Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Practical Play Analysis Essay
Theme/Vision Guan Hanqing’s Snow in Midsummer centers on the idea of social injustice and human suffering particularly the unfair treatment of poor people during the Chinese Golden Era. The play must transcend a great sense of oppression as intended by its playwrights to reflect the dark side of the society they were in, as the main character (Dou E) leaves a horrifying curse as her unjust death served as a living proof of how under-class people like her are taken for granted and are short-lived despite living a virtuous life while the evil ones prevailed. This issue still continues in the modern world so it is important that the story lives up to its purpose of making the audience reflect on the existence of tyranny in the society and what should be done in order to put an end to it. Every main character’s role should be well emphasized in order to make the message of the story more understandable. The characters must be very much convincing to the extent that they are almost taking the audience back to Yuan Dynasty. An article made by Huo Jianyi, Yuan Dynasty Zaju, tells about how Guan Hanqing himself gave up his profession of being a doctor and chose to serve the public by writing plays that exposed the dark side of the society, particularly the indulgence in wine and women as a way of life especially for the Yuan rulers. He and his fellow playwrights used their talents and knowledge in exposing tyranny and through their theatrical creations, spoke on behalf of the suffering masses despite the Yuan rulers forbidding it. The success of this play will be achieved if the same fiery passion is justified by the characters. Stage Type and Settings The play is artistic therefore it would be ideal to use a proscenium or picture frame stage. It is not necessary to use a traditional proscenium stage with its common features like a large archway near the stage front or a curtain in order to close it during act or scene breaks. It is enough that the stage is raised several feet enough for the audience to see the view of the play while directly facing it (â€Å"Stage:†Wikipedia). As the Snow in Midsummer is a classic play based on a Han Dynasty folk tale (although popularized in the Yuan Dynasty), the prevailing theme should be based on the said period. The backdrop must contain both unique and artistic images depicting a usual old Chinese scenario like that of a painting. Images of courtyard houses should be used. These residences would represent the different social status that coexisted in that period. Based on Spiro Kostof’s A History of Architecture, traditional Chinese courtyard houses (such as the siheyuan) is composed of several individual houses around a square, where each house is owned by a different member of the family. Aside from this, more houses can also be constructed for additional family members that need to be accommodated. There must be a strong sense of tranquility and privacy which should prevail and be maintained despite strong and loud scenes in the play. Garden and water is also a usual feature with these residences. The outermost part of these residences is where strangers are entertained while the innermost one is set apart for intimate friends and family members of the owner. Since the title of the play contains the word snow, then winter is another requirement for the play, in fact for almost the entirety of the play. This should allow an atmosphere of gloominess to dominate the stage, making the literal coldness of winter almost felt and intensified by the cold hearts of the villains in the play. The snow plays a critical part in this and it should fall dramatically on stage with the proper sad music background going with it.            Last but not the least, there must be flowers included. They should either be illustrated in the backdrop as part of the stage props. Flowers have been a great part of Chinese art just like the dragon and bird illustrations they use in their antique porcelains. As a whole, the entire stage must become a big canvass of living Chinese art. Stage Directions            The director is responsible for bringing out the good quality of the characters’ acting and the stage production. Therefore he must be focused and fully aware of the background of the play so as to properly angle it. Directions are made up of details being heard and seen by the audience. These should be explained well in the script so as not to confuse the director, the actors or even the designers. The three kinds of stage directions must be considered, namely: (1) scene directions, (2) staging directions, and (3) character stage directions. In the script, scene directions are indented at a measurement of 3.5 inches from the left side of the margin and 1 inch from the right. This indicates the fundamental place and time of the scene with details of the events on stage as the lights come up or become dim (â€Å"How to Format a Stage Play†). Let us take scene one, act one of the play Snow in Midsummer as indicated in the script:                                                                                    SCENE ONE (The period was between 1279-1368 A.D. In a typical Chinese village lives MISTRESS CAI, a widow, who appears on stage with a sign of great anticipation on her face. She paces at the center of the stage in her long, loose gown with wide sleeves and narrow cuffs. Then she faces the audience with the same facial expression.) Second is the staging directions. This contains the description of a certain scene such as the entrance, exit, and struggles of characters on stage, as well as the changes in lighting effects or musical background. MRS. CAI: Where? (The Doctor strangles the widow with the rope. Enter Old Zhang and his son Donkey. As they rush forward the Doctor takes to his heels. Old Zhang revives Mistress Cai.) DONKEY: It’s an old woman, dad, nearly strangled to death. Last would be the character stage directions. These are short descriptive lines in parenthetical form sometimes placed under the name of the character. This shows the appropriate body language while delivering a certain line (â€Å"How to Format a Stage Play†). This particular direction puts more identity on acting. Here is another example. MRS. CAI (crying): Ah, poor child! How am I going to break this to you? Make up The characters’ makeup for the Snow in Midsummer need not look like that from a Chinese opera although it may be elaborated to reflect its rich culture. It must enhance their acting and facial expression. A kabuki effect is suggested if the production team would like to add a little animation to it and lessening its tragic base. Dou E and Mistress Cai’s makeup may use thick foundation with a rosy base to show femininity. However the application must be heavier on Mistress Cai to distinguish her age along with some fake wrinkles. The eyebrows must be enhanced with a thick black color while the lips are pouty and deep red. As for the elder male actors (Doctor Lu, Dou Tianzhang, and Old Chang), a yellow base makeup can be used contrasted with a thick pink blush on. The eyebrows may also be enhanced however for the male antagonist (Donkey Chang), eye brows should be enhanced with an upward effect at both ends. Once again the appearance of wrinkles should distinguish ages. Basic Pointers for applying stage makeup According to Kate Hillard on her article Application of Stage Makeup, makeup is often applied on thick layers. Unlike the movies where the camera can focus on the actor’s face, audiences cannot afford to this kind of facility on stage plays. The makeup used for the Snow in Midsummer should be elaborate and bright especially with characters representing the high-class society. There may also be gradual moderation of the makeup for the middle and lower class members but the artist must make sure that it is enough in maximizing the actor’s emotions on stage. Sometimes even the dark layers of makeup disappear on the glaring lights. A thick, heavy cream foundation should be applied first which be a little bit darker than the skin tone. The placing of foundation should be started on the forehead and blended well up to the hairline after which the remaining of the face is covered together with the ears, eyelids, and neck as if this is the actors’ true complexion. The neck application should also be blended well so as not to create a mask-like appearance. When it comes to male actors, foundation is applied on the entire neck and back sometimes but this can appear messy. Following the general foundation, a lighter color is placed over the shadows under the nose and on the chin. When the foundation is done, the blush would follow. A rosy color is used for the female actresses but this should be applied on a lesser degree with male actors. It is spread over the cheekbone and about halfway down the cheek mixing it with a down and up motion. A naturally rosy tone is needed for male actors while it should be darker for the females enough to maintain its visibility on stage especially under the hot lights. Blush must also be placed over the nose and forehead where it is very slightly blended. The most difficult part would be the eye makeup. A very white â€Å"highlighter†is first placed along the brow bone (right underneath the eyebrow) and under the eye. The makeup artist should make sure to give the surrounding eye areas a lightened appearance without leaving white smears. Following this, an eye makeup should be placed just above the eyelid, below the brow bone, and also beneath the eye which should be a little darker than skin tone. This should be topped with an even darker color along the eyelid top through a downward blending which can also be used as an eyeliner especially with male actors. For women, an even darker and rosier tone that gives the appearance of a natural eye shadow should be placed over. It should however be more recognizable on stage and should be placed a little above the eyebrow. A less rosy color is recommended for male actors though not required. Furthermore, a dark brown or similar-colored eye lining is placed. Black color is to be used for dramatic roles that need wild makeup. Lastly, mascara is placed on top of the lashes. In order to avoid or lessen the errors of putting mascaras, it is suggested to make the actor blink after putting the wand on his/her lashes. Following the eye makeup is the simpler part of putting on the lipstick. A color that is a little darker than the usual lip color is used for male actors and should be matched with a lip liner. Either can go first depending on the actor’s or makeup artist’s preference. The liner should be placed on the outside of the lips and not on the natural line otherwise this will obviously look fake. It can also be applied all over the lips to make it last better and longer. A dark lipstick should be applied enough to be seen from the stage even if it looks like a Halloween makeup up close. It goes otherwise with male actors who should slightly be more natural even on stage. Last but not the least would be the loose powder. Before it is applied over the face, dip a large brush unto a powder container then shake it to get most of the powder off in order to avoid leaving white smears over the makeup and therefore ruining it. Loose powder is for holding the actor’s make up even when they are sweating. Costumes Costumes are very important. They help audiences identify and understand the actor’s character and social rank as well as his traits and gender. The style and color would greatly suggest the occasion happening on stage. Colorful clothes and elaborate makeup may bring more life to Snow in Midsummer as this pertains to rich Chinese culture. The main