The great depression(conditions leading to the depression) Assignment

The great depression(conditions leading to the depression) - Assignment Example In the early-mid 1920s, production by farmers was far more than the population consumed. Mechanization in production techniques meant there was an increase in output that was expensive thereby putting firms in debts. Falling food production and reduction in land prices resulted in agricultural losses leaving vast populations poor and unemployed. With the demand dropping and supply increasing, the price of products reduced leaving the over-expanded firms short-changed leading to closure (Saint-Etienne, 2013). Top workers had their income rising by 75% while the bottom workers only enjoyed a 9% rise in wages. With industrial production growing by 50% in 1920s, there was wide a gap between high-income earners and those struggling in poverty leading to a reduction in disposable income to purchase the produce. With extensive unemployment, the poor required aid from the already cash-strapped authorities further deepening the financial problems. Explosion of stock markets built on speculation as seen in modern capitalist economy caused investors to buy stock believing it was going to rise quickly so that they could sell their stocks later. Most stock purchases were on credit as investors were required to have 5% of the stock’s value with the rest being supplied by a loan ‘buying on margin’. Speculation together with the short-term outlook of the investors did not offer consistency and stability for the system to yield economic benefits. The resulting tension led to selling of the stock causing a mini crash resulting in mass panic as the middle and upper classes lost money. The presence of numerous small banks with insufficient resources to handle the high demand for their money in conjunction with increasing nervousness about the state of the stock market played a major part in initiating the Great Depression. For this reason, they had to sell assets, borrow off other banks or shut down. Drying up of credit and reduction in lending

Is Genre a useful category for the understanding of films made in Essay

Is Genre a useful category for the understanding of films made in China and Japan - Essay Example A scholar that suggests that there is an American genre would be immediately attacked by his colleagues for oversimplifying an obviously complex, multifaceted gamut of movies. So the question of whether there is a Chinese or Japanese genre of film may be answered in the affirmative if one sees "genre" in merely the audience short-hand manner. If, that is, the audience is American or British. The definition of "genre" in this sense will be "having a preponderance of Chinese or Japanese actors, and in either Mandarin or the Japanese language". This is rather simplistic, and might be regarded as offensive or even racist, but it does reflect one of the most simple definitions of genre. China can be divided between Hong Kong, the mainland controlled by the nominally Communist government and then Taiwan, which represents a whole other development both politically and artistically. So it can be said that a "Chinese genre" is redundant beyond the audience-expectation type of definition. Turning to Japanese cinema, while more culturally homogenous, Japan also presents difficulties for the simple definition. Donald Richie, the leading Western scholar of Japanese cinema, states that many Japanese films indeed have a sense of what he calls "Japaneseness". He describes this as "the celebration of evanescence".4 This evanescence is shown by Japanese film-makers within a paradoxical desire to have their films be temporary rather than permanent. Thus Richie quotes the director Ozu, who stated, "the attractive thing about film is this transience, this mist-like vanishing quality."5 The director Naruse goes even further, suggesting that films should "always vanish a few weeks after release, perhaps this is what films should be, things that live on only in the audience's memory, or vanish into thin air."6 The wish to have their films vanish into thin air is rather ironic for two reasons. First, it counters the traditional advantage that film is said to have over theatre: its permanence as opposed to mutability. Second, in darkly humorous irony, this rather intellectual wish has been granted to the vast majority of Japanese film-makers, whether or not they desired the honor. Thus the majority of Japanese films (more than 90% of pre-WWII movies) have vanished because they did not survive the film chemistry or the war of the time. Even with film production since 1945, a majority of Japanese films now no longer exist and can only be referenced within the memories of actors, writers etc.

