas or beliefs.He would constrict all of her self identity out if she was unable to break free from him. â€Å"I’m smart enough to look out for myself. It’s a new life now. In America, women don’t need men to boss them† (Yezierska, 137). Sara finally speaks her mind along with realizing she is able to break free from tradition and be independent in this new world. America had really shaped her ideals and helped to create that pathway to break away. As she is independent she discovers herself through the freedom of being on her own. As seen when she is finally in freedom on her own. â€Å"My hands clutched at the knob. This door was life.It was air. The bottom starting-point of becoming a person. I simply must have this room with the shut door† (Yezierska, 159) Having her own place would create the birth spot for her dreams and aspirations. By now having her own place she is able to cut herself from her family and their hold on her opinions. She is able to break free and now allow her the freedom needed to discover her identity. As she clearly states when she says â€Å"starting-point of becoming a person†, this defines her. Education makes its impression on Sarah when she immediately connects and realizes her dream of becoming a t eacher.Giving education a high value in her life. â€Å"A school teacher-I! I saw myself sitting back like a lady at my desk, the children, their eyes on me, watching and waiting for me to call out the different ones to the board, to spell a word, or answer me a question. It was like looking up to the top of the highest skyscraper while down in the gutter† (Yezierska, 155). When she imagines what this one girl had done she realized thats what she wants. This teacher symbolizes a better life for Sara, a life Sara is determined to achieve. The only thing keeping her from achieving this is education.Education becomes what she believes to be the only gateway to the better life she wants. I becomes what defines her as her and changes her status. Finally starting her way to her dream she goes to school. While there she gets her dream and love of education rekindled. â€Å"There was one in the school who was what I dreamed a teacher to be- the principal, Mr. Hugo Seeling. He kept t hat living thing, that fame, that i used to worship as a child† (Yezierska, 270). The passion she describes here is what directly comes from her and her desire. She puts teaching and education on a pedestal just like hr father puts his faith.She strives to get that same identity with education as a teacher as her father does with the Torah and his religion. Even Fania compares them saying â€Å"Come, Bessie. Let’s leave her to her mad education. She’s worse than Father with his Holy Torah† (Yezierska, 178). This shows how strongly Sara really takes education in her life. Just like the Torah is her fathers identity this is hers'. Sara even when she was young believed in hard work. She wouldn’t hold herself to a lower standard even if it was easier. When she goes to buy herring from Muhmenkeh the elderly women offers to give them to her free.In which Sara replies â€Å"No–no! I’m no beggar! I want to go into business like a person. I mu st buy what I got to sell† (Yezierska, 21). Even as a young child Sara refuses to take the easy route and accept this charity. She wants to earn it for herself and rise above the life of a beggar. To not let herself be defined and lumped with the poor low lives that don’t take the initiative to do better in life. This hard work is what fuels her to achieve her dreams. As wonderful as living and being on her own is Sara quickly figures out how hard it is.Because in order to pursue her dream she must work hard in order to support herself while going to school. Not to mention give herself time to study and understand what she is learning in order to move on in school. â€Å"As you had to shut your eyes to the dirt, so you must shut your ears to the noise. A quietness within me soothed my tortured nerves. I turned to my books on the table, and with fierce determination to sink myself into my head, I began my lesson again† (Yezierska, 164). She pushes herself through this hard time unlike most people in hard times that just give up.Instead she pushes onward and later on sees the reward of her hard work. Through these hard ships they mold her more and more into who Sara Smolinsky is and becomes. With out this determination and freedom of thought she would never have created her identity for herself. There are many other factors throughout the book that take its toll on Sara’s life and shape the way she changes. Although these three are the most strongly associated with how she identifies herself because these are all characteristics that are unique to her. By the end of the book Sara has fully embraced these and discovered herself.

Learn How to Conjugate the French Abolir (to Abolish)

Learn How to Conjugate the French Abolir (to Abolish) The French verb for to abolish is  abolir. It is one of the easiest to conjugate because it is a regular verb and follows a distinct pattern.   Conjugating the French  Abolir In French, verbs need to be conjugated to match the tense and the subject of the sentence. We do the same in English by adding -s or -ed to verbs, its just a little more complex in French. However, the good news here is that  abolir  is a  regular -ir verb. That means that it follows the conjugation pattern of similar verbs that end with -ir  and once you learn one, the rest are relatively easy. To conjugate  abolir, match the subject pronoun the I, you, we, etc. or, in French,  j, tu, nous   with the tense. The present, future, and imperfect past tenses are listed in this chart. For instance, to say I abolish, you would say jabolis. To say we will abolish, it is nous abolirons. Subject Present Future Imperfect j abolis abolirai abolissais tu abolis aboliras abolissais il abolit abolira abolissait nous abolissons abolirons abolissions vous abolissez abolirez abolissiez ils abolissent aboliront abolissaient The Present Participle of  Abolir The present participle of  abolir  is  abolissant. The  -ant  ending is equivalent to the English  -ing  and, therefore, refers to abolishing. When constructing sentences, you can use this as an adjective, gerund, noun, or verb. The Passà © Composà ©Ã‚  Form of  Abolir The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is used often in French to express the past tense, in this case abolished. Its very easy to conjugate, you simply need a couple of things. First of all, the  auxiliary (or helping) verb  that is used with abolir  is  avoir. This will need to be conjugated to fit the subject and tense. Then, ​you need the  past participle  of abolir  and that is aboli. With that information, you can easily say I abolished, in French: jai aboli. More Conjugations for Abolir Those are the basic conjugations for  abolir, but there are more. You may not use all of these though its good to be aware of them in case you do. The subjunctive is used when the verb is uncertain and the conditional when its dependent upon something. The passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are primarily used in formal writing. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j abolisse abolirais abolis abolisse tu abolisses abolirais abolis abolisses il abolisse abolirait abolit abolt nous abolissions abolirions abolmes abolissions vous abolissiez aboliriez aboltes abolissiez ils abolissent aboliraient abolirent abolissent You may also use the imperative with  abolir. This verb form is used in short, direct sentences that are more of a command or request. To use the imperative, you do not have to include the subject pronoun as it is implied in the verb. For instance, rather than tu abolis, you can simply say abolis. Imperative (tu) abolis (nous) abolissons (vous) abolissez

Mentally Ill in Jail1 essays

Mentally Ill in Jail1 essays The articles inform that more mentally ill people are in jail than in hospitals. According to statistics 159,000 of mentally ill are presently incarcerated in jails and prisons, mostly of crimes committed because they were not being treated. Some of them become violent and may terrorize their families and neighborhoods. Tragically, most of those instances of incarceration are unnecessary. We know what to do, but for economic, legal and ideological reasons, we fail to do it. The deinstitutionalisation of the severely mentally ill in the 60ties qualifies a as one of the largest social experiments in American history. In 1995, there were 558,239 severely mentally ill patients in the nations public psychiatric hospitals. In 1995, the number has been reduced to 71,619. The deinstitutionalization created an mental illness crisis by discharging people from hospitals without ensuring that they receive medication and rehabilitation services in the community. Consequently, 2.2million severely mentally ill do not receive any psychiatric treatment. Mental patients were released from psychiatric hospital in the belief that permitting them to live in a freer environment was more humane and would improve their well-being. Instead, they turned up in prisons where they are virtually devoid of dignity and lack adequate treatment and understanding. Besides, even if they take medications and might get better in jail, there is no guarantee that they will continue with the treatment after they are released into the communities. And so the vicious circle goes on. The solution to the problem is to provide sufficient funding to the community-based mental health system so people could be helped before they become part of the prison system. Services like medication therapy and monitoring, residential services, rehabilitation services and support services are successful in bringing the severely mentally ill back ...

