Up To Interpretation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Up To Interpretation - Research Paper Example The modern era of artwork has seen a fundamental shift in the means by which the public interacts with art. Whereas before, the artwork was somewhat straight forward and readily discerned, the artwork of the modern period has left a great deal more up to personal interpretation; choosing to exploit the constructivism that has defined so much of our modern era. As a means of fully appreciating such a reality, one has to question the true nature of art: whether its subjectivity is an overall strength or an overall weakness. According to Janoaro and Altshuler, â€Å"The treasure of art, however, is that its reality lives on after its subjects die. The final product is an addition to reality, not simply a way of reproducing it†. As such, it is the strong belief of this observer that Janoaro and Altshuler have perfectly encapsulated the heart of the matter regarding art and its appreciation. Rather than confining art to a type of fantasy in which one must only appreciate within the garb of tired convention and conformity, the availability of modern art to allow for a type of constructivism and subjectivity is one of the greatest developments that art has seen come to fruition over the past 100 years. Due to the introduction of this level of subjectivity, art has been able to mean more to individuals who may otherwise have never had an interest in the convention. Moreover, it has provided for a type of open mindedness that has allowed the arts to grow and develop in ways and at a rate.

Hiphop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hiphop - Essay Example It discusses the impact of Hip-hop across the globe and its commercialization. (Kun, 581), as outlined by Flores (1), besides hip-hop being successful in the United States; it is used all over the world. It is becoming a creative and positive economic impact across the globe. Since the time in memorial, Hip-hop has always been seen as a voice of the blacks. Nevertheless, this phrase has earned criticisms based on the fact of its commercialization and globalization. Hip-hop is, therefore, not the voice of just the blacks, but for every person across the planet. The users and those that produce hip-hop music have grown beyond the black community. According to Flores (1), (Mos def, 1999) noticed the growth of hip-hop and invented a phrase that stated, hip-hop is everybody. This was used to mean that hip-hop music is for everybody who takes part in it or in developing its culture, regardless of their status, origin and race. In the present day commercials, hip-hop represents various organizations and products. Upon intensive analysis of the origin of hip-hop and its growth in both commercials and globally, it is proven that Mos Def was right in his album, â€Å"Fear Not.†In the album, he indicated that the hip-hop reached beyond the black community. The origin of hip-hop can be traced back to the 1970’s in South Bronx. This is during the time when the Cross-Bronx expressway took the place of several families belonging to the blacks and the Hispanic families. During this time, many whites ran away from the site. Other projects also made the marginalized people relocate to South Bronx. The youth of the families that relocated began looking of ways of putting their creative and aggressive features into practice. That is how hip-hop came to be, giving the marginalized youngsters a belonging and support. They began deejaying; rapping, break dancing, and graffiti producing. Hip-hop uses the mentorship of other