character, Dou E, may use the traditional Ruqun which is used by ordinary women during the Yuan Dynasty. This is made up of an upper jacket and lower skirt. The jacket is made of a red marten or sheepskin garment with loose sleeves and gray collars and cuffs. This is tucked below a maroon skirt with a gray sash accent to maintain its simplicity. The same type of robe costume may be used by the widow, Mistress Cai as they do not necessarily belong with the Mongolian Aristocrats who wore cur coats and fur caps. Their costumes must reflect their lifestyle and their role enough to bring out the emotion from the audience, however they should not look like paupers but more like average Chinese people however obviously struggling to maintain their dignity. However, after her execution, Dou E’s costume must change to loose, ghostly white robe with its light fabric. The red smear of blood from the execution must appear on the cloth as well. The male actors may use the Yiseyi or Zhisunfu garments where upper and lower short garments were put together while adding folds to the waistline. Furthermore, big beads were hung on shoulders and the back. The garments can either be course or of fine quality depending on the social rank the actor is representing (â€Å"Costume in the Yuan Dynasty†). Donkey Chang and Old Chang may use costumes may use colors that shows a status that is more advantages compared to Dou E and Mistress Cai, however not as luxurious as an upper aristocrat. Donkey Chang’s costume must be provoking and reflective of his selfish being. Of course the apparent hairdo must not be forgotten. For male actors, it should be the traditional snail-head, seated Buddha feature. As for females actors (Dou E and Mistress Cai), the hair must be long with the upper portion tied and placed with some simple white floral accents. Mrs. Cai’s hair must be all brushed up however with a bulky onion bulb appearance. Lighting This is perhaps the counterpart of camera trick. One of the things that make stage plays breath-taking is the lighting effect. In fact thanks to modern-day stage lighting, audiences now are able to afford richer visibility of the entire play, thus connecting more with the intense emotions of the actors. A careful outline of Bill William’s Stage Lighting Design shows four important objectives of stage lighting: (1) Visibility, which helps the audience understand the play. It is influenced by contrast, size, color and movement. (2) Naturalism (and Motivation), where a sense of time and place is indicated. (3) Composition, the overall image of the stage. Lighting must reveal actors, objects and scenery depending on their importance. (4) Mood (and Atmosphere), which is the psychological reaction of the audience is influenced by lighting effects that gives the stage a sense of happiness, sadness or even boredom. Dou E’s execution would be a perfect example where lighting is â€Å"highlighted†as this scene indicates a transition from a normal way of life to a cursed one. In this case, the lighting effects must create a great sense of grief , heaviness, and fear among the audience. Casting            A play cannot be a play without the cast. As the front liners of the production, they are mainly responsible for leaving an impression for the play since they are the ones who have direct contact with the audiences. Casts are like the main course of a meal. Prof. Audrey Stanley from the University of California at Santa Cruz presents at least eight points to consider when casting a play: (1) Interpretation of character type and function; (2) Type-casting; (3) Casting against type; (4) Cross-gender casting; (5) Gender- or race-neutral casting. (6) Generational relationships and differences between characters (for instance, how old are Lear’s daughters?); (7) Physical and vocal requirements of different roles; (8) Audience associations and expectations of individual actors.            Dou E’s character must be portrayed by someone who can show her virtuosity but at the same time must have the ability to transform into a vengeful character. Her father, Dou Tianzhang, must be played as someone who is old of course but has enough strength to do some laborious works. Mistress Cai must reflect the same humility as Dou E’s character but of course with a motherly touch. A trace of burden must be shown on her face from life’s realities as well as how youth has been taken from her. Donkey Chang need not be good-looking however appropriately dressed. But his dignified appearance must not conceal his disgusting character. Rehearsals Based on Simon Dunmore’s Advice on How to Approach Rehearsals for a Play, rehearsing is composed of thought, discussion, and doing. It is an important part of the play where the whole team gets to figure out what will work or not. That is why it is important to discipline oneself especially when it comes to the script. Even before the rehearsals, the actor must read it several times so he/she will get to be familiar with the character that he is playing. He should carry it one hand somewhere at his side and put emotion to the delivery of the line while looking at the script at a side glance. He must be patient and must take his time in memorizing his line. In case of long speeches, they should be delivered with much care and thought as single or short lines for it is usually a case where a certain idea starts and is connected throughout the story of the play. Stage directions on the other hand, must be read as possible pointers only. If they came from how the play was originally done, take into consideration that the present production might be different with the casts and circumstances being new. Pause and silence is a kind of stage direction that must also be given proper timing and must have appropriate place in the play just like long and short lines. Also in case of abbreviations, the intention of the playwright must be observed so the essence of the communication will not be lost. Writing down notes either from the director or from oneself will be helpful in remembering how to delivery one’s line properly. Notes need not be long. Directors may not be right all the time with regards to the character role. His long experience in theater acting may not give him enough knowledge or understanding of a certain character the way an actor does. Therefore, a careful and rational discussion must always be made between the two. Set and costume designs are also very important. They affect the way an actor moves about the stage. These objects must work harmoniously with the people of the play and not become a hinder.            Rehearsals do not stop within the rehearsal room. Proper focus can be achieved with proper practicing though it should not necessarily occupy one’s private time. Rehearsal for Snow in Midsummer Below is a sample table for the Snow in Midsummer’s rehearsal schedule. It is usually done with six to eight weeks but the production team may change it depending on their needs (Sample Rehearsal Schedule). Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Auditions Auditions Call-Backs Post Castlist First Read-Thru Off Construction Crew Meets Block scenes with leads Block scenes with Full Cast Block scenes with leads Begin Set Construction Block scenes with Full Cast Off Work on Set Construction Work scenes with Full Cast Work scenes with leads Work scenes with leads Work on Set Construction Work scenes with Full Cast Work on Set Construction Hang Lights and Set Construction Work through Act I off book Work through Act II off book Work on trouble spots leads only Finish Hang and Rough Focus Act I Run-thru Work on Set Construction Full Cast Paint and Work Day Act II Run-thru Act I Run-thru Act II Run-thru Work on Set Construction First Full Run-thru Complete Set Construction Final Setup Tech and Lights First Tech Rehearsal with Cast Run-thru Full Tech Run-thru Full Tech Costume check Tech Crew Trouble Shooting Run-thru Full Tech Finishing Touches On Set Work on problem areas Full Dress Rehearsal Full Dress Rehearsal Full Dress Rehearsal Full Dress Rehearsal No Makeup Performance Performance Performance The Vision’s Effects on the Audience            The Snow in Midsummer is a play about tragedy and drama. However, the whole production team must keep in mind that as the story is based on real struggles of poor people in the past, it might leave a great sense of grievance to the audience. This is good but only to the extent that it will stimulate their sense of awareness since basically, though the storyline dates back to old times, it is very symbolic of the abuse and tyranny that still exist even in our time. Therefore, there must be a balance by creating a great sense of hope especially during the scenes where a retrial for Dou E’s case was conducted up to the play’s ending. The play must establish to the audience that life goes on and there is hope and justice even in the hardest of situations. Steve Campsall wrote in Write a Successful Play that plays must create a lasting appeal to the audience. Every words delivered by a stage performer should send out both meaning and feeling. That is why it is important to understand the writer’s intention behind the text he has created.  Common methods such as vivid metaphor, powerful imagery, alliteration, use of rhyme or rhythm, etc, are said to be used often by writers (Write a Successful Play: Effects on the Audience). Behind the scene interactions will help bring one’s natural acting and transcend the same energy and passion. The audience must be convinced with everything, from the stage settings to the acting. Not doing so will be crucial and may create passiveness. Conclusion            Behind a play’s success could be in anything that is a part of it. From the director’s vision to the actor’s execution, everyone should make sure that everything works harmoniously so that the flow of the play will be well polished on the grand day itself. It is both inspiring and fun to see actors on stage behaving like they are not actors but rather they own the stage and they are the characters that they are playing.            Lastly, behind the inspiring acts, elaborate costumes, and colorful props, the message of the story must be retained.  This is one important part that can be shared with the audience. The lesson that they can learn from watching a play can help them personally. Once the audience is touched by a play’s story or vision, he/she can use the message or apply it once he goes back to real life. Work Cited â€Å"Stage.†Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 5 February 2008. 9 February 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_(theatre) Kostof, S. 1995. A History of Architecture. The Oxford Press. 8 February 2008.            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtyard Jianyi, H. 2003. Yuan Dynasty Zaju.  8 February 2008.            http://www.chinavoc.com/magicn/yzaj.asp â€Å"How to Format a Stage Play.†Script Frenzy Young Writers Program. 2007. 9 February 2008. http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatastageplay Hillard, K. 2002. Application of Stage Make Up. 9 February 2008. http://www.essortment.com/applicationstag_rgyu.htm â€Å"Costume in the Yuan Dynasty.†ChinaCulture.org. 10 February 2008. 10 February 2008. http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/2003-09/24/content_28414.htm Williams, B. 1997-1999. Stage Lighting Design. Objectives of stage lighting. 11 February 2008 http://www.mts.net/~william5/sld/sld-100.htm Stanley, A. 1995-1996. â€Å"Shakespeare Examined through Performance.†11 February 2008 http://www.tamut.edu/english/folgerhp/Recipes/7cstply.html Dunmore, S. 25 August 1999. Simon Dunmore’s Advice on How to Approach Rehearsals for a Play. 11 February 2008 http://www.btinternet.com/~simon.dunmore/rehearse.htm Campsall, S. 2008. Write a Successful Play: Effects on the Audience. 12 February 2008 http://www.englishbiz.co.uk/mainguides/play.htm Sample Rehearsal Schedule. Tupelo Community Theatre. 13 February 2008. http://www.tctwebstage.com/schedule.htm