How to Write a Childrens Book with 11 Easy Steps for Success

How to Write a Childrens Book with 11 Easy Steps for Success How to Write a Childrens Book with 11 Easy Steps for Success Learning how to write a childrens book involves a number of steps. Its more than just writing out a silly idea and drawing picturesHave you written a book for children that has been rejected by agents and publishers over and over? Or do you have a page full of kids’ writing prompts or book ideas but no idea what to do with them?If you’re like me, this has made you wonder if you’re good enough, smart enough, talented enough, or just plain enough for this writing and publishing for kids gigI’ve met my fair share of authors who’ve been swindled by hybrid publishers or spent years investing time, money, and energy into an industry that has given them little in return. Never fear! We are here to help you!Heres how to write a childrens book:Determine who youre writing forLearn what makes a good childrens bookRead a lot of childrens booksFlesh out your own book ideaOutline your childrens bookNarrow the detailsWrite your childrens book!Re-read and revise yo ur first draftGet your book editedFind a childrens book illustratorCelebrate writing a childrens book!NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program (Yes! We even pair you up with a childrens book coach if thats what youre writing!). Learn more about it hereWhat is a Childrens Book?At its core, children’s books are everything from Young Adult down to board books for your teething kiddo. But there are a wide variety of standards and skill between these opposite ends.For example, books for young adults are full of detail, world-building, plots and subplots, setting creation, and strong character development, with no pictures, for thousands of words.Picture books, on the other hand, serve our 0 to 8-year-old audience and have very few words, lots of pictures, simple plots but intense engagement.For our purposes here, let’s think Early Reader down to Mom-or-Dad-reads-it-to-yo u. Everything else is essentially novel writing for an older child audience.Why write a childrens book?There are a number of reasons to write for children. The bonuses and motivation for writing childrens books will often be much different than if you want to write a full novel.Here are some of the wrong reasons to write a childrens book:â€Å"I’m retired now and want to make a livable wage doing something easy.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Children’s books are short so I know they’re easy to write and fast to the money.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I want to write but I’m not sure what. Kids don’t expect much so I’ll write for them.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"There are some awful children’s books out there. I know I can do at least that well.†Here are some of the right reasons to publish a childrens book:â€Å"Children are the present and future of our world. I really want to impact them.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I want to make writing for kids my business and have a plan to write m any books.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I LOVE children’s books (even though I’m an adult) and want to write them so much, that I’m willing to learn how to write well in order to exceed their expectations.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"There are some awful children’s books out there. I want to improve the quality of children’s literature to give kids a better reading experience.†The reality is, children’s books are the most difficult type of literature to write and produce.You have to engage an adult audience (the people who hand over the money and are likely to be the one reading your book Every. Single. Day.) but you also have to engage the children, who will beg their money-wielding parent to buy the book and read it to them Every. Single. Day.Additionally, you only have zero to 700 words to communicate an entire story, with inciting incident, climactic moment, and final resolution, to the full satisfaction of both adult and child- much like when writing short stor ies. On repeat.Childrens Books Are on the RiseThe good news is that children’s book sales are on the rise. According to a 2017 article in Publisher’s Weekly, children’s books have become a centerpiece for many traditional publishers because the increase has surpassed those of every other book genre counterpart.Between 2012 and 2017 children’s book sales doubled, with a trajectory to continue increasing.In 2018, 31 out of the UK’s 100 bestselling books were children’s books. That’s a huge percentage!If I’m honest, I didn’t enter the children’s industry for the â€Å"right† reasons. I have always been a writer and was finally ready to pursue that professionally.So, in 2007, I began the hunt toward publishing. Self-publishing was nearly unheard of and I knew enough about traditional publishing to know that who you know matters as much as the quality of your work.What I learned Writing Childrens BooksBefore we teach you how to write a childrens book, its important to understand a few key things I wish I knew when I got started.Heres what I learned writing a childrens book:The children’s industry is highly competitive. So even though sales are on the rise, so are people writing and publishing them.Books that thrive in the industry are extremely well written and well marketed.It takes time to study the craft of writing for children well and of marketing and selling your book well. Thus, it also takes time to make money.Self-publishing children’s books is a totally viable and profitable way to produce your stories. From conversations I’ve had, I learned that I make more money per book sold than my traditionally published counterparts, have to do the same level of marketing as they do, have more creative control, and can get my book out in three months instead of one to two years. (I have many friends in the traditional industry and I love their contribution to market res earch and high-quality value. Together, we partner to impact children.)Writing for children is the best. Fan mail for kids? Nothing else like it. Experiencing the giggles and gasps of kids who are caught up in your words is life-giving. And knowing that your story is a safe space, gives kids permission to be uniquely them, and passes on important life skills to our upcoming generation is among the highest of honors.With time and practice, I learned how to set my expectations correctly, develop a writing habit, and produce high quality, professional, and engaging children’s books. If, after reading the right reasons to write a book for children, you realized this is YOU, then stick with me a bit longer and I’ll walk you through some standard first steps. If, after reading the wrong reasons to write a book for children, you realized this is YOU, then consider writing a book for adults. We have some great resources on how to determine what you should write, starting with something that gets you excited, that you can write quickly, and that you can write easily.For the rest of you, there are a number of standards and steps to get you going on writing your first children’s book.How to Write a Childrens Book Step by StepWriting a childrens book has a different overall book writing process than say, when youre writing a novel.Weve broken down the steps for writing childrens books with a strategy that works.#1 Determine for whom you’re writingEverything about how you start your book: your story idea, book layout, page count, number of illustrations, and depth of the plot depend on who you are writing for.A picture book, for example, is normally ready aloud by an adult. The child is captivated by full spreads of illustration and relies almost entirely on listening to the story.Language can be a little more developed, poetic, and nuanced since the book is as much for the reading adult as it is for the child. Early chapter books, on the other hand, are for the older budding reader who still relies on some artwork while gaining vocabulary.If you don’t know the age and stage of the child you’re writing for, you might lose their interest. The following is a guide for your book according to age group.Determine What You’re Writing:Children’s books length varies depending on the age group you want to write for and the detail of the story you want to tell.If you want to write for children 0 4 years old, then you’re most likely writing a board book or a very simple, short concept book.These books often teach children their colors or how to count or demonstrate a routine like bath time or bedtime, in 0 100 words. Children ages 3 8 love picture books. These are stories 0 700 words (1000 at the most) that use full page images to tell a story.These books are often read aloud to children by an adult. Picture books rely in part on the quality of the story as told through text and the work of the illustration to communicate the story. With so few words, picture books must be compelling and tell a complete story, meaning that every word must be purposeful in moving the story forward. Early Readers are short chapter books aimed at 5 7 year-olds and range from 200 5000 words. This youngest chapter book is designed for kiddos who see big kids reading chapter books and really want to read them, too.However, these kids are still developing reading skills and need simple language because they are reading it solo. Chapters are short so kids can feel successful as they make their way through such a â€Å"big† book. These are most popular in the educational market as a bridge for younger readers between picture books and chapter books. Heres a handy table for an easier overview:Children's AgeBook Length0 - 4 years old0 - 100 words3 - 8 years old0 - 700 words5 - 7 years old200 - 5000 words6 - 7 years old5000 - 20,000 words8 - 10 years old20,000 - 35,000 wordsTweens40,000 - 55 ,000 wordsYoung Adult50,000 - 70,000Naturally, as age of target child increases, word count increases, and the depth of the plot increases as well. These books include illustrations, in lesser measure as the word count increases, stopping around Middle Grade.This is a great resource for determining what you want to write (and for whom). This article was written primarily for writers in the traditional industry but is a great standard for us as well.#2 What Makes a Good Children’s Book? Childrens books are unique in the sense that their lesson and what children learn are so very important, but you also have to create this in a way that holds their attention.Here are some criteria for writing a good childrens book:It has an important lessonThe story is easy to follow for your chosen age-rangeThe illustrations are high-quality and professionalIts relatable to a wide range of children#3 Read LOTS of books in your categoryThere are many different genres to choose from when writi ng for children and the best way to write them well is to read them often.The following are a sampling of the options:Realistic Fiction: Made up stories that could happen today in real life (but didn’t).Historical Fiction: Made up stories based on actual historical events.Biography: A story like this, or a memoir, is based on the life of a real person.Fantasy: Made up stories that involve ideas that don’t happen in real life.Science Fiction: Made up stories that generally aren’t plausible and are normally set in the future involving some level of science and technology.Poetry: Writing poetry is telling stories told in verse, rhyming or not, mean to communicate in such a way as to evoke emotion.Non Fiction: True stories that are informational (to teach facts) or based on actual real-life stories.Folklore: These are the stories, often told orally first, that represent our history, our culture, our stories, myths, legends, nursery rhymes, songs of the past, and eve n some passed on fairy tales. These are often retold since we don’t know the original author. Reading books in your genre can help you understand the story structure that works, including how to start your story, the maturity of the content for your intended audience, and more.#4 Come up with an ideaChildren’s story ideas can be silly, deep, inspiring, hilarious, zany, serious, and straight up weird. They can make you laugh, cry, gasp, squeal, giggle and guffaw.Ideas like these come from so many places: the kids around you (eavesdrop on ‘em, it’s great), adults around you (eavesdropping actually goes a long way as a writer), nature, books, movies, newspaper articles, youtube videos, animals†¦ be an observer and you’ll find ideas everywhere!Here are a few of my favorites places to come up with childrens book ideas:Fractured Fairy Tales: Take a commonly known myth or legend and retell it in a new and creative way. Think â€Å"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs† (as told by the wolf), Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, or my very own book, Tercules. I took the legend of Hercules, combined him with a wild turkey chick, and voila.Unlikely Characters and Settings: Speaking of Tercules, another great place to get ideas is by throwing together two very unlikely characters and dropping them in an unlikely setting. Shark versus Train is a great example of this.Putting Characters in Child-like Settings and Circumstances: Some book ideas are life skills we want to teach our kids in creative ways. The Princess and the Potty worked magic with my daughter. Or Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?, illustrated by my friend, Daniel. Taking a unique character and putting them in the position of a child will help kids catch all sorts of great life skills. Or on a more serious note, my own Speranza’s Sweater: A Child’s Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption, gives children permission to experience the many con flicting feelings of adoption through the lens of Speranza. Our own SPS coach, Jed Jurchenko, also does this with his recent release, The Stormy Secret, helping kids navigate the safe places to share secrets imposed on them.#5 Outline the StoryOnce you have an idea, start laying it out in a book format. Yes, this is essentially outlining. Depending on the book category and genre, this outline will look different. For a picture book, the story will be, on average, 28 pages of story. Create a book dummy and fill in the pages with your idea. (To make a book dummy, take 16 pages of regular paper and fold them together in half to make a small booklet.This should create a 32 page â€Å"book.† The first few pages are your title page and copyright page, 28 pages of story, and then any end matter you’d like to include, like â€Å"About the Author† or an author’s note.Use this book dummy to layout your scenes and choose where in your story you want the page to tur n.If you’re writing a chapter book, make sure to outline the entire story with the five important milestones of a strong plotline, as well as the individual chapters. If you’re more of a pantzer, writing by the seat of your pants, then at the very least have a framework for your story so you don’t get lost on rabbit trails.If you get lost, your readers will too.#6 Nail Down the DetailsChoose whether you’ll write the book in poetry or prose, first person or third person, past tense or present tense.Use other books in your genre to guide you as a standard. If you choose to write in poetry, be aware that if you can’t do it perfectly, you really shouldn’t do it at all. Poetry is much more than rhyming words. It’s meter. Rhythm. Timing. Pacing.If one of these is off, it throws your reader off and discredits your book and your storytelling skills. If it can be told just as well in prose, do it. If you have mastered poetry, do it. #7 Write that first draft!Don’t stress the details, just get the story down.One of the biggest hangups preventing all authors from being successful is finishing writing a book.If you can accomplish this, youre further along in the process than most other writers you never get past the idea phase.Here are a few tips to finish your draft:Schedule writing timeGet an accountability partner for external motivationSet a deadlineGet rid of distractions while writingFocus on just FINISHING, no editing along the way#8 Re-read and revise your first draftDo you have enough words? Too many words? Add or cut as necessary.Does your story make sense? Are there plot holes you need to address? Did you break any of the â€Å"rules†? If so, why? If not, why?Tighten up your draft.This self-editing process can take a while, but youll feel better sending a cleaner, tighter manuscript to the editor because it can only get even better from there.#9 Get a critique and/or an edit.This gives you a cha nce to get a children’s book professional’s feedback on the marketability of your book, the content of your book, and to address any grammatical issues.No matter how well you think you’ve nailed grammar or understand a child’s brain, your set of eyes alone will never be sufficient for a perfect draft. I’m a seasoned writer and editor and I still don’t trust myself to catch every grammatical issue or plot hole. Invite a professional to give you content feedback as well as outside eyes on your grammar and syntax.But not just any professional! Make sure they have strong experience in the children’s writing industry and credibility to back up their work.Editing for children’s book is not the same as editing for books for adults.Trust me, I do both. Consider the editors feedback and make any necessary changes. Stay true to your voice and your story while honoring the tradition of literature and writing quality books.#10 Find a chil drens book illustratorThis is the most fun part! Your book will now come to life in the hands of someone amazing.The illustration in your book are extremely important. You have to think about which style you want and find someone who can bring that to life.Here are a few places you can find a childrens book illustrator:FiverrUpworkGoogle search for childrens book illustratorSociety of Childrens Book Writers and IllustratorsIllustrationWeb#10 Celebrate!This is huge! These words you’ve been pouring over are about to be read by children!Take a minute and have a dance party before stepping into book production, including formatting your book and even getting a book cover design.You did it!Are you ready to become a published childrens book author?If youre ready to finally take this idea youve had forever and do something about it, weve got just what you need.Check out this free training to learn which steps youll need to take in order to not only self-publish a book, but do it su ccessfully.

