The disease of masturbation Essay Example For Students

The disease of masturbation Essay The Disease of Masturbation: Values and the concept of Disease by EngelhardtEnglhardt’s article The Disease Of Masturbation is an example of the ways in which values impact society’s definition of disease. I agree that it is possible that science is being, or has been, limited by the values within society. For science to conclude that masturbation causes such aliments as blindness and epilepsy it appears evident that science is being misguided by values of the time. I believe that science also realizes that values play a part in research conducted, otherwise there would be no need for blind and double blind studies. Blind studies are used to help eliminate bias brought on by the experimenter or the test subject. We will write a custom essay on The disease of masturbation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In the eighteenth and nineteenth century masturbation was thought to produce the signs and symptoms of a dangerous disease: â€Å"Disease is neither an objective entity nor a concept of a single definition, there is not, nor need be, one concept of disease (UWO, p.241).† The problem with Englehardt’s article is our health system is that of the biomedical model. The biomedical model does not recognize masturbation as a disease. It states that â€Å"disease is a biological deviation from the norm that can be explained scientifically† (Charland). Masturbation has not been proven to fit into either category. Masturbation may have been a deviation from the norm at one point in time, but I do not believe that it can be explained scientifically. Englehardt’s article says that masturbation was the cause of such illnesses as blindness and vertigo. But how were these conclusions drawn? Were these conclusions scientific in nature or gathered according to the views an d values of the times? Masturbation was turned into a disease, not with just somatic, but psychological dimensions.Tissot states that masturbating is even more debilitating than sex because of a loss of seminal fluid (1oz equals 40oz of blood). When seminal loss takes place in a position other than the recumbent position the effects are multiplied. Tissot successfully establishes that masturbation is associated with physical and mental maladies. Englehardt should stipulate how Tissot reaches this conclusion. There are also disagreements as to whether frequent sex is any different than masturbation. It is argued that the difference between masturbation and sex is the expenditure of nerve force that is compensated by the magnetism of the partner. Masturbation is worse because it is unnatural and therefore less satisfying. I think masturbation is natural, and has very likely been around as long as sex maybe longer. At first masturbating was thought to cause dyspepsia, constriction of the urethra, epilepsy, blindness, vertigo, loss of hearing, headaches, impantency, and loss of memory. As well as, irregular action of the heart, general loss of health and strength, rickets, leucorrhea in women, chronic catarrhal conjunctivis, nymphomania (more common in blondes and brunettes), and changes in external genitalia. Enlargement of superficial veins of hands and feet, moist clammy hands, stooped shoulders, pale sallow face with dark circles around eyes, draggy gait and acne, insanity, progressive loss of vigour, and causes heredity of insanity are also included on the list of health problems caused by masturbation. How a causal relationship was found between these illnesses and masturbation is unclear in Englehardt’s paper. Englehardt suggests that masturbation should be considered a syndrome rather than a disease, because syndromes have the running together of signs and symptoms into a recognizable pattern. Since masturbation is associated with disease it should also be associated with deaths (which have happened). Since people have also died from having sex, should sex be banned because of these dangers? Between the sexually transmitted diseases and the rare cases of people having heart attacks while having sex the possibility of death through sex is probably greater than it is from masturbation. .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .postImageUrl , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:hover , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:visited , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:active { border:0!important; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:active , .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416 .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u578be65ceaa0994a35b5ef992287d416:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: French and Indian War EssayThere was a struggle to develop a workable nosology it was placed under various categories and numerous nomenclatures called onanism and, onanysmus. Initally masturbation was under the heading of male disease of generative organs, then it had many other headings until 1906 when it changed to genito-urinary system diseases. The name changes probably indicate hesitation on the part of recorders as to nature of disease, recorders who were drawn in by the obviously psychological parts of the phenomenon to classify it as a functional disturbance. Through an examination of the parallels between what is good for one’s soul and what is good for on e’s health, one would expect to find that disease correlates with immoral sexual behaviour. Also, people’s inclinations to translate a moral issue into medical terms and relieve them. Jonathon Hutchinson described the etiological mechanism of the habit in question as one that may be injurious to the nerve-tone and likely originates and sustains illness which without it might have been avoided or cured. Effects were magnified during youth when such â€Å"shocks† threaten normal development. Freud wrote that sexual exhaustion could provoke neurasthenia. If sexual exhaustion fails to be achieved by it self it has an effect in the disposition of the nervous system, causing physical illness and depressive effects to be overworked and can no longer be tolerated without leading to neurasthenia in males it is acquired at puberty. Other models were based mainly on the signs and symptoms and the effects of the guilt associated with the act of masturbation. It was guilt, n ot excitation, that led to masturbation. Often religion and mental conditions caused men to become alarmed with the activity. ‘Masturbation is not a sin but a vice (UWO, p.243).† It’s bad signs and symptoms became viewed as the result of guilt and anxiety felt because of particular cultural norms. There is nothing particularly wrong with masturbation. Masturbation is inevitable under restraints of life and while avoiding any attitude of indifference. I agree that the signs and symptoms connected with masturbation must have in fact come from the guilt and anxiety brought on by the act since masturbation was thought of as a heinous thing to do. Different restraining devices were made: infibulation, circumcision, acid burns, clitoridictomy, vasectomy, castration, use of electrodes, and acupuncture. Some more tolerant approaches include hard work and simple diet changes, suggestion of the use of frequenting prostitutes. Imagine if our society thought that frequenting prostitutes was a cure for what ails you. HIV and AIDS would be even more prevalent. Active tonics such as cold baths at bedtime were suggested, and ‘Brownian’ proposed use of opium, and morphine sulphate. Englehardt’s use of masturbation is an example of the role of evolution in explanation. Englehardt uses many examples of how the values of society have influenced our picture of disease in many time periods. The Disease of Masturbation shows how much the many emotions and values of the time add stress and eventually bring on the symptoms that people reported to be associated with masturbation. Masturbation is the best possible example of the role of society’s values on health and disease. It, however, is not a realistic example because masturbation does not fit into the biomedical model’s definition of a disease. I do not feel that masturbation has been scientifically proven to cause all of the ailments listed in Englehardt’s article. Masturbation may have been a deviation from the norm but does this create the need to label it a disease?