Identifying the Intertwining Aspects of Free

Identifying the Intertwining Aspects of Freedom Essay To truly comprehend the depth of ones’ determination, a literary character-psychologist must take a step back and realign their perspective with various individualistic and public opinions. In my analysis of Richard Rodriguez’s: Hunger of Memory The Education of Richard Rodriguez and Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran I shall ponder the intricacies of several major themes associated within these controversial texts. In uncovering the underlying principles, we must first accept that there are intermingling concepts and themes. These themes and concepts are vital to the overall arguments found in each literary work. My analysis shall play a key role in evaluating how each piece plays its own role within the respective work. My diligent analysis shall ultimately focus on: the interweaving significance of self-identity, the essence behind a characters acceptance of public identity, the overwhelming drive to be successful in an ethnocentric society, the challenges associated with overcoming adversity, the complex vitality of ones’ definition of freedom(s), and finally the all-encompassing importance associated with education. My scrutiny of these works shall bring several sources into play in order to support the conclusions being drawn within this paper. Along with two literary works which emphasize the central themes expressed above, I shall be incorporating the movie, iRobot, one magazine article, one newspaper article, a reliable internet source, a singular case study, and lastly a peer interview into the scope of my paper. From the get-go, I shall seek to instill within the reader the acceptance that these themes are both an internalized as well as externalized challenge. We shall be uncovering how these changes affect different individuals on differing emotional, psychological, sociological, and physical levels. Let us proceed with comprehending the significance of how self-identity is formed on the part of our characters and how it affects our perspective of self-freedoms. Self-identity is essentially a private perspective being formed of how one reflects how they see themselves. Per Wikipedia, this self-concept is all about the â€Å"mental and conceptual understanding and persistent regard that sentient beings hold for their own existence† and is key to comprehending who you feel that you truly are on the inside. On the part of Richard Rodriguez, his self-perspective was one of true confusion where his â€Å"words could not stretch far enough to form complete thoughts† and his embarrassment â€Å"to hear (his) parents speak in public (where) their high-whining vowels and guttural consonants† was so unlike â€Å"the way gringos spoke† (14-15). Lost within his own misconceptions of American versus his Mexican immigrate status, he succumbed to being quiet, and timid. In his novel, he reflects that today he hears â€Å"bilingual educators say that children lose a degree of ‘individuality’ by becoming assimilated into public society† but they fail to see that assimilation has its benefits and is a necessity (26). This is because it eventually leads to a public individuality versus the private one; hence, isolation is less prevalent. Feeling secure within the world of books, he delved into reading and acquiring acknowledge as a means to understanding his essence. This tactic was one method of uncovering ones’ self-identity. The old saying that knowledge is power always plays an intricate role within a developing young mind and personality. For Rodriguez, this attainment of knowledge led to a greater comfort level in his sense of freedom. The case study from Economic Mobility of Immigrants in the United States from Economic Mobility Project states that â€Å"†¦second generation immigrants exceed the educational attainment of the first generation†¦(where) education is (considered) one vehicle that immigrants use to help their children get ahead. † This case study indicates that education is a determinant of wages and income in the United States, which Rodriguez had the early foresight to see. The bar graphs presented in this case study show that there is a definite correlation between those without an education from immigrants families and the amount of money they brought in weekly and annually. Because Rodriguez was socially disadvantaged, came from a family without an education, and characterized as lacking linguistic skills, he found himself literally tongue-tied in social environments. Instead he wisely shut himself off from the social world, and uncovered the monumental significance of learning material that children his age perhaps ignored. This level of sophistication created a self-identity tied to sophisticated thoughts and impressions. He indicates that he â€Å"felt that (he) had somehow committed a sin of betrayal by learning English† and though he acknowledges that he â€Å"turned to English with angry reluctance† he felt that his parents â€Å"encouraged (him) to learn English† (30). His social growth was stagnate at first by his overwhelming concern that people did not comprehend his immigrant status, but upon coming to terms with his ethnocentric background and westernization his self-awareness grew by leaps and bounds. As a â€Å"scholarship boy† (62) , he found himself literally memorizing words and phrases presented to students by their teachers. His self-identity became inter-wound with the idea of success, and this was â€Å"his primary reason for success in the classroom†¦(and) that schooling was changing and separating him from the life he enjoyed before becoming a student† (45). His drive for education enabled him to seek out new information and achieve successes that he might otherwise not have sought out. He has had the chance to incorporate his self-identity into an acceptance of his public one. His