Scotland and Saudi Arabia Nations Population Census Records Research Paper

Scotland and Saudi Arabia Nations Population Census Records - Research Paper Example To build pyramids, the Egyptian government would conduct a census so as to plan for people to be involved besides the need to redistribute land due to the yearly flooding of river Nile. Censuses can be traced back to the times when Romans and Greeks would do this task even before Christ was born. Men in the empire of Rome would be ordered to return to their places of origin so that the exercise would be undertaken. (ons.gov.uk, 2008) This study is set out to discuss the nations of Scotland and Saudi Arabia with a specific focus on population census records. A comparison will be done and the befitting answer to the various tasks will be provided regarding this. In every scenario, Scottish census records will be looked at first before proceeding to Saudi Arabia. The information from the displayed table may be of help to private researchers who may want to determine the average number of persons each family has in Scotland and also determine the trends in the changes of family size to tell whether they are diminishing, stagnated or increasing in terms of persons per household. This information would also be important to other stakeholders like the Health Ministry to come up with conclusions on family planning issues. Table 2 could be used by civil servants to count on the dependency ratio, the number of people in the labor force and those with sustainable sources of income. This would also be helpful to the government to determine the number of drugs, food, and other essential resources to distribute as well as future prospects on the labor force. This would be useful to private researchers where they may want to determine aggregate expenditure in households.  

What, If Any, Is The Link Between Inflation And Output In Your Essay

What, If Any, Is The Link Between Inflation And Output In Your Discussion Refer To Both Theoretical And Empirical Evidence - Essay Example When prices of domestic goods and services are rising fast this will generally be true also of wages, of the prices of the imported goods, of the money supply and of the prices of assets. This is because inflation is one sector of the economy permeates rapidly into other sectors. The phrase â€Å"a high rate of inflation† therefore usually describes a situation in which the money values of all goods in an economy are rising at a fast rate . The view commonly taken is that inflation should be kept close to zero; prices should rise at no more than about 2 to 3 percent a year on average. This is because high inflation affects the economy adversely in a number of ways. For example, it distorts the income distribution; because of the difficulty and risk associated with the complete index-linking of pensions tend to suffer. Also, it biases investment decisions: the cost of borrowing money rises making debt finance expensive in the early years of a project and reducing the incentive to invest. In theory inflation accounting could correct for this, but in practice this has proved difficult to implement.

The Rule of Law in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Rule of Law in China - Essay Example I venture to guess rational analysis is ill-suited to the investigation of value matters which are, after all, more instinctual than cognitive, and more emotive than logical. (Wong 12) Â  The laws of a particular country Wong says, are informed by its values, and its values are characteristic of the entire course of its history. America appears to have found many of its values, character traits, and individualism in its revolution against Britain, and in its Protestant background, while Chinas more communitarian consciousness dates back to Confucius himself. (Wong 13) Â  If this is to accuse America of linear thinking when it comes to law, Wong draws the contrast with China even deeper when he adds that Chinas loyalty to its past is not so much or only a preservation or continuation of that past through time. It is more than Imperial China, and Confucius before her, was observant and appreciative of a kind of indeterminacy and immediacy coloring human legal affairs, a very un-judicial mixing of the winds and the currents that are seated only in "human nature ("renin") and heavenly providence ("timing").." (Wong 18) Â  Thus the system of law and its associated court and police processes in China arises in a country and a people "with no history and tradition of democracy, privacy, and individualism." (Wong 20) There is instead "Qing," "Li" and "Fa" or QLF, dating from Imperial China and signifying a complex, spiritual, and markedly oriental way of understanding and approaching life which cannot be detailed here except to say that a very significant part of it is an emphasis on rites that reflect the "essence of human nature." (Wong 29) The knowledge and understanding of these presumably mystic rites and their connection with right conduct are cultivated in the individual all along by education and not by simply knowing the law.

