mark and luke paper

mark and luke paper mark and luke paper Religion 200 9/23/2013 Mark and Luke Reflection Paper In the Access Bible there are many stories included in the New Testament. The stories of Mark and Luke are similar stories written about Jesus. Mark and Luke both talk about the birth and death of Jesus Christ. They also talk about the stories of Easter and Christmas. Although, the book Luke is based on Mark the stories are altered from one another in some way. In the book of Mark, it starts off talking about John the Baptizer. People from all over Jerusalem went to get baptized so their sins were forgiven. When he baptized Jesus he recognized him as him being the son of God. After Jesus was baptized, he went out to the wilderness where he was tested by Satan for forty days. Jesus then goes and performs miracles and heals people. Eventually Jesus and his ministry reach the ruler of Galilee, King Herod Antipas who was against the work that Jesus was performing. The priest also did not like his works and eventually arrested him. The Roman governor agre es that they can crucify him. After being killed Jesus appears to resurrect from the dead. I find this story interesting because Jesus was the son of God and performed many miracles however, still some people failed to see that he was the son of God. They instead thought he was a threat to the Christian religion. I also, think that it’s weird that Jesus can perform some miracles, but not others. I feel that since he was the son of God that God would have saved him from being crucified. Although the book of Mark and Luke are similar they start off in different ways. The book of Luke begins with the birth of John and Jesus. First, it explains how Zechariah and Elizabeth had been trying to conceive a child and were unable to do so. One day an angel named Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him his wife was going to conceive a baby. However, Zechariah did not have a lot of faith in the news that was given to him. Since he did not trust Gabriel’s word, the angel made it so h e could not speak until their child was born. The angel then visited the Virgin Mary and told her she was going to give birth to the son of God. After Jesus was born he was presented at the temple the Jewish prophets, Simeon and Anna knew he was sanctity of Christ. This book also included John baptizing Jesus and the unsuccessful test by Satan. After returning he begins his ministry by preaching about God and performing miracles. Some things emphasized in this book but not the other was Jesus’s forgiveness to sinners, the Passover and the explanation to the disciples that giving is better than receiving. Just like the book of Mark Jesus was crucified and resurrected. However, the story of resurrection is not the same in each book. I think it is interesting that people can tell

Statistical Measures of Unemployment

Statistical Measures of Unemployment Most data regarding unemployment in the United States is collected and reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS divides unemployment into six categories (known as U1 through U6), but these categories dont line up directly with the way that economists categorize unemployment. U1 through U6 are defined as follows: U1 Percentage of labor force unemployed 15 weeks or longerU2 Percentage of labor force who lost jobs or completed temporary workU3 Percentage of labor force who are without jobs and have looked for work in the last four weeks (note that this is the officially reported unemployment rate)U4 U3 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as discouraged workers, i.e. people who would like to work but have stopped looking because they are convinced that they cant find jobsU5 U4 plus the percent of the labor force that count as marginally attached or loosely attached workers, i.e. people who would theoretically like to work but havent looked for work within the past four weeksU6 U5 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as underemployed, i.e. part-time workers who would like to work more but cant find full-time jobs Technically speaking, the statistics for U4 through U6 are calculated by adding discouraged workers and marginally attached workers into the labor force as appropriate. (Underemployed workers are always counted in the labor force.) In addition, the BLS defines discouraged workers as a subset of marginally attached workers but is careful not to double count them in the statistics. You can see the definitions directly from the BLS. While U3 is the main officially reported figure, looking at all of the measures together can provide a broader and more nuanced view of what is happening in the labor market.