Crowd Simulation in Films

Crowd Simulation in Films This dissertation is about the study of crowd simulation and why the crowd simulation is in need in the movies. Particularly concentrating about the computer generated movies simulating a large crowd is the most difficult task in the production pipeline. So finding a better way to give the audience the feel of crowd is the challenge. Researching about the silhouettes and its uses will help to implement the silhouette to establish the crowd. Silhouettes helps in many ways to create a mystic mood. . As implementing silhouette in the crowd simulation will helps to reduce the secondary animation and facial expression. As there are so many softwares exist to helps the crowd simulation, This paper will focus on a procedure which will create a crowd simulation by transferring the animation from one character to another character in a simpler and easier way. Chapter 1: Introduction Animation gives the life to the character. Animating a particular character takes a long time to give the feel. This dissertation is about researching the animation, animating the entire crowd is the difficult task in the animation pipeline. So this dissertation is mainly carried out to find a way to transfer the animation from one character to another character in a simpler and easier way. Crowd simulation is a process of simulating a group of members, objects or characters. When simulating a large number of characters in a live feature film is not a big deal. Man power is more important in simulating a crowd in feature film. Particularly concentrating on the computer generated movies, replicating the characters animation and behavior from one character to many character is a big deal. A lot of research is done about the crowds and the formation of crowds in society. For example, social gatherings, meetings, assemblies, religious ceremonies and sport events. 1.1| Aim: The main aim of the project is to achieve an essential method for crowd simulation for animation. 1.2| Research question: The research question for this study will be. What is crowd simulation? Why we need crowd simulation? Researching the existing crowd simulation method. Disadvantages of existing crowd simulation method. How silhouette helpful for the animation poses? How silhouette will be useful for simulating a crowd? 1.3| Statement of problem: Animating the entire crowd is the most biggest problem. Technically, creating the crowd is not a big deal but at that same time transferring the animation to each and every character with the different timing is the big deal. The another problem is that the rendering the whole scene with lots and lots of character in a particular scene will make the scene the most complicated one. So finding a better solution for creating the entire scene in Maya with lots and lots of character which has the different timing in their animation. There are several methods for the development of crowd simulation. The major method is using Mayas Dynamics. There are several external softwares which helps to simulate a entire crowd. But the method which said by this dissertation is quite simple and easier than comparing to another external softwares and Mayas Dynamics. 1.4| Objectives: Various types of crowd simulation method. Silhouette/ Various types. To study the golden poses for animations. Explore the secondary motion for animation. New methods of producing crowd simulation. 1.5| Significance of study: Most of the computer generated movies currently released like Madagascar, Horton hears a Who, had a clear idea about the crowd simulation. The focus of the study in this dissertation is about the simulation of crowd in a simpler and easier way and developing a simple procedure for transferring animation from one character to multiple characters. This study is carried out for developing a better technique for crowd simulation in future upcoming CG projects. 1.6| Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this dissertation is an animator can easily transfer the animation from one character to multiple character for simulating a crowd and also using the silhouette to visualize the crowd shot with a different perspective. Chapter 2: Review of literature This chapter will discuss about the article, books, Internet websites, publications which are related to this dissertation. There are few important topics are covered related to the cinematography, photography, silhouette, animation poses, crowd simulation. 2.1| Book and Internet websites: 1. Malcolm Le Grince,2001.,Experimental Cinema in Digital Age It explains about the experiment carried over Cinema from olden days to modern age. This book mainly concentrated about the cinemas that are experimented in modern ages. They experimented using the different types of cameras and various shots that enhances the scene. 2. Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristian,2001.,Film Art- An Introduction It explains about the art of film making, this gives the introduction about the film making. This book is referenced particularity to study about the lights and its uses. This gives a clear idea about the back lighting is and how essential to shoot a silhouette shot. 3. Beazley, Mitchell and Ang, Tom,2008.,Fundamentals of modern photography It explains about the photography and how photography helpful to convey the moral to the audience. This book concentrates about the camera and its uses for the photography. Rules and techniques for achieving the Silhouette stills. 4. Frost, Lee,2003.,Photography It explains about the various types of photography in various mood setup. How different light setup enchants the scene. This book clearly explains about the advantages and disadvantages of different styles in photograph in different environment. This book is mainly referred to study the advantages and disadvantages of silhouette shooting. 5. Emma Rutherford, Lulu,2009.,Silhouette: The Art of the Shadow It explains about how the silhouette is oriented with the art and craft. This book gives a simple definition for the silhouette as Silhouette is the simplest of art forms. This says about the fascinating history of art and craft in Europe and America. 6. Popular Mechanices (Hadly, Paul, 1947.,Silhouettes for salons,From Pg No. 171 to 173) This book meanly concentrated on the mechanics of machines in 1947. But from the page 171, this book has a quote about the silhouette photography. Hadly had a clear definition for the silhouette photography and he particularity chosen the early morning and late evening time because that light sources will be perfect for silhouette photography. This light sources naturally become the back lighting when the still is taken by aiming the sun. 7. Thalman, Daniel.,Crowd simulation This book is referenced for the purpose to have an clear idea about simulating a crowd and crowd AI. Artificial intelligence is applied on the crowd with speed control, locomotion control and personification control. This book explains from the modeling to the final rendering of the simulated crowd. Also this book gives an idea about simulating the environment sources like clouds, skies, plants, lakes and terrains. 8. Brinkmann, Ron.,The art and science of digital composting: Techniques for visual effects This book is referenced to have a clear study about the digital compositing in the post production pipeline. It has a clear idea about the replication of the rendered mesh. This consumes the render time the 3D softwares like Maya, 3D Max and so on. Simulating a crowd in the post-production level is more better than production level. 9. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-silhouettes (Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is analyzed to study about the ways to achieve the silhouette photographs in a simper and easier way. This website gives a tutor to the viewer about the ways to take silhouette photography. 10.http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/85-free-high-quality-silhouette-sets/(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is referenced to study about the poses of different anatomy models in silhouette mode. Professional animators use the silhouette mode to value the animation key poses. This website has a library of silhouette poses of props, male, female, mammals and so on. 11.http://www.cgtutorials.com/t3343/Autodesk_3ds_max/Crowd_simulation__biped__with_AI_implant(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is referenced to study about the crowd AI. Artificial intelligence is one of the most important guide to achieve the realism in simulating the crowd. This website gives an idea about the particle effects and the collusion. Energy control, Personification control, direction control, locomotion control is easily achieved in AI. 12.http://www.creativecrash.com/tutorials/how-to-create-a-simple-crowd/page2(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website gives a method to create a simple crowd using the particle simulation. The basic idea in this tutorial is developing a crowd with low mesh ans defining a collision point using locater. The character is animated using the clip and four different clips is imported to 15 characters. These characters are guided using the expression editor. This method is based on the MEL(Maya Embedded Language.) 2.2| Interpretation: By reviewing the literatures like books, magazines, articles and Internet websites, the researcher had a better idea to develop a simple procedure to simulate the crowd and a crystal clear vision about the crowd AI (Artificial Intelligence). This literature review is also concentrated on the silhouettes and its uses in the production field. Silhouette is the best way to represent the enthusiasm. This research helped the researcher is present the entire crowd in the silhouette mode for the enthusiastic feel. Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1| Types of research: Analytical This dissertation is of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the title,Silhouette an essential method for crowd simulation animation. This research document carries the content from the Internet website, books and articles. This research is mainly done to develop a procedure to simulate a entire crowd in a simple and easier way and also to research about the silhouette is how essential to visualize the crowd to get a enthusiastic feel. This dissertation is carried out with the information collected through different sources like: Magazines Journals Forums Research papers Books Internet Websites Articles Google search engine and wikipedia are the two major sites helped a lot to gather information from various websites around the web. 3.2| Population: The people who are suitable for this population are Animators, cinematographers and visual effect artists. They were examined by series of questions regarding the simulation of an entire crowd using the silhouette. The population of this research work carries the production experienced person, students, Animation tutors. 3.3| Sampling: Judgment Sampling 3.4| Scope and limitation: This research is limited to the simulation of crowd. Chapter 4:Crowd Simulation 4.1| Definition A crowd is defined to be collection of people or group of people[1]. The term crowd is mainly referred to the collection of humans as well as animals[2]. Crowds in also defined as the sharing of emotional experience. A crowd can be named by the purpose or different types emotions, such as riot, social gatherings, meetings, assemblies, religious ceremonies, general meetings and sport events[3]. 4.2| Crowd: Scholars differ about what classes of social events fall under the rubric of collective behavior. In fact, the only class of events which all authors include is crowds. Clark McPhail, who treat crowds and collectives as synonyms. His important contribution is to gone beyond the others to carry out empirical studies of crowds. He finds them to form an set of types. The treatment of crowds is Gustave LeBon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (1896), in which the author, a frightened aristocrat, interpreted the crowds of the French Revolution as irrational reversions to animal emotion, and inferred from this that such reversion is characteristic of crowds in general. Freud expressed a similar view in Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1922). Authors thought that their ideas were confirmed by various kinds of crowds, one of these are the virtual economic. In Holland, during the tulip mania (1637), the prices of tulip bulbs rose to astronomical heights. An array of such quotes was quoted by the authors from the different part of the world. Mainly and other historical odds is said by Charles MacKays Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841). At the University of Chicago, Robert Park and Herbert Blumer approved with the speculations of LeBon and other that crowds are formed by emotional. But a crowd is capable of any emotion, not only the negative ones of anger and fear. A number of authors modify the common-sense of the crowd to include episodes during which the participants are not assembled in one place but are dispersed over a large area. Turner and Killian refer to such crowds, examples being Billy Grahams, their expanded definition of the crowd is justified if propositions are compact crowds do so for diffuse crowds as well. Some psychologists have proved that there are three fundamental human emotions: fear, joy, and anger. Neil Smelser, John Lofland, and others have proposed three corresponding forms of the crowd: the panic (an expression of fear), the craze (an expression of joy), and the hostile outburst (an expression of anger). Each of the three emotions can characterize either a compact or a diffuse crowd, the result being a scheme of six types of crowds. Lofland has offered the most explicit discussion of these types. 4.3| Types of Natural crowd: There are already many types of crowd in the society, mainly they are classified into businesses and projects based crowd formation. But when we study about crowd sourcing and the crowds that influence it, we always like to the talking about one big crowd, one only crowd type that can fulfill every task. Well thats not what happens in reality, and Author Nicholas Carr had a interesting blog post which states about this and his mind thoughts over the typology of crowds, after studying about the crowd sourcing we can find a piece for the PBS Digital Nation site. He suggests the following 4 types of crowds in crowd sourcing: Social production crowd: consists of a large group of individuals who lend their individual talents to the devolved creations like Wikipedia or Linux. This one basically fits in the most examples of crowd sourcing. Averaging crowd: classifies exactly as a survey group, giving an average judgment about some complex matter in some cases, is more accurate than the judgment of any one individual person in the society. Nicholas Carr defines that prediction markets are a typical examples of this different types of crowd, or even the stock market for that matter. Data mine crowd: A large group that, the basic common knowledge and understanding of all its members who produces a collection of behavioral data or information that can be collected verified by the authors from various country put under a series of examine in order to gain insight into behavioral or market patterns. The example are defined here is the crowd that are mainly feed Googles search engine and Amazons search engine. So here we all are involving ourselves in this crowd sourcing effort without knowing that were particularly helping the system. Networking crowd: a group that exports and import information through a shared communication system such as the phone network or Internet service. Internet service are mainly concentrated on the social networking like Orkut, hi 5, Facebook or Twitter. Here were not aware about being members of information collection, and if not handled carefully by the companies, could put a backfire on this type of services. After these 4 types, two were suggested. One by Clay Shirky, who was also, involved in this discussion, and another one from a suggestion by a commenter on the blog, Tom Lord. Thats crowd sourcing working right there! Transactional crowd: a group used to coordinate what are mainly point-to-point transactions, such as the type of crowd collected by eBay, Match.com, Innocentive, LinkedIn and similar services. Event crowd: A group organized through online communication for a particular event, which can take place either online or in the real world and may have a political, social, aesthetic, or other purpose. Crowd Simulation in Films Crowd Simulation in Films This dissertation is about the study of crowd simulation and why the crowd simulation is in need in the movies. Particularly concentrating about the computer generated movies simulating a large crowd is the most difficult task in the production pipeline. So finding a better way to give the audience the feel of crowd is the challenge. Researching about the silhouettes and its uses will help to implement the silhouette to establish the crowd. Silhouettes helps in many ways to create a mystic mood. . As implementing silhouette in the crowd simulation will helps to reduce the secondary animation and facial expression. As there are so many softwares exist to helps the crowd simulation, This paper will focus on a procedure which will create a crowd simulation by transferring the animation from one character to another character in a simpler and easier way. Chapter 1: Introduction Animation gives the life to the character. Animating a particular character takes a long time to give the feel. This dissertation is about researching the animation, animating the entire crowd is the difficult task in the animation pipeline. So this dissertation is mainly carried out to find a way to transfer the animation from one character to another character in a simpler and easier way. Crowd simulation is a process of simulating a group of members, objects or characters. When simulating a large number of characters in a live feature film is not a big deal. Man power is more important in simulating a crowd in feature film. Particularly concentrating on the computer generated movies, replicating the characters animation and behavior from one character to many character is a big deal. A lot of research is done about the crowds and the formation of crowds in society. For example, social gatherings, meetings, assemblies, religious ceremonies and sport events. 1.1| Aim: The main aim of the project is to achieve an essential method for crowd simulation for animation. 1.2| Research question: The research question for this study will be. What is crowd simulation? Why we need crowd simulation? Researching the existing crowd simulation method. Disadvantages of existing crowd simulation method. How silhouette helpful for the animation poses? How silhouette will be useful for simulating a crowd? 1.3| Statement of problem: Animating the entire crowd is the most biggest problem. Technically, creating the crowd is not a big deal but at that same time transferring the animation to each and every character with the different timing is the big deal. The another problem is that the rendering the whole scene with lots and lots of character in a particular scene will make the scene the most complicated one. So finding a better solution for creating the entire scene in Maya with lots and lots of character which has the different timing in their animation. There are several methods for the development of crowd simulation. The major method is using Mayas Dynamics. There are several external softwares which helps to simulate a entire crowd. But the method which said by this dissertation is quite simple and easier than comparing to another external softwares and Mayas Dynamics. 1.4| Objectives: Various types of crowd simulation method. Silhouette/ Various types. To study the golden poses for animations. Explore the secondary motion for animation. New methods of producing crowd simulation. 1.5| Significance of study: Most of the computer generated movies currently released like Madagascar, Horton hears a Who, had a clear idea about the crowd simulation. The focus of the study in this dissertation is about the simulation of crowd in a simpler and easier way and developing a simple procedure for transferring animation from one character to multiple characters. This study is carried out for developing a better technique for crowd simulation in future upcoming CG projects. 1.6| Hypothesis: The hypothesis of this dissertation is an animator can easily transfer the animation from one character to multiple character for simulating a crowd and also using the silhouette to visualize the crowd shot with a different perspective. Chapter 2: Review of literature This chapter will discuss about the article, books, Internet websites, publications which are related to this dissertation. There are few important topics are covered related to the cinematography, photography, silhouette, animation poses, crowd simulation. 2.1| Book and Internet websites: 1. Malcolm Le Grince,2001.,Experimental Cinema in Digital Age It explains about the experiment carried over Cinema from olden days to modern age. This book mainly concentrated about the cinemas that are experimented in modern ages. They experimented using the different types of cameras and various shots that enhances the scene. 2. Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristian,2001.,Film Art- An Introduction It explains about the art of film making, this gives the introduction about the film making. This book is referenced particularity to study about the lights and its uses. This gives a clear idea about the back lighting is and how essential to shoot a silhouette shot. 3. Beazley, Mitchell and Ang, Tom,2008.,Fundamentals of modern photography It explains about the photography and how photography helpful to convey the moral to the audience. This book concentrates about the camera and its uses for the photography. Rules and techniques for achieving the Silhouette stills. 4. Frost, Lee,2003.,Photography It explains about the various types of photography in various mood setup. How different light setup enchants the scene. This book clearly explains about the advantages and disadvantages of different styles in photograph in different environment. This book is mainly referred to study the advantages and disadvantages of silhouette shooting. 5. Emma Rutherford, Lulu,2009.,Silhouette: The Art of the Shadow It explains about how the silhouette is oriented with the art and craft. This book gives a simple definition for the silhouette as Silhouette is the simplest of art forms. This says about the fascinating history of art and craft in Europe and America. 6. Popular Mechanices (Hadly, Paul, 1947.,Silhouettes for salons,From Pg No. 171 to 173) This book meanly concentrated on the mechanics of machines in 1947. But from the page 171, this book has a quote about the silhouette photography. Hadly had a clear definition for the silhouette photography and he particularity chosen the early morning and late evening time because that light sources will be perfect for silhouette photography. This light sources naturally become the back lighting when the still is taken by aiming the sun. 7. Thalman, Daniel.,Crowd simulation This book is referenced for the purpose to have an clear idea about simulating a crowd and crowd AI. Artificial intelligence is applied on the crowd with speed control, locomotion control and personification control. This book explains from the modeling to the final rendering of the simulated crowd. Also this book gives an idea about simulating the environment sources like clouds, skies, plants, lakes and terrains. 8. Brinkmann, Ron.,The art and science of digital composting: Techniques for visual effects This book is referenced to have a clear study about the digital compositing in the post production pipeline. It has a clear idea about the replication of the rendered mesh. This consumes the render time the 3D softwares like Maya, 3D Max and so on. Simulating a crowd in the post-production level is more better than production level. 9. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-silhouettes (Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is analyzed to study about the ways to achieve the silhouette photographs in a simper and easier way. This website gives a tutor to the viewer about the ways to take silhouette photography. 10.http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/85-free-high-quality-silhouette-sets/(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is referenced to study about the poses of different anatomy models in silhouette mode. Professional animators use the silhouette mode to value the animation key poses. This website has a library of silhouette poses of props, male, female, mammals and so on. 11.http://www.cgtutorials.com/t3343/Autodesk_3ds_max/Crowd_simulation__biped__with_AI_implant(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website is referenced to study about the crowd AI. Artificial intelligence is one of the most important guide to achieve the realism in simulating the crowd. This website gives an idea about the particle effects and the collusion. Energy control, Personification control, direction control, locomotion control is easily achieved in AI. 12.http://www.creativecrash.com/tutorials/how-to-create-a-simple-crowd/page2(Accessed on 02-10-10) This website gives a method to create a simple crowd using the particle simulation. The basic idea in this tutorial is developing a crowd with low mesh ans defining a collision point using locater. The character is animated using the clip and four different clips is imported to 15 characters. These characters are guided using the expression editor. This method is based on the MEL(Maya Embedded Language.) 2.2| Interpretation: By reviewing the literatures like books, magazines, articles and Internet websites, the researcher had a better idea to develop a simple procedure to simulate the crowd and a crystal clear vision about the crowd AI (Artificial Intelligence). This literature review is also concentrated on the silhouettes and its uses in the production field. Silhouette is the best way to represent the enthusiasm. This research helped the researcher is present the entire crowd in the silhouette mode for the enthusiastic feel. Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1| Types of research: Analytical This dissertation is of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the title,Silhouette an essential method for crowd simulation animation. This research document carries the content from the Internet website, books and articles. This research is mainly done to develop a procedure to simulate a entire crowd in a simple and easier way and also to research about the silhouette is how essential to visualize the crowd to get a enthusiastic feel. This dissertation is carried out with the information collected through different sources like: Magazines Journals Forums Research papers Books Internet Websites Articles Google search engine and wikipedia are the two major sites helped a lot to gather information from various websites around the web. 3.2| Population: The people who are suitable for this population are Animators, cinematographers and visual effect artists. They were examined by series of questions regarding the simulation of an entire crowd using the silhouette. The population of this research work carries the production experienced person, students, Animation tutors. 3.3| Sampling: Judgment Sampling 3.4| Scope and limitation: This research is limited to the simulation of crowd. Chapter 4:Crowd Simulation 4.1| Definition A crowd is defined to be collection of people or group of people[1]. The term crowd is mainly referred to the collection of humans as well as animals[2]. Crowds in also defined as the sharing of emotional experience. A crowd can be named by the purpose or different types emotions, such as riot, social gatherings, meetings, assemblies, religious ceremonies, general meetings and sport events[3]. 4.2| Crowd: Scholars differ about what classes of social events fall under the rubric of collective behavior. In fact, the only class of events which all authors include is crowds. Clark McPhail, who treat crowds and collectives as synonyms. His important contribution is to gone beyond the others to carry out empirical studies of crowds. He finds them to form an set of types. The treatment of crowds is Gustave LeBon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (1896), in which the author, a frightened aristocrat, interpreted the crowds of the French Revolution as irrational reversions to animal emotion, and inferred from this that such reversion is characteristic of crowds in general. Freud expressed a similar view in Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1922). Authors thought that their ideas were confirmed by various kinds of crowds, one of these are the virtual economic. In Holland, during the tulip mania (1637), the prices of tulip bulbs rose to astronomical heights. An array of such quotes was quoted by the authors from the different part of the world. Mainly and other historical odds is said by Charles MacKays Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (1841). At the University of Chicago, Robert Park and Herbert Blumer approved with the speculations of LeBon and other that crowds are formed by emotional. But a crowd is capable of any emotion, not only the negative ones of anger and fear. A number of authors modify the common-sense of the crowd to include episodes during which the participants are not assembled in one place but are dispersed over a large area. Turner and Killian refer to such crowds, examples being Billy Grahams, their expanded definition of the crowd is justified if propositions are compact crowds do so for diffuse crowds as well. Some psychologists have proved that there are three fundamental human emotions: fear, joy, and anger. Neil Smelser, John Lofland, and others have proposed three corresponding forms of the crowd: the panic (an expression of fear), the craze (an expression of joy), and the hostile outburst (an expression of anger). Each of the three emotions can characterize either a compact or a diffuse crowd, the result being a scheme of six types of crowds. Lofland has offered the most explicit discussion of these types. 4.3| Types of Natural crowd: There are already many types of crowd in the society, mainly they are classified into businesses and projects based crowd formation. But when we study about crowd sourcing and the crowds that influence it, we always like to the talking about one big crowd, one only crowd type that can fulfill every task. Well thats not what happens in reality, and Author Nicholas Carr had a interesting blog post which states about this and his mind thoughts over the typology of crowds, after studying about the crowd sourcing we can find a piece for the PBS Digital Nation site. He suggests the following 4 types of crowds in crowd sourcing: Social production crowd: consists of a large group of individuals who lend their individual talents to the devolved creations like Wikipedia or Linux. This one basically fits in the most examples of crowd sourcing. Averaging crowd: classifies exactly as a survey group, giving an average judgment about some complex matter in some cases, is more accurate than the judgment of any one individual person in the society. Nicholas Carr defines that prediction markets are a typical examples of this different types of crowd, or even the stock market for that matter. Data mine crowd: A large group that, the basic common knowledge and understanding of all its members who produces a collection of behavioral data or information that can be collected verified by the authors from various country put under a series of examine in order to gain insight into behavioral or market patterns. The example are defined here is the crowd that are mainly feed Googles search engine and Amazons search engine. So here we all are involving ourselves in this crowd sourcing effort without knowing that were particularly helping the system. Networking crowd: a group that exports and import information through a shared communication system such as the phone network or Internet service. Internet service are mainly concentrated on the social networking like Orkut, hi 5, Facebook or Twitter. Here were not aware about being members of information collection, and if not handled carefully by the companies, could put a backfire on this type of services. After these 4 types, two were suggested. One by Clay Shirky, who was also, involved in this discussion, and another one from a suggestion by a commenter on the blog, Tom Lord. Thats crowd sourcing working right there! Transactional crowd: a group used to coordinate what are mainly point-to-point transactions, such as the type of crowd collected by eBay, Match.com, Innocentive, LinkedIn and similar services. Event crowd: A group organized through online communication for a particular event, which can take place either online or in the real world and may have a political, social, aesthetic, or other purpose.