The Holocaust through Speak You Also Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Holocaust through Speak You Also - Essay Example It is a startling tale of one boy's survival in Auschwitz, the most notorious death camp the Nazi's created. Steinberg shares his story in just such a way that you can truly feel his desperate need for survival. To choose a single book about the Holocaust, it needs to be a story that does not over-reach what the person will be capable of reading. Because the Holocaust was such a terrible human tragedy, it is of great importance that the book not try and share too much of what happened, but rather limits itself to the story of a few people, or only one. It must also, however, have a human note, one that allows the reader to connect with the main character. By connecting with someone who has been through such a tragedy, the reader will feel a greater desire to understand and be aware of the events that transpired, and not just let it go without trying to learn more, and share with other. In Speak You Also, we are allowed to travel with the author through his memories of what it was like to be a young boy trying to survive in a concentration camp. And not just any camp, Auschwitz, where some of the greatest atrocities ever committed against human beings happened. He tells his story with no whitewashing, allowing the reader to see the desperation in his actions, and his willingness to do anything, even hurt others to survive. By choosing a book that does not limit its... g an imperfect character makes the camp seem just that much more inhumane, because no matter how horrible a person, who deserves to be sent to a death camp, simply because they are the wrong religion Steinberg perfectly illustrates this need for remembering in his book, but he goes further than merely suggesting the Holocaust was horrible, he asks readers to look at why his being desperate to survive is sometimes seen as wrong. Known best for being "Henri," a young boy who worked beside the famous Primo Levi in the laboratory at Auschwitz, he admits he would have done anything to survive, including hurting others. It is a poignant moment when he realizes (both in the book and in life) that his lack of attachment to family and friends may have been what helped to keep him alive. Peter Steinberg could have easily created a book of hate. To lose everything, family, friends, and to almost lose life, is enough to bitter anyone. But he instead, encourages in his book forgiveness, and understanding. "I have no gift for hatred. I know what it's like to be hated I concluded that it would be profoundly degrading to play that same game and perpetuate the cycle" (174). Instead, of hate, he teaches remembrance, and respect for the lessons of diversity that the Holocaust taught. While this book is an excellent introduction to the Holocaust, it is not perfect. There are several detailed areas on which this book does not touch. One of the books greatest strengths, the lack of emotion and family connection, is also one of its greatest weaknesses. It is in the ghettos of Warsaw, and in the transportation and loss of family members that the depth of emotion and pain caused by the Holocaust and Adolf Hitler truly come to light. Because Steinberg did not have to see his family

Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th Research Paper

Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th or 21st century art - Research Paper Example with songs inspired by the current events of their time and the experimentation with the singing brought out by the psychedelic drugs and, of course, their own ever increasing talents. This was the band’s eight album that was released in 1967. By that time, the group had become quite frustrated with all that they did and all that was expected from them. According to McCartney, they â€Å"were fed up with being the Beatles† (Frontani 127). Despite their talent and newfound experience, they were still thought of as boys instead of men. Not being taken seriously annoyed them, they were â€Å"artists rather than just performers† and being asked to repeat the same type of performances in every concert was also not conducive for the learning of more skills (Frontani 127). It is because of this that Paul McCartney brought forward a proposal on which Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is based on. The idea was for the four men to invent fake identities, think of themselves as someone else and then write and sing songs as that fake individual. It is this work of theirs that has known to have sparked off the idea of a concept album even though there are still mixed views whether it is actually one or not. A concept album is basically one which has songs that follow a certain theme, there is a connection between them all, a telling of a story. According to Bill Martin, â€Å"Sergeant Pepper’s do not qualify according to this criterion (†¦) only a relative handful can truly be considered concept albums in the thematic sense† (Martin Jr. 41). However, it is also said that it â€Å"has been recognized almost universally as the first concept album† with â€Å"music, words, and visual art (†¦) all combined to convey a specific concept or program† (Letts 9 - 10) . Either way, it was this album that introduced the idea of a concept album into the minds of the people which continues to be followed by some of the singers today. A random thought that occurred during a flight led

Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review - Assignment Example Gandhi stated that, the actual meaning of civilization is ‘good conduct’, which can only come through the existence of villages. These were the people who outwardly argued with their views on the thought urban renovation. According to Jane Jacobs, the survival is impossible from World Bank. Considering the levels of urbanization and GDP per capita, they both are directly linked with each other. Due to it, the argument about the development of countryside areas on their expenses itself, has been in light from ages. The development, social justice and status discrimination (cities dominating the countryside) crisis also relate the argument. Cheap food coming out of the agriculture and their import export has also been the factor of criticism by 2008, where most of the countries imposed ban on the exports by increasing the subsidy on crops. That is the reason which backs the idea of under-funding of agriculture. Overviewing the entire scenario, Urban Bias Thesis (UBT) came into being, to resolve the crisis against Gandhi’s claim, food crisis and price issues associating the rural development. Lipton was the man who analyzed this thesis into details. The claims of Lipton involved the price issue on rural commodities which were decrease, and those of the urban bias increased outside Latin America. In 2000, the extreme increase of urban bias in China has been seen. The main discussion point of Lipton was that, reduce in urban bias haven’t been fulfilled, considering the terms of economic liberation and structural adjustments. This debate took peak under the light of four circumstances; matters of measure & definition, urban poverty, causes & consequences of urban growth and the value of rural & and urban in complex livelihood strategies & interdependencies. The main understanding which should be look up to here is the mobility benefits

Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th Research Paper

Discuss the historical, cultural and philosophical context of a 20th or 21st century art - Research Paper Example with songs inspired by the current events of their time and the experimentation with the singing brought out by the psychedelic drugs and, of course, their own ever increasing talents. This was the band’s eight album that was released in 1967. By that time, the group had become quite frustrated with all that they did and all that was expected from them. According to McCartney, they â€Å"were fed up with being the Beatles† (Frontani 127). Despite their talent and newfound experience, they were still thought of as boys instead of men. Not being taken seriously annoyed them, they were â€Å"artists rather than just performers† and being asked to repeat the same type of performances in every concert was also not conducive for the learning of more skills (Frontani 127). It is because of this that Paul McCartney brought forward a proposal on which Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is based on. The idea was for the four men to invent fake identities, think of themselves as someone else and then write and sing songs as that fake individual. It is this work of theirs that has known to have sparked off the idea of a concept album even though there are still mixed views whether it is actually one or not. A concept album is basically one which has songs that follow a certain theme, there is a connection between them all, a telling of a story. According to Bill Martin, â€Å"Sergeant Pepper’s do not qualify according to this criterion (†¦) only a relative handful can truly be considered concept albums in the thematic sense† (Martin Jr. 41). However, it is also said that it â€Å"has been recognized almost universally as the first concept album† with â€Å"music, words, and visual art (†¦) all combined to convey a specific concept or program† (Letts 9 - 10) . Either way, it was this album that introduced the idea of a concept album into the minds of the people which continues to be followed by some of the singers today. A random thought that occurred during a flight led

Modern society is too dependent on technology Essay

Modern society is too dependent on technology - Essay Example Mass media which involve a great deal of technology has become part of what the modern society feeds on daily. Certainly our day today living is greatly impacted by technology. One key question that this paper seeks to respond to pertains to how dependable is technology to modern society. It is widely accepted that technology has been employed in various field for purposes of achieving efficiency. One such technology is the internet technology. It is indisputable that mass media (computer technologies, internet and phones) are the day today technologies that individuals interact with. Certainly, media technology is central to all other technologies and acts as a link. This thus implies that when addressing the subject of influence of technology on the society one cannot sideline the three mentioned above. However, this does not disregard other technologies such as marine technology, airlines technology, and military technology alongside other technological field. On a larger scale, internet serves various functions including but not limited to businesses transactions, advertisements, social networking and education, among other activities. Computer technologies started gaining popularity in 1970s. Increasing popularity of mass media and related technologies (Faithi & Marun, 2010) has made these developments correlated with a changes in the behaviors and habits of the generation today. The most affected generation has been the youths whose delinquency has been increasing across the globe, because the popularity of mass media. Education performance has also been made better or worsened (Kilburn, 2009) following the increased online education and social media. Mass media has been accompanied by various forms of entertainment that affect the young generation and for one to claim he or she is dancing to the tune of modernity, he or she must be seen to impress this technology. Soup Operas,