Measures of an Economys Income

Measures of an Economy's Income Today, most economists, as well as people who write or speak about the economy, use Gross Domestic Product as the standard measure of the size of an economy. This was not always the case, however, and there are reasons why economists might specifically want to look at some variations on GDP. Five common variations are explained here: Gross National Product (GNP): Rather than counting all income earned within a countrys borders regardless of who produces it, as with GDP, gross national product counts all income earned by the permanent residents of a country. If all of the residents of a country worked within that country and no foreigners worked in the country, GNP and GDP would be the same. As workers start crossing country borders, on the other hand, GNP and GDP become noticeably different, but still very similar, measures of income. Net National Product (NNP): Technically speaking, the net national product is equal to gross national product minus depreciation. Depreciation is simply the loss in value of capital and assets due to use, so its helpful to think of NNP as the part of GNP that went to make new stuff as opposed to making stuff to replace items that were getting worn out. (Note that you could technically define a net version of any of the measures listed here by subtracting out depreciation.) National Income (NI): National income is equal to the net national product after indirect business taxes (sales taxes, excise taxes, etc.) are subtracted out and business subsidies are added in. In this way, national income represents the payments to owners of the factors of production. This includes the owners of labor (i.e. workers), as well as owners of capital, such as land, buildings, and money, who lend out this capital in return for interest payments. Personal Income (PI): Personal income represents income received specifically by individuals and by companies that are not classified as corporations. Therefore, personal income subtracts out items such as retained earnings of corporations and corporate income taxes. On the other hand, personal income includes transfer payments from the government such as welfare and Social Security. Disposable Personal Income: Disposable personal income is equal to personal income minus government obligations. These government obligations include not only taxes but also fines and other related payments. In general, all of these quantities tend to move roughly in tandem, so they all tend to give roughly the same picture of an economy. In order to avoid confusion, economists usually use the gross domestic product only to describe the size of an economy.

A League of Their Own

The film begins with the commencement of the second world war and female baseball players are drafted into the All American Girls Baseball League, in the attempt to save the sport. With the induction of this league, the girls obtained the chance to show how women deserve an equal chance in sports, an opportunity to show their hard work and perseverance, and free themselves from the clutches of lower class life through success in the sport. The value of family was portrayed throughout the film and became a top priority for some of the players. In achieving a spot on a team the girls also had to conform to the rules and requirements that the owners of the league were demanding. To give this league the popularity it needed, the girls needed to work hard to be the leagues top players in every team. They all acquired the chance to go to training camps and try out for teams that would be placed into the league. The amount of work they displayed to get placed on the team showed that they wanted to earn the respect of the country and show that women could do more than just care for kids or be in charge of the kitchen. They worked extremely hard to show that women could play the sport as easily as men could. For example, this hardworking value was best portrayed by Kit, one of the individuals who played for the league. She got her sister to play because that was the only way they would take her and she did not want to stay on a farm for the rest of her life. Her persistent attitude helped her reach her goal and she became one of the top players of her time just like her sister. The family values are expressed greatly throughout the film by all the characters, but particularly by Dotti. Many of the women on the team had spouses in the army or back home. Dotti was the protagonist who was a girl with beauty and love of the sport like no other girl. What was different about her, besides being extremely skillful in the sport and never having a bad game, was that in her mind she was only playing while her husband was in the war. She loved the game, but her husband and family were always more important for her. The conflict between winning and her sister’s loyalty ended with her realizing that being friends with her sister was far more important than winning or playing in a baseball league. The women dealt with external conformity within the league because of the rules and regulations that the owners had placed on apparel and style of play. The women were required to wear a skirt outfit and makeup while they were playing. They were all forced to take etiquette classes and learn how to act like â€Å"ladies†. The women were upset with this because they had joined the league to play the sport they loved not to go out on the field and model for the fans. This movie was used to display that women were not inferior to men and to show how the game of baseball was used as more than publicity. The hard work and perseverance gave women in the united states a sense of hope and desire to succeed in a male dominated world.

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and Essay

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and chemical-ionisation mass spectrometry - Essay Example Aromaticity of Thymine is due to the alignment of conjugated double bond and empty orbital of Nitrogens in the ring. Resonance also plays part in stabilizing the molecule. Thymine exists in different tautomeric form but the lactam form is the most stable and the form present in DNA structure. Thymine has the structure of an aromatic heterocyclic ring with two carbonyl attached to 2nd and 4th Carbon. A methyl group is attached to 5th Carbon. The first and third position of the ring is a Nitrogen atom. Both Nitrogen has unoccupied orbital that participates in stabilizing aromatic property of the molecule. Coupling of Thymine and 2-Deoxyribose creates the nucleoside Deoxythymidine which is commonly called Thymidine. One common mutations found in DNA are two adjacent pyrimidine bases commonly Thymidine that upon irradiation with UV-light will cause mutagenesis and therefore inhibits the process of translation. Thymine Thymidine Mass Spectrometry A mass spectrometer produces a spectrum of masses based on the structure of a molecule. The mass spectrum is not a spectrum with respect to electromagnetic radiation, as in the case or IR and NMR. Instead, it is a spectrum of plot of distribution of ion masses corresponding to the formula weight of the molecule, fragments derive from the molecule, or both. For the past years, advances in technology leads to well developed and precise mass spectrometric technique primarily used for structure determination and quantitative work. Mass spectrometers for structure elucidation can be classified according to the method of separating the charged particles. Most common methods are Magnetic Field Deflection, Quadrupole mass Spectrometry, Time of Flight, Ion-Cyclotron resonance and MS/MS (Tandem Mass spectrometry). The general procedure for a mass spectral analysis comes in subsequent steps. Feedingof sample in the Mass Spectrometer and undergoes vaporization. Vaporization is required if the starting substance is in liquid form. In mo st cases, this comes from an HPLC unit. GC-MS has been widely renowned for its convenience and accuracy. Components are then ionized using variety of techniques. This step is the determining factor for which kind of substance the mass spectrometer can effectively analyze. Biological sample are often ionized using Electron impact, Chemical ionization and the most recent Electron Spray Ionization. Contact with ions creates charge to various species of the sample. They are then separated according to their mass to charge ratio in a mass analyzer. The ions are detected by a transducer and then reported as spectral lines in mass spectra. Mass Spectral Analysis of Thymine Mass Spectra using Electron Ionization technique for Thymine has Molecular Ion peak at 126 m/z at almost 100% abundance. The intensity of the molecular ion peak depends on the stability of the molecular ion. Thymine is an Aromatic molecule so has the greatest stability of the molecular ion. M+1 ion is also evident as con sequence of using Electron Ionization technique in ionization step. Lower m/z lines were due to fragments of Thymine. Mass Spectroscopic Analysis of Thymidine Derivatives Oxidation of Thymine in DNA Changes in DNA structure such as oxidations in DNA bases pose a major role in mutagenic initiation and degenerative diseases. Peroxyl radicals (ROO) has been found to cause must of the oxidations in the body. The