Documantry on Congo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Documantry on Congo - Essay Example Throughout the Congo, families were held as hostages, and the families would be subjected to death-causing hunger, in the case that the working members did not cooperate in producing sufficient wild rubber. Further, the hands of the children held as captive were chopped off as punishment to the parents, in the case that they delivered the rubber late (Bate, Elie and Roger). The King is accused of killing more than 10 million people during his era of exploitation. This paper will explore the lessons taught by the documentary and also explore the classes of people that played a central role during the colonial era. The documentary gives an account showing that the colonialists went to Africa among other colonial nations, not for the good of the citizens of the colonized countries, but for their selfish interests of making more wealth for themselves and their countries (Bate, Elie and Roger). This reality is very evident from the experiences of the Congolese, during the 1880s, noting that they were subjected to forced labor and slavery at their own country. The selfish interests of the colonialist Belgium are evident from the death of the millions of the people that did not work towards meeting the rubber hunger of the King. Further, to conceal his plans and his strategies of exploiting the people of Congo, the king acted as a prototype of colonialists, by hiding under the veil of protecting Africans from slave trade (Bate, Elie and Roger). Unfortunately, it turned out that his system and model of slavery was much worse than that of the Arabs; it included the brutal treatment of the Congolese. For example, the documentary cites that the hands of the children, whose parents could not deliver rubber as expected, were chopped off. Therefore, the colonial operations of King Leopold II, which were similar to those of many other colonial nations, show that the colonialists went to Africa and other

TAXATION POLICY AND TAX REFORMS IN VIETNAM Assignment

TAXATION POLICY AND TAX REFORMS IN VIETNAM - Assignment Example The taxation policy of an economy has a major impact on its economic condition. Understanding the taxation policy of a country helps in assessing the role of income taxes on the economic growth. Countries constantly engage in debate to strike the right balance of taxes for the planned economies progress (Miller, & Oats, 2009). Economic analysts suggest that economic policies are very important for the growth of an economy. Taxes are important sources of finance for the governments. Governments implement combination of direct and indirect based to generate effective results and higher revenues for meeting capital and public revenue expenditure (Jones, Rhoades-Catanach, & Lemler, 2010). The governments which have more opportunities for generating finance from revenues of public enterprises besides tax implementation attempt to design the lenient taxation policies which attain effective results. Vietnam was a developing economy and it had shown dramatic development over the years. This dramatic growth of the country with the passage of time is centrally attributed to its economic policies. One major component of these is the taxation reforms. ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES AND TAXATION STRUCTURE OF VIETNAM After the war in 1954-1975, Vietnam adopted a market oriented strategy for development. The process of the reforms was initiated during the mid 1980’s. Before these reforms were proposed, the state was playing a very important role in the economic development of the country. The government’s revenue collection from the enterprises was linked to profit sharing with the organizations. For achieving the objectives of efficiency in government organization, it was mandated for the managers to abide the directives and the policies proposed by the state. This was aimed at improving the performance of the economic performance of the government and private enterprise in local and international market (Yui, n.d.). New legislations were enacted and the promulgations of the company law were also implemented. The changes were made to the foreign Investment Law, Private Enterprise Law and the Company law. During this time the first phase of the reform was implemented. At this time th e government was in dire need of implementing the policies and overcoming the economic challenges such as controlling the effect of hyper inflation. Implementations of the policies were forced with reforms in the import and export taxes, special consumption taxes and profit taxes etc. The enterprises that were non state owned were levied with registration tax, excise tax and agricultural taxes. This in result had direct impact on the FDI and increased the overall productivity of the economy. These reforms were considered for contribution in the economic improvements and these practices made the tax system more transparent. The overall series of measures of growth contributed to the economic development significantly and growth of the Vietnam economy over the years. Through these reforms the overall growth in the revenue of the economy increased by more than five times. The report here after focuses on the reform in the taxation policies of the Vietnam (Yui, n.d.). REFORMS IN THE TAX ATION POLICY OF VIETNAM The taxation system plays a very important and critical role in structuring the macroeconomic conditions of the economy. . The initial measures mentioned above had significant impact on the economy of Vietnam. It contributed towards the success of Vietnam with its social and economic developm