Me, Myself, and Why Problem Set Essay Example for Free

Me, Myself, and Why Problem Set Essay 1. What is the difference between self-interest and selfishness? Why is this distinction important when considering the competitive market economy as appropriate for society? Self-interest is looking out for your best interest and finding the best possible alternatives that will benefit yourself in the business world. Selfishness is putting your own interests above the interests of others and making decisions solely based on how they will benefit you. This distinction is imperative in considering the competitive market that is appropriate for society because you need to make sure that you are looking out for yourself but at the same time you should not make market decisions based solely off your own selfish interests. A selfish business man or woman will never be successful in the long run. 2. Does your textbook present only positive economics and avoid any normative economics? If not, give some examples of normative economics covered in your textbook. The textbook presents both positive economics and normative economics. An example of normative economics that is used in the textbook states â€Å"a value-free interpretation [of economics] leads to all sorts of abuses† (42). Normative economics incorporate subjectivity in to their analysis. Normative economics are heavily influenced by value judgment as well as theoretical situations. Normative economics are the opposite of positive economics. 3. What did Adam Smith believe serves to curb self-interest in an economy? â€Å"People care what others think of them and it is this desire for the good opinion of others that constrains people in their pursuit of self-interest† (41). Adam goes on to say, â€Å"this constraint is reinforced by competition and by the jurisprudence system† (41). Smith believes that others opinions shape what they pursue. Smith opposed the exclusive privileges of corporations and even went as far to oppose  regulations such as taxes which he claims gave individuals the ability to gain an unfair advantage. 4. What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God in a democratic capitalist economy? How can it be done? Capitalism and Christianity can be combined. It may be difficult to combine the two because many Christians believe that it is better to always put the interests of others before yourself. However, Christ calls us to be good stewards of what He has given us and it is important to be good business men and woman that strive to be warriors for the Lord. Christ has not called us to be mediocre but to rise to the top and to shine for Him. The book states, â€Å"we’re not perfect, but we can strive to act righteously with in a system that accommodates both vice and virtue† (50).

absolute justice Essay -- essays research papers

Does absolute justice exist or not? This essay will present arguments for the existence of absolute justice. Many people disagree that absolute justice exists. Thus they argue that justice cannot be derived from nature since contradictory and different forms of justice exist in nature; and one cannot derive the greater and perfect from the lesser and imperfect, also they argue that the idea of absolute justice is the ideas of different cultures and times. That is why the idea of justice varies greatly from one culture to the next. The argument used to disprove the above statements will stem from the relationship of order to justice. The next paragraphs will present the arguments above. Culture and philosophy have always gone hand in hand. A person who lived in the Middle Ages thought it to be perfectly just to cut off the hand of a thief. In â€Å"modern times† we consider ourselves more â€Å"civilized†, and put people in jail or fine them for stealing. As time and culture changed, so does philosophy. Thus any person of sense will see that justice cannot be absolute since it changed with the times. Each culture has developed a different idea of perfect justices to meet their own individual needs. Since more then one form of absolute or perfect justice cannot exist, thus absolute justice does not exist. Rather for each individual society justice is like beauty that it is in the eye of the beholder. Here presented the other case against absolute justice. Their arguments made that absol...

Scarlet Fever :: essays research papers

What is scarlet fever? Scarlet fever is a term used for strep throat with a rash. Strep throat is a throat infection caused by a type of streptococcal bacteria. What causes scarlet fever? Scarlet fever is caused by streptococcal (strep) bacteria, the same bacteria that cause strep throat. There are many different strains of strep bacteria, some of which cause more serious illness than others. The type of strep that infects the throat and causes scarlet fever is called group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABS). What are the symptoms of scarlet fever? Symptoms that may occur before the rash include: ? Fever of 38.5Â °C (101.3Â °F) or higher. ? Sore throat and difficulty swallowing. ? White or yellow spots or coating on the throat and tonsils. ? Swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Other symptoms, especially in children, may include general body aches, headache, stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, or listlessness. Scarlet fever usually doesn't occur with cold symptoms, such as sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, or cough. Red spots begin to appear on the roof of the mouth (palate) about 2 to 3 days after symptoms first appear. Bright red spots may appear on the tongue, giving it an appearance called "strawberry tongue." The most noticeable symptom of scarlet fever is a rough, red rash that feels like fine sandpaper. The rash begins on the chest and abdomen and then spreads over the rest of the body within 24 hours. The rash and redness are more apparent in skin folds, especially in the groin, armpits, and elbow creases. It usually fades in about a week, and at that time the skin may begin to peel. Treating Scarlet Fever If you have a rash and the doctor suspects scarlet fever, he or she will usually take a throat culture (a painless swab of throat secretions) to see if the bacteria grow in the laboratory. Once a strep infection is confirmed, the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic for your child to be taken for about 10 days. How Scarlet Fever is passed from one person to another The bacterial infection that causes scarlet fever is contagious. A child who has scarlet fever can spread the bacteria to others through nasal and throat fluids by sneezing and coughing. If a child has a skin infection caused by strep bacteria, like impetigo, it can be passed through contact with the skin.

Evil and Suffering Essay

The problem of evil and suffering is perhaps the greatest of all challenges to religious belief. It is the difficulty of reconciling the existence of wickedness in the world with the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent God. It is best explained in the inconsistent triad; a vertex dating from Epicurus and Augustine that acknowledges the main problem believers face; how can there be a deity that is all good, powerful and knowing if evil exists, as the problem of evil itself is a contradiction within the idea of a deity. The problem of evil is an extensive problem. Whether malum culpae; moral evils we inflict upon one another (murder), or malum poenae; evil caused by natural occurrences (earthquakes) it is the direct cause of the suffering we endure each day. Different religious perspectives require different answers; the ‘problem of evil’, which in itself has numerous debatable aspects, is therefore interpreted in different ways by atheists, agnostics and theists. To theists particularly, the existence of evil in our world poses more than a merely philosophical or apologetic problem; it creates a very personal religious one, as although our painful experience may not challenge our belief that God exists, what may be at risk is our confidence in a God we can freely worship and love, and in whose love we can feel secure. Some suggest that evil is merely the name we give to inexplicable, nonsensical occurrences that defy explanation; that is why they are evil. However, some believe that evil is necessary, as it is merely a deprivation of good that provides contrast and allows us to appreciate the good God has given us. Give an account of two solutions and consider the view that they fail to solve the problem of suffering. [32] The problem of evil has been reconsidered and reformulated many times since the time of Epicurus; the main theodicies stemming from the Free Will Defence, which states that evil is necessary to defend man’s free will. Augustine based his theodicy on the teachings in Genesis, primarily believing that every God made organism is ‘good’. He did not believe it an illusion like Mary Baker Eddy, but alike Aquinas, views it as a ‘privatio boni’; a deprivation of good, originating from Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. He held that we deserved punishment through natural evil, and it was this that produced a distance from God where moral evil could flourish. He believed that God is justified in allowing evil to stay, as He will then be merciful and save some in Christ, as well as gaining justice through condemning some to hell. However, the challenge of evolutionary theory opposes Genesis on two points. Firstly, it hints to an instant creation rather than a process of evolution; stating that the world began perfectly, which completely contradicts all evolutionary theories and evidence modern scientists have gathered that support an earthly progression from simplicity to complexity. Secondly, Darwin’s theory of the Selfish Gene, that every creature, in the long run, acts to maximize the number of its descendants, challenges his theory of original perfection. There is also a logical error, as according to Augustine, evil seems to have created itself out of nothing! If the origin of evil is Adam, and God is the creator of Adam, is God not then the origin of evil? Also, the appeal to free will as the source of evil is illogical in a world where there was no knowledge of good and evil. If the creatures chose to disobey they must have known evil, which means it must come from God. Finally, hell appears to be a part of the design of the universe, implying that God anticipated that evil would enter, which adds a very controversial aspect of theist understandings of God. A well-known view is the Irenaean theodicy, revived by Hick in his book Evil and the God of Love in 1966. In contrast to Augustine’s theodicy, the key idea of the Irenaean works is that the human race was not created in a state of perfection but in a state of imperfection but leading to a state of perfection. The basis of this theory stems from the biblical teachings in Genesis 1, stating that first of all ‘God created man in His own image’, aiming also to make men in his likeness in the second stage of life. The means to attain this ‘likeness’ is through free choice, which in turn implied the potential to disobey. This is commonly known as the Vale of Soul making; condensed by Hick into the epistemic distance (a distance that allows us to be responsible and to have the free choice to make that leap of faith to be with God). This is pictured by Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’, in which Adam is viewed very much in imago dei. Kierkegaard also illustrated the act of attaining true love rather than merely being compliant through the parable of the king and the peasant girl. Scholars such as John Mackie have challenged this theory logically, as surely if there is an opposite evil for all good, then God himself must face equal evils at the end of the cycle. He also conjured up the Paradox of Omnipotence; based on the question that can God create rules, which bind himself?; and also, the thought that suffering (such as innocent children dying), can never be an expression of God’s love. Many theists would, however, support that evil is merely there to test our faith, but D Z Phillips contradicts this point, saying that ‘It is never justifiable to hurt someone in order to help them.’ Many follow Irenaeas’ theory, as it is a universalised concept of heaven, however that feature in itself makes it unjust. There is, therefore, no incentive for this ‘Vale of Soul Making’, as it questions God’s justice; denying genuine freedom and removing any point of moral effort.