The Change in Obstetric Care in the United States :: Evolution Childbirth America

Imagine for a moment a small room with pale green walls, and smelling of latex and disinfectant. The sharp light of fluorescent bulbs gives the space a harsh unnatural glow. A woman is lying on a metal bed: covered by a flimsy sheet, legs uncomfortably splayed open, feet in stirrups. A doctor and an entourage of residents enter the room in white coats. The doctor snaps on a pair of latex gloves, looks and feels between the woman’s legs, announces everything is moving "right on schedule," and hurries out the door, on to another patient. The woman is left wondering, among other things, what "on schedule" means. It doesn’t sound very pleasant, but for years this was what it was like to give birth in an American hospital. And, for many women, it is still true today. Just add to the situation a fetal monitor to measure the baby’s heart rate, an intravenous drip into the mother’s arm, an ultrasound machine, a catheter to collect the mother’s urine, surgical instruments for performing an episiotomy before delivery (an incision made to widen the vaginal opening), and various other technological devices, "just in case." While they can be helpful in certain situations, such as high-risk births, these things can impede the natural process of labor. In this paper, I will examine three distinct stages of obstetric care in the United States. By looking at the stages, you can see the evolution of childbirth in our country as it developed from a female- to a male-dominated field, and how it is now beginning to break away from some of the traditional medical methods that have been used for over 50 years. However, this break is not complete. Even with today’s woman having more power than ever in her decision making, we as Americans still can’t seem to get away from the technology used in childbirth, even though much of it is unnecessary and can sometimes even be detrimental. For the past 100 years, our view of pregnancy and childbirth has evolved into seeing it as a condition or sickness that needs to be controlled and treated by modern medicine. The first stage of OB care took place before and during the 19th century. In that time, obstetrics was a field dominated by women, almost entirely midwives. Almost all physicians were male, but for the most part, obstetrics was not studied in medical school.