Battle of Thermopylae Essay Example for Free

Battle of Thermopylae Essay 300 is a fictionalized depiction of the 460 B. C. Battle of Thermopylae. Adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, director Zack Snyder evidently aimed for this cinematic spectacle as historical as the Spartan’s glory. Led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), the 300 best Spartan soldiers fought to death against the Persian King Xerxes’ (Rodrigo Santoro) campaign of ruling the world of men, save the last one named Dilios (David Wenham) who lived to proclaim the glory of the 300 and of course, recount the story from the birth of King Leonidas to the rigors of a Spartan soldier’s life. Through this narrative technique, we are brought to the world of grotesque-faced warriors, beautiful and cursed oracles, sex orgy, 460 B. C. political evil and gigantic fantastical beasts that made the whole movie an action historical fantasy instead of a classroom historical documentary. Created by CGI visual effects technology, the movie is an image duplication of the original comic book. The unworldly creatures came to life, a mere number of casts looked a hundred thousand or so, the amazing panoramic dark clouds added much drama to the dark scenes and the rain of gores and blood were clearly meant for action suckers rather than the sandal supporters. Indeed, human slaughter never looked so pretty. But you do not need to be a comic book or a computer animation fan to admire this cinematic landmark. The cinematography is what grabs your attention in a different way as Gladiator or Lord of the Rings or Troy ever did. Although I have to add that incorporating some of the said movies’ best shots like the Gladiator’s sunny wheat field scene, the olliphant-like creatures from LotR and the bird’s eye view battalion shots from Troy, gave us some moments sort of deja vu but over-all, Snyder did his homework pretty well in making this 460 B. C battle unbelievably believable. From the angles to the color schemes, the 300 movie looked like a technically polished storyboard. Every frame is beautiful and every panel is a cinematic feast. Unlike the technically benchmarking combat between Hector and Achilles in Troy, the combats in 300 are taken NOT from a vantage point of a spectator, but from an eye level of somebody who belongs in the battle†¦ somebody who moves in the battle. Filled with slow motion shots, the frame almost freezes to give a further zoom of the amazing sequences. The effect? Well, the audience were brought face-to-face to the thrill of the Battle of Thermopylae than they could ever imagine. The way the film flowed gave us a comic book feel to almost every scene but freed us from the eye candy gloss of the comic book. The chained giant Persians, the leprosy looking elders and warriors, the outrageously choreographed combats and the spear-causing blood showers looked wildly more spectacular than what paint brushes or video game film-making could ever do. The irony of the special effects’ impact on creating a scene of the past while setting a cinematic future gained 300 its wider acceptance. The incredible visuals were bloody mad and ferocious, which is exactly what that era is all about and what our era tries to relive, technically. We know how this is made. Shots were indoors against a blue screen and the backgrounds were added using CGI techniques. (Movie buffs get the hang of this technique after Twilight produced an exclusive documentary of the CGI behind their movie). Lacking of an all star casts and expensive shooting locations, we can say that the movie’s visual effects stole the spotlight. Even Gerard Butler’s commanding voice will not be given that much awe without the tiny acoustic touch. However, the visual techniques which so prodigiously employed didn’t just become the movie’s success but as well the movies failing. Having it overpower the substance made critics less indulged and more complaining. Many said that whatever the movie tremendously have in style, it lacks in human emotions and thus fall short in portraying the historical Battle of Thermopylae as a human history, not an epic from another world. Save Queen Gorgo’s (Lena Headey) shot to rally support for her husband, all those battle speeches sounded vain for lacking frame supports. But then again, the R rating could well make us understand that it’s the bloody, violent stunts that made us pay for the two-hour beautifully-generated tortures. To quote King Leonidas, â€Å"a new age has come, a new freedom†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I guess, we just have to embrace it.