Development of the Aztec, Akkadian and Hittite Empires

Chris Scarre ( 2013, p.198 ) suggests that the development of imperiums was driven by the desire for security, or for economic addition or by the mere personal aspiration of swayers and elites. To what extent do you hold with this statement? Answer utilizing grounds from, and doing mention to, at least three of the undermentioned imperiums: the Aztec, the Roman, the Chinese, the Akkadian and the Hittite. The purpose of this paper is to find as to whether I agree or disagree with the above statement. In order to find the extent of agreement/disagreement, a scope of goaded forces will be explored environing the imperiums of the Aztecs, the Akkadians and the Hittites. To get down with, the word imperium will be defined to give a unequivocal apprehension and how it fits into the three aforementioned imperiums. Empire is defined as: ‘a group of states or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful crowned head or authorities: normally a district of greater extent than a land, as the former British Empire, Gallic Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman ‘ . ( Oxford Companion to Archaeology, 2012 ) Evidence of suggested forces behind the constitution of imperiums and their possible death will be used to back up any agreement/disagreement. The first imperium to be covered is the Aztecs, which existed during the late Post-Classic period, and located in the dumbly populated basin of Mexico. The Aztecs came to command big countries of Mesoamerica North of the Gulf of Tehuantepec and were the last of the Chichimec folk to go forth their place at Aztlan by drouth or overaˆ?population which my have been the driving force to the constitution of the imperium. The desire for wealth seem to hold progressed when the Aztecs served as soldier of fortunes through which a series of confederations and rebellions formed, ensuing in growing of wealth and metropoliss. To farther confirm the rise of an imperium, the Aztecs took control of an country of 200 000 square kilometers with a public of about 10 million. This demonstrates the push for growing in set uping a powerful imperium. Having exp lored the development affecting the growing of the Aztec imperium. The societal complexness every bit good as the handiness of historical grounds of stuff remains are found amongst the ruins stating the narrative as it unfolded at the clip. To confirm archeological grounds I shall concentrate on the capital, Tenochtitlan ( C. AD 1325 ) , which grew to be the largest and most complex metropolis in the new universe. Archaeological grounds suggests that much of Tenochtitlan was destroyed in 1521 or subsequently demolished by the colonial Spaniards. It was non until the terminal of the fourteenth century that several twelve warring metropolis provinces existed, one in peculiar which demonstrates the desire for wealth is that of Mexica-Tenocha having a portion of testimonial from combined military triumphs. Further grounds of the desire for power and aspiration by the swayers during the twelvemonth 1519 whereby the mature Aztec imperium dominated some 400 antecedently independent civil o rders through bullying, confederation, and outright conquest. Such procedures of military, wealth, confederation and land size is for me a requirement to the formation of an imperium. The Aztec imperium at the clip showed no marks of failing, was extremely organised, hierarchal and warlike. With the rise of an imperium came its autumn from grace as the imperium proved delicate and did non last the reaching of aggressive European incomers who efficaciously disrupted the top degree of the societal hierarchy and so broke the coercive forces that held the imperium together. ‘The Aztec Empire came to an disconnected terminal on 13 August 1521, when Hernan Cortes and his Spanishconquistadorstook the Aztec capital and its emperor Montechzuma ( Montezuma ) II ‘ (The Aztec Empire: Guggenheim Museum, 2012 ) .Having explored factors impacting a scope of driving forces, I am certain that Scarre has provided a grade of simplification and has non omitted any factors that do non back up the development of imperiums. Not limited to the Aztecs, the rise of imperiums occurred on a planetary footing which brings us on to the second of the imperiums to be discussed which is the Akkadians. The Akkadians were initiated by the swayer Sargon, who was driven by pitiless aspiration through the conquering of the metropolis of Sumer, developing into an enlargement into the universe beyond. It can besides be argued that the Akkadians were besides driven by economic addition through the connexions with the lands of Dilmun, Magan, and Meluhha. Within this desire for economic addition it can be a plausible and a simplified procedure of economic growing and security for the people. Although the imperium was established, the capital, Akkad, has non been located archaeologically. The statement made by Scarre relies on driving forces and taking into history the Akkadian imperium, the readings made through archeological surveies seem to carry through the procedures required in the development of an imperium. Sargon a nd his replacements besides conquered the great city state of Elba, to obtain goods and natural stuffs. The cardinal site of Troy where a great trade of activity was seen from seven consecutive metropoliss, Troy I to Troy VII clearly demonstrates to lift and autumn of an imperium through natural to warfare. The wealth of Troy was apparent when a monolithic cache of about 9000 objects that have become known as the Treasure of Priam connoting power and wealth but fell merely as the Akkadian imperium did. ‘Archaeological grounds has shown that the Akkadian civilisation collapsed suddenly near 4170 Â ± 150 calendar year B.P. , possibly associating to a displacement to more waterless conditions ‘ ( Cullen, 2000 ) . Although records detailing this are rare, the alterations in regional fruitlessness are preserved in next ocean basins. There is besides grounds of volcanic ash sherds which may hold held a direct but temporal nexus between Mesopotamian aridification and societal prostration. With this sudden displacement to a more waterless status within the part, this may hold besides been a lending factor to the autumn of the Akkadian Empire. Not merely did the imperium prostration from environmental factors but besides by occupying forces from the E. Although I tend to hold with the procedures of imperiums lifting and the drive force behind them, it is more hard to confidently support factors imputing to their ruin. The Akkadian imperium is known to hold risen through conquer ing and economic addition but with two changing factors of natural and semisynthetic forces, we can non presume that warfare or environmental factors played a remarkable portion in the prostration of that imperium. I am non convinced that warfare brought down the Akkadian imperium and am non convinced that environmental factors played a exclusive portion in their death. A cardinal site which besides reinforces the desire for wealth and power. Small is known about the following imperium, the Hittites who were lost to history. What we do know are found on clay tablets (Explore/World Cultures: Hittities British Museum, 2013 ) . It was during the periods from approximately 1650/1600 to 1200 BC that the male monarchs of Hattusha ruled an imperium that reached across the wide lands of Anatolia, widening at times even into the North of Syria. ‘They conquered Babylon, and Troy was seemingly one of their vasals. Besides Egypt and Assyria/Babylonia, the Hittites were the 3rd world power of the Ancient Near East ‘ ( The Excavations at Hattusha, 2011 ) The Hittites as with any other imperium established the capital Hattusa which comprised beginnings of both written and archeological grounds, nevertheless, research into this part is still ongoing. As small is known, one thing nevertheless does come into light which surrounds the aspiration of the male monarch. It was Hattusili I who at the clip became the first male monarch to establish a run in Northern Syria. Such a run implies that the king knew of the importance environing the desire to hold entree to the sea and for the take-over of trade paths. It was through this run that the male monarch was driven strictly by economic addition through trade and power. Due to little other grounds, there is small to indicate to any concrete informations on the degrees of societal complexness either through archeological findings. From what grounds we have, there is no indicant of any complexness of growing giving the feeling of simpleness in the constitution of the imperium. Although the prostration of the Hittites is non really clear, grounds does demo devastation and forsaking which occurred around 1200-1185 BC at the terminal of the bronze age. One other indicant points to about 1200 BC when the imperium was overwhelmed by encroachers, the individuality of whom is unsure but who were likely portion of the general motions of people in the period of agitation in the Mediterranean at the clip. To reason, I can see no disagreement in Scarres statement and to the full support and agree that imperiums were and are still driven by power, economic addition, security and personal aspiration. If we take into history the procedures involved, I do non believe that there are any complexness. Social and proficient ability does nevertheless find the advancement of a civilisation but as with any other imperium, the leading determines its stableness and length of service. The greater the leader, the greater the imperium. Archaeological grounds exists sing imperiums through the Roman and Greek ruins foregrounding the desire for wealth and the push for power through warfare. I can flatly state that I agree with the statement in that imperiums do lift and fall as evidenced with the Roman imperium, the British imperium in India and the three listed above and that all are driven by one manner or another even to this twenty-four hours. ( 1588 words ) Bibliography Asher, N. ( 2012 )The Oxford Companion to Archaeology( 2nd Ed ) Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //dictionary.reference.com/browse/empire? s=t Accessed: 31 January 2014 Cullen H.M. et Al ( 2000 ) A scholarly article on the prostration of the Akkadian imperium from Geology, April 2000, volume 28, no. 4 ; pp.379–382. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //leilan.yale.edu/pubs/files/cullen2000.pdf ( Accessed: 1 January 2014 ) Scarre, J. ( Ed. ) ( 2013 )The Human Past: World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies3rdEdition London: Thames and Hudson, pp. 454, 455, 456, 457 Scarre, J. ( Ed. ) ( 2013 ) The Human Past: World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies 3rd Edition London: Thames and Hudson, p. 198 The Guggenheim Museum, Exhibitions-The Aztec Empire-Overview Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //pastexhibitions.guggenheim.org/aztecs/overview.html. ( Accessed 1 January 2014 ) The British Museum, Explore/World Cultures ( 2013 ) [ Hittites ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.britishmuseum.org/explore/cultures.aspx ( Accessed 28 December 2013 )The Excavations at Hattusha – A undertaking of the German ArchaeoIogical Institute ( 2011 ) Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hattuscha.de/English/english1.htm ( Accessed 31 January 2014 )1