U.S. Gaap vs. Ifrs

Thao Vu Accounting 303 October 9, 2012 US GAAP vs. IFRS The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) developed the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) has been used in US corporations for over 75 years. It allows financial statements from all corporations to be compared accurately and efficiently, and serves as a guideline for accountants. GAAP is slowly being taken out for the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as global business goes across the world. GAAP applies only to United States financial reporting. GAAP and the international rules have close similarity.The differences can lead a financial statement user to believe incorrectly that a company A made more money than company B because they report using different rules. The difference between GAAP and IFRS is the means of inventory valuation. In this case, GAAP permits accountants to use Last-in First-out, First-in First-out, and weighted average. Under IFRS, LIFO is not allowed. If U nited States corporations are forced to switch to LIFO under a universal accounting standard, they will have large increases in income tax. The use of LIFO allows them to avoid larger income taxes in times of inflation.Another example of the different procedures between IFRS and GAAP is in the evaluation of intangibles. GAAP focuses mostly on recording them at a set price, and amortizing that value over the amount of useful life of the intangible. IFRS stresses constant re-evaluation of the price, and recognition at the intangible's fair value (Miska). One of the greatest benefits of adopting IFRS is the fact that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) would be working together to develop the best, most effective accounting principles.Converting to an accounting standard that is less rule-based, and more principle oriented would definitely save American businesses trouble as well. IFRS authorize three basic accounting models: I. Current Cost Accounting, under Physical Capital Maintenance at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Historical Cost paradigm as well as the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm. II. Financial capital maintenance in nominal monetary units, i. e. globally implemented Historical cost accounting during low inflation and deflation only under the traditional Historical Cost paradigm III. Financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power, i. e. , Constant Item Purchasing Power Accounting – CIPPA – in terms of a Daily Consumer Price Index or daily rate at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm and Constant Purchasing Power Accounting – CPPA – during hyperinflation under the Historical Cost paradigm. What are the advantages of IFRS?First, it allows a company to compare itself to competitors overseas, because they will all be us ing the same financial language (IFRS FAQs). Second, a company that has offices all around the world will be able to use one set of standards rather than many different sets unique to each country. Third, it may make it easier for companies to grow globally because the accounting methods will be the same everywhere and time won’t need to be spent learning new rules. The projects listed below are a move toward achieving a common accounting framework, a step in the globalization of business and investment. Financial instruments * Revenue recognition * Leases * Statement of comprehensive income * Fair value measurement * Derecognition * Consolidations * Post-employment benefits| * Balance sheet – Netting * Financial statement presentation * Discontinued operations * Financial instruments with characteristics of equity * Insurance contracts * Emissions trading schemes| Currently, the first three projects (in bold) are priority projects – due to the existing divergen ce of US GAAP and IFRS and the need for improvements in the standards they replace.In conclusion, going from GAAP to IFRS will take time, money, training, and patience, but it will be well worth it in the long run for the United States and international businesses. Globalization of business is growing and students and professionals need to become aware of what the IFRS will mean in their careers. As of 2011, IFRS will be eligible for testing in the CPA exam; so, it is important for students to understand the implications of the newest set of global standards (IFRS FAQs).In a profession that needs a lifetime commitment to learning, IFRS is not different than Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and GAAP before it; it is one more academic step for accountants to overcome and master during their professional career. Sources â€Å"IFRS FAQs. † IFRS. com. 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. Imhof, Rori. Accounting Standards Go Global. Articlebase. com. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Kaiser, James G. â€Å"US GAAP ; IF RS Convergence. † PWC. com. Web. August 2012. Miska, Kevin. US GAAP vs. IFRS. Articlebase. com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. U.S. Gaap vs. Ifrs Thao Vu Accounting 303 October 9, 2012 US GAAP vs. IFRS The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) developed the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) has been used in US corporations for over 75 years. It allows financial statements from all corporations to be compared accurately and efficiently, and serves as a guideline for accountants. GAAP is slowly being taken out for the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as global business goes across the world. GAAP applies only to United States financial reporting. GAAP and the international rules have close similarity.The differences can lead a financial statement user to believe incorrectly that a company A made more money than company B because they report using different rules. The difference between GAAP and IFRS is the means of inventory valuation. In this case, GAAP permits accountants to use Last-in First-out, First-in First-out, and weighted average. Under IFRS, LIFO is not allowed. If U nited States corporations are forced to switch to LIFO under a universal accounting standard, they will have large increases in income tax. The use of LIFO allows them to avoid larger income taxes in times of inflation.Another example of the different procedures between IFRS and GAAP is in the evaluation of intangibles. GAAP focuses mostly on recording them at a set price, and amortizing that value over the amount of useful life of the intangible. IFRS stresses constant re-evaluation of the price, and recognition at the intangible's fair value (Miska). One of the greatest benefits of adopting IFRS is the fact that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) would be working together to develop the best, most effective accounting principles.Converting to an accounting standard that is less rule-based, and more principle oriented would definitely save American businesses trouble as well. IFRS authorize three basic accounting models: I. Current Cost Accounting, under Physical Capital Maintenance at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Historical Cost paradigm as well as the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm. II. Financial capital maintenance in nominal monetary units, i. e. globally implemented Historical cost accounting during low inflation and deflation only under the traditional Historical Cost paradigm III. Financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power, i. e. , Constant Item Purchasing Power Accounting – CIPPA – in terms of a Daily Consumer Price Index or daily rate at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm and Constant Purchasing Power Accounting – CPPA – during hyperinflation under the Historical Cost paradigm. What are the advantages of IFRS?First, it allows a company to compare itself to competitors overseas, because they will all be us ing the same financial language (IFRS FAQs). Second, a company that has offices all around the world will be able to use one set of standards rather than many different sets unique to each country. Third, it may make it easier for companies to grow globally because the accounting methods will be the same everywhere and time won’t need to be spent learning new rules. The projects listed below are a move toward achieving a common accounting framework, a step in the globalization of business and investment. Financial instruments * Revenue recognition * Leases * Statement of comprehensive income * Fair value measurement * Derecognition * Consolidations * Post-employment benefits| * Balance sheet – Netting * Financial statement presentation * Discontinued operations * Financial instruments with characteristics of equity * Insurance contracts * Emissions trading schemes| Currently, the first three projects (in bold) are priority projects – due to the existing divergen ce of US GAAP and IFRS and the need for improvements in the standards they replace.In conclusion, going from GAAP to IFRS will take time, money, training, and patience, but it will be well worth it in the long run for the United States and international businesses. Globalization of business is growing and students and professionals need to become aware of what the IFRS will mean in their careers. As of 2011, IFRS will be eligible for testing in the CPA exam; so, it is important for students to understand the implications of the newest set of global standards (IFRS FAQs).In a profession that needs a lifetime commitment to learning, IFRS is not different than Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and GAAP before it; it is one more academic step for accountants to overcome and master during their professional career. Sources â€Å"IFRS FAQs. † IFRS. com. 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. Imhof, Rori. Accounting Standards Go Global. Articlebase. com. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Kaiser, James G. â€Å"US GAAP ; IF RS Convergence. † PWC. com. Web. August 2012. Miska, Kevin. US GAAP vs. IFRS. Articlebase. com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.

Fiat’s Entry Mode Into China

2. Fiat’s strategy: a. Entry mode: The main entry mode FIAT has been applying in China Market is joint venture. In 1995, FIAT tried to break into the Chinese market. Indeed it is the first host country of foreign investments, so China is an inescapable market. FIAT made an attempt to introduce there with a joint-venture with a local firm: NANJING in 1999. This Italian automaker quit the company in 2007 citing a lack of investment on the part of its Chinese partner. Probably the main problem in this alliance is the lack of confidence in the partner.Indeed, FIAT did not trust NANJING because given that the Italian company reduced the number of models given to the Chinese one for of stealing. The most important in business for Chinese people is the trust. Without it, it cannot work. The second joint venture is with Cherry Automobile Co. The joint venture has come to an end due to Fiat signing up with Guangzhou Auto and planning to invest 500 million USD into the Chinese market. U p till now, Fiat has been in a third joint venture with Guangzhou Auto to make cars for the Chinese market.The joint venture between the two companies will see each contribute â‚ ¬400 million towards building a new assembly plant in Changsha, Hunan province. The plant is expected to be operational by late 2011, and inital production is estimated to be in the region of 140,000 cars and 220,000 engines per year. b. Product line and revenue: In the past, Fiat seems to target the medium class by introducing the low price products. At first, Nanjing-Fiat produced and sold 24,000 vehicles in 2002, bringing a sales revenue of 2. billion yuan (US$280 million). Nanjing-FIAT produce four models: Fiat Palio, Fiat Palio Weekend, Fiat Siena, designed by IDeA and Fiat Perla the first model jointly designed by Fiat and Nanjing Fiat Automobile. Fiat had previously planned to invest 500 million euros in the joint venture over five years in a drive toward meeting the company's 2010 sales goal of 3 00,000 vehicles in China. Nanjing Fiat sold only 30,668 vehicles in 2006. After that, from 2007, when they sign the joint venture contract with Guangzhou Automobile Co. they invest euro400 million ($556 million), The plant initially will produce 140,000 cars and 220,000 engines a year, with the potential to increase to a maximum 250,000 cars and 300,000 engines a year, Fiat said. It seems fairly clear that Fiat will target the same young, â€Å"entry-level luxury† demographic. Considering they’re relatively new to the China market, and priced comparatively high for their petite size (particularly compared to their domestic Chinese counterparts).Fiat’s small cars and green technology are entirely applicable to the Chinese market. Fiat launch the Fiat 500 into the Chinese market, it is a small car that appear to certain niche buyers. According to our own internal estimates the Fiat 500 should be able to achieve sales of 700 to 10,000 units. Their goal is to set up the brand, we’re chasing branding value and not sales. The cars that will sell in big numbers will be our Chinese made cars from Guangzhou-Fiat.

Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart Introduction ‘Things Fall Apart’, is story written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. It talks of the social and cultural aspects of pre-colonial Africa and the effects of western civilizations (Ogbaa xv). The author criticizes imperialism and British colonization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is a tragic story where the protagonist is Okonkwo. It talks of a man named Okonkwo, who was a wrestler and an influential leader in an African village called Umofia, inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group. He initially amasses fame, and honor in Umofia through victorious wrestling but finally comes to a tragic downfall. Okonkwo was polygamous with three wives and several children. The novel emphasize on the encounters of the pre-colonial Africa and the effect of British colonialism during the 19th century (Bloom 51). This paper shall discuss culture and tr adition as a social issue involved in the Chinua Achebe’s Things fall Apart. Culture and Traditions of Igbo The author emphasize on cultural and social aspects on the brink of change thorough different characters, creating tension on if to embrace change or to remain for status quo. Okonkwo disregard the new system religiously and politically, may be because he would lose his social status. The Igbo however, have been oppressed by these traditions and therefore find refuge in the new system, where once outcasts, are now be recognized. There exists a dilemma on the new dawn that scares them since it could interfere with their social life such as farming and trade. Okonkwo is a rich and respectable African warrior in Umofia. However his late father, Unoka was a lazy man, a coward, disreputable and died with several debts since he concentrated on taking palm-wine, leaving his family to go hungry. Unoka became the laughingstock of Umofia being referred to as Agbala to mean, †˜womanly weaknesses’ Unlike him, Okonkwo is resentful to his father and evades being like him by becoming ‘manly’ as a clansman, a wealthy farmer, and a respectable warrior not to mention him being a controlling family man. This parent-child relationship affects him to become violent, over-ambitious and disrespectful, associating masculinity with aggression and acts irrationally (Bloom 141).Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Okonkwo‘s son, Nwoye is lazy and it disturbs Okonkwo that his son might take after his grandfather, Unoka. This indicates that the villagers believed in passing inheritable aspects to future generations. Moreover, they engage in adoption, for instance the village adopts a young boy called Ikemefuna whom Okonkwo takes guardianship as a surrogate son, for peace offering from the village, Mbaino to maintain peace after t he boy’s father murdered an Umofian woman. He has to live with the boy until further instructions are given to elders from the oracle. The two becomes so close to each other, as the boy regard Okonkwo as a father and Nwoye becomes friends with the boy. Ikemefuna coexist happily with the family for three years, becoming part of them. In another instance, Okonkwo’s kinsmen particularly, Uchendu his uncle, welcomes him and his family in his maternal village called Mbanta after they are sent into exile. He seeks refuge in his motherland as Uchendu states that; It is true that a child belongs to his father. But when the father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mothers hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness, he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme (Achebe 134). The quote not only emphasizes th e position of women in the village but also the importance of having good family relationships. He is built his huts and given yam seed to plant in his motherland although he is still depressed, blaming chief his spirit for disappointing his greatness in the village. After exile, he had gone back to Umofia after organizing a farewell ceremony to thank his kinsmen for the stay. This emphasizes on the significance of maintaining close family bonds to the Igbo (Bloom 39). Wife beating and carrying out sacrifices are other practices in the village. Okonkwo proves volatile and easily provoked as he beats his youngest wife called Ojiugo during an important period referred to as Week of Peace, accusing her of neglect of the family.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This interrupts with the peace meant to prevail the whole week but Okonkwo has to sacrifice to p ay up for his sins and to show repentance. Okonkwo also shoots Ekwefi, his second wife due to a small issue of wrapping food with Okonkwo’s banana leaves during Feast of the New Yam. From this practice, the reader is enlightened of the significance of ceremonies and farming in Umofia. It is clear that the Igbo practice farming and trade as depicted where Okonkwo receives cowries from selling yams from Oberika who promise to sell them until he would go back to Umofia. Clansmen preside over public trials in Umofia, where nine clansmen have met to signify the ancestor’s spirits. The nine clansmen also referred to as Egwugwu, signify the nine Umofian clans. Okonkwo is separated from the rest of the clansmen to settle a domestic case where Mgbafo, a woman has suffered assaults from his husband, taken back to her motherland, but the husband needed her to go back. The Egwugwu, advices the man to offer palm wine to his in-laws to appease the wife to return home. This case is t oo trivial to be presented to the Egwugwu as some elders perceive it (Heiser 26). The villagers believe in unnatural phenomenon, which have to be prevented through human sacrifice to appease the gods. When locusts invade the village, the elder informs Okonkwo the Oracle’s guideline, which require killing of Ikemefuna to avenge for Umofian woman murdered in the previous year in Mbaino. He is warned of killing Ikemefuna as it would despise the earth goddess who could show his vengeance to the village. Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna irrespective of being warned by a village elder, Ogbuefu Ezeudu. Following this event, he lie to the boy that he is to be returned to his home village as the entire family mourns his departure. However, the boy is excited to reunite with his family but he is unfortunately attacked by Okonkwo’s clansmen. On seeking help from Okonkwo, he kills the boy to showoff his might to the clansmen irrespective of the Oracle’s caution. Consequently, things start to fall apart. This emphasize on the need to adhere to elders and more so, the religious directives. As Okonkwo becomes greatly saddened, he loses his appetite and spends sleepless nights and decides to visit Obierika who is disappointed with Okonkwo’s act. He is however consoled and is able to find sleep. Bad omens follow consequently, as his daughter becomes ill. As a result, the use of herbal medicine among the Igbo is manifested as Okonkwo prepares some for his daughter, and she recovers after taking the medicine.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Igbo are religious as seen through various rituals. Besides, there are priestess e.g. Chielo, who advice the second wife of Okonkwo, Ekwefi that Agbala required the sight of Ezinma, which makes Okonkwo to argue. Chielo present Ezinma to the nine clans and moves inside the cave of the Oracle. Ekwefi has been following in secret despite being warned by Chielo and stands beside the entrance to be surprised by appearance of Okonkwo as they wait together. The following morning Ekwefi is offered Ezinma by Chielo and they sleeps together. Moreover, the Igbo conduct funeral ceremonies where clansmen take the lead. When the elder, Ogbuefu Ezeudu dies his death is announced using ekwe. This depresses Okonkwo more since he failed to adhere to the elder’s advice. During his funeral ceremony, Okonkwo’s gun fatefully shoots at teenage boy, who is Ogbuefu Ezeudu’s son unexpectedly. Since causing death of a village elder is a despicable act for the earth goddess, he is take n hostage in exile for a period of 7 years for atonement. Moreover, his properties are burnt in order to cleanse. Additionally, Enoch, a Christian convert reveals Egwugwu on an occasion meant to adore earth god. This act is so despicable and is compared to putting to death ancestral spirits (Whittaker Msiska 120). The upset of these traditions and cultural practices begins as missionaries and colonialists arrive in the village as tension and dilemma prevails. Okonkwo is informed by Oberika, who visit him in his second year that Abame, which is a neighboring village, was put to destruction by a white man who arrived with a bicycle. After conferring from the oracle, they became aware that the foreigner and his fellows would put into devastation, the clans, which led him to be killed but the villagers. In vengeance, the villagers were killed in mass by the white men. Okonkwo see the villagers as having acted foolishly to murder a stranger. Later, six missionaries arrive in Mbanta led by Kiaga, the interpreter of Mr. Brown who addresses the villagers on Christianity, and whom Okonkwo sees as being cynical. Conversely, Nwoye is converted to become a Christian. Brown points out that the villagers serve a false god and having several gods for worship is idolatry, advocating for Holy Trinity as the supreme deity. The missionaries are offered a land to build the church by the elders whose intention is to kill them all since the land lies within the Evil forest, a cursed land. Unexpectedly, they do not die and villagers maintain that the missionaries have unusual power or magic. This depicts their conservativeness and permittivity in thinking, being led by traditions rather than rational thinking or reason. However, the social outcasts such as women and some men are given a privilege in the new system. The first convert is Efulefu, a useless villager, followed by women. However, the system has no place for conservatives such as Okonkwo, whose term in exile has ended. H e is surprised how things have changed in the village with many Christian converts. In Umofia, the missionaries start a school in which Nwoye attends, leaving his family behind. There is even a prison built by the whites having a governmental legal court, used for trying the law breakers, where native Umofians have been employed. He wonders why the villagers have not reacted back to chase away Christianity and oppressive government. The villagers have been assimilated in the new political system. As a way to show cultural assimilation, Mr. Brown shows regard for the traditions of the natives and aspires to learn of their culture and even befriends the clansmen. He advocate for education for all, as seen by Nwoye who now is called Isaac and has been attending the teacher’s college. However, Okonkwo is not pleased with the changes. Mr. Brown only hopes to convert the villagers to Christianity (Ogbaa xix). His health deteriorates and he is forced to go back home and Reverend Jam es Smith takes over. He is stricter and does not tolerate the traditions of the clans, though he amasses several converts e.g. Enoch an extremely zealous convert. When Egwugwu puts Enoch’s compound on fire and brings down Reverend Smith’s church, the acts disappoints the District commissioner who demands meeting with the six leaders. They are arrested an imprisoned and fined 250 cowries bags where the villagers gather them and the six are released. On their freeing, a gathering is held by clansmen but is dispersed by a court order. Okonkwo resists courageously and portray his bravely expecting support from clansmen as he murders the messenger leader using a machete. The crowd releases other messengers, which makes Okonkwo to realize he is alone in the fight and the village has surrendered since the social values and cohesion has been compromised in his absence realizing that, things have fallen apart. The DC goes to Okonkwo’s compound only to realize that he com mitted suicide through hanging, an act which he ironically meant to express his manliness and forever escape to be defeated. Oberika, his friend claims that suicide is inauspicious thus the tradition prevents the clansmen to touch him (Achebe 125). Conclusion The novel handles the experiences during the 1890s in Umofia, a small village along the Niger River in the African nation, Nigeria. After the British colonialists arrived in the village, there were missionaries already and people sought solace in the churches. Western civilizations interfered with cultural, economic and social values of the village. Villagers inhabited Umofia in patriarchal political system where decisions came from council, made up of nine clansmen who sometimes, got directives from religious leaders. British arrival however, upset this socio-political system and began to interfere with social disputes, even establishing courts and prisons. This disregarded the traditional social setup and the reallocation of power in this village, leading to the tragedy of Okonkwo, who would rather be seen dead than alive but helpless (Whittaker Msiska 66). Igbo people are depicted by the author as having powerful social institutions such as wrestling, practice of human sacrifice, religious rituals, ceremonies, and family. They rely heavily on traditions regarding justice as the people are led by the council made of elders, in this democratic village. The males are decision makers and leaders while the position of a woman is home making. Gender disparity is clear in this village and the crimes are identified with gender where the accidental killings by Okonkwo are referred to as female. Women are underrated in the village and oppressed by culture and traditions seen as child bearers, properties to their husbands, to be beaten and reprimanded. Men are allowed to marry as many wives for a status symbol. However, the colonialists interfere with these social setups, and introduce new ones. Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. 1958. Print. Bloom, Harold. Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart. New York: Infobase Publishing. 2010. Print. Heiser, Fred. Things Fall Apart. Lincoln, NE: Writers Club Press. 2002. Print. Ogbaa, Kalu. Understanding Things Fall Apart: A Student Casebook To Issues, Sources, And Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 1999. Print. Whittaker, David and Msiska, Mpalive-Hangson. Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart. New York: Routledge. 2007. Print.