public identity was fashioned after society saw a well-educated Mexican immigrant who was driven by education and knowledge to pursue his dreams for higher education. Prior, the public had seen immigrants as mainly blue collar works with limited English linguistic skills and considered immigrants to be worthy of only remedial jobs. He reflects that â€Å"dark skin for my mother was the most important symbol of a life of oppressive labor and poverty†¦and the work (his) father found in San Francisco was work for the unskilled. A factory job†¦(where there was)†¦noise and heat.. and the dark stench of old urine† (119-120). These stories from his parents and awareness of blue collar jobs aided Rodriguez in his endeavors to educate himself; thus building a higher level of self-esteem that he otherwise would have lacked considering his preoccupation and concern that he was of immigrant status. His early and youthful withdraw from his family might be considered somewhat of a con, but in fact it showed him that his family in its way supported his desire to be successful and not become part of the blue collar workforce. His assimilation and learning of English lead to â€Å"diminished occasions of intimacy† at home because he â€Å"sensed the deepest truth about language and intimacy: Intimacy is not created by a particular language; it is created by intimacies† where this feeling arose because he used his public language, English, most of the day to move â€Å"easily† through society. (32) Through mature self-awareness he later became aware of the value associated with family and seemingly acknowledges that his family and immigrant background was like a reverse role model-ship. One example of this distance was when his father one day â€Å"opened a closet†¦and was startled to find me inside, reading a novel† (45) which was highly unusual and led to his family joking about what he â€Å"sees in (his) books†. This cultural adversity and mental hardships molded Rodriguez into a man who was ultimately virtuous, highly respected, successful, and knowledgeable. It also encouraged him to intellectually analyze material and find security in learning. This ethnocentric challenge to fit in is not unheard of for first generation children of immigrants. In reality, there are many immigrants from all over the world who come to America seeking to fulfill their hopes and dreams. Some come here under refugee status, some as students, others as H1 workers, and many as illegal immigrants. It is interesting that many have their own story and experience to tell about living in a foreign country. From my driving instructor, Victor Yang, I told that in Saudi Arabia they arrest both the driver and spouse of the driver if they were caught drinking while under the influence. You would think that only the guilty party would be affected, but in this manner the spouse too suffers. Therefore, the husband would probably feel less inclined to commit such a crime again as his loved ones too pay a penalty for violating the law. It might eliminate the freedom of the innocent, but for some it is the psychological and emotional embarrassment suffered by the guilty which limited the violations. I had the opportunity to work with a Muslim refugee from Bosnian who came to America as a teenager, and who was given the hard responsibility of caring for her one-armed mom whose left arm was blown off in the Bosnian marketplace, illiterate father, and young sister. She had to perform all the linguist responsibilities of obtaining paperwork, living space, find a job for her father, enrolling her kid sister in elementary school, running a household, and finally making her way through school. Her determination for education, her drive to live up to her own self-identity, her goals, and her insistence that the family not be on welfare lead to her having a successful job in corporate America. During my many conversations with her, I have heard how difficult it can be to insert your awareness of yourself and goals into a society which covertly favors Americans versus immigrants. Hers too is a story of triumph over adversity. Hers too is the story of many immigrants who faced identity hurdles, but stuck to their determination and knowledge-driven mindset. Her motto is â€Å"Always be self-driven and self-aware. † From my friend’s experiences as immigrant, I found myself curious as an American in uncovering if this â€Å"melting pot† was truly functional or fictional. One newspaper article that I ran into within the Washington Post, â€Å"America’s Racial and Ethnic Divides: Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation† illustrates how a naturalized Mexican does not feel like she is American and she â€Å"resists the idea of assimilating into U. S. society (because she says) ‘I think I’m still Mexican†¦when my skin turns white and my hair turns blonde, then I’ll be an American†. From her external perspective and self-image, like Rodriguez had encountered, she is being differentiated by her skin color. The article points out that â€Å"it is no longer the melting pot that is transforming them, but they who are transforming American society. † Their inputs and idea of freedom and identity enable them to bring new perspectives and ideas into the American society; hence, the melting pot theory is invalid. We might consider it more to be a bowl of chili where every ingredient plays its own role in the end flavor. This ‘segmented assimilation, in which immigrants follow different paths to incorporation in U. S. society’ allows for immigrants to educate themselves and take advantage of opportunities and freedoms that they might not otherwise have. This also enables them to more easily face hurdles and complexities within their public identity. Richard Rodriguez found himself in a more difficult position because of his desire to not be defined as Mexican; which was his own self-identity in question.