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Compare and contrast new buying used car vs new car Essay
Purchasing a car in today’s economy can be very difficult, whether you’re looking into a new or used car there are a lot of things to consider. Ensuring that you’re getting the best no matter the amount you’re spending, is difficult in its own way. Taking your time to collect information is very important. You never want to something that you know nothing about, because you will never know what you are truly purchasing .Asking yourself these questions will help you no matter what route you go in the car buying world. First question being what type of car do you want? It is Very important to purchasing a car that fits your life style. Next, how much are you willing to spend? Setting a budget will help you not spend over what you can afford. Finally, how long do you plan on keeping this car? If you are looking for a car for a couple months, you don’t want to exhaust all you funds into a temporary situation. Recently I’ve sold one of my cars and have been on the search for a new one. Buying a new car can be a very troubling thing to do. I’ve had to consider a lot of things when choosing the right car, and how to go about buying a new or used car from a dealership or buying a used car from a private owner. Being a young adult in this tough economy with a family to support, ensuring that I’m getting the best deal with a used cash car or a low interest rate and monthly payment on a new one. Making sure that a car payment fits into my house hold budget with now worries. Purchasing a used car from a private owner is one option I have been considering. Although the price can be very reasonable, you don’t have to worry about dealer fees, Monthly payments or being approved for financing. You will never truly know how well the car was taking care of, not to mention that the car will not come with any type of warrantee or return policy. Due to the extreme circumstances and series of unfortunate events: throughout, the world today with the weather and c rime. You can never be too cautious, with the credibility of a stranger. If something goes wrong with the car after the Purchase date. You are responsible for the cost of repair. However purchasing a new car or used car is slightly easier in terms of getting the exact vehicle you want, yet there are still some difficult steps in the process as well. One being the cost of the cars are more expensive depending on what year, make, and model you want. Prices can range from 20,000 to 100,00 dollars , not including dealer fees. Therefore, Finding a finance company if you don’t have all the money to buy the car out right can be nerve racking .You may be able to budget your finances to the exact dollar every month , but do you have enough income each month to the lenders standers. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about the conditions of the cars, because every dealerships new cars have been inspected before shipped to the actual lot. The used cars have been put to a series of diagnostic test to ensure they have no major problems and are marked certified pre owned, also ensuring you that they have been well maintained. All the cars come with some type of free warranty or extended warranty that you’re able to purchase at that time. In the event something dose go wrong you are not responsible for the cost of repair, not to mention if it was a new car you could return that vehicle within a certain amount of time. We all know that cars need regular maintenance. Another added benefit is that depending on the dealer you buy from some may even offer free, discounted or half price regular maintenance for a limited amount of time. In my experience searching for the perfect car to fit my lifestyle was very difficult. It seems that although the cars at the dealership are a little more costly, spending the extra money to ensure that you’re buying a quality vehicle could be worth it. On the other hand you can run into some of the same issues as if you are buying from a private owner. Doing Research and really taking my time in considering every options pros and cons definitely helped. We seem to live in a world where money is the root of all evil, so you have to have a lot of trust in whoever you decided to buy from. It can be very hard to find a creditable seller and not someone who is only looking to benefit from you no matter the cost, or lies they tell just to sell you a car.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Case study of Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Case study of Business strategy - Essay Example e origins of CEMEX was traced in 1906 as Cementos Hidalgo and eventually merged with Cementos Portland Monterrey to form the Cementos Mexicanos, later renamed CEMEX, with Lorenzo Zambrano as its founder. The Lorenzo Zambrano, appointed as the CEO of contemporary CEMEX, was a direct descendant and namesake of the original founder. From the strategies employed and implemented by Zambrano, the most critical was refocusing from the horizontal diversification to a strategy of geographic diversification within the cement business with the objective of attaining growth through acquisitions (Bartlett, Ghoshal & Beamish, 2008, p. 251). This defined Zambrano’s vision to make CEMEX an emerging global giant entrenched as a leader in the cement production and marketing. CEMEX slowly developed its competitive advantage in the cement industry by gaining expertise with priority in its homeland, Mexico. By investing in a$1 billion merger through the acquisition of significant cement producers in Mexico (Cementos Anahuac and Cementos Tolteca); CEMEX was able to secure the market leader position in Mexico, a move which proved to be an effective strategy prior to focusing in geographic diversification through purchase of cement companies in selected international markets. As averred by Ghemawat & Hout (2008), there are basically three significant strategies employed by global giants of the future, to wit: (1) exploiting evolving market conditions; (2) managing convergences in costs; and (3) reworking value chains (pp. 82 – 87). CEMEX has been effective in exploiting evolving market conditions. Through the challenges met from its stance to dominate the Mexican market, despite the peso crisis and the political instability that marked years of operating in their local market, CEMEX managed to generate profit margins partly due to servicing the self-construction part which was minimally affected by the crunch. Further, during the period, CEMEX has already started to venture into
Sunday, July 28, 2019
What is meant and understood by the term computer misuse Essay
What is meant and understood by the term computer misuse - Essay Example ences with malicious activity such as hacking and viruses, which have been difficult to police due to jurisdictional difficulties and difficulties with identity tracking of offenders (Finch, 2001). This analysis particularly focuses three different aspects of potential computer misuse; namely identity theft, online harassment (otherwise referred to as â€Å"cyberstalking) and denial of service attacks (DDOS). Numerous press reports demonstrate how top financial institutions have fallen prey to cybercrime (Lloyd, 2004). The most common example is when an identity thief uses sensitive personal information to open a credit card account in a customer’s name through phishing (Thomas & Loader, 2000). Phishing is a high tech scam and uses spam to deceive customers into disclosing credit card numbers, bank account information, passwords and other sensitive information, with banks such as Abbey National and Natwest having fallen prey to phishing attack (Thomas & Loader, 2000). In phishing cases, offenders rely on the consumer trust in the familiar brand often by using the corporate branding style and logo to manipulate the consumer into a false conception of a pre-existing commercial relationship. This not only infringes the Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 and The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (â€Å"the Regulations†), which prohibit unsolicited marketing communications; the use of brand name, style and logo also infringes the business’ intellectual property rights, which devalues the goodwill in the business incurring significant financial losses. In its previous form, the Act covered two types of computer related offences; firstly the unauthorised access to computer material and unauthorised modification of computer material. However, these offences were created before the Internet boom and did not foresee the full impact of online misuse such as hacking, viruses and spamming. This falls into a grey area legally which
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Health Information Flyer Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Health Information Flyer - Article Example A myriad of studies conducted shows that about 90% of anogenital warts cases are caused by HPV. The infection has also been connected with the cancers of vulva, cervix, anus, penis, vagina and oropharynx. It is one of the leading viruses causing cervical cancer. Currently, there are two vaccines available; bivalent (HPV types 16 and 18 and a quadrivalent (HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18). Both vaccines have proved to be offering more than 90% protection despite the fact that its role in male is still controversial. (Nen, 2010) With the consistent prevalence in the new infections, it is necessary that both the affected persons and the government take necessary actions to control the infection which is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer. Cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death across the globe. It is therefore in order that relevant action is taken to control its upsurge. The information share to the public will be fundamental in controlling future deaths. (Nen, 2010) Finally, the flier below and the information provided will be addressed to the sexual active teenagers and parents. Most youths are ignorant about the disease and therefore the information will create awareness and take some necessary action. The parents will also benefit from the information which they can share with their children and advise them to take the vaccination to avoid future cancer incidences. Human papillomavirus is a name of group of virus that entails more than 100 different strains and is spread one person to another through skin to skin contact in the genital areas. It can be spread even without sexual intercourse. At least a third of HPV are sexually transmitted and affects the genital parts of both sexes Some strains are very dangerous as they cancer in vagina, vulva and cervix amongst women while others can cause genital warts. CDC is a government department website and is regularly updated after studies are conducted. Funded by
Friday, July 26, 2019
Community health nursing clinical experiences Coursework