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle Essay - 2

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle east - Essay Example It is argued that United States foreign policy should reflect the national values and the goals set up by the founding fathers of the U.S (Oren, pp.23).  The united states  have been on the receiving end towards its policies in the Middle East, a situation that has shifted from the last 200 years (Schuler, para.2). This paper  therefore  explores the reason for United States foreign policy inconsistency in the Middle East. Interest of United States in Middle East One of the reason the United States keep shifting goal post when it comes to foreign policy towards Middle East is that it has a legitimate interest in the region.  The presence of United States in Middle East commenced during the American civil war when the Ottoman Empire and the United States entered a treaty on trade and maritime law and this was merely to get oil from the region (Schuler, para.6).  The motive of foreign policy that was aimed at oil shipment and other trade suffered setbacks when there were ma jor shake ups in Saudi Arabia and Iran and this led to the shift of the policy to safeguard the interest of the United States.  The situation was further aggravated by the Iraq-Iran War which interfered with Gulf Shipment and this lead to changes in the foreign policy. The incoherent and inconsistent foreign policy towards Middle East is also a way of securing access to the region that has vital oil resources.  United States seeks to ensure a constant supply and open flow of oil and this has led formulation of foreign policy that supports corrupt and repressive royal family of Saudi Arabia who violate human rights in the country.  The need for open flow of oil also meant that United States up  to  1970s  supported  the corrupt and repressive shah of Iran (Kamrava, pp.198). This has led to the breeding of leaders that are not welcomed at home although United States strongly support them so as to accomplish its interest. The issue of balancing the national and domestic p olitical interest has also resulted in conflicting foreign policy in the Middle East. This has made it difficult for the United States government to formulate consistent policies towards the Middle East Region.  For example, due to the differences between the white house advisers and officials in the state department and pentagon led President Truman to formulate a reactive and inconsistent policy towards Palestine in 1947-1949 a situation that contributed to escalated tensions in United States relations with both Israel and the Arab Community (Hahn,pp.45).The level at which United States administrators have succeeded in safeguarding United States interest in the Middle East has  therefore  largely depended on the incumbent president. Securing Territorial Boundary in Middle East United States foreign policy has not been inconsistent in terms of maintaining the status quo of the Middle East territorial boundary (Oren, pp.35). This has led to support of other nations while sidel ining others.  For instance, there has  been  unqualified support for Israel with a view of maintaining the territorial boundary between Palestine and Israeli.  United States is offering economic and military assistance to Israeli and  these  incoherent policies  have created perceptions in the Middle East that is the main cause of injustices in the region.  Currently, majority of the Middle East countries view United States and Israel has  having  mutual interest or that Israel is a tool of United States foreign policy (Kamrava, pp.197). Global Superpower The position of United states globally especially after the Gulf war and the Cold war also led to the development of various foreign policies which were inconsistent and some of them generated anger and resentment in the Middle Ea