Improving Access to Nature in Urban Environments

Improving Access to Nature in Urban Environments In an urbanizing world, discuss the value of green and blue spaces in towns and cities and describe some of the approaches being used to improve access to nature. Introduction 50 years after Henri Lefebvre identified seeds of planet ‘Trantor’, Isaac Asimov’s (1995) completely urbanized science fiction planet, amidst the Earth’s urbanization (Merrifield, 2013), 54% of global population today are urban dwellers, and it is projected to increase to 66% in 2050 (United Nations, 2014). Lefebvre’s prognostications are coming true at a staggering pace. Such booming population growth in cities and towns puts immense pressure on ever-shrinking urban spaces. In light of competing land use, the frantic pursuit of economic prosperity and social advancement has neglected urban green and aquatic environments. Many remain incognizant of the importance of nature and its access within increasingly concretized landscapes. The benefits and detriments of urban green and blue spaces will be explored using a multi-dimensional approach considering various aspects of urban nature’s importance. Health Dimension To begin with, from the perspective of well-being, green and blue environments satisfy a fundamental human need for a conducive environment. Human evolution theory suggests that modern humans have developed a certain genetic inclination to respond positively to habitat settings favourable to survival and well-being of their ancestors (Kellert and Wilson, 1993). These responses are believed to be triggered when immersed within nature. As such, the restorative effects of nature seem to serve as ‘natural tranquilizers’ amidst the urban hustle and bustle (van den Berg et al., 1998). For instance, Ulrich (1984) discovered that hospital patients with the opportunity to look out onto greenery recovered much quicker from surgery than those whose views were confined to buildings. This reflects the recuperative influences of green spaces on well-being of urban dwellers. Further research also strengthened evidence of restorative sounds and visual properties of water and waves withi n aquatic spaces (White et al, 2010). The array of physical and spiritual healing functions of natural environments provide the basis of human needs that make cities and towns liveable. Socio-Spatial Dimension Moving on, from a social paradigm, natural environments within urban localities can facilitate social progression by allowing people to seek emotional refuge while providing valued recreational space. ‘The free world of the public park has always evolved a pre-lapsarian world of innocence and autonomy’ (Thompson, 2002, p. 66). Indeed, chasing after better lives and getting to places on time have caused personal time to be left behind amidst busy cosmopolitan lifestyles. The serene natural environment is perhaps the only place where one could seek emotional shelter in terms of privacy and self-reflection. In addition to being emotional sanctuaries, urban green and blue spaces represent extended recreational space amidst congested urban environments. Growing urban populations are forcing people to live even closer than ever before as land use becomes competitive. For instance, half of Hong Kong’s population is housed within continuously shrinking living space at app roximately 13.4m ³ per individual (Hong Kong Housing Authority, 2014). Increasing proximity between humans generates feelings of confinement within countless of man-made walls. Hence, the presence of open green and blue spaces allow urban dwellers to step away from the highly-constrained landscapes of built environments, where there is space for one’s privacy and for forging social relationships free from cramped cities and towns. While recognising the importance of urban green and blue spaces, it would be myopic to overlook any potential detriments. Although these natural environments are paradise away from stressful urban life, they could also be harbour potential danger. These natural habitats provide ‘wild’ breeding grounds for crime and incivilities, and could ‘be a place of fear and anxiety’ (Thompson, 2002, pp. 66). Research studies revealed that visitors to promenades along the Rhine