Community health nursing clinical experiences - Coursework Example In particular, the paper examines reflection of the specific clinical experiences, conversations, perceptions and new understanding. Objective I: Demonstrates caring nursing behaviors and safe, competent skills in community health settings for individuals, families, groups, and whole communities (all defined as â€Å"client†) across the health-illness continuum A critical analysis of the clinical experiences in community health reveals that nurses working in this particular area of care must demonstrate awareness of and respect to patient differences, preferences, values and uniquely expressed needs. In practice, I learnt that a professional caregiver meets patients from diverse backgrounds. I learnt that application of sensitivity to these issues could help one improve patient and treatment outcomes. For instance, in my encounter, I met patients from diverse cultural background. One patient stated, â€Å"†¦I have to fast, this requires Godly intervention’. This comment revealed how cultural barriers, especially those related to religious beliefs could affect care giving. My experience in the community nursing practice provided insights about the issue of privacy protection among other important issues concerned with confidentiality. I learnt that professional care givers working in community programs must demonstrate very high competence in addressing privacy issues. For instance, one patient with terminal disease appeared to withhold vital information about the clinical history of the disease. Upon further investigation, I established that she was uncomfortable if such details reached her husband. I convinced her about the confidentiality requirements and advised accordingly. This experience raised my awareness about legal and ethical issues of privacy and confidentiality of patient records. One of the most striking issues in the community
Internal analysis on Toll Singapore Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Internal analysis on Toll Singapore - Case Study Example Supply chain management (SCM) is a developed discipline viewed as the management of a system of interlinked businesses working together in the core goals of providing essential services and products to target clientele or markets within the service provision base and precincts of the participating business entities. Various scholars have had their contributions on the concepts of SCM. There are some dissonances and concurrences when it comes to defining what SCM really. Perhaps one of the lucid definitions is offered by Harland (1996) who views SCM as a form of management that covers all transportation and storage of raw material, refined goods, and inventory in process from points of departure or origin up to the points of need (consumption). The track of transported goods from the point of origin up to the point of consumption constitutes what has been termed as the supply chain in business management and logistics science. Further perspectives on SCM stem from the view of the discipline as pertaining to the entirety of the aspects planning and overseeing of all activities entailed in procuring, conversion and management of all the logistical activity. Also crucial to this view is the inclusion of aspects coordination and alliance within the network players which may be the suppliers, the middlemen and even third party services renders as well as clients. Contemporary SCM is ... ion of aspects coordination and alliance within the network players which may be the suppliers, the middlemen and even third party services renders as well as clients. The core of SCM holds the integration of services and products supply as well as demand regulation in the SCM networks. Toll Singapore and Contemporary Supply Chain Management Contemporary SCM is undergoing significant transformation and modification under the influence of various sweeping phenomena in the forms of globalisation and technological leaps. Scholars around the discipline are factoring in the importance of various dynamics that have been largely less considered in earlier conceptualisations on SCM. The SCM discipline has had remarkable contributions from the works of Coyle, Langley and Gibson among others. Although the scholars have brought the supply chain element to the fore of the contemporary concepts on SCM, the scholars have underscored the role that information technology is playing and will continue to play in contemporary and future SCM domains. Coyle, Langley, Gibson, Novack, Bardi (2008), contend that, "A supply chain perspective germane for appropriate deciphering and application of the feasible SCM tenets will tap in the essence and merits of information technology as well as the rate of change and a closer recognition of logistics with all its associative dimensions". Toll group strength lies in the integration of operational expertise and assets in strategic thrust aimed at championing supply chain effectiveness in providing optimum SCM services to the target clientele pool. The Toll group Model The Toll group model can be explored in tandem with Michael Porter Value Chain conceptual framework. The value Chain framework of Michael Porter is an ensemble of useful conceptual
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Multiple regression model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Multiple regression model - Essay Example Despite the fact that there are numerous factors affecting the housing market, this paper will focus mainly on these four factors since they are the greatest determinants of the housing market. The comparison between real house prices and unemployment rates is rather an interesting one. The 1970s and 1980s national housing bubbles showed the true relationship between unemployment and house prices. The data from the housing bubbles indicated that real house prices declined until the rate of unemployment was at peak. Following the late 1980s housing bubbles, the Caser-Shiller index was of the suggestion that prices reduced for a few years after the unemployment rate peaked. Several studies also support this arguments hence the conclusion that house prices and unemployment rate exhibit a rather negative relationship. There is a correlation between house prices and inflation. In fact several researchers show that the relationship these two variables are 0.18-which is not strong but posit ive. The fact is; the global inflation has been relatively low for quite a lot of time and the interest rates have fallen dramatically during this low inflation rate period. An increase in money supply in the economy causes inflation and house prices to increase. As mentioned earlier, there are a lot more factors that affect house prices and the relationship they exhibit is not as strong compared to the relationship that exist between inflation and house prices. One of the other factors is the rate of interest in the economy. Low interest rates means that home buyers can easily afford to buy a home. This will increase the demand hence eventually increasing the demand of the homes. In large cities like London-where availability to land is limited-you will realize a more distinct effect of inflation. Countries with high population are always characterized with high house prices. This is because high population will always increase the demand for the houses hence pushing up the housing prices. The bottom line is; if the construction industry is not able to satiate the demand for homes, the supply-demand imbalance will explain the unprecedented increase in real house prices. The economical state of the country is also important in determining prices of the houses. Countries with high GDP are experienced with high per capita income hence high demand for housing units which results to higher housing prices. This explains the reason as to why buying a house in a developed country is expensive as compared to underdeveloped or developing countries. This paper will try to analyze the relationship that exists between house prices; GDP, interest rates, population and unemployment rates. Through these variables, the paper will try to determine how house prices are affected by interest rates, GDP, population and unemployment rate in a country. A regression model will be developed: that will eventually be used to project the level of house prices in the future. Objective of the study The main goal of this study is to determine how house prices are affected by factors such as interest rates, GDP, population and unemployment rates. Assumptions of the study Assumptions are vital concept of empirical studies. Just like any other empirical study, this study applies some statistical assumptions in order to achieve the much needed results. These assumptions include: The mean difference is zero The data is normally distributed The variance of the two
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Conflict & group Facilitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Conflict & group Facilitation - Essay Example on is necessary between the parties, with a skilled facilitator mediating the discussion so that the genuine concerns of both parties can be understood and a mutually acceptable solution found. (Estes et al, 2006). There is a strong conflict existing between David and Peter and it is likely to polarize the group along two different lines. Therefore, there is a need for mediation of a dispute, by getting the two parties to face each other in a non confrontational manner. A skilled facilitator may be used, or suitable members from the group itself may be used as mediators. Conflict resolution in schools between disputing students has been found to be improved through using peers to mediate the resolution of such disputes.(Schrumpf et al, 1991). In this case, the individuals selected to mediate must not offer any opinions or assume responsibility for solving the dispute. Their only function is to listen and enable both Peter and David to fully express themselves and their dissenting viewpoints. The process of mediation must first of all establish certain ground rules, such as not allowing any personal vilification and requiring the parties to address each other calmly, with consideration and respect for each others’ viewpoints. When one party is speaking, he must not be interrupted, but allowed to speak and to fully express his feelings on the matter. Since it is the underlying emotion that each party feels regarding parental and cultural issues which is the source of the conflict, they must learn how to deal with their feelings and keep them under control while interacting with others in the group. This would help to prevent escalation of the conflict. One each party has had their say; the conflict areas must be clearly defined. In the case of David and Peter, the specific areas on which they disagree and the reasons for such differing opinions must be clarified, so that the underlying causes of the conflict are clearly laid out, whether they are cultural,
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
What Role does Early Education Play in the 'Gendering ' of Children Essay
What Role does Early Education Play in the 'Gendering ' of Children - Essay Example As the report declares the gender bias can also impact access to educational equality, stifle their psychological and physical wellbeing. It is very critical for the early childhood educators to be conscious of the effects of stereotypes. The gender identity concept awareness is important for the educators because it is always placed on the children at a very early age, for example, nursery colors selection. Children start to understand and form gender concept at about two years of age. Most children begin to know they are a boy or a girl at the age of three years. At around three to five years, the children grow their gender identity and start to clearly understand male or a female traits. Immediately these young children understand their gender identity, they begin to develop gender stereotypes. From the research it is clear that gender is different between cultures and they are not necessarily the biological traits which differentiate between a male and a female. Earlier research has indicated that gender identification can be formed in two different perspectives; sex role theories and gender relational theories. The children are motivated to join the opposite sex areas out of their own choice, adopt nontraditional behaviours and attitudes. Gender relational theories, on the other hand, children are viewed to actively engage in their own gender identities. Gender in children is thought to grow continuously, based and shaped by ethnicity, the social class, culture, age and religion.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Impressionism and revolution Essay Example for Free