The Theme of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Theme of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚   The idea of carelessness plays an important role in The Great Gatsby. Daisy, Tom, Jordan, Gatsby and Nick were all careless at some points throughout the book.   Daisy and Tom were careless about their relationship, their money, and many of their daily activities.   Gatsby was also unconcerned with his money. Jordan was blasà © about the way she treated other people.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . ."(189)   This was an accurate description of the way Tom and Daisy acted.   They were constantly neglectful of the way they behaved and when they realized they were wrong, they would retreat back to their money.   It was always other people that had to pay for Tom and Daisy's careless mistakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Daisy also admitted that she was careless in a dialogue with Nick.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "I am careful."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "No, you're not"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Well, other people are," she said lightly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "What's that got to do with it?"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Suppose you meet somebody just as careless as yourself."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "I hope I never will," she answered.   "I hate careless people."(63)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She quickly responded to Nick that she doesn't need to be careful. Daisy implied that it is the other person's responsibility to be mindful of her. She also said that she hates careless people right after she admitted that she was careless.   Daisy was indifferent about her relationship with Tom.   She knew that her husband was having an affair with another women but Daisy did not do anything about it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tom was careless in a much more obvious way.   He was brutal as well as destructive.   Tom felt that he could do anything he wanted and get away with it. He would never admit that he was dispassionate because he was egotistical.   Tom was careless in his relationship with Daisy, his wife, and Myrtle Wilson, his lover.   He allowed Gatsby to win his wife's love.

Do You Exist Because You Think, or Do You Think Because You Exist, or Neither? Essay

In order to consider â€Å"I exist because I think† or †I think because I exist†, I would define the â€Å"I exist because I think† as â€Å"I think† is the cause of â€Å"I exist†. This implies â€Å"I think† appear before â€Å"I exist† and cause â€Å"I exist† to happen. In the other side, â€Å"I think because I exist† would be â€Å"I exist† is the cause of â€Å"I think†. This implies â€Å"I exist† appear before â€Å"I think† and cause â€Å"I think† to happen. In terms of logic, I would say â€Å"I think because I exist â€Å" is more appropriate. It is because I must exist first, therefore I can think of my existence. Things about me or myself are impossible to happen before my existence and cause my existence. In the following paper, I would like to explain why â€Å"I exist because I think† is false and explain â€Å"I think because I exist† is true. Let me first explain why ‘I exist because I think’ is false. If ‘I exist because I think’ is true, every time when I think I exist and when I do not think, I do not exist. As I mentioned, â€Å"Think† seems to be the cause of my existence in this case. How can my thinking exist before my existence and cause my existence. Therefore, I must exist first, then I can think about â€Å"I exist† or not. In fact, every minute whatever I am conscious or not, I am existing in this world, If my body physically is existing. For example, a person whose body functionally works but loss his conscious. He is still alive but he cannot think, we cannot say he is inexistent, because he is not dead. In other word, I can exist without â€Å"I think†, but â€Å"I think† cannot be without I exist. Furthermore, as Descartes said â€Å"I think, therefore I am† to prove the indubitable truth of self-existence. He suggested that every time when we doubt that â€Å"I† exist or not, we can absolute certain that â€Å"I† am existing by this act. Then he said that the evil genius could not deceive us â€Å"I exist† because before the evil genius’s deception, â€Å"I† must exist first, then I can be deceived in some way by the evil genius. So â€Å"I exist† is indubitable truth. Similarly, to say â€Å"I think because I exist† is true, The first criterion is I ust exist first. Therefore, I can think about my existence. So â€Å"I think† must base on â€Å"I exist†. In contrast, if â€Å"I exist† is based on â€Å"I think†, this is impossible that â€Å"I think† appear before â€Å"I exist†. How can my mind and thinking exist dependently? Although some scientists may argue that brain wave w hat we call ghosts can exist after life, they may be the other forms of human thought â€Å"I think† appearing without â€Å"I exist†. However, who have seen ghost in this world? At least until today no one can prove ghosts exist in this world. So â€Å"I think† is not the cause that I can exist. However, â€Å"I exist† is the cause of I can think. To conclude, â€Å"I think† cannot exist without â€Å"I exist†. It should be â€Å"I exist† first then â€Å"I think† â€Å"I exist†. As the following diagram shows: If it is â€Å"I exist because I think†, it would be missing I exist in the first place, as below diagram shows: Nothing can exist before itself, so before I think, I must exist. In other word, â€Å"I exist† does not dependent on â€Å"I think†, but â€Å"I think† do dependent on â€Å"I exist†. Therefore, â€Å"I think because I exist† is true.