in Cologne and Dà ¼sseldorf, especially women and elderly, were concerned about theft and harassment in addition to issues of victimisation (Và ¶lker and Kistemann, 2013, pp. 120). The manifestation of crime and anti-social behaviour creates negative perceptions and feelings of powerlessness that indirectly erect mental barriers for potential nature users. Development Dimension Apart from the benefits that urban inhabitants enjoy, it is also imperative that we consider the advantages of having urban natural environments within cities and towns. Urban green and blue spaces contribute to the sustainable development of built environments, in both economic and ecological dimensions. Research conducted by White et al. (2010) revealed that combined green and blue environments were most preferred, depicted in Fig 1. Fig 1: Research Conclusions on Environment Preference Ratings Source: White et al. (2010), pp. 487 The aesthetic appeal of nature highlighted above translates to higher fiscal revenue and monetary returns for the urban settlement. For instance, people were found to be willing to pay almost 8% to 12% more for housing properties with views of water and green interface across several districts within the Netherlands (Luttik, 2000). In addition, urban greenery also attracts greater influx of foreign investments into cities and towns, exemplified by the beautification of Singapore as a â€Å"garden city† that propelled the city’s economic rise (Braatz, 1993). Hence, the presence of green and blue spaces in urban areas create positive perceptions of pleasant environments, which makes cities and towns more alluring in the economic sense. Furthermore, ecological footprints of urban development could potentially be mitigated. Research has shown that 85% of air pollutants and dust particles can be filtered out in a typical-sized urban park (Bolund and Sven, 1999), In addition, the combined effects of green and blue spaces are also effective in combating the urban heat island effect. Ambient temperatures within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City were observed to be 2 °C to 3 °C lower than surrounding urban areas (Jauregui, 1990/1991). The presence of natural spaces helps to regulate the urban environment and make cities and towns more hospitable. For any urban settlement pursuing sustainable development, these green and blue spaces may hold the answers. Improving Access to Nature Growing understanding of the urban nature’s beneficial outcomes and potential detriments has generated renewed focus on making nature more accessible. Different definitions of improving access underpin the myriad of strategies and implementations that have been adopted. Firstly, the shift in focus towards ‘green infrastructure’ which involves enhancing engineered water infrastructure by integrating nature with urban ‘grey infrastructure’ have become increasingly popular (Wendel et al., 2011). This approach interprets improving accessibility as increasing the distribution of natural spaces. Recent academic literature suggest that we â€Å"may have to bring nature to people rather than have people come to nature, especially in urbanized environments’ (Lin et al., 2014, pp. 6). Thus, nature should be incorporated into existing urban infrastructure to raise opportunities for encounters. In Tampa, Florida, converted storm water ponds enhanced with green spaces saw a 35% increase in walking access (Wendel et al., 2011). On the other hand, in South-East London, such incorporation was done through the restoration of a section of river Ravensbourne within Cornmill Gardens by replacing concrete encasements with natural slopin g banks and bank vegetation (The London Rivers Action Plan, 2009). These strategies, combining landscape and water management, mimics natural watersheds to enhance urban hydrology while greatly improving public access. Another strategy to improve accessibility points towards public education espousing human connections with nature. This approach understands improving access through raising motivation to visit nature. Education theory suggests that ‘biophilia’ (Kellert and Wilson, 1993) and interest in nature are encouraged by early childhood experiences (Stokes, 2006). Removal of such experiences would