Impressionism and revolution Essay Impressionism was started in 1860. It flourished for 3 decades. It mainly took place in Paris, France. In fact, Impressionism was against neo-classicism, which was too concentrated on academic exhibition. Impressionism was also against Romanticism. â€Å"By the second half of the eighteenth century the advancement of the individual was taking another important step forward, in that cluster of activities in art and literature generally known as Romanticism. It is emotions and feelings†. Impressionism is different than Romanticism, although romanticism also liked to use color; they focused deeply in interior feeling. Impressionism mainly focused on the light, subject matter, with broad brush stroke. People wanted a treatment of subject matter, a new approach, and commitment to the Realism. During the Impressionism Movement, twenty more color pigments were invented to provide a better chance for the artistic revolution, â€Å"After science and industrial development, people started to focus the scenario around them. More than twenty intense yellow, green, blue, red, and orange pigments were invented between 1800 and 1870. †The impressionists had more resources to express their theme and the styles through the art work. The color invention let painters to draw the paints much quicker. As a result, it brought out a new dynamic revolution, people believed in what their eyes saw, they focused on the color and form in the painting. During that time, people loved painting with Parisian scenes. Most of them were painting on the living scene of the streets. Industrial and Urbanization Revolution Impressionists depicted a lot of social scenes during the French Industrial and Urbanization revolution. â€Å"All the developments inherent in Modernism such as increasing secularism, scientific advances, new and more efficient modes of transportation and the rise of both socialism and the middle class, were factors in the changes that led to Impressionism. †From the Claude Monet’s, Saint-Lazare, Train Station, 1877 the train was actually what Monet saw, not just his imagination. The paint was full of energetic feelings from those volatile steams and smoke. Monet was excited about the color he saw at the moment. As a result, he used quick sketches in the paint. The paint showed the very early morning of the Paris Station at a time when people had already started working. The trains had a motion that were coming toward the audience. Industrial revolution was one of the biggest social impacts in the 1860. Monet was the pioneer to Impressionism into Revolution, â€Å"One certain thing about Impressionism is that it was not the sudden whim of a group of artists working in late-nineteenth-century in France, driven purely by a desire to create a revolution in painting. It was an essential part of the unfolding history of western civilization. †Monet was concerned about the effect of light in the painting. By showing the magic of the color combination, we can realize how Monet’s interest in science is visible through his drawing. He liked to have quick sketch in the paint. While he would repaint the paint again with the same angle over and over again at different time, so that the contrast of light movement could be more obvious. Impressionists also showed the urbanization revolution in France. In fact, the government had a large reconstruction in the streets and electricity systems starting 1860. In their paintings Gustavo Caillebotte, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877 and Camille Pissarro, La Place du Theatre Francais, 1898 they provided a new dramatic city outlook for Paris. Many painters chose Paris streets to start their paintings, for example, there had so many people walking in and out of the streets. It really showed the urbanization city of Paris. â€Å"Interested in making an imperial statement through his redesign of Paris and in facilitating the movement of troops in the event of another revolution†(871). In fact, this is called â€Å"Haussmannization†. As Haussmann, the emperor of France, decided to rebuild all of Paris at that time period. The Impressionists depicted so many real Industrial and Urbanization to show the revolution in France during the Revolution period. The Industrial Revolution, which had made these technical advances possible, transformed Europe in the nineteenth century and influenced the lives and work of the Impressionists in a wide variety of ways. Railways started to proliferate mainly during the reign of Napoleon III. The growth of the railways enabled the Impressionists to visit easily and frequently those places which became closely associated with them. Monet travel around the earth. The development of gas and lightning gave Impressionists a new freedom. Thanks to the development of railroads, Monet, Sisley, Renoir and Pissarro had a chance and were living together and working together in the resorts. â€Å"The political world the first great assertion of this attitude, the French revolution, was followed by the rule of Napoleon, more autocratic and in art, the growth of feeling and sensibility apparent in the work of painters such as†¦Ã¢â‚¬ imposition of a hierarchy of subject- matter, and its general authoritarism. Shifting Social and Class of People Because of the industrial revolution, people earned a better income which led to the shift in social and economic class of people. From Georges Seurat, A Sunday on la Grande Jatte, 1884-1886. â€Å"Impressionist painters wanted to capture the rapidly changing modern world and the fleeting moods of nature. Impressionism relied on optical blending to depict the fluctuations of light and consisted largely of views of everyday middle-class life in the city and countryside of France†Seurat realized the shifting social and class relationships during the impressionism period. From his paint, on the left corner, a short sleeves worker was sitting with the middle class man and woman together. It illustrated that the social and class gap was shorten already. All Parisians from different classes gathered together. By drawing this picture, it showed a real situation in history. As France opened its import and export market to other countries in Europe, even in Japan, people can make more money. Seurat is using an analytical approach to draw this painting by using good relationship between color and line. Seurat was also avant-garde in the techniques that he used. He came up with the idea of pointillism, the using of dots to create a whole picture, and used it in all of his paintings. It fascinated the viewers of the time as it still does today. He loved pure colors and never mixed them. Instead, he would use many different color dots close together to form a different color. He was famous for using the paint straight from the tube. Monet’s brush strokes also classified him as avant-garde. His layering of oils are thick and sometimes muddled when view up close, but when the viewer stands back they are actually more unified. New Techniques in Painting by the Impressionist While pointillism and brush strokes were new innovations in painting, there were other new techniques and inventions as well. First, there were paint extenders. Something that would make the paint thicker was definitely needed. Additives to thicken the paint were used for the first time by adding stabilizers. Barium sulphate was the most common stabilizer to be used and it increased the life of the paintings. Impressionist turned their backs on the old themes of religion, mythology, and historical events as their inspiration for their paintings. Instead, they chose real scenes in nature, still life, and portraits. It was the artistic period known as Realism, and the art must match the new thoughts in literature and music. The Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and the American Civil War were just a few of the reasons that people of that time wanted to focus on things that were real. They had enough of the magical and mythical subjects offered by Romanticism. So the painters of the Impressionistic Period gave them what they wanted. There paintings weren’t just about a subject, but they told a story. Most Impressionist painters chose to move their studios outside in the natural surroundings which would become the subjects of their paintings. They wanted to be in direct contact with the subjects that they would immortalize in their art. Some wanted to be in fields, mountains, along or on water, while some moved right onto the busy streets of the city to catch everyday life as it really is. When the weather was uncooperative, painters like Monet and Renoir, and many others used glass to their advantage. In many instances their inside studios looked like glass rooms. Light was also a focus of the Impressionistic painters. They went to great lengths to ensure that they displayed the lighting at different times of day correctly. In fact they were many times more interested in the light than they were the actual subject. This led to many artist painting several different pictures of the same scene in nature. They wanted to make sure that it was captured perfectly at different times of the day, different weather, and different seasons. Another color technique used by the Impressionist painters was the use of the primary colors, blue, yellow and red, and they used them with the complementary colors of orange, green and purple. When used together, not blending, but along side of each other, they colors were created were numerous. When viewed at a distance, these colors blended perfectly, but when the viewer was close, the differences could be seen. This was a radical way to paint from the Romantics and their predecessors. Conclusion Impressionism was the first real break from traditions in the world of art. It introduced many new artists and each added his/her own variations to the art form. In fact, there were so many different types of Impressionism that is quite difficult to give a blanket definition of the art. One thing that they all had in common was that they were different from the artists of the past and they would influence artists of the future. They would directly influence the Modernist artist and those who were interested in Cubism. From their brush strokes to their fascination of light, the Impressionists were innovative. They allowed viewers of their art to look at paintings from a completely different point of view. Gone were the old days, and the new, realistic subjects were on the scene. While considered extreme at the time, most people came around in a short amount of time. Impressionistic paintings are now seen as art in its purest form. These innovative artists gave the world many new techniques that are still used around the world, not just in Europe, where Impressionism began. The use of color and their thoughts on color were unique, but made sense when the final product was done. Impressionism is the form of art that most people are familiar with. Who hasn’t heard of Monet, Renoir, or Seurat? It is amazing how an art form that was so different could go down in history as of the most admired.