Shakespeares Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares Macbeth Essay In Shakespeares Macbeth, which character or characters bear most responsibility for the death of Duncan? Discuss. Shakespeares drama Macbeth was first performed in 1603 and appears to celebrate the accession to the English throne of King James I, who was believed to be the descendant of one of the plays characters, Banquo. The plot originates from the ancient Scottish story of King Macbeth of Scotland. Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, and holds the position of general in the kings army. He is tempted with the prospect of becoming king himself by three witches he meets on a heath. This creates an internal moral dilemma which is exacerbated after he writes to his wife, informing her of his experiences. This compels her to exert pressure upon him, and give orders and ultimatums; and so on the surface Macbeth appears to be a victim of external forces. With this in mind I intend to examine these characters in turn to see who bears the greatest blame for the death of King Duncan. This play was intended for King James Is attention. We know this through the use of Scotland, James homeland, as a backdrop to the story and the characterisation of his ancestor, Banquo. The characters of the three weird sisters are intended as a reference to King James obsession with witches and witchcraft. In his treatise Daemonologie (1597) he wrote of them as demonic supernatural beings who served a purpose as tempters. According to him, their purpose was the damnation of their victims soul. Their role as tempters in the play relates to James belief that God may test people, even the best (God will permit so to be tempted or troubled), and this demonstrates that the witches motives for targeting Macbeth was not merely a cruel trick but may be seen as part of a greater design in which he is to be tested by God. This demonstrates that even a hero must be subjected to temptation (and euen some of the best, that their patience may bee tryed before the world). Though the witches are malevolent, they could possibly be instruments of God (rather than the Devil as suggested in Act 3 Scene 5, where the character of Hecate comes to direct the witches; however, this character is probably a later interpolation by another writer, as the Folio was printed seven years after Shakespeares death). Macbeths subsequent failing through succumbing to temptation and killing Duncan is not the fault of God nor the witches, but himself. This illustrates the ubiquitous nature of temptation, and shows that all people are plagued with their own demons of desire; however these demons cannot be blamed for leading their victims astray because the responsibility lies with the person who chooses not to resist temptation. We must deal with the possibility that the witches possessed Macbeth, and that he may not be responsible for his actions. The frequent use of the word rapt, which comes from rapture, suggests the transportation of the soul. This is seen in the play when Banquo comments on Macbeths appearance upon being told he is to be the new thane of Cawdor; (Look, how our partners rapt). However his subsequent actions prove he is capable of free will (We will proceed no further in this business) and that he is therefore responsible for his actions. In conclusion, Macbeth is capable of making choices, and he chooses to commit regicide for personal gain. This was not forced upon him by the satanic tempters, they are not controlling him. One character who does attempt to exert control over Macbeth however is his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the next paragraph we will examine the way in which she attempts to do this and to what extent she is responsible for the tragedy. Lady Macbeth was first told of the witches prophecy in a letter from her husband. Her first reaction is to doubt her husbands ability to achieve it, (Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it). Her use of the word illness refers to her suspicion that Macbeth does not possess the necessary ruthlessness to enable him to become king. This establishes her as the dominant partner in their marriage, which extends to her taking the lead in the plot to supplant Duncan with Macbeth. Her invocation of evil spirits is an invitation to Satan to purge her of her humanity (And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty) so to as better enable herself to conspire to murder. Lady Macbeth is aware that her husband has great affection for her (he calls her My dearest partner of greatness and my dearest love), and uses this to her own advantage when she persuades Macbeth to follow through with her plan when he has doubts (We will proceed no further in this business). She achieves this by calling into question his love for her (Such I account thy love) and uses this supposed implantation of doubt in his character as a tool by which she can control him. When she uses the word desire for his ambition (As thou art in desire), she is attacking his masculinity and insinuating that if he does not do this he is not really a man. There are two elements of desire she refers to, the ambition to become king, and also implying sexual desire by which she is challenging his masculinity and provoking a reaction. Macbeth takes the bait (I dare do all that may become a man), meaning he is now resolved to proving to her that he is a man. She says she will not consider him a man until he fulfils his promise (And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man). This also demonstrates her use of flattery to coerce him to her will. Another emotional tool Lady Macbeth wields to her advantage is the memory of hers and Macbeths deceased child. (How tender tis to love the babe that milks me, / I would dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you / Have done to this.) She uses this memory as a shock tactic, evoking the raw anger and passions that stem from losing a child, to show Macbeth that had she promised to do something she would honour that promise, and so must he. We know that Macbeth has no children from a conversation Macduff has with Malcolm, telling him that Macbeth has no children. Therefore we must deduce the Macbeths have suffered a bereavement, for Lady Macbeth previously mentions the feelings of motherhood. From this we see Lady Macbeth does play a substantial role in the killing of Duncan, however she argues she was justified to take this course of action because her husband Macbeth wants her to, or else he wouldnt have sent the letter. What beast wast, then, / That made you break this enterprise to me?). His letter to Lady Macbeth could possibly be his subconscious mind, anticipating his inhibitions, and so constructing an external force, in the form of Lady Macbeth, to impede any change of mind or unwillingness to kill Duncan. Earlier pre-Freudian commentators thought that Lady Macbeth was over-reacting to Macbeths remarks on the witches. However in the light of Freuds theories on the unconscious mind (that your statements reflect your deepest preoccupations), Macbeths mentioning of the witches prophecy in his letter to his wife could be interpreted as an invitation to her to help him realise it. It seems that Macbeth would not have killed Duncan without the pressure from his wife. However his initial openness to believe that the witches prophecies are true (Tell me more), are indicative of his underlying aspirations to be king. Banquo, who was himself prepared to indulge in their stories, and even invited them (Speak then to me) harboured no such allusions of entitled greatness. He quickly tries to relinquish the witches promises, dismissing them as tricks (The instruments of darkness tell us truthsto betrays in deepest consequence). Shakespeare was constrained in his ability to portray Banquo as anything less than chivalrous because of his historical relation to James I, who believed him to be a distant ancestor. However, Shakespeare was able to use Banquo as a dramatic contrast to Macbeth. In Act 2 Scene 1 Banquo was able to resist his temptations by the calling of heavenly powers to help banish the traitorous thoughts from his mind. In contrast Macbeths own willingness to believe in the witches so fervently is an indicator of an already formulated plan to deprive Duncan of his throne. Throughout the play Macbeth continuously abdicates responsibility for his actions (I go, and it is done; the bell invites me), preferring to concentrate on his end goal rather than the suffering he is causing in the present. Macbeth says of the hallucinated dagger Thou marshallst me the way that I was going, which demonstrates his belief that fate (represented through the instrument of murder, the dagger) is compelling him to commit these acts of evil by leading his hand for him. (If it were done when tis done, then twere well / It were done quickly). Here he shows he takes no pleasure in his actions and wants them over as soon as possible. The audience understands that this is just a coping mechanism that allows him to carry out these evil deeds; however his ability to remain apathetic and dissociated with his actions does not allow him to escape ultimate responsibility. Shakespeares attempts at dealing with issues of responsibility and motivation in his characters bring up some initially unexpected conclusions upon penetrating the surface. The most telling of these is perhaps Macbeth himself, whose conflicted aspirations of greatness, greed and apathy in the face of suffering are indicative of the worst of human nature. Another character who demonstrates a number of human qualities is Lady Macbeth, who has often been misrepresented as the figurehead of greed and self-interest in the past. In fact she could possibly be seen as the victim of an indecisive husband who uses her to carry his burdens of self doubt and insecurity. The witches initial roles as catalysts of events through their indiscriminate torture of Macbeth are in fact, when considered within the context of James Is book Daemonologie, sent by God as judges to test Macbeth. The underlying message of the play is the uncomfortable responsibility that we must all take responsibility for our own actions, and that however much wed like to be able to pass blame, we cant.

John Hale from the Crucible Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

John Hale, from the Crucible Dynamic, Reverend John Hale needs only this one word to describe him. That is what separates Hale from any other character in the Crucible, while most characters are entirely static, with the exception of Elizabeth. That is why I consider him to be the best, and most flushed out character in the Crucible. In this report I will describe and analyze the character of John Hale and try show why his is the best character in the Crucible. In the first paragraph I will analyze the character of John Hale and describe what just makes him so dynamic. At the beginning of act one we only hear about John Hale and can only make judgment upon what is said about him. From that information given we can draw some conclusions about John Hale. First of all he is a just man, which never changes throughout the entire story. We can also tell that he is a self-taught â€Å"expert† on witches, and believes that anyone can fall under the control of Satan. It is a quote from John Hale in the Crucible that explains this â€Å"until an hour before the devil fell, God thought him beautiful in heaven†(858 Miller). Now I will look later into the story and look into how Hale is slowly changing. Towards the end of the first act we finally get to see (or read) John Hale. Because of this there is some direct and indirect characterization by the author. We also get a look at Mr. Hales motives because of this. â€Å"Coming into Salem now, Reverend Hale conceives of himself much as a young doctor o...