dramatically reduce one’s motivation to visit nature regardless of accessibility. To illustrate, the Forest Schools Education (FSE) movement was originally developed to develop a greater affinity with nature for pre-school children in Denmark. This Scandinavian concept, now adopted across pre-schools worldwide, develops children’s appreciation of nature through regular visits to natural spaces for play (Forest Schools Education, 2013). Cultivating one’s orientation towards nature through interactive opportunities can therefore develop life-long motivations to visit t he natural environment. Thirdly, improving accessibility by reducing barriers to usage advocates the improvement of public amenities within natural spaces. This approach focuses on creating safe and conducive conditions for public access to nature with a peace of mind. This greatly reduces perceptions of danger and encourages frequent access. In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, over 65% of respondents highlighted safety as the main obstacle that limited accessibility of nature (Wendel et al., 2012). Hence, access to nature can be augmented through improved public amenities and infrastructure to make these spaces safer. In Bogota, Columbia, improving access to nature focused upon heightened security and safety through installing fences, increasing uniformed guard patrol frequencies and improving lighting conditions (Berney, 2010). Thus, safe natural environments would encourage more frequent visits and greatly reduce deterrence of usage associated with perceptions of danger. Conclusion Being indispensable ecological assets in today’s urbanizing world, urban green and blue environments deliver an extensive range of crucial functions that cover health and social benefits to ecological and economic goals. Facilitating public access to these ‘lungs of the city’ (Sutton, 1971) through a spectrum of interventions ensure that the opportunities and perks provided by these urban ecosystems help improve the quality of urban life. As planet Earth increasingly resembles ‘Trantor’ more than ever before, we must realize that in order to sustain the development of cities and towns, urban natural environments are a ‘must-have’ rather than a ‘nice-to-have’. 1509 words Bibliography Asimov, I. 1955. Foundation, (Voyager Paperback, London). Berney, R. 2010. Learning from Bogota: How municipal experts transformed public spaces, Journal of Urban Design, 15(4) pp. 539 – 558. Bolund, P. and Sven, H. 1999. Ecosystem Services in Urban Areas, Ecological Economics, 29 pp. 293 – 301. Braatz, S. 1993. Urban Forestry in Developing Countries: Status and Issues, in Kollin, C., Mahon, J. and Frame, L. (eds) Proceedings of the Sixth National Urban Forest Conference: Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 14-18, 1993, (American Forests, Minnesota). Forest Schools Education, 2013. ‘Introduction to Forest Schools’, http://www.forestschools.com/course-material/forest-schools-general/, Accessed 11th October 2014. Hong Kong Housing Authority, 2014. Housing in Figures 2014, https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/about-us/publications-and-statistics/HIF.pdf. Jauregui, E. 1990/1991. Influence of a large urban park on temperature and convective precipitation in a tropical country, Energy and Buildings, 15 – 16 pp. 45 – 63. Kellert, S.R. and Wilson, E.O. 1993. The biophilia hypothesis, (Island Press, Washington DC). Lin, B., Fuller, R., Bush, R., Gaston, K. and Shanahan, D. 2014. Opportunity or Orientation? Who Uses Urban Parks and Why, PLOS ONE, 9(1) pp. 1 – 7. Luttik, J. 2000. The value of trees, water and open space as reflected by house prices in the Netherlands, Landscape and Urban Planning, 48 pp. 161 – 167. Merrifield, A. 2013. The Urban Question under Planetary Urbanization, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 37.3 pp. 909 – 922. Rosenzweig, M.L. 2003. Win-Win Ecology: How The Earth’s Species Can Survive In The Midst of Human Enterprise, (Oxford University Press, New York). Stokes, D.L. 2006. Conservators of Experience, BioScience, 56(1) pp. 6 – 7. Sutton, S.B. (ed.). 