Two major factors that influence Canadian golf industry essays

Two major factors that influence Canadian golf industry essays As we know, the golf industry in Canada is undergoing a decline during recent years. There are lots of external macro factors may affect the growth of golf industry. However, from my opinion, economic and cultural influences should be the most important ones among them. It is an undeniable fact that economy has played a significant role in our daily life. It influences every decision made on our expenses as well as our participation in golf sport. According to the survey report from RCGA for the 2002 golf participation in Canada, from 1996 to 2001, golf participation has followed a similar pattern to that of the Canadian economy. Growth from 1996 to 1998 was quite strong. Since 1998, however, the unfavourable economic conditions have caused the remarkable drop on number of golfers in Canada. Those low income golfers are more sensitive to the increased economic pressure. Since 1998, the number of golfers with an annual income between $30000 - $49999 has decreased by 25%. It is unreasonable for a golfer to enjoy the swing in a golf course with a very tight budget. Fortunately, Canadian economy is improving during these two years. From the recent media we know that the Canadian Economic Confidence Index goes up 9.33 points to 109.18. Optimistic interest rate predictions, high home purchase intentions, low job anxiety and positive personal economic outlook have drove the confidence up. This will also lead to the high level of intent to resume golfing among former golfers. On the other hand, immigrants with various cultural backgrounds may contribute to the growth of golf industry in Canada. Started from 1996, Canadas open policy on immigration has attracted more than 200 thousands immigrants per year from all over the world. Although most of these people are not familiar with golf, it is a huge potential market demanding our development. From what I know about Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan, many of ...

History of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement

History of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement During the Asian American civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s, activists fought for the development of ethnic studies programs in universities, an end to the Vietnam War, and reparations for Japanese Americans forced into  internment camps during World War II. The movement had come to a close by the late 1980s. The Birth of Yellow Power By watching African Americans expose institutional racism and government hypocrisy, Asian Americans began to identify the ways in which they, too, had faced discrimination in the United States. â€Å"The ‘black power’ movement caused many Asian Americans to question themselves,† wrote Amy Uyematsu in â€Å"The Emergence of Yellow Power,† a 1969 essay. â€Å"‘Yellow power is just now at the stage of an articulated mood rather than a program- disillusionment and alienation from white America and independence, race pride and self-respect.† Black activism played a fundamental role in the launch of the Asian American civil rights movement, but Asians and Asian Americans influenced black radicals as well. African American activists often cited the writings of China’s communist leader  Mao Zedong. Also, a founding member of the Black Panther Party- Richard Aoki- was Japanese American. A military veteran who spent his early years in an internment camp, Aoki donated weapons to the Black Panthers and trained them in their use. Impact of Internment Like Aoki, a number of Asian American civil rights activists were Japanese American internees or the children of internees. The decision of President Franklin Roosevelt to force more than 110,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps during World War II had a detrimental impact on the community. Forced into camps based on fears that they still maintained ties to the Japanese government, Japanese Americans strove to prove that they were authentically American by assimilating, yet  they continued to face discrimination. Speaking out about the racial bias they faced felt risky for some Japanese Americans, given their past treatment by the U.S. government. â€Å"Unlike other groups, Japanese Americans were expected to be quiet and behave and thus did not have sanctioned outlets to express the anger and indignation that accompanied their racially subordinated status,† writes Laura Pulido in Black, Brown, Yellow and Left: Radical Activism in Los Angeles. Goals of the Movement When not only blacks but also Latinos and Asian Americans from various ethnic groups began to share their experiences of oppression, indignation replaced fear about the ramifications of speaking out. Asian Americans on college campuses demanded a curriculum representative of their histories. Activists also sought to prevent gentrification from destroying Asian American neighborhoods. Explained activist Gordon Lee in a 2003  Hyphen  magazine piece called â€Å"The Forgotten Revolution,† â€Å"The more we examined our collective histories, the more we began to find a rich and complex past. And we became outraged at the depths of the economic, racial and gender exploitation that had forced our families into roles as subservient cooks, servants or coolies, garment workers and prostitutes, and which also improperly labeled us as the ‘model minority’ comprised of ‘successful’ businessmen, merchants or professionals.†Ã‚   Students' Efforts College campuses provided fertile ground for the movement. Asian Americans at the University of California, Los Angeles launched groups such as Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) and Orientals Concerned. A group of Japanese American UCLA students also formed the leftist publication Gidra in 1969. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, branches of AAPA formed at Yale and Columbia. In the Midwest, Asian student groups formed at the University of Illinois, Oberlin College, and the University of Michigan. â€Å"By 1970, there were more than 70 campus and†¦ community groups with ‘Asian American’ in their name, Lee recalled. â€Å"The term symbolized the new social and political attitudes that were sweeping through communities of color in the United States. It was also a clear break with the name ‘Oriental.’† Outside of college campuses, organizations such as I Wor Kuen and Asian Americans for Action formed on the East Coast. One of the movement’s greatest triumphs was when Asian American students and other students of color participated in strikes in 1968 and 69 at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley for the development of ethnic studies programs. Students demanded to design the programs and select the faculty who would teach the courses. Today, San Francisco State offers more than 175 courses in its College of Ethnic Studies. At Berkeley, Professor Ronald Takaki helped develop the nation’s first Ph.D. program in comparative ethnic studies. Vietnam and Pan-Asian Identity A challenge of the Asian American civil rights movement from the outset was that Asian Americans identified by ethnic group rather than as a racial group. The Vietnam War changed that. During the war, Asian Americans- Vietnamese or otherwise- faced hostility. â€Å"The injustices and racism exposed by the Vietnam War also helped cement a bond between different Asian groups living in America,† Lee said. â€Å"In the eyes of the United States military, it didn’t matter if you were Vietnamese or Chinese, Cambodian or Laotian, you were a ‘gook,’ and therefore subhuman.† The Movement Ends After the Vietnam War, many radical Asian American groups dissolved. There was no unifying cause to rally around. For Japanese Americans, though, the experience of being interned had left festering wounds. Activists organized to have the federal government apologize for its actions during World War II. In 1976, President Gerald Ford signed Proclamation 4417, in which internment was declared a â€Å"national mistake.† A dozen years later, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which distributed $20,000 in reparations to surviving internees or their heirs and included an apology from the federal government.

Peregrine Trucking Co Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Peregrine Trucking Co - Research Paper Example Organizations are facing frequent challenges to find out ways to minimize the operating cost and to increase equipment capacity. Many variables are continuously increasing, mostly the fuel prices are rising daily and it leads to a rise in the material costs. In response to cost minimization, the business universe has started reengineering their business process. The scarce energy sources are consumed by transportation industry. The Peregrine Trucking Company is formulating a strategic plan for reduction of the fuel price by using a variety of effective and socially aware trucking equipment’s. This study discusses various methodologies to reduce the fuel consumption of Peregrine Transportation Company (Schafer, F. & Basshuysen, 1995). From last two decades the transportation companies have become intensely competitive. Freight transport demand has grown rapidly and will grow further as the economies recover from the current economic instability. The increased demand of freight transport facilities has putted an excess pressure on the transport network capacity. The enhanced consciousness about the safety and environmental issues also encouraged the truck companies to innovate socially acceptable methods for cost reduction. Discussion Now days, a person realizes that the resources are not limited and there are alternatives for the scarce resources. There are several ways to eliminate the fuel costs. Some of the simplest ways are as follows: It is advised to eliminate all useless weights from the vehicle. It is suggested to buy gasoline in the morning when, generally the temperature is cold. It is advised to formulate an effective routing plan for entire day. For saving the fuel consumption, first task is to check the air filter. Checking of air filter takes a few minutes. One has to remove the filter and has to boost the light; if the light does not pass, the filter should be replaced. Another option is to use the motor oil’s â€Å"lungs† wit h less thick synthetic or semi synthetic base. Compared with the traditional mode viscous â€Å"mineral water†, they have almost 6% lower fuel consumption. Checking the pressure of tire is another way to reduce fuel. Presence of the weak slopes increases the rolling struggle and that is the reason, the fuel consumption increases. The truck should maintain a constant speed even in the jam also. In the rush hours trucks starts hastily and suddenly slow down. This would increase the fuel cost. Careful use of gas pedals can surely decrease the fuel cost. It is advisable not to use the high gear when the vehicle is in low speed. It is important to brake properly that would also help to reduce the fuel consumption. Air conditioning consumes 5% to 20% of fuel. Avoiding air conditioner sometimes helps the vehicle to reduce fuel consumption. Maintaining