Optimization of portfolio risk Essay

This paper is a critique one the article entitled â€Å"Post-Modern Portfolio Theory† by Swisher and Kasten (2005). The framework for this critique is to determine whether there ground to agree or disagree on the claims of the authors as against the evidence they presented. Swisher and Kasten asserted about the unreliability of Modern portfolio theory (MPT) and its mean-variance optimization (MVO) model for asset allocation in the financial services industry particularly on building portfolios. They instead suggested the use of post-modern portfolio theory (PMPT) which presents a new method of asset location that optimizes a portfolio based on return versus downside risk (down side optimization, or DRO) instead of MVO. What makes PMPT different from PMT as explained by the authors is its recognition that standard deviation as a poor proxy in relation to humans experience on risk. They are therefore arguing on the basis of behavioral finance which appears to be not evident under PMT in addition to mathematical implication of the model. They explained that risk is an emotional condition which may be â€Å"fear of a bad outcome such as fear of loss, fear of underperformance, or fear of failing to achieve a financial goal. † (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). They simply cannot equate risks with variability as they argue that risk is â€Å"more complex than simple variance† although they admitted that it (risk) may be modeled and described mathematically. The authors explained that downside risk (DR) is risk definition taken from three sub-measures which include downside frequency, mean downside deviation, and downside magnitude. They added that each sub-measure must be defined with reference to an investor-specific minimal acceptable return (MAR) (Swisher and Kasten, 2005) . In translating their mathematical analysis, Swisher and Kasten (2005) stated that â€Å"people like to make money, not lose† and the chance of making above-average amounts to money frequently is given a heavier weight as against a tiny chance of success in lottery. In other words, the investors would go where there are more chances so that it will be accepted as part of the chance when an investment may turn out to perform poorly but they would hope that it will not to perform very poorly or as often. Swisher and Kasten, (2005) acknowledged the elegance of the mathematical mode for describing the perfect investment although incidentally they found the model called modern portfolio theory (MPT) wrong. They acknowledged that the defect is the provision of inefficient portfolios which goes without saying the it is contradicting what it is supposed to accomplish, that is efficient asset allocation or building of portfolio. The same authors took courage in declaring that the primary reason why MPT produces inefficient portfolios is the erroneous act of equating standard deviation with risk. They explained that risk is something else, and there is a need to have a better mechanical framework to describe it. Their paper therefore suggested a better framework for building of better portfolios through downside risk optimization (DRO). They of course defined DRO as â€Å"optimization of portfolio risk versus return using downside risk as the definition of risk instead of standard deviation. † (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). To be more convincing in their proposed model for through the use of DRO under PMPT, Swisher and Kasten (2005) asserted that DRO is superior to MVO under MPT as an asset allocation tool using the following arguments in support: The first one is the possibility that standard deviation can lead to ridiculous results when used as a measure of risks while downside risk (DR) does the same more closely in capturing the human conception of risk as earlier defined. The second argument is the reality that financial asset returns do not behave as what a normal distribution tries to paint and assume, thus even if for the sake of argument volatility is taken as a perfect representation of risk, the result will still not work. The third one, which strengthened more their position, is the better performance of DRO over MVO when they demonstrated head to head comparison of portfolios (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). More importantly the result of the comparison the performance of the two produced conflicting results hence one could only be correct. This was in fact the authors’ basis in declaring that MPT produces inefficient portfolios. It can be concluded that there is basis to the claim of the authors that PMPT works better than MPT in building portfolios. They were able to demonstrate with evidence about their assertion by using DRO as against MVO in their comparison. There is basis to agree with the authors claim that PMPT points the way to an improved science of investing that incorporates not only DRO but also behavioral finance as against MPT. Given this reason and a number of failures caused by MPT in the past there is basis to give due credit to the proposal of the author for PMPT which justifies its use by investors and analysts as a better alternative in asset allocation. Reference: Swisher and Kasten (2005) Post-Modern Portfolio Theory, Journal of Financial Planning, {www document} URL http://www. fpanet. org/journal/articles/2005_Issues/jfp0905-art7. cfm, Accessed January 22,2008.