Diversity Organizations Essay Example for Free
Diversity Organizations Essay For years throughout U.S. history women were not afforded the same rights that men were. Throughout history women were thought of being intellectually inferior to men and a source of evil and temptation (Womens International Center, 1994). In early America women were not allowed to vote or work outside of their home and were ridiculed when they did. It was the culture of early America that women were to remain behind the men being in a supportive role but not to voice their opinions. Through much suffrage, it was not until 1848 that the women’s movement came to its beginnings. Focusing on the social, civil, and religious condition and rights women at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York began to express their rights and wants. Headed by Elizabeth C. Stanton and Lucretia Mott, it marked a new era for women in the United States. While the right for equality continued and the creation of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) by Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, it brought opposition of the 14th and 15th Amendments (extending citizenship rights and granting voting rights to freedmen) due to its exclusion of women (U.S. Office of Art Archives, n.d.). By the 1920’s the struggle for equality was answered and the status of women had grown. On August 18, 1920, the right to vote was ratified by the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affording the right to vote for women. Today, women throughout the U.S. still fight for woman equality through established organizations. The National Organization for Women (a major source of protection on workplace equality and reproductive rights) has been at the forefront in support of women. With the assistance of so many organizations in the fight for women’s rights, that statuses of women are equally more today than that of years passed. Status of women in United States history today The role and status of women has drastically changed throughout the decades. Women have taken a more responsible role outside of the home in joining the workforce. From being one-third of the workforce in the late 60’s, they make up more than half of the force in the U.S. today. According to Center for American Progress (2014), women have also gained a considerable role within politics in the country with record numbers serving in congress (para. 1). With the fight to end gender discrimination by big insurance companies, women have solidified their economic security. Constructions of masculinity and femininity seen in society and media As American culture continuously evolves, so do the lines of male and female roles and functions. Society’s view of masculine and feminine roles has become embedded in the minds of people. From an employment standpoint, society views for example that doctors and lawyers are one of a masculine role whereas nurses, teachers or social workers would be more of a feminine role. The media’s portrayal is just as bias to the constructions of masculinity and femininity. An example in modern media would be that tattoos and a considerable amount of muscle mass would be viewed as one of a masculine trait. More often the depictions are movies; music videos and even in magazines. The role of a homemaker has been viewed for example as one of a feminine role. Although the depictions are in the mainstream, it has been a barrier broken down by both men and women taking on varied diverse roles. Status of GLBT people historically The GLBT community, throughout history has faced much discrimination and prejudice. The GLBT community has had it hurdles of being socially acceptable and still does today. In the United States, members of the GLBT community historically were a cultural minority. Through much oppression, the gay liberation movement of the 1970’s brought forth pride marches every June in the United States. During the 80’s socially the status of the GLBT community was decimated by the AIDS epidemic. This led to fear and ridicule being described as the, â€Å"Gay Man’s Cancer†. There has never been a more separation of social status with any other community than of the GLBT community. Status of GLBT people today Although America is widely divided today attitudes are changing rapidly in acceptance of gays and lesbians. With the growing approval of same-sex marriage, basic civil liberties and freedom of expression for the GLBT community, the trend of greater tolerance is growing. Over the last two decades, same-sex marriage has risen in support with 11% approval in 1988 to 46% approval and rising today. The status of patriotism and service of GLBT members in uniform in the past resulted in the uncomfortable compromise of â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†(Morris, PhD, 2014). This crusade like movement ultimately abolished decades of military forms of discrimination and dishonorable discharges. Although there are a great many that seek to dissolve, it creates an opposition between both the hetero and homosexual communities. Social and political issues relevant to women and GLBT people in the U.S A political issue relevant to women would be health care reform. With the Affordable Care Act it provides advances for the women’s health issues. The current pending case on contraceptive insurance coverage is an endless debate women’s rights and health. An extraordinary and yet accomplished issue for the GLBT community is the recent strike down of Arkansas 2004 amendment prohibiting same sex marriage (Volsky, 2014). The original ban was in violation of the state constitution and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. References Womens International Center. (1994). Womens History in America. Retrieved from http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm U.S. Office of Art Archives. (n.d.). The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848–1920. Retrieved from http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/ Rainbo Organization. (2009). Organizations Fight for Womens Rights. Retrieved from http://www.rainbo.org/organizations-fight-for-womens-rights/ Sewall-Belmont House Museum. (n.d.). Womens History in the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.sewallbelmont.org/learn/womens-history-in-the-u-s/ Bader, E. J. (2014). Reproductive Justice and Womens Equality: There is Some Good News!. Retrieved from http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23588-reproductive-justice-and-womens-equality-there-is-some-good-news Volsky, Igor. (2014). Judge Strikes Down Arkansas’ Same-Sex Marriage Ban. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/05/09/3436443/judge-invalidates-arkansas-b an-against-same-sex-marriage/ Morris, PhD, B. J. (2014). History of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Social Movements. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/history.aspx Associate Program Material Diversity Organizations Worksheet Search the Internet for information related to the following: Women’s rights organizations Equality organizations Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) rights organizations Note. You may also refer to the Internet Resource Directory of Racial and Ethnic Groups. Complete the following table with notes and thoughts related to your findings: Site Thoughts/Notes Ford Foundation (http://www.fordfoundation.org) Supports inequality discrimination Network building for women human rights organizations against discrimination inequality Equality Now (http://www.equalitynow.org) campaigns to raise awareness by highlighting individual cases of pervasive and severe violations against women and girls calls for the repeal of all laws that discriminate against women in accordance with international and regional human rights standards Human Rights Campaign (http://www.hrc.org/) organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues. Use your notes to aid in your responses to the questions below. You may need additional resources from the University Library to complete this activity. Write a 750 to 1,050- word paper answering the following questions: What has been the status of women in the United States throughout history? What is the status of women in the U.S. today? What are some examples of concepts or constructions of masculinity and femininity that you see in society and in media? Historically, what has been the social status of GLBT people? What is the status of GLBT people in the U.S. today? What are some social and political issues relevant to women and GLBT people in the U.S.? Provide citations for all the sources you use. Submit this Diversity Organizations worksheet and your paper as instructed by your facilitator.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Economic Indicators of The Great Depression