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 5

Chapter 5 THE SEASON FOR MAKING NEW FRIENDS Theo was doing fifty up Worchester Street when the blond man stepped from behind a tree into the street. The Volvo had just lurched over a patched strip in the asphalt, so the grille was pointed up and caught the blond man about hip-high, tossing him into the air ahead of the car. Theo stood on the brake, but even as the antilocks throbbed, the blond man hit the tarmac and the Volvo rolled over him, making sickening crunching and thumping noises as body parts ricocheted into wheel wells. Theo checked the rearview as the car stopped and saw the blond man flopping to a stop in the red wash of the brake lights. Theo pulled the radio off his belt as he leaped from the car, and stood ready to call for help when the figure lying in the road started to get up. Theo let the radio fall to his side. â€Å"Hey, buddy, just stay right there. Just stay calm. Help is on the way.† He started loping toward the injured man, then pulled up. The blond guy was on his hands and knees now; Theo could also see that his head was twisted the wrong way and the long blond hair was cascading back to the ground. There was a crackling noise as the guy's head turned around to face the ground. He stood up. He was wearing a long black coat with a rain flap. This was â€Å"the suspect.† Theo started backing away. â€Å"You just stay right there. Help is on the way.† Even as he said it, Theo didn't think this guy was interested in any help. The foot that faced backward came around to the front with another series of sickening crackles. The blond man looked up at Theo for the first time. â€Å"Ouch,† he said. â€Å"I'm guessing that smarted,† Theo said. At least his eyes weren't glowing red or anything. Theo backed into the open door of the Volvo. â€Å"You might want to lie down and wait for the ambulance.† For the second time in as many hours, he wished he had remembered to bring his gun along. The blond man held an arm out toward Theo, then noticed that the thumb on the outstretched hand was on the wrong side. He grabbed it with his other hand and snapped it back into place. â€Å"I'll be okay,† the blond man said, monotone. â€Å"You know, if that coat dry-cleans itself while I'm watching, I'll nominate you for governor my own self,† Theo said, trying to buy time while he thought of what he was going to say to the dispatcher when he keyed the button on the radio. The blond man was now coming steadily toward him – the first few steps limping badly, but the limp getting better as he got closer. â€Å"Stop right there,† Theo said. â€Å"You are under arrest for a two-oh-seven-A.† â€Å"What's that?† asked the blond man, now only a few feet from the Volvo. Theo was relatively sure now that a 207A was not a possum with a handgun, but he wasn't sure what it was, so he said, â€Å"Freakin' out a little kid in his own home. Now stop right there or I will blow your fucking brains out.† Theo pointed the radio, antenna first, at the blond guy. And the blond guy stopped, only steps away. Theo could see the deep gouges cut in the man's cheeks from contact with the road. There was no blood. â€Å"You're taller than I am,† said the blond man. Theo guessed the blond man to be about six-two, maybe three. â€Å"Hands on the roof of the car,† he said, training the antenna of the radio between the impossibly blue eyes. â€Å"I don't like that,† said the blond man. Theo crouched quickly, making himself appear shorter than the blond man by a couple of inches. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Hands on the car.† â€Å"Where's the church?† â€Å"I'm not kidding, put your hands on the roof of the car and spread 'em.† Theo's voice broke like he was hitting second puberty. â€Å"No.† The blond man snatched the radio out of Theo's hand and crushed it into shards. â€Å"Where's the church? I need to get to the church.† Theo dove into the car, scooted across the seat, and came out on the other side. When he looked back over the roof of the car the blond man was just standing there, looking at him like a parakeet might look at himself in the mirror. â€Å"What!?† Theo screamed. â€Å"The church?† â€Å"Up the street you'll come to some woods. Go through them about a hundred yards.† â€Å"Thank you,† said the blond man. He walked off. Theo jumped back into the Volvo, threw it into drive. If he had to run over the guy again, so be it. But when he looked up from the dash, no one was there. It suddenly occurred to him that Molly might still be at the old chapel. Her house smelled of eucalyptus and sandalwood and had a woodstove with a glass window that warmed the room with orange light. The bat was locked outside for the night. â€Å"You're a cop?† Lena said, moving away from Tucker Case on the couch. She'd gotten past the bat. He'd explained the bat, sort of. He'd been married to a woman from a Pacific island and had gotten the bat in a custody battle. Things like that happened. She'd gotten the house they were sitting in, in her divorce from Dale, and it still had a black marble Jacuzzi tub with bronze Greek erotic figures inset in a border around the edge. The jetsam of divorce can be embarrassing, so you couldn't fault someone a bathtub or fruit bat rescued out of love's shipwreck, but he might have mentioned he was a cop before he suggested burying her ex and going to dinner. â€Å"No, no, not a real cop. I'm here working for the DEA.† Tuck moved closer to her on the couch. â€Å"So you're a drug cop?† He didn't look like a cop. A golf pro, maybe, that blond hair and the lines around the eyes from too much sun, but not a cop. A TV cop, maybe – the vain, bad cop, who has something going on with the female district attorney. â€Å"No, I'm a pilot. They subcontract independent helicopter pilots to fly agents into pot-growing areas like Big Sur so they can spot patches hidden in the forest with infrared. I'm just working for them here for a couple of months.† â€Å"And after a couple of months?† Lena couldn't believe she was worried about commitment from this guy. â€Å"I'll try to get another job.† â€Å"So you'll go away.† â€Å"Not necessarily. I could stay.† Lena moved back toward him on the couch and examined his face for the hint of a smirk. The problem was, since she'd met him, he'd always worn the hint of a smirk. It was his best feature. â€Å"Why would you stay?† she said. â€Å"You don't even know me.† â€Å"Well, it might not be about you.† He smiled. She smiled back. It was about her. â€Å"It is about me.† â€Å"Yeah.† He was leaning over and there was going to be a kiss and that would be okay, she thought, if the night hadn't been so horrible. It would be okay if they hadn't shared so much history in so short a time. It would be okay if, if†¦ He kissed her. Okay, she was wrong. It was okay. She put her arms around him and kissed him back. Ten minutes later she was down to just her sweater and panties, she had driven Tucker Case deeply enough into the corner of the couch that his ears were baffled with cushions, and he couldn't hear her when she pushed back from him and said, â€Å"This doesn't mean that we're going to bed together.† â€Å"Me, too,† said Tuck, pulling her closer. She pushed back again. â€Å"You can't just assume that this is going to happen.† â€Å"I think I have one in my wallet,† he said, trying to lift her sweater over her head. â€Å"I don't do this sort of thing,† she said, wrestling with his belt buckle. â€Å"I had a test for my pilot physical a month ago,† he said as he liberated her breasts from their combed cotton yoke of oppression. â€Å"Clean as a whistle.† â€Å"You're not listening to me!† â€Å"You look beautiful in this light.† â€Å"Does doing this so soon after, you know – does doing this make me evil?† â€Å"Sure, you can call it a weasel if you want to.† And so, with that tender honesty, that frank connection, the coconspirators chased away each other's loneliness, the smell of grave-digging sweat rising romantic in the room as they fell in love. A little. Despite Theo's concern, Molly wasn't at the old chapel, she was getting a visit from an old friend. Not a friend, exactly, but a voice from the past. â€Å"Well, that was just nuts,† he said. â€Å"You can't feel good about that.† â€Å"Shut up,† said Molly, â€Å"I'm trying to drive.† According to the DSM-IV, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, you had to have at least two of a number of symptoms in order to be considered as having a psychotic episode, or, as Molly liked to think of it, an  «artistic » moment. But there was an exception, a single symptom that could put you in the batshit column, and that was â€Å"a voice or voices commenting on the activities of daily life.† Molly called it â€Å"the Narrator,† and she hadn't heard from him in over five years – not since she'd gone and stayed on her medication as she had promised Theo. That had been the agreement, if she stayed on her meds, Theo would stay off of his – well, more specifically, Theo would not have anything to do with his drug of choice, marijuana. He'd had quite a habit, going back twenty years before they'd met. Molly had stuck to the agreement with Theo; she'd even gotten decertified by the state and gone off financial aid. A resurgence in royalties from her old movies had helped with the expenses, but lately she'd started falling short. â€Å"It's called an enabler,† said the Narrator. â€Å"The Drug Fiend and the Warrior Babe Enabler, that's you two.† â€Å"Shut up, he's not a drug fiend,† she said, â€Å"and I'm not the Warrior Babe.† â€Å"You did him right there in the graveyard,† said the Narrator. â€Å"That is not the behavior of a sane woman, that is the behavior of Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland.† Molly cringed at the mention of her signature character. On occasion, the Warrior Babe persona had leaked off the big screen and into her own reality. â€Å"I was trying to keep him from noticing that I might not be a hundred percent.† â€Å"‘Might not be a hundred percent'? You were driving a Christmas tree the size of a Winnebago down the street. You ‘re way off a hundred percent, darlin'. â€Å" â€Å"What do you know? I'm fine.† â€Å"You're talking to me, aren't you?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I think I've made my point.† She'd forgotten how smug he could be. Okay, maybe she was having a few more artistic moments than usual, but she hadn't had a break with reality. And it was for a good cause. She'd taken the money she'd saved on her meds to pay for a Christmas present for Theo. It was on layaway down at the glass blower's gallery: a handblown dichromatic glass bong in the Tiffany style. Six hundred bucks, but Theo would so love it. He'd destroyed his collection of bongs and water pipes right after they'd met, a symbol of his break with his pot habit, but she knew he missed it. â€Å"Yeah,† said the Narrator. â€Å"He'll need that bong when he finds out he's coming home to the Warrior Babe.† â€Å"Shut up. Theo and I just had an adventurous romantic moment. I am not having a break.† She pulled into Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines to pick up a six-pack of the dark bitter beer Theo liked and some milk for the morning. The little store was a miracle of eclectic supply, one of the few places on the planet where you could buy a fine Sonoma Merlot, a wedge of ripened French Brie, a can of 10W-30, and a carton of night crawlers. Robert and Jenny Masterson had owned the little shop since before Molly had come to town. She could see Robert by himself behind the counter, tall with salt-and-pepper hair, looking a little hangdog as he read a science magazine and sipped a diet Pepsi. Molly liked Robert. He'd always been kind to her, even when she was considered the village's resident crazy lady. â€Å"Hey, Robert,† she said as she came through the door. The place smelled of egg rolls. They sold them out of the back, where they had a pressure fryer. She breezed past the counter toward the beer cooler. â€Å"Hey, Molly.† Robert looked up, a little startled. â€Å"Uh, Molly, you okay?† Crap, she thought. Had she forgotten to brush the pine needles out of her hair? She probably looked a mess. She said, â€Å"Yeah, I'm fine. Theo and I were just putting up the Christmas tree at the Santa Rosa Chapel. You and Jenny are coming to Lonesome Christmas, aren't you?† â€Å"Of course,† Robert said, his voice still a little strained. He seemed to be making an effort not to look at her. â€Å"Uh, Molly, we kind of have a policy here.† He tapped the sign by the counter, NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE. Molly looked down. â€Å"Oh my gosh, I forgot.† â€Å"It's okay.† â€Å"I left my sneakers in the car. I'll just run out and put them on.† â€Å"That would be great, Molly. Thanks.† â€Å"No problem.† â€Å"I know it's not on the sign, Molly, but while you're out there, you might want to put some pants on, too. It's sort of implied.† â€Å"Sure thing,† she said, breezing by the counter and out the door, feeling now that, yes, it seemed a little cooler out than when she'd left the house. And yes, there were her jeans and panties on the passenger seat next to her sneakers. â€Å"I told you,† said the Narrator.