Urbanisation Is Sea

SE1101E Group Essay Rural-Urban migration, or â€Å"urbanization†, has led to a better life for a majority of Southeast Asians. To what extent is this true? Discuss your answer using examples from at least three different Southeast Asian societies to illustrate your points. ____ Introduction For the longest time, Singaporeans lived in a relative urban oasis – coined, praised and awarded as the ‘Garden City’. Even so, in the last 2 years, Singaporeans have experienced the stress of continued urbanization, created primarily through migration.This stress has been manifested physically as inadequate infrastructure, socially as rising xenophobia and politically as rising discontentment, leading to the long-ruling People’s Action Party to face its worst electoral performance since independence in 1965. It is this backdrop that propelled our group to comparatively examine the urbanization experiences of three of Southeast Asia’s largest countries, an d evaluate the outcomes. Firstly and most importantly, it is important to delineate the two key terms – â€Å"rural-urban migration† and â€Å"urbanization†.While â€Å"rural-urban migration† is a subset of â€Å"urbanization†, urbanization as a process is far more encompassing, as Terry McGee has noted to include the expansion and encroachment of urban regions into formerly rural areas through land-use conversion practices. For the scope of this essay, we will limit our arguments to the process of â€Å"rural-urban migration†. The process of migration is simply defined by Zelinsky as â€Å"a permanent or semipermanent change of residence†.Petersen offers a sociological perspective, defining migration as â€Å"a spatial transfer from one social unit or neighbourhood to another†. Extending these, rural-urban migration can be broadly defined as the movement of people from rural home locations to urban locations, which results in socio-economic impacts for â€Å"both the origin and destination societies†. This includes circulatory migration, where rural migrants return to their home location after a period in the urban location, and permanent relocation from the rural location to the urban location.Further to this, to achieve a manageable scope of discussion, we have elected to focus on (domestic) rural-urban migration, where the rural and urban locations are located within the same country, as opposed to the processes of transnational (and regional) rural-urban migration. In this essay, we will argue that while the process of rural-urban migration has created a better life for some, it has not necessarily created a better life for the majority of Southeast Asians especially when evaluated on a holistic level. Specifically, we will use the case studies of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines to support our argument.These three countries were selected as their combined populations of over 400 millio n, consist a majority 65 per cent of Southeast Asia’s 620 million people, in addition to their relative comparative congruence within the extremely diverse Southeast Asian region. Secondly, this essay strives not to be an ideological critique of the processes of â€Å"rural-urban migration† and â€Å"urbanization† but rather, serve as a comparative exposition on the impacts of rural-urban migration in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines and provide an objective evaluation of whether this process has created a â€Å"better life† for the â€Å"majority of Southeast Asians†.Aptly congruent, Tjitoherijanto and Hasmi describe urbanization as an expression of â€Å"people’s desire for a better life† and â€Å"must be recognized as a natural modern process by which humans attempt to improve their welfare†. The central themes of what is â€Å"a better life†, has rural-urban migration created it and for whom, form the framewo rk of our discussion. Case Study: The Philippines In our first case study, we analyze the Philippines. The state of urbanization in the Philippines is comparatively the most advanced of the three case studies, with 33 highly urbanized cities and 4 surpassing the 1 illion-population mark. While the 2010 census depicts the state of urbanization in the Philippines, it does not describe the flow of domestic rural-urban migration. From 1970 to 1990, the percentage of the Philippine population identified as â€Å"urban† surged from 36% to 52%, which further increased to 59% by 2000. Not all of this growth can be attributed to rural-urban migration. In fact, 47. 2% is actually due to reclassification of formerly rural areas as urban and natural urbanite population growth.While explicit data is sparse, Hugo provides a basis to assume that the remaining and majority 52% of this urban growth, is likely due to rural-urban migration. In tandem with rising urbanization, cursory economic i ndicators also rose. GDP increased from USD 6. 6 billion in 1960 to USD 199. 5 billion by 2010. Even with considerable population growth, GDP per capita also grew during the same period, from USD 692 to USD 1,383. Nakanishi forwards that the rural sector conditions in the Philippines, where peasants do not own their land, are â€Å"insupportable† and conditions in the city, though not the best, are an improvement.Knight and Song, who compute the Philippine’s urban-to-rural income ratio to be 2. 26, give further credence to the possibility, that perhaps, rural-urban migration might create a better economical life for rural migrants, and for all Filipinos too. These quantitative indicators are, however, quickly problematized as overly simplistic. To begin, consider the Gini coefficient, which measures the inequality of income distribution. For the Philippines, this stood at 0. 46 in 2010; the income share held by the top 10% was 36% while the income share held by the bot tom 10% was only 2%.This significantly unequal distribution of income evidences that the benefits associated with economic growth has not reached and has not benefitted a vast majority of Filipinos. Also, counterintuitively, higher income levels in urban areas do not actually lead to economic improvement on all accounts, as the Harris-Todaro model establishes. Simply put, the wage differential between the urban and rural areas (2. 26 in the case of the Philippines) compels rural populations to igrate to urban areas despite urban unemployment which further, and continually, increases unemployment, as long as urban wage levels continue to exceed that of rural areas. This thesis holds true in the Philippines context, where even as unemployment rates rose from 5% in 1980 to 11% by 2000, rural-urban migration continued to rise. This self-perpetuating cycle is particularly significant as it confirms that rural-urban migration, far from leading to a better life, actually results in the opp osite. Rising unemployment creates further problems.One is the creation of urban slums, where the poorest rural migrants generally live. In fact, from 2000 to 2006, urban slums grew at a rate of 3. 5%, faster than the urban population growth rate of 2. 3%. This evidences that rural-urban migration (which generates the majority of urban population growth) creates negative socioeconomic ripple effects, which compound with time, noting that rural-urban migration began in the 1960s in the Philippines. In Manila alone today, 35% of the 12 million population live in slums.Urban slums, which are â€Å"characterized by poor sanitation, overcrowded and crude habitation, inadequate water supply, hazardous location and insecurity of tenure†, have been recognized to lead to widespread environmental degradation. Most prominently, the lack of proper sanitation and sewerage services in slums contaminate citywide and nationwide water supplies, creating over 38 million cases of life-threateni ng diarrhea in the Philippines every year. This is despite the percentage of urban population with access to sanitation in the Philippines increasing from 69% in 1990 to 79% in 2010.This contradiction recalls Ulrich Beck’s pithy quote â€Å"smog is democratic†; that environmental impacts (linked to rural-urban migration and its ensuing employment) created by a small segment of the population can degrade the quality of life for a significant majority, in a ripple-like effect. However, ripple effects can work both ways, and in a positive sense too. One common example is that of the increased literacy rate as a result of rural-urban migration. From 1980 to 2000, the literacy rate increased from 84% to 93%. The literature is clear; generally speaking, a higher literacy ate and education level are two of the most significant positive externalities of rural-urban migration. The causation link between rural-urban migration and literacy is primarily due to the higher accessibi lity of schools in urban regions, which allow rural migrants in urban centers to more readily access schooling. This causation is however, problematic in the Philippines, where there is no wide disparity in literacy rates between rural and urban areas that would support such a causation thesis. The primary school net attendance rate in rural areas was only marginally lower at 86%, compared to 89% in urban areas.Some theorists have hypothesized that a strong historical cultural emphasis on education in the Philippines is one reason for this comparative equality in literacy rates in both urban and rural areas. Regardless, the lack of causation between rural-urban migration and literacy rates in the Philippines, further evidences that rural-urban migration, has not led to a â€Å"better life† for a significant majority of Filipinos. The discussion