Market Entry Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Market Entry Project - Research Paper Example Considering this strategy in mind Target has planned to expand in the market of their neighboring country Mexico. We choose to enter Mexico, with the idea to expand our business base obviously, to cater to their competitor Wal-Mart who is doing great business in Mexico by providing the experience of ‘Like shopping in the US’ (Luhnow, David), with similar purchasing trends observed in US, Low Land and Central Mexico it was easy to understand consumer’s psychology (Portilla, Fabiola de la), people in Pacific, North and Southeast tend to spend more (Portilla, Fabiola de la). If we look at the Nielsen’s survey results closes we’ll come across the fact that Big Supermarkets still capture a very small proportion of the retail universe in Mexico-Pacific, 26%, Valley of Mexico 30%, (Portilla, Fabiola de la), which is extremely low and reflects the fact that markets displays huge blue spaces for expansion by large retailers like Target. Consumers tend to visi t markets in weekdays in Pacific and on weekends, Sunday etc in Low Land, Central Region and Valley of Mexico (Portilla, Fabiola de la). Negligible tariffs on trade between US and Mexico is acting as a major incentive for businesses to expand across borders and become transnational in nature. Target also has the advantage of learning and getting insights from Wal-Mart’s experience (Luhnow, David) so far in the Mexican market. Hence all the factors mentioned above drove us to the conclusion of tapping into Mexican market as our host country. The environmental opportunities which the host country offers are as follows; Economic factors, the country’s economy is back on track with a GDP of 3.8% in 2011 (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), and shows good signs of growth with huge margins of blue spaces left to be exploited by the retailers with retail sales of 5.4% by may 2011 (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), this increased economic stability has also impacted the purchasing power of Mexicans resulting in growing confidence in retail; Legal factors, like there are very low trade tariffs in Mexico as compared to the US, the act named NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) made in 1994 and renewed in 2008 created the world’s largest free market with almost negligible trade tariffs between US, Mexico and Canada (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico), hence very low legal restrictions act as an opportunity; Social Factor of emerging middle class in Mexico (6 Reasons why US retailers should enter Mexico) has given foreign retailers a hope that more people now have the power to experience a purchase in huge retail stores and with the emerging and still weak middle class discount stores can actually help the people and strengthen their own presence in the market as well. Cultural factors changes and flexibilities (Hernandez, Mariana) also act as an opportunity an opening for foreign retailers to jump into the market, thought it took time but now Mexicans have accepted and encourage foreign brands specially those manufactured or originated from US because of their own growing aspirations. Upon further analysis I would not exactly put this as a threat but a disadvantage faced by the retailers in Mexico’s trade environment could be of the huge power distance (Hernandez, Mariana) amongst the people living in the same region, existing large amount of

According to Premo Levi's book The Survival of Auschwitz how did Essay

According to Premo Levi's book The Survival of Auschwitz how did Auschwitz systematically dehumanize prisoners - Essay Example Men, women and children were dumped in the concentration camps not for the purpose of reformation and rehabilitation. Their spirits were totally subdued before their bodies were disposed of through heinous procedures. Primo Levi writes, â€Å"Then for the first time we became aware that our language lacks words to express this offence, the demolition of a man. In a moment, with almost prophetic intuition, the reality was revealed to us; we had reached the bottom. It is not possible to sink lower than this; no human condition is more miserable than this, nor could it conceivably be so.†(16) Even the garbage that is being lodged in the dumpers commands some sort of discipline and procedure for disposal. But the human beings in the concentration camps were stripped of all their possessions, their self-respect included. Levi’s only apprehension was what he was going to lose next? Was there anything more for being robbed at all! Dehumanization is the psychological process; o ne’s feelings and emotions are attacked. It is more vicious than the physical violence. In the psychological torture of an individual he is made to feel not worthy, he is the lesser category of a human being. He is alienated from the normal society, mocked at for no personal fault. His individuality is put to test severely and conditions are created that he will be facing death at the time, only place and manner to be decided by the authority that has imprisoned him. That was the philosophy of the people who created Auschwitz. When you were confronted with the dehumanizing process, in the circumstances prevailing in Auschwitz, physical confrontation with those responsible for that malicious activity was impossibility. But you were forced to fight for your humanity and to protect the individual dignity. You were conscious in your inner world that you did not deserve the treatment that you were getting. You had the vague conviction that something dramatic would happen and there was going to be an end to the mean process. Those who were in charge of the camp were treating the prisoners like the animals, and you would not like to be one; you resist that with all the inner strength at your command. To survive in those grim circumstances for ten months spoke about the grit and strong will power of Primo Levi, as many of the fellow-suffers in the camp perished. The beginning of the dehumanization process—was it dehumanization or much more? Auschwitz was not the beginning; it was one of the terminals of the dehumanization process. Levi writes, â€Å"With the absurd precision to which we later had to accustom ourselves, the Germans held the roll-call. At the end the officer asked, â€Å"Wieviel stuck?† The corporal saluted smartly and replied that there were six hundred and fifty â€Å"pieces† and that all was in order.†(5) Primo Levi’s desperate struggle against this demonic process began before his arrival at Auschwitz. From Italy preparations for transportation of a group of six hundred and fifty people began and they were to be condemned to death. At the time of boarding the train the dehumanization process began. Levi writes, â€Å"Here we received the first blows: and it was so new and senseless that we felt no pain, neither in body nor in spirit. Only a profound amazement: how can one hit a man without anger?†(5) In the wagon where he was seated, there were forty-five people and only four survived, including Levi. During the journey to Auschwitz they had to encounter cold, torment, and

Law of European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of European Union - Essay Example Article 59 of the EC Treaty will also apply in this case, since the Government is proposing to restrict the production and distribution of rockets and mandate their sale only through certainly registered outlets. The purpose of allowing free movement of goods as set out in Article 2 of the EC Treaty is to establish a common market. According to Article 14 of the EC Treaty, the â€Å"internal market shall comprise an area without frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital is ensured in accordance with the principles of this Treaty.† Under this principle, the measures that could be equivalent to measures to impede the free functioning of the common market would include customs duties or discriminatory taxation systems, any quantitative restrictions on imports and exports or measures that are equivalent to the imposing of import and export restrictions. In the light of the above, the measures that are proposed by the UK include restrictions on imports of rockets and therefore constitute trade barriers to the common market. Similarly, the restrictions on purchasing, possessing or supplying rockets could also constitute similar barriers to trade and free movement of goods within the European Union and undermine the Common Market. The meaning of quantitative restrictions on the free movement of goods was defined in the case of Riseria Luigi3 where any measure that amounts to a â€Å"total or partial restraint† on imports or exports would constitute a restriction. On this basis, therefore, the imposition of regulations for rockets as per Section 2 of the proposed statute could in itself be viewed as a partial restriction on imports. Similarly, Section 3 has specifically included restrictions on individuals in importing rockets. One example that may be cited in this context is the case of Commission v Italy4 where a complete ban was mooted on pork products.

How to Dance Salsa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

How to Dance Salsa - Essay Example Ever region or country has it individual culture and dance is a part of that culture. Salsa is also a part of the long list of dances available worldwide. Although Salsa originated in the Caribbean, it gradually gained popularity all over the world with certain alterations in style. Salsa, in general, gave the identity and defined the culture of the Latin America particularly The Caribbean. Salsa is a word that describes a variety of dance styles from many regions of Latin America but it basically belongs to the Caribbean. It is mainly distinguished with the highly energetic and vivacious hip movement which is accompanied by a fervent beat. It was formed as a result of a merger between Cuban mambo and Latin jazz in the 1960’s with a touch of choreography and styling from the Puerto Ricans who resided in the Big Apple, the New York City. However, Salsa is still constantly evolving and developing and being modified with new steps and styles. Salsa has its roots embedded deep in Latin America and the Afro-Caribbean. Salsa originated on the island of Cuba. A Frenchman who had fled From Haiti had brought the country dance of France to Cuba, This dance was called the Danzon. The dance then began to blend with the several types of Rhumbas such as the Guaguanco, Columbia, and Yambu. A major part consisted of a mixture of Sonero and the African Drumbeats, known as the Son of the Cuban people. This fusion happened in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Columbia etc. but not as popularly as in Cuba. In the 1930s, when Second World War was on its verge, the name ‘salsa’ emerged with this dance moving to the city of lights New York and Mexico. Salsa was a nickname for various Hispanic originated music such as the mambo, cha cha cha, meringue and many others. Apart from all of this, there was a large investment in the promotion of Salsa. The word did not gain much popularity until the 1960’s.