Performing arts Essay

Art, culture, and society; these three elements are closely linked. These three elements affect one another in one way or another. There is often a conflict of interest between the artist, the audience, and the government body. The artist’s aim is to express art freely. The audience’s aim is to view art in forms that are not offensive to them. The government’s aim is to mitigate the conflict of interest between the two parties by implementing policies and restrictions to art pieces that are produced and viewed. Controversy is an issue to take into consideration by the government when funding art and censoring art. This is due to art pieces being widely reached through the advances of technology. Audiences of art are thus easily accessible to art that could influence or offend. However, art is innately challenging and often provocative. Creativity would be stifled if the government funded only art so bland that it offended no one. Creativity would also be stifled if the government creates censorship to limit art that challenges the strongly held beliefs of the society. These concerns raise a few questions to Art in the society. Firstly, how much restriction should the government restrict the type of art forms that could have an adverse effect on the society? Or rather what limitations on censorship and funding should be made for the sake of artist value, or more broadly freedom of expression? Secondly, should it be the responsibility for the artist to take into consideration the effect on the viewer when creating art pieces that may seem controversial to others? In Singapore, Art is increasingly promoted. The promotion of Art in Singapore can be seen from the provision of arts institution that provides full time programmes for the performing arts, the implementation of the yearly Singapore Art Festival which provides a platform for artist to express their talent and for the community to appreciate and to understand Art better, and the funding from the government to arts companies, the opening of the Art Science Museum in February 2012, etc. Although Art is increasingly promoted in Singapore, artistic freedom is being under assaulted. Freedom is threatened by pressures from the government. The society only accepts art that is socially acceptable; one that does not break the law and does not offend any individual. The recent works of a student of an art institution in Singapore is one example that provides evidence for freedom of artistic expression being restricted. The artist printed stickers with captions and pasted them on a pavement and on road traffic signs an act of a guerrilla art scene. She also painted â€Å"My Grandfather Road. † along certain roads in Singapore. While her works portrays certain value of the Singaporean Culture, where singlish and certain forms of lingos are being used in her stickers and paintings, they are then being deemed by the law as vandalism. This specific act of art creation has roared a debate among netizens in Singapore, with many fighting for freedom for creative expression, while the others stating that what she did was merely seeking attention, vandalism, or creating art of no value. In 1994, a performing artist was fined for committing an obscene act. In his performance, he snipped his pubic hair before a small audience as a symbolic protest against police entrapment of gays, punishment by flogging, jail sentences for â€Å"victimless† crimes, and news media exposure of those convicted. He was also prohibited from future public performances. While the artist did this for the love of art and in the interest of expanding the general outlook of art in Singapore, The National Arts Council branded the acts â€Å"vulgar† and â€Å"extremely distasteful. If the government funds and allows only art that is has no controversial value, then wouldn’t creativity be buried in our society? Also, if art works is created to conform to the norm of the society, is art still art? Art is a form of freedom, expression, creativity, and life. However, from the above two examples, it can be seen that there is a constraint place on freedom of artistic expression and the value of art. Artists can express art only with lawful restrictions. Artists who are daring enough to oppose to such norms are either being punish, or their art works are being restricted from the audience. The rest restricts their work to those that conforms to the societal norms. With these restrictions, art can never be expressed in its original form; audience can never be exposed to some brilliant art works which may be vulgar to some but artistic to others. By total restriction of art works that lack redeeming social values, we will be exposed to only art that conforms. This would cause depreciation in the value of art in our society. Despite the fact that art should be freely expressed to preserve its value of creativity, it is important to take into consideration what effect some art works may have on our society. It can be seen that the two artists go against cultural norms to showcase art works that breaks away from the norm and set themselves different from others. By breaking away from the cultural norm, viewers with his or her set of cultural values may be offended. However, by silencing art pieces that the majority considers offensive, we may be oppressing the minority and preventing the society from learning the message that the artist conveys. Thus it is important for an artist to recognize how far he or she should go in order to create art works that do not offend some individuals. It is widely believed that Singapore, being a Cosmopolitan city, has to be very careful when expressing our thoughts on sensitive issues. In our society, censorship is necessary to protect its community from artistic content that lack redeeming social values. It can be argued that artistic content that oppose social values should be restricted. It is stated by our minister that artists can express themselves through many other areas without crossing any red tape. This shows that total freedom of artistic expression is indeed not present in our society. In conclusion, while artists should be able freely express as much as possible, it is only fair for them to consider whether their work would cause harms to others. In both examples, from the artists’ point of view, they are merely creating art freely and creatively. Yet their works did not take into consideration the effects it has on the environment, community, and individuals. Also, although the government has the responsibility and the right to protect its community from inappropriate message and content, individuals should be given certain rights to choose what they deemed suitable for themselves. The definition of obscenity differs among different individuals. What seems obscene to one may not be obscene to others. Thus it is important to have a clear line on what the rights does the government has on implementing policies and guidelines to restrict art works from the audience.