Economic Indicators of The Great Depression 1. Start of the Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s.[1] It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the worlds economy can decline. The depression originated in the U.S., starting with the fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929 and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday). From there, it quickly spread to almost every country in the world. The Great Depression had devastating effects in virtually every country, rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped while international trade plunged by  ½ to â…â€. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25% and in some countries rose as high as 33%. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by approximately 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as cash cropping, mining and logging suffered the most. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s. However, in many countries the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until the start of World War II. 2. Causes and economic indicators There were multiple causes for the first downturn in 1929. These include the structural weaknesses and specific events that turned it into a major depression and the manner in which the downturn spread from country to country. In relation to the 1929 downturn, historians emphasize structural factors like massive bank failures and the stock market crash. In contrast, economists (such as Barry Eichengreen, Milton Friedman and Peter Temin) point to monetary factors such as actions by the US Federal Reserve that contracted the money supply, as well as Britains decision to return to the Gold Standard at pre-World War I parities (US$4.86: £1). Recessions and business cycles are thought to be a normal part of living in a world of inexact balances between supply and demand. What turns a normal recession or ordinary business cycle into an actual depression is a subject of much debate and concern. Scholars have not agreed on the exact causes and their relative importance. Moreover, the search for causes is closely connected to the issue of avoiding future depressions. Thus, the personal political and policy viewpoints of scholars greatly color their analysis of historic events occurring eight decades ago. An even larger question is whether the Great Depression was primarily a failure on the part of free markets or, alternately, a failure of government efforts to regulate interest rates, curtail widespread bank failures, and control the money supply. Those who believe in a larger economic role for the state believe that it was primarily a failure of free markets, while those who believe in a smaller role for the state believe that it was primarily a failure of government that compounded the problem. Current theories may be broadly classified into two main points of view and several heterodox points of view. First, there are demand-driven theories, most importantly Keynesian economics, but also including those who point to the breakdown of international trade, and Institutional economists who point to under consumption and over-investment (causing an economic bubble), malfeasance by bankers and industrialists, or incompetence by government officials. The consensus among demand-driven theories is that a large-scale loss of confidence led to a sudden reduction in consumption and investment spending. Once panic and deflation set in, many people believed they could avoid further losses by keeping clear of the markets. Holding money became profitable as prices dropped lower and a given amount of money bought ever more goods, exacerbating the drop in demand. Secondly, there are the monetarists, who believe that the Great Depression started as an ordinary recession, but that significant policy mistakes by monetary authorities (especially the Federal Reserve), caused a shrinking of the money supply which greatly exacerbated the economic situation, causing a recession to descend into the Great Depression. Related to this explanation are those who point to debt deflation causing those who borrow to owe ever more in real terms. Lastly, there are various heterodox theories that downplay or reject the explanations of the Keynesians and monetarists. For example, some new classical macroeconomists have argued that various labor market policies imposed at the start caused the length and severity of the Great Depression. The Austrian school of economics focuses on the macroeconomic effects of money supply, and how central banking decisions can lead to over-investment (economic bubble). The Marxist critique of political economy emphasizes the tendency of capitalism to create unbalanced accumulations of wealth, leading to over accumulations of capital and a repeating cycle of devaluations through economic crises. Table 1: Change in economic indicators 1929-32 USA Britain France Germany Industrial production −46% −23 −24 −41 Wholesale prices −32% −33 −34 −29 Foreign trade −70% −60 −54 −61 Unemployment +607% +129 +214 +232 3. Breakdown of international trade Many economists have argued that the sharp decline in international trade after 1930 helped to worsen the depression, especially for countries significantly dependent on foreign trade. Most historians and economists partly blame the American Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (enacted June 17, 1930) for worsening the depression by seriously reducing international trade and causing retaliatory tariffs in other countries. While foreign trade was a small part of overall economic activity in the U.S. and was concentrated in a few businesses like farming, it was a much larger factor in many other countries. The average ad valorem rate of duties on dutiable imports for 1921-1925 was 25.9% but under the new tariff it jumped to 50% in 1931-1935. In dollar terms, American exports declined from about $5.2 billion in 1929 to $1.7 billion in 1933; but prices also fell, so the physical volume of exports only fell by half. Hardest hit were farm commodities such as wheat, cotton, tobacco, and lumber. According to this theory, the collapse of farm exports caused many American farmers to default on their loans, leading to the bank runs on small rural banks that characterized the early years of the Great Depression. 4. Debt deflation Irving Fisher argued that the predominant factor leading to the Great Depression was over-indebtedness and deflation. Fisher tied loose credit to over-indebtedness, which fueled speculation and asset bubbles. He then outlined 9 factors interacting with one another under conditions of debt and deflation to create the mechanics of boom to bust. The chain of events proceeded as follows: Debt liquidation and distress selling Contraction of the money supply as bank loans are paid off A fall in the level of asset prices A still greater fall in the net worth of business, precipitating bankruptcies A fall in profits A reduction in output, in trade and in employment. Pessimism and loss of confidence Hoarding of money A fall in nominal interest rates and a rise in deflation adjusted interest rates. During the Crash of 1929 preceding the Great Depression, margin requirements were only 10%. Brokerage firms, in other words, would lend $9 for every $1 an investor had deposited. When the market fell, brokers called in these loans, which could not be paid back. Banks began to fail as debtors defaulted on debt and depositors attempted to withdraw their deposits en masse, triggering multiple bank runs. Government guarantees and Federal Reserve banking regulations to prevent such panics were ineffective or not used. Bank failures led to the loss of billions of dollars in assets. Outstanding debts became heavier, because prices and incomes fell by 20-50% but the debts remained at the same dollar amount. After the panic of 1929, and during the first 10 months of 1930, 744 US banks failed. (In all, 9,000 banks failed during the 1930s). By April 1933, around $7 billion in deposits had been frozen in failed banks or those left unlicensed after the March Bank Holiday. Bank failures snowballed as desperate bankers called in loans which the borrowers did not have time or money to repay. With future profits looking poor, capital investment and construction slowed or completely ceased. In the face of bad loans and worsening future prospects, the surviving banks became even more conservative in their lending. Banks built up their capital reserves and made fewer loans, which intensified deflationary pressures. A vicious cycle developed and the downward spiral accelerated. The liquidation of debt could not keep up with the fall of prices which it caused. The mass effect of the stampede to liquidate increased the value of each dollar owed, relative to the value of declining asset holdings. The very effort of individuals to lessen their burden of debt effectively increased it. Paradoxically, the more the debtors paid, the more they owed. This self-aggravating process turned a 1930 recession into a 1933 great depression. 5 Keynesian British economist John Maynard Keynes argued in General Theory of Employment Interest and Money that lower aggregate expenditures in the economy contributed to a massive decline in income and to employment that was well below the average. In such a situation, the economy reached equilibrium at low levels of economic activity and high unemployment. Keynes basic idea was simple: to keep people fully employed, governments have to run deficits when the economy is slowing, as the private sector would not invest enough to keep production at the normal level and bring the economy out of recession. Keynesian economists called on governments during times of economic crisis to pick up the slack by increasing government spending and/or cutting taxes. As the Depression wore on, Franklin D. Roosevelt tried public works, farm subsidies, and other devices to restart the economy, but never completely gave up trying to balance the budget. According to the Keynesians, this improved the economy, but Roosevelt never spent enough to bring the economy out of recession until the start of World War II. 5.1 Monetarist Monetarists, including Milton Friedman and current Federal Reserve System chairman Ben Bernanke, argue that the Great Depression was mainly caused by monetary contraction, the consequence of poor policymaking by the American Federal Reserve System and continued crisis in the banking system. In this view, the Federal Reserve, by not acting, allowed the money supply as measured by the M2 to shrink by one-third from 1929-1933, thereby transforming a normal recession into the Great Depression. Friedman argued that the downward turn in the economy, starting with the stock market crash, would have been just another recession. However, the Federal Reserve allowed some large public bank failures particularly that of the New York Bank of the United States which produced panic and widespread runs on local banks, and the Federal Reserve sat idly by while banks collapsed. He claimed that, if the Fed had provided emergency lending to these key banks, or simply bought government bonds on the ope n market to provide liquidity and increase the quantity of money after the key banks fell, all the rest of the banks would not have fallen after the large ones did, and the money supply would not have fallen as far and as fast as it did. With significantly less money to go around, businessmen could not get new loans and could not even get their old loans renewed, forcing many to stop investing. This interpretation blames the Federal Reserve for inaction, especially the New York branch. One reason why the Federal Reserve did not act to limit the