South African Music †Aspects of African Life

South African Music – Aspects of African Life Free Online Research Papers In the world of African music, numerous uniquely distinguished sounds let music symbolize many aspects of African life. Generally speaking, Westerners have perceived African music as a primitive sound with wild and unorganized beats, but this is a sad misconception. As one can observe from black South-African culture, music has developed into a symbol of the people’s suffering due to white oppression in South Africa; one of the only ways its people could express defiance of their worsening living conditions in their country was through complicated beats and chants in a mellow tone chorus. While their music demonstrates the hope and defiance of the poor social situation in South Africa, the whites still maintain control of the mainstream African music in radio stations. African music business mainly records foreign hits with a more pop sound in the African language; thus, it imposes western views on Africans. The film expresses this through the performance of Malombo. The group incorporates rhythms of the street into their music to create an up-tempo and lively sound. They perform with two drums being played at different tempos; one drum plays a four-beat tempo while the other alterna tes from fast to slow tempos. Additionally, the guitar plays melodically as a backup to the drums and the long, low-pitched vocals of the chorus. Zulu music has an array of music styles that all incorporate their living situation in South Africa. All of the music presented of the Zulu culture in this video has very important ties within their current living situation. Black South African groups produce music that is meaningful to their everyday lives, dealing with their living conditions with different types of music, and have a constant theme of struggle. The Zulu culture in South Africa produces a type of complicated music that demonstrates correlation to everyday life. The film provides the personal experience of a musician by the name of Zipo from the Zulu tribe and the hardships he faces as a musician in South Africa. Zipo produces music that entails his rejection of the system empowered by whites, as he works as a gardener for whites but is not allowed to remain in the whites’ area without his boss’ written consent. His song â€Å"Don’t Run from the Gun† is a slow and melodic with soft guitar strums; he sings in a low tone and holds out notes, expressing his anguish while also invoking a feeling of hope. Furthermore, the guitar solos with a soft sound emphasize the emotion of Zipo’s pain because of the song’s melodic range and monophony. In addition, South African music unifies blacks and whites. For example, Zito and Jonathan’s joint music performance had to be sone privately beca use it is not socially accepted. Jonathan produces a steady tempo with the Kora, while Zipo plays the guitar in the backdrop and sings in long high-pitched notes at high volumes for long durations of time. The melody produced is repetitive, but the singing provides the variation in this unique sound. Thus, Zipo still practices his Zulu music in a white controlled music business. Black South Africans deal with their living conditions with the production of different types of music. Take, for example, the protest of some of the Zulu South-African tribe, their war songs have developed over time some anti-war resentment. In the war marching song, â€Å"March Against Enemy†, a musical environment full of symbolic dancing and chanting is heard; many men assemble to perform the warlike dance as if directed at the whites. The base drum is played on a two-beat repetition and a high-pitched whistle sound simultaneously being played. Soon, the chants in the song are spoken in the serious manner of militaristic fashion. The South-African tribes have incorporated in their chants their disgust with the racism that occurs to them, a burden they must live with in their everyday lives. The segregation of the blacks makes it hard for them to travel to their jobs considering the fact that 1/2 of the blacks live in black only townships. This aggression on the streets all ows street performers to channel their anger and frustration in the music; the street performances are very special since every Sunday black South Africans gather to sing, meanwhile conveying frustration directed at whites. Moreover, some of the South Africans choose deal with the social pressures of the whites through humor and laughter in their music. Many blacks are paid very low wages in townships and are forced to migrate to look for jobs. Accordingly, some unnamed male groups in a competition sing about getting up to do the same lousy job everyday and other troubles they have in a jokingly manner. Humor in the music is used as a tool to help them cope with their daily struggles. Zulu tribes produce different music that varies in rhythm depending on what feeling they want to produce as a result of their defiance to their current situation. Although the Zulu culture developed many types of music, the theme of the black’s struggle in South African society in music remained the same. Most of the songs usually consisted of complicated melodic motions with polyrhythm. Though some of the sounds were distorted by censorship, the feeling of hope of better living conditions remains the same. Likewise, we observe this when the groups come together to compete against each other. The Black Mambazo create an intriguing sound with their humming chords in harmony with variation, vocals with a lead singer, and the message of god taking away their sins. Also, the group’s consistent chanting and stomping of feet breaks up the normal flow of the song. Throughout the competition we repeatedly observe varying compositional Zulu music being produced by Zulu tribes, but being judged by an ignorant white male in order to be neutral. The winning group get paid with the symbol of wealth, which is a goat and closes the competition with a call and response lullaby. As the competition ends, it is easy to understand that the music brings them together because they all are going through the same struggle. African music from the Zulu tribe is unique because the music portrays their feelings they have towards the horrible conditions they have to endure in their society. Black South Africans have made music part of their everyday lives and it is important we understand the meaning of the music. As observed, the polyrhythm, vocals, harmonization and many other things like dancing show a feeling of joyous humor or frustration in their sounds. If we could understand the message their music gives, we as humans can make a change in the racism of this world. The major misconception of westerners is that African music is primitive, but we have seen otherwise in the music produced by the Zulu tribe. Research Papers on South African Music - Aspects of African LifeHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Hockey GameThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Spring and AutumnHonest Iagos Truth through Deception