1971. Civilizing American Cities: A Selection of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Writings on City Landscapes, (MIT Press, Cambridge). The River Restoration Centre, 2009. The London Rivers Action Plan: A tool to help restore rivers for people and nature, http://www.therrc.co.uk/lrap/lplan.pdf. Thompson, C.W. 2002. Urban open space in the 21st Century, Landscape and Urban Planning, 60 pp. 59 – 72. Ulrich, R.S. 1984. View through a window may influence recovery from surgery, Science, 224 pp. 420 – 421. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2014. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/352). van den Berg, A.E., Maas, J., Verheij, R.A. and Groenewegen, P. 2010. Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health, Social Science and Medicine, 70 pp. 1203 – 1210. Và ¶lker, S. and Kistemann, T. 2013. â€Å"I’m always entirely happy when I’m here!† Urban blue enhancing human health and well-being in Cologne and Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany, Social Science and Medicine, 78 pp.113 – 124. Wendel, H.E., Downs, J.A. and Milhelcic, J. 2011. Assessing Equitable Access to Urban Green Space: The Role of Engineered Water Infrastructure, Environmental Science and Technology, 45 pp. 6728 – 6734. Wendel, H.E., Zarger, R. and Mihelcic, J. 2012. Accessibility and usability: Green space preferences, perceptions and barriers in a rapidly urbanizing city in Latin America, Landscape and Urban Planning, 107 pp. 272 – 282. White, M., Smith, A., Humphryes, K., Pahl, S., Snelling, D. and Depledge, M. 2010. Blue Space: The importance of water for preference, affect and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30 pp. 482 493.

How Children Carry the Weight of Child Abuse Essay -- Long Term Impact

The spirits of children are shattered, tender hearts broken with words, and precious bodies riddled and limp from abuse. Eyes that should glisten with wonder and excitement are enveloped with dismay and destruction. Fathers physically beat their little girls. Mothers leave newborns in locked cars, and some parents degrade their children with verbal daggers. Child abuse is much more serious than people want to believe. Child abuse comes in different forms: neglect, physical, and verbal abuse. But what are even more serious are its effects: inability to properly function in society, fear of trust, and a broken self-esteem. We should all be there to help these children, by holding their hands, or even giving them a sincere smile. First, someone who suffers from neglect or other abuse as a child often has an inability to properly function in society. Parents who show little or no interest in their children's lives make them feel unimportant and often portray a distorted view of love. Their parents tell them that they will be at their basketball game and then fail to show up. They put social events, their jobs, or even their own lifestyle before their children. This continual act can cause the child to grow up feeling that they can depend on no one and that they are unworthy of love. They have problems making or even keeping friends, because they feel they will always be let down. Often in adulthood they tend to over compensate the loss they felt in their own life into their child's. They move heaven and earth, often to their own neglect, to be at every activity. They become driven by their own loss inside. Others who have gone through this often don't know how to love or even care for someone else in a relati onship. Their parents ... ...think about her and tries to act exactly like they want her to. It is as if she is like glass; you have to be very careful about what you say to her, because she could break and fall to pieces at any moment. Degrading remarks, time and time again, often leave people with a broken backbone, a shattered self-esteem. This part of them, the part that makes them believe in themselves, usually never heals to the fullest. People need to be aware that what happens to children, as they are growing up, can affect them in many different ways. Children should have wonderful memories of their life, but unfortunately the ones that suffered from abuse growing up, still struggle today. The memory of the mind works in mysterious ways and often never allows one to forget the past. They struggle throughout their life in dealing with society, fear of trust, and a broken self-esteem.