thus far surfaces a most important facet of the discussion – that of policy responses to rural-urban migration.It is apparent that the impacts created by the process of rural-urban migration might not be as deterministic as Harris and Todaro implied (their simplifying assumptions have been widely critiqued). It is crucial to note that the impact of the rural-urban migration process, whether positive or negative, is molded through the lens of government policy responses. In the case of the Phillipines, the indicator of increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, was contradicted by a highly unequal distribution of income and rising unemployment.Policy intervention is thus required to equalize this. Also, the formations of slums are not a direct result of rural-urban migration but due to inept city planning and a lack of sufficient public housing, again demonstrating the collision between policy and process as fundamental to our discussion on the impacts of rural-urban migration. In sum, one last indicator, mentioned in passing at the beginning of this case study, of increased life expectancy, exempl ifies one of the themes stated at the outset – what constitutes a better life?Does increased life expectancy constitute a â€Å"better life†, or just a longer one? Based on the evidence presented, we are inclined to think it is the latter. While Philippines represent a country in a highly urbanized state, Thailand represents one on the other spectrum. As such, our next case study will examine the rural-urban migration pattern in Thailand. When we analyze the rural-urban migration of Thailand, we can roughly translate it to the rural-urban migration to Bangkok. This is due to Bangkok’s dominance and influence in the country’s political and economical landscape.The size distribution of cities in a country roughly abides to the â€Å"rank-size rule†: The second largest city is half the size of the first largest city and the third largest city is half the size of the second. In Thailand’s case however, the second largest city is a mere 6% the si ze of Bangkok. As such, it is not an overstatement to describe Thailand as a one-city state. Thus in this case study, we will examine the urban landscape with reference to Bangkok as a comparison. Thailand’s urbanization rate is at a low 38% , significantly lower than their peers such as Indonesia (53%) and Malaysia (71%) (percentage not accurate as of 2012.Need comparison and citation). This figure has stalled since 2007, only changing by 0. 8% between 2002 and 2009. This is because Bangkok has stopped growing. In fact, it has shrank by 1% between 2007 and 2009. As of late, Thailand’s urbanization trends began shifting away from Bangkok to the peripheral provinces such as Songkhla; Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani. As such, while the top 10 cities in the vicinity of Bangkok grew collectively by 17%, a 1% decrease in Bangkok has dropped that urbanization growth to a mere 0. 8%. These reflect how this single city is able to impact the country’s economy.As such we shall analyze the impact of urbanization by using Bangkok as our case study. The growth of Bangkok brings about social and economical progress, with economical taking priority. National income statistics from the NESDB have shown that though contributing a mere 15. 8 per cent of total population in 1988, Bangkok and its vicinity generated more than 50 per cent of the gross domestic product. Socially, the Bangkok and its neighboring region has enjoyed better health care (2. 12 hospital beds per residents, compared with 0. 38 per 1,000 residents in Sri Saket, the poorest province of Thailand. and higher access to water (About 12 percent compared with 1. 2 percent in North, 1. 4 percent in the South, and 0. 9 percent in the North-east. ) While the figures reflect an improvement in the quality of life, this may not translate into an improvement for the people. There exist an overlying assumption that there would be a trickle down effect to benefit the less well off. Dr. Puey, a famo us Thai economist observed otherwise. Thailand’s pursuit of economic growth has widened the rich-poor disparity where urbanized regions in Thailand have experienced economic benefits at the expense of villages.Furthermore, it is alleged that there has been a social tension within the rural community between the few who have benefitted and the majority who have not. Critics of these distributions of wealth have blamed the monopoly of capitalism from emerging corporations in finance and banking centered in Bangkok. On October 14, 1973, a student led uprising threw the exploitation of rural villagers in the spot light, highlighting the dissent over the rich-poor divide. Furthermore, Thailand has traded a social benefit for a social problem.As Bangkok swelled as the only go-to urban destination in the 1970s, Bangkok’s infrastructure failed to expand at the same pace as its growing population. Overpopulation and congestion were frequent social issues that the government had to address. The high influx also led to pollution, and by consequence, disease. As such, it may be argued that while the urban population enjoyed better health care services, there was also a higher propensity to get sick due to more frequent interactions and mass pollutions. As such, while the face value of urbanization reveals measurable benefits, the real value actually shows a decrease.This aforementioned issue indicates a situation where rural-urban migration works too well. Bangkok grew haphazardly without an official city plan until 1992, a growth necessitated by Economic interest. Accompanied by poor city planning is its poor infrastructure of roads, leading to massive traffic jams. BBC has ranked Bangkok as having one of the top ten worst traffic jams in the world. For residents in this urban landscape, such issues have become so commonplace that they have come to accept these problems as part of their everyday lives.The process of rural-urban migration, at least until 200 7, has played the role of an instigator that negatively impacted the lives of those living in the urban landscape. Hence, rural-urban migration has its pros and cons. However, while it is important to weigh the different opportunities offered due to rural urban migration, we should also consider how these citizens perceive these opportunities offered and whether they consider themselves better off. Here lies the paradox. Both rural and urban parties perceive themselves as beneficiaries to the rural urban migration.A collection of data from six rural villages in the Nong Muun Than and Phon Muang communes revealed that villagers overwhelmingly felt that they had came up on top compared to their urban counterparts. Villages were perceived to be better in terms of standard of living, the friendliness, the working conditions and the environment to raise children although they conceded that urban areas posed a better environment to specialize. On the contrary, urban areas felt that they b enefitted from better facilities, higher pay and wider job opportunities.As such, while visible problems exist in both rural and urban states, they remain predominantly contented. This approach, however, comes with its own associated problems. It fails to recognize social identity which compels participants to be more biased towards their own home society, and it also assumes all Thais are well-informed of the opportunities and problems offered in both societies. For example, villagers in a rural area may be contented with life, but they may still be unable to comprehend the benefits urban areas provide.Their contentment hence lies in their simplicity of thought rather than the effect of rural-urban migration. As such, we turn our attention to more obvious indicators while still taking account, albeit more cautiously, people’s perception of such benefits. Recognizing the growing rural-urban divide, the 9th developmental plan of Thailand explicitly tackles such rural-urban lin kages in the country. Longitudinal studies on migration patterns conducted by the Nang Rong Project and Kanchanburi Demographic Surveillance System (KDSS) were used to evaluate emerging problems faced by Thailand.It concluded that economical pull factors were the main cause of migration towards urban areas, although their search for financial stability came with a string attached. According to the DFG Bangkok Migrant Survey, (2010), 67 percent of migrants reported an improvement in living conditions since leaving rural areas while 60 percent of migrants reported stable income. However, 70 percent of migrants do not possess a written work contract and 80 percent of respondents have no insurance at all.Most of these migrants consist of family members forced to find work in urban areas due to rural poverty and hence migration was influenced not out of choice but rather that of necessity. As such, although they travel to urban regions in search of better prospects, their nature of trave l is necessitated for survival and their trip comes with little or no social safety net. Another issue they face is not simply acquiring employment, but rather quality employment. 70 percent of migrants earn less than 300 bahts (or $8) a day.While these still represents an increase in pay as compared to their rural counterparts, they also face a higher cost of living in an urban environment and therefor tend to spend more. Hence, most migrants aimed for quality employment, but only a mere 2 percent earn around 2. 3% fall in this category. 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