Diversity Consciousness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity Consciousness - Essay Example This paper will mainly talk about importance of diversity conscious, how to develop it, success barriers, overcoming barriers, and conclusion. Diversity consciousness is basic recognition that work places and communities in America are being more diverse. Being aware of its impact make a company be in a position to take advantage of its benefits and counteract conflicts that may arise if individuals with various backgrounds meet. Diversity consciousness has various importance. To start with, it enhances skills of diversity. Another importance is that it expands an individual’s horizon and also, empowers the individual. Diversity consciousness strengthens an individual’s social network and boost personal growth. It stresses on importance of education of oneself in diversity area and sees this education as a continuing process instead of an event. It also direct a learner on how developing process of diversity consciousness need commitment, patience, and evaluation. Diversity consciousness, provides a realistic and in depth perspective to diversity all learners will associate with regardless of where they come from and explores a variety of emerging diversity and traditional issues in a readable manner (Deissler, 2011) It is a worker’s right to do work in a place where diversity is given respect. These employees develop conscious to maintain this kind of environment via diversity training. In order to develop diversity consciousness, management team should be assisted to develop a training program that is better, which supports policies at work place regarding diversity (Katherine, 2008) All things come from leadership. In case a problem arises in a team, always, a leader must have faulted. Chances are that there is limited communication or no communication at all. For instance, if a leader does not communicate on how he/she

How to Dance Salsa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

How to Dance Salsa - Essay Example Ever region or country has it individual culture and dance is a part of that culture. Salsa is also a part of the long list of dances available worldwide. Although Salsa originated in the Caribbean, it gradually gained popularity all over the world with certain alterations in style. Salsa, in general, gave the identity and defined the culture of the Latin America particularly The Caribbean. Salsa is a word that describes a variety of dance styles from many regions of Latin America but it basically belongs to the Caribbean. It is mainly distinguished with the highly energetic and vivacious hip movement which is accompanied by a fervent beat. It was formed as a result of a merger between Cuban mambo and Latin jazz in the 1960’s with a touch of choreography and styling from the Puerto Ricans who resided in the Big Apple, the New York City. However, Salsa is still constantly evolving and developing and being modified with new steps and styles. Salsa has its roots embedded deep in Latin America and the Afro-Caribbean. Salsa originated on the island of Cuba. A Frenchman who had fled From Haiti had brought the country dance of France to Cuba, This dance was called the Danzon. The dance then began to blend with the several types of Rhumbas such as the Guaguanco, Columbia, and Yambu. A major part consisted of a mixture of Sonero and the African Drumbeats, known as the Son of the Cuban people. This fusion happened in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Columbia etc. but not as popularly as in Cuba. In the 1930s, when Second World War was on its verge, the name ‘salsa’ emerged with this dance moving to the city of lights New York and Mexico. Salsa was a nickname for various Hispanic originated music such as the mambo, cha cha cha, meringue and many others. Apart from all of this, there was a large investment in the promotion of Salsa. The word did not gain much popularity until the 1960’s.

The Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato Essay Example for Free

The Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato Essay Plato believed in an ‘ideal state,’ the Republic, which is ruled and sustained by an ‘ideal’ group of people whose main objective should be to seek their highest good for the benefit of both the state and the society. â€Å"Only those who know what the good is are fit to rule†(Oxford Companion to Philosophy, 1995).   To know what is good, one has to â€Å"undergo long and rigorous intellectual training that will yield this knowledge† (p. 1541). Plato believed that the function of education is to help people embody their true nature of good because they will become the fuel that will keep the Republic running. Here, higher education is meant to pave the way for the development of the individual because it is crucial to the Republic’s existence. The failure of an individual to reach his highest good, albeit in theory of a secondary importance, would be the failure of the state as a whole.   In Plato’s view, it is the development of the individual, supported by education, which serves as the groundwork of the Republic and ensures that the latter does not collapse.   One can say that it is truly education which holds the state’s future in its hands. The true purpose of Higher Education is best depicted in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. The Allegory of the Cave represents the different levels of knowledge that man must go through in order to achieve enlightenment.   Men were depicted as cave-dwellers in the depths of nothingness where there is a total absence of knowledge. â€Å"Most mankind dwell in the darkness of the cave. It is the function of education to lead men out of the cave into the world of the shadow† (Tulio, 2005).   Those who are able to escape the confinements of the cave would able Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato to acquire the knowledge that will lead to their evolution and form the ruling elite who will sustain the Republic. According to Kemerling (n.d.): â€Å"The highest goal in all of education, Plato believed, is knowledge of the Good; that is, not merely an awareness of particular benefits and pleasures, but acquaintance with the Form itself. Just as the sun provides illumination by means of which we are able to perceive everything in the visual world, he argued, so the Form of the Good provides the ultimate standard by means of which we can apprehend the reality of everything that has value† (Kemerling, n.d). Plato believed that education is a right given to a few. He saw society as a conglomeration of individuals organized into different classes â€Å"according to the value of their role in providing some component part of the common good† (Kemerling, n.d.). In this set-up, it is the person’s social class which determines whether he should be educated or not. Plato thought that the philosopher-class should have the right to receive education because â€Å"it is the philosopher above all others who excels at investigating serious questions about human life and at judging what is true and best† (n.d.). Dillon (2004 as cited in Plato’s Republic) also added:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦those fit for a guardians education must by nature be philosophic, spirited, swift, and strong.† The guardians must be lovers of learning like noble puppies who determine what is familiar and foreign by knowledge and ignorance† (Dillon, 2004). The problem with this kind of set-up is that only a few are permitted to improve themselves while the rest of the world is forced to fulfill the roles that society has imposed upon them. Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato Kemerling (n.d.) explained the importance of the future role of philosophers: â€Å"Thus, despite prevalent public skepticism about philosophers, it is to them that an ideal society must turn for the wisdom to conduct its affairs properly. But philosophers are made, not born. So we need to examine the program of education by means of which Plato supposed that the future philosopher-kings can acquire the knowledge necessary for their function as decision-makers for the society as a whole† (Kemerling, n.d.) Plato viewed the development of the individual as serving an autocratic social usefulness as far as education is concerned (although most believe that Plato advocated democratic principles in his theory of education). Education for the popular mass was never Plato’s ideology. He advocated educational reforms intended only for the philosopher and the warrior class. â€Å"Plato believed that the interests of the state are best preserved if children are raised and educated by the society as a whole, rather than by their biological parents† (Kemerling, n.d). The true essence of self-actualization, therefore, was just a privilege given to this ruling class because of their access to education.   It did not have any self-serving interests even if self-development was an initial pre-requisite for the success Plato’s ideal state. Education is solely for the purpose of the good of the Republic. Oxford Companion to Philosophy (1995) stated:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"They will govern with a view to maximizing the happiness of the state as a whole, but Plato thinks that the way to achieve this is to impose a strict censorship to prevent wrong ideas being expressed, to ensure that each person sticks to his Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato own allotted job, so that he does not meddle with affairs that are not his concern, and so on. Plato was firmly against democracy, and seems to have seen no connection between happiness and individual liberty† (Oxford Companion to Philosophy, 1995). But as much as education serves a state function, it cannot completely detach itself from its secondary aims of self-development. According to Scolnicov (n.d) in his paper Plato on Education as the Development of Reason, â€Å"the ultimate educational objective, then, is to bring about a revolution in the educands perception of the role of reason† (Scolnicov, n.d).   He continued, â€Å"Platos theory of education aims at specifying the conditions of the growth of the socratic man, whose soul is free from contradictions and whose excellence is justified knowledge† (n.d). For Plato, man’s rationality can be shaped through an educational curriculum that teaches these specific subjects: music, story-telling and gymnastics. Musical education should be started in childhood because it is an age where children are still ‘pliable.’ There should be censorship in the telling of tales because children still do not possess the quality to discern what is good and bad.   It is Plato’s view that children have no moral nature when they are born, but education will instill in them virtues of courage, moderation and justice that will help them seek the nature of good. â€Å"Through the telling of carefully crafted tales, mothers and nurses will shape their childrens souls (Dillon, 2004 as cited in Plato’s Republic). Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato The narrative style of tales is the second part of the ‘philosophical education.’   Imitation or Mimetic poetry is only acceptable if the individual will imitate virtues that were taught to them in childhood. Crafting of tales are important â€Å"because they are the most effective method of educating guardian’ souls† (Dillon, 2004). Here, one can see that rationality does not only pertain to reason (of the mind) but also of the soul. Gymnastic education, on the other hand, affirms the symbiotic relationship between the mind, the body and the soul: all the components that lead to the total development of the individual. For Plato, â€Å"that a good soul produces a good body, and that a healthy intellect ensures a healthy body† (Dillon, 2004 as cited in Plato’s Republic). One component missing will ultimately result in the demise of the other. Dillon   (2004) stated: â€Å"Although music is the most important component in the guardians education, equilibrium between music and gymnastics is important for the production of moral guardians. Because a solely gymnastic education causes savagery and a purely musical education causes softness, the two must be balanced† (Dillon, 2004). The educational requirements of learning music, story-telling and gymnastics would determine who will ultimately become the guardians of society. Those who are able to possess the nature of good throughout the educational process will win over those who â€Å"will rebel against the city’s ideology† (Dillon, 2004). Meaning, Purpose and Function of Higher Education for Plato References Cornford, F. (translator) (1945). The Republic of Plato. London: Oxford University Press. Dillon, A. (2004). Education in Plato’s Republic. Retrieved December 25, 2007 from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/dillon/education_plato_republic.html Honderich, T (ed.) (1995). Oxford Companion to Philosophy. New York: Oxford   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University Press. Kemerling, G. (n.d.). Plato: Education and the Value of Justice: Plato Life and Works. Retrieved December, 25, 2007 from http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2h.htm. Tulio, D. (2005). Historical, Philosophical, Legal and Technological Foundations of Education II. Manila: National Bookstore Publication. Scolnicov, S. (n.d.). Plato on Education as the Development of Reason. Retrieved December 25, 2007 from http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciScol.htm