Nature in the Rastafarian Consciousness Essay -- essays papers

Nature in the Rastafarian Consciousness Living in harmony with the environment and the laws of Nature is one of the central ideas of Rastafarianism. To live in accordance with the Earth is to live in accordance with Jah; it is incorporated into the morality that is Rastafarian consciousness. The Rasta's reverence for nature is influenced by the traditional African religions which are still practiced in Jamaica and which have also influenced Christianity on the island tremendously. Hinduism, too, has influenced many Rastafarian beliefs and practices. Through the Rastafarian's calculated rejection of Western cultural norms they have come to realize capitalism and the environmental destruction it has caused as Babylon, a place of destruction and greed. In order to escape this"Babylon system"a lifestyle has been employed that is focused on a correlation between man and nature. This lifestyle is an environmentally sound ideal that others around the World are only now beginning to strive for. The African Tradition In order to understand the Rastafarian idealism relating to the environment we must first consider the traditions from which it came. In Jamaica, the survival of the African religious tradition can be felt throughout the island. Most clearly this religious tradition is demonstrated by Kumina groups. Kumina is generally accepted as being West African in origin; brought here by the Ashanti. These people above all others were taken for the slave trade because the British regarded them as an especially sturdy and good for labor (Barrett 16,1997.) The Ashanti came to dominate slave, and later, peasant society, especially within the realm of religion. The practice eventually spread throughout the slave World (Barrett 17,19... ...go Press 1986) 5) Jacobs, Virginia Lee Roots of Rastafari (San Diego, Slawson Communications, Inc 1985) 6) Johnson-Hill, Jack A. I-Sight, The World of Rastafari: An Interpretive Sociological Account of Rastafarian Ethics (Metuchen N.J., The American Theological Library Ass. And Scarecrow Press, Ink. 1995) 7) Morrish, Ivan Jamaica and its Religions (Cambridge, James Clarke and Co. 1982) 8) Reddington, Norman Rastafari History, http://lamar.colostate.edu/~`laingg/rasta.html May 1995 9) Turner, Terisa Arise Ye Mighty People: Gender, Class, and Race in Popular Struggles,"The New Society"(Trenton, Africa World Press, 1994) 10) Witvliet, Theo A Place in the Sun: An Introductio to Liberation Theology in the Third World (SCM Press Ltd. 1985) 11) Youd, Ital Itations of Jamaica and I Rastafari... the First Itation (Miami, Judah Anbesa Ihntahnahshinch 1987)

Policing in Kelsey Essay

The Police Department currently has an annual budget of $16,177,678. With the 15% budget cut, the mayor is requesting from the Police Department, that leaves a new annual budget of $14,235,356, a decrease of $1,941,322. The major change the will affect the fiscal cycle of this budget year is the decrease in the hiring of police officers. The City of Kelsey was in the process of hiring 10 new police officials to fill the 10 positions that were open, due to several retiring police officers and few police officers finding other employment. Now with the 15% budget cut, the City will not be filling those open positions, because saving the City $1,200,000. New maintenance and vehicle cost will also decrease, since not hiring the new officers. The last fiscal year the City manager allotted $150,000 for 5 new maintenance and vehicles cost for the hiring of the new police officers. As a budget director, I requested a 10% deduction through Police Union in wages or freeze the wages until the ne xt fiscal year, because saving $300,000. In addition, cutting 16 paid holidays a year will save the City a total of $400,000. The Police Union Committee advised the Union has only agreed to a 1% pay cut within the next fiscal year, which will save the City $30,000. The Committee has also agreed to 10 paid holidays a year instead of 16. This will save the City an annual $150,000 a year. The Chief of Police has agreed to cut the training by 80%. The City will save an annual budget of $125,000. With these cuts alone, the City will save $1,655,000 alone. Another proposal will cut community events/programs within the Since the City of Kelsey has an increase amount of criminal activity, it is the responsibility of the city to ensure that its citizens are safe. Kelsey should put this as the top  priority of every person on this board to ensure there is additional funding found so that additional police officer can be hired and trained. Police officers from lower crime areas can be moved to the higher crime areas but the police d epartment must ensure there is not an increase of crime in those areas with fewer police officers.