Ancient Olmec Culture

Ancient Olmec Culture The Olmec culture thrived along Mexico’s Gulf Coast from approximately 1200-400 B.C. The first great Mesoamerican culture, it had been in decline for centuries before the arrival of the first Europeans, therefore, much information about the Olmecs has been lost. We know the Olmecs primarily through their art, sculpture, and architecture. Although many mysteries remain, ongoing work by archaeologists, anthropologists, and other researchers has given us something of a glimpse into what Olmec life might have been like. Olmec Food, Crops, and Diet The Olmecs practiced basic agriculture using the slash-and-burn technique, in which overgrown plots of land are burned: this clears them for planting and the ashes act as fertilizer. They planted many of the same crops seen in the region today, such as squash, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Maize was a staple of the Olmec diet, although it is possible that it was introduced late in the development of their culture. Whenever it was introduced, it soon became very important: one of the Olmec Gods is associated with maize. The Olmecs avidly fished from nearby lakes and rivers. Clams, alligators, and various types of fish were an important part of their diet. The Olmecs preferred to make settlements near water, as the floodplains were good for agriculture and fish and shellfish could be had more easily. For meat, they had domestic dogs and the occasional deer. A vital part of the Olmec diet was nixtamal, a special sort of corn meal ground with seashells, lime or ashes, the addition of which greatly enhances the nutritional value of the cornmeal. Olmec Tools In spite of only having Stone Age technology, the Olmecs were able to make several sorts of tools which made their life easier. They used whatever was at hand, such as clay, stone, bone, wood or deer antlers. They were skilled at making ​pottery: vessels and plates used for storing and cooking food. Clay pots and vessels were extremely common among the Olmec: literally, millions of potsherds have been discovered in and around Olmec sites. Tools were mostly made of stone and include basic items such as hammers, wedges, mortar-and-pestles and mano-and-metate grinders used for mashing corn and other grains. Obsidian was not native to the Olmec lands, but when it could be had, it made excellent knives. Olmec Homes The Olmec culture is remembered today in part because it was the first Mesoamerican culture to produce small cities, most notably San Lorenzo and La Venta (their original names are unknown). These cities, which have been extensively investigated by archaeologists, were indeed impressive centers for politics, religion, and culture, but most ordinary Olmecs did not live in them. Most common Olmecs were simple farmers and fishermen who lived in family groups or small villages. Olmec homes were simple affairs: generally, one large building made of earth packed around poles, which served as a sleeping area, dining room, and shelter. Most homes probably had a small garden of herbs and basic foods. Because the Olmecs preferred to live in or near flood plains, they built their homes on small mounds or platforms. They dug holes in their floors to store food. Olmec Towns and Villages Excavations show that smaller villages consisted of a handful of homes, most likely inhabited by family groups. Fruit trees such as zapote or papaya were common in villages. Larger excavated villages often have a central mound of greater size: this would be where the home of a prominent family or local chieftain was built, or perhaps a small shrine to a god whose name is now long-forgotten. The status of the families that made up the village could be discerned by the how far they lived from this town center. In larger towns, more remains of animals such as dog, alligator, and deer have been found than in smaller villages, suggesting that these foods were reserved for local elites. Olmec Religion and Gods The Olmec people had a well-developed religion. According to archaeologist Richard Diehl, there are five aspects of Olmec religion, including a well-defined cosmos, a shaman class, sacred places and sites, identifiable gods and specific rituals and ceremonies. Peter Joralemon, who has studied the Olmecs for years, has identified no fewer than eight gods from surviving Olmec art. Common Olmecs who worked the fields and caught fish in the rivers probably only participated in religious practices as observers, because there was an active priest class and the rulers and ruling family most likely had specific and important religious duties. Many of the Olmec gods, such as the Rain God and Feathered Serpent, would go on to form part of the pantheon of later Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Aztec and Maya. The Olmec also played the ritualistic Mesoamerican ball game. Olmec Art Most of what we know about the Olmec today is due to surviving examples of Olmec art. The most easily recognizable pieces are the massive colossal heads, some of which are nearly ten feet tall. Other forms of Olmec art that have survived include statues, figurines, celts, thrones, wooden busts and cave paintings. The Olmec cities of San Lorenzo and La Venta most likely had an artisan class who worked on these sculptures. Common Olmecs likely produced only useful art such as pottery vessels. Thats not to say that the Olmec artistic output did not affect the common people, however: the boulders used to make the colossal heads and thrones were quarried many miles from the workshops, meaning that thousands of commoners would be pressed into service to move the stones on sledges, rafts, and rollers to where they were needed. Importance of Olmec Culture Understanding the Olmec culture is very important to modern-day researchers and archaeologists. First of all, the Olmec was the mother culture of Mesoamerica, and many aspects of Olmec culture, such as gods, glyphic writing, and artistic forms, became part of later civilizations such as the Maya and Aztecs. Even more importantly, the Olmec were one of only six primary or pristine civilizations in the world, the others being ancient China, Egypt, Sumeria, the Indus of India and the Chavin culture of Peru. Pristine civilizations are those that developed somewhere without any significant influence from previous civilizations. These primary civilizations were forced to develop on their own, and how they developed teaches us a lot about our distant ancestors. Not only are the Olmecs a pristine civilization, they were the only ones to develop in a humid forest environment, making them a special case indeed. The Olmec civilization had gone into decline by 400 B.C. and historians arent exactly sure why. Their decline probably had much to do with wars and climate change. After the Olmec, several clearly post-Olmec societies developed in the Veracruz region. There is much that is still unknown about the Olmecs, including some very important, basic things such as what they called themselves (Olmec is an Aztec word applied to sixteenth-century dwellers in the region). Dedicated researchers are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is known about this mysterious ancient culture, bringing new facts to light and correcting errors previously made. Sources Coe, Michael D. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. Ancient Peoples and Places, Rex Koontz, 7th Edition, Thames Hudson, June 14, 2013. Cyphers, Ann. Surgimiento y decadencia de San Lorenzo, Veracruz. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Diehl, Richard A. The Olmecs: Americas First Civilization. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004. Grove, David C. Cerros Sagradas Olmecas. Trans. Elisa Ramirez. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Miller, Mary and Karl Taube. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. New York: Thames Hudson, 1993.