Code Name Jane - Abortion Counseling Service 1969-1973

Code Name Jane - Abortion Counseling Service 1969-1973 Jane was the code name of a feminist abortion referral and counseling service in Chicago from 1969 to 1973. The official name of the group was the Abortion Counseling Service of Womens Liberation. Jane disbanded after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision legalized most first and second trimester abortions in the United States. Historical Context Prior to the  Roe v. Wade  decision, abortion was illegal nearly everywhere in the United States, although women had been terminating unwanted or dangerous pregnancies for centuries.  Thousands of women had died from illegal, back-alley abortions in the United States and around the world before the procedure was legalized. For women wishing or needing to end a pregnancy, options were scarce and gruesome: sketchy doctors in unsanitary conditions, risking being caught in a sting, or physical or chemical DIY abortifacients. Underground Abortion Service The leaders of Jane were part of the Chicago Womens Liberation Union (CWLU). Women who called seeking help spoke to a contact code named Jane, who referred the caller to an abortion provider. Like the Underground Railroad of the previous century, the activists of Jane broke the law in order to save womens lives.  Jane helped an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 women obtain abortions without fatalities. The group began in 1969 in Chicago, advertising with simple ads in alternative and student newspapers. At first, the Jane activists tried to find reliable doctors and arranged for callers to meet the abortionists in secret locations. A caller would leave a message on the networks answering machine, and a Jane would call her back, collect the necessary information, and pass it along to a Big Jane who handled the logistical aspects. The patients would first be taken to one place for counseling before being secretly led to a facility for the procedure itself. Eventually, some Jane women learned to perform abortions themselves. Since many of the male doctors who performed illegal abortions charged astronomical prices, the Janes learned medical skills and would charge as little as 10% or even less of a male doctors fee. As detailed in the book The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan (New York: Pantheon Books, 1995), one of Janes goals was to give women a sense of control and knowledge in a situation that otherwise made them powerless. Jane sought to work with the women, not do something to them. Jane also tried to protect women, who were often in difficult financial circumstances, from being exploited by abortionists who could and would charge any price they could get from a woman who was desperate for an abortion. Counseling and Medical Procedures The women of Jane learned the basics of performing abortions. They also induced miscarriages for certain pregnancies and brought in midwives who could assist the induced women. If women went to a hospital emergency room after inducing a miscarriage, they risked being turned over to the police. In 1972, the worst did happen. Chicago police raided one of the apartments used as a base of operations for the Janes. Seven women were arrested and charged for their roles in facilitating the illegal abortion procedures. Even then, the Janes worked to protect the identities and safety of the women who had trusted them. While in the police van itself, the arrested women ripped up the cards with their patients identifying information and swallowed the bits of paper that contained the most crucial details.   Jane also provided counseling, health information and sex education. Following the  Roe  decision, the network disbanded, as its services were no longer needed. In the 21st century, however, as local governments have chipped away at access to abortion services, similar networks of women helping women have popped up across the country, this time with access to modern medicine. The Women Jane Helped According to Jane by Laura Kaplan, the women who sought abortion help from Jane included: Women who could not care for a childWomen who became pregnant even though they used contraceptionWomen whose male partners forbade them to use contraceptionWomen who thought they were no longer fertileGirls who did not (yet) understand how reproductive biology works Women who came to Jane were of various classes, ages, races and ethnicities. The feminist activists of Jane said they had helped females from age 11 through age 50. Other Groups Nationwide There were other small abortion referral groups in cities across the United States. Womens groups and clergy were among those who created compassionate networks to help women find safe, legal access to abortion. The story of Jane is also told in a 1996 documentary film called Jane: An Abortion Service. Sources: Haberman, Clyde. Code Name Jane: The Women Behind A Covert Abortion Network.  The New York Times  14 Oct. 2018,  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/us/illegal-abortion-janes.html. Kaplan, Laura.  The  Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.  New York: Pantheon Books, 1995.

Individual Counselling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Counselling - Assignment Example Social work and human services should translate into viable solutions for the clients and user of their services. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate the process of unlocking the doors of the prison caused for a great variety of reasons. O'Connor et al state that "The challenge of social work practice lies in its complexity and diversity. On a daily basis social workers engage with people, groups and communities who are most damaged by social and economic structures and by the consequent ways of living and coping. Social workers often feel limited in their roles because of the particular policies of government or the organizations that employ them and many are overworked because of staff shortages or lack of funding." (O'Connor et al, 2006, p. ix). So the role of a counsellor has to be aligned with the role of social work practice that "seeks to promote human well-being and to redress human suffering and injustice. Practitioners aim to mobilize the forces of the individual, community and state to address the processes by which individuals and groups are marginalized or diminished in their capacity to participate as citizens. Such practice maintains a particular concern for those who are most exclude from social, economic or cultural processes or structures." (O'Connor et al, 2006, p. 1). On the other hand, as Chenoweth and McAuliffe advise to the social work students the following remarks are pertinent in the context of acquiring fundamental counselling skills: "Prepare yourself to be challenged about your views of the world and your morals and values. You will learn to articulate your position on many importan tareas of social interest as you become more immersed in the learning experiece and more exponed to the viewpoints of others. "Be prepared to challenge others and learn to do so in a constructive way, mindful at all times that differences in the cultural experiences of others must be respected. Listening to different experiences and perspectives helps you become more aware of cultural sensitivities and to clarify your views and opinions." (Chenoweth and McAuliffe, 2005, p. 3) As it can be seen from the statements below individual counselling is a real challenge that has to be tackle with an open mind and flexibility in order to be of help to the clients and users of human services: "Clients and users of social services will teach you the most you will do in the future. It is only through listening to the stories of those who have experienced loss, trauma, disability, alienation, discrimination or isolation that you can ever hope to respect the uniqueness of an individual's experiences. These people will also share their experiences of hope, optimism, resilience, survival and growth, giving you an understanding of the importance of people realising their potential and the power of change processes. Not only are clients to be found in hospital wards or in homeless shelters -they are within reaching distance of all of us, in our social circles, our familias, our workplaces. Learn to listen, and listen to