Develop a well supported suggestion for an international market entry Essay

Develop a well supported suggestion for an international market entry strategy for a company (MNE) of your choice. Support the a - Essay Example There are a number of factors that has influenced the firm to opt for internationalization. These factors include both pull and push factors. The push factors include the saturated local market, matured economy, high capital gain from the local market (UK market). The pull factors would include the degree of foreign market attractiveness, opportunity for quality production at a relatively low cost and the opportunity to attain economies of scale. Hereby it is to be added that all the pull factors have been mentioned by keeping China in the focal point of interest as the country is the target market. The details would be provided in the latter half of the study (Czinzota, Ronkainen, Moffett, Marinova and Marinov, 2009, pp. 423-429). Justifying the choice of the host country PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: During the early 80’s China had a closed economic policy and there was very little encouragement on the part of the government in terms of the investments to be made by the international companies. But things changed as the government focused on the educational policies which lead to an increase in number of the skilled workers in the country. But, there were not enough job opportunities for the skilled workers (Henry, 2008, p. 89). ... As far as retail industry is concerned, the government is looking to shut down the traditional wet shops to promote organized retailing (Kolb, 2008, p. 92). The main objective is to create a network of chain of retail markets in the eastern provinces of the country. The efforts of the government are also paying off as retail has become of the most important industries in the country. As on 2009, the country had total of thirty five retailers out of the top fifty retailers in the world. The ministry of commerce provided approval to more than one thousand retailers in the country with a contractual FDI of $1.9 billion in the year 2005 (Brown, 2009, p. 209). Economic Factors: Due to the new revised policies the country witnessed a rise in the GDP. The GDP in the year 2009 was 335,353 million. This meant that there had been a 7% rise as compared to the last year. Another noticeable factor has been the per capita rise in the net income of the rural households of the country which was 5153 Yuan at the end of 2009. This meant an overall 8.5% increase. The rise in the per capita income acted as the boost towards disposable income of the people which witnessed a percentage growth by 9.8%. It clearly shows the fast paced economic progress of the country. Social Factors: Tesco’s the main focal point in the social factors would be the cross cultural difference of the people of the country. The Chinese culture is diverse and is totally different from that of the Western culture. However the shifts in the economy of the country led to a rise in the disposable income of the people of the country and as a result the mindset and the lifestyle of the people improved. The shift in the consumer behavior is a welcoming sign for the

A Peep of History and Lifestyle Through Cookbooks Essay

A Peep of History and Lifestyle Through Cookbooks - Essay Example Historical cookbooks are mainly to pass on certain traditions of food preparation. It is also ought to preserve the heritage brought about by cultural evolution which happened in local kitchens. These kinds of cookbooks tell a story. It teaches the passionate cook about how such food came about- the story behind the ingredients, the reason for its conception etc. These kinds of books are very exact. If it is Italian cooking then expect the prominence of cheeses, tomatoes and other herbs. For French, the prominence of wine and butter are expected. And for most Asian dishes, chilli spices and noodles are to be look forward to. Artistic cookbooks bring about new ways of preparing traditional foods so it can be appreciated by more people, or specific types of people. An example is a vegetarian cookbook or a cookbook which targets diabetics. These are the "usual" dishes but meat is sometimes changed to vegetables or tofu, and carbohydrates are often changed to whole wheat and whole grains. Cookbooks are definitely helpful in understanding the way of life of different societies. These books tell a story of survival, celebration, scarcity or bounty or certain places, regions, era, or century. It can also be observed that the diet of different societies sometimes depend on their faith, beliefs, demography or most often than not, climate. It is of course, expected for people who live near the sea to have lots of sea foods in their diets. Food as Nostalgia Some women in the study conducted by Jean Duruz (1999), considered their successful food making practice as derived from natural ability. Most confess early interests in cooking, as they watch their mothers prepare the favorite foods of the family. However, through their narration of experiences, they illustrated how they learned to cook through a layering of knowledge from different influences. The women learned to cook from mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, sisters, servants, aunts, female friends and neighbours, and occasionally fathers, fathers-in-law and husbands. They augmented this knowledge with domestic-science classes in high school and adult-education classes at technical college. Some were self-taught, both before and after marriage, through trial and error and reading cookbooks. According to Jean Duruz (1999), food brings about so much nostalgia in the Australian Society. Duruz describes for cookbooks which evoke 1950s nostalgia in Australia, a nostalgia for times perceived as conflict-free, pre-political, and child-like: "the fifties as a childhood for the nineties." Duruz' nostalgia is comprised of memories, such as the idealized 1950s nuclear family, which never in fact existed. According to Duruz(1999), he recipes and reminiscences are meant to evoke a lost Eden, a time before the fall, with the stress not only on the extended family, but the harmonious community. It is interesting to note that Duruz did not learn to cook as a child, as she recalls that household helpers did most of the cooking in