decline of the money supply was regulation. At that time, the amount of credit the Federal Reserve could issue was limited by the Federal Reserve Act, which required 40% gold backing of Federal Reserve Notes issued. By the late 1920s, the Federal Reserve had almost hit the limit of allowable credit that could be backed by the gold in its possession. This credit was in the form of Federal Reserve demand notes. A promise of gold is not as good as gold in the hand, particularly when they only had enough gold to cover 40% of the Federal Reserve Notes outstanding. During the bank panics a portion of those demand notes were redeemed for Federal Reserve gold. Since the Federal Reserve had hit its limit on allowable credit, any reduction in gold in its vaults had to be accompanied by a greater reduction in credit. On April 5, 1933, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102 making the private ownership of gold certificates, coi ns and bullion illegal, reducing the pressure on Federal Reserve gold. 5.2 New classical approach Recent work from a neoclassical perspective focuses on the decline in productivity that caused the initial decline in output and a prolonged recovery due to policies that affected the labor market. This work, collected by Kehoe and Prescott, decomposes the economic decline into a decline in the labor force, capital stock, and the productivity with which these inputs are used. This study suggests that theories of the Great Depression have to explain an initial severe decline but rapid recovery in productivity, relatively little change in the capital stock, and a prolonged depression in the labor force. This analysis rejects theories that focus on the role of savings and posit a decline in the capital stock. 5.3 Austrian School Another explanation comes from the Austrian School of economics. Theorists of the Austrian School who wrote about the Depression include Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek and American economist Murray Rothbard, who wrote Americas Great Depression (1963). In their view and like the monetarists, the Federal Reserve, which was created in 1913, shoulders much of the blame; but in opposition to the monetarists, they argue that the key cause of the Depression was the expansion of the money supply in the 1920s that led to an unsustainable credit-driven boom. In the Austrian view it was this inflation of the money supply that led to an unsustainable boom in both asset prices (stocks and bonds) and capital goods. By the time the Fed belatedly tightened in 1928, it was far too late and, in the Austrian view, a significant economic contraction was inevitable. According to the Austrians, the artificial interference in the economy was a disaster prior to the Depression, and government efforts to prop up the economy after the crash of 1929 only made things worse. According to Rothbard, government intervention delayed the markets adjustment and made the road to complete recovery more difficult. 5.4 Marxist Marx saw recession and depression as unavoidable under free-market capitalism as there are no restrictions on accumulations of capital other than the market itself. In the Marxist view, capitalism tends to create unbalanced accumulations of wealth, leading to over-accumulations of capital which inevitably lead to a crisis. This especially sharp bust is a regular feature of the boom and bust pattern of what Marxists term chaotic capitalist development. It is a tenet of many Marxists groupings that such crises are inevitable and will be increasingly severe until the contradictions inherent in the mismatch between the mode of production and the development of productive forces reach the final point of failure, at which point, the crisis period encourages intensified class conflict and forces societal change 6. Inequality Two economists of the 1920s, Waddill Catchings and William Trufant Foster, popularized a theory that influenced many policy makers, including Herbert Hoover, Henry A. Wallace, Paul Douglas, and Marriner Eccles. It held the economy produced more than it consumed, because the consumers did not have enough income. Thus the unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920s caused the Great Depression. According to this view, the root cause of the Great Depression was a global over-investment in heavy industry capacity compared to wages and earnings from independent businesses, such as farms. The solution was the government must pump money into consumers pockets. That is, it must redistribute purchasing power, maintain the industrial base, but re-inflate prices and wages to force as much of the inflationary increase in purchasing power into consumer spending. The economy was overbuilt, and new factories were not needed. Foster and Catchings recommended federal and state governments start large construction projects, a program followed by Hoover and Roosevelt. 7. Turning point and recovery Various countries around the world started to recover from the Great Depression at different times. In most countries of the world, recovery from the Great Depression began in 1933. In the U.S., recovery began in the spring of 1933. However, the U.S. did not return to 1929 GNP for over a decade and still had an unemployment rate of about 15% in 1940, albeit down from the high of 25% in 1933. There is no consensus among economists regarding the motive force for the U.S. economic expansion that continued through most of the Roosevelt years (and the 1937 recession that interrupted it). The common view among mainstream economists is that Roosevelts New Deal policies either caused or accelerated the recovery, although his policies were never aggressive enough to bring the economy completely out of recession. Some economists have also called attention to the positive effects from expectations of reflation and rising nominal interest rates that Roosevelts words and actions portended. However, opposition from the new Conservative Coalition caused a rollback of the New Deal policies in early 1937, which caused a setback in the recovery. Picture 3: The overall course of the Depression in the United States, as reflected in per-capita GDP (average income per person) shown in constant year 2000 dollars, plus some of the key events of the period. According to Christina Romer, the money supply growth caused by huge international gold inflows was a crucial source of the recovery of the United States economy, and that the economy showed little sign of self-correction. The gold inflows were partly due to devaluation of the U.S. dollar and partly due to deterioration of the political situation in Europe. In their book, A Monetary History of the United States, Milton Friedman and Anna J. Schwartz also attributed the recovery to monetary factors, and contended that it was much slowed by poor management of money by the Federal Reserve System. Current Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke agrees that monetary factors played important roles both in the worldwide economic decline and eventual recovery. Bernanke, also sees a strong role for institutional factors, particularly the rebuilding and restructuring of the financial system, and points out that the Depression needs to be examined in international perspective. Economists Ha rold L. Cole and Lee E. Ohanian, believe that the economy should have returned to normal after four years of depression except for continued depressing influences, and point the finger to the lack of downward flexibility in prices and wages, encouraged by Roosevelt Administration policies such as the National Industrial Recovery Act. 8. Gold standard Economic studies have indicated that just as the downturn was spread worldwide by the rigidities of the Gold Standard, it was suspending gold convertibility (or devaluing the currency in gold terms) that did most to make recovery possible. What policies countries followed after casting off the gold standard, and what results followed varied widely. Every major currency left the gold standard during the Great Depression. Great Britain was the first to do so. Facing speculative attacks on the pound and depleting gold reserves, in September 1931 the Bank of England ceased exchanging pound notes for gold and the pound was floated on foreign exchange markets. Great Britain, Japan, and the Scandinavian countries left the gold standard in 1931. Other countries, such as Italy and the U.S., remained on the gold standard into 1932 or 1933, while a few countries in the so-called gold bloc, led by France and including Poland, Belgium and Switzerland, stayed on the standard until 1935-1936. According to later analysis, the earliness with which a country left the gold standard reliably predicted its economic recovery. For example, Great Britain and Scandinavia, which left the gold standard in 1931, recovered much earlier than France and Belgium, which remained on gold much longer. Countries such as China, which had a silver standard, almost avoided the depression entirely. The connection between leaving the gold standard as a strong predictor of that countrys severity of its depression and the length of time of its recovery has been shown to be consistent for dozens of countries, including developing countries. This partly explains why the experience and length of the depression differed between national economies. 9. World War II and recovery The common view among economic historians is that the Great Depression ended with the advent of World War II. Many economists believe that government spending on the war caused or at least accelerated recovery from the Great Depression. However, some consider that it did not play a very large role in the recovery, although it did help in reducing unemployment. The massive rearmament policies leading up to World War II helped stimulate the economies of Europe in 1937-39. By 1937, unemployment in Britain had fallen to 1.5 million. The mobilization of manpower following the outbreak of war in 1939 finally ended unemployment. Americas entry into the war in 1941 finally eliminated the last effects from the Great Depression and brought the unemployment rate down below 10%. In the U.S., massive war spending doubled economic growth rates, either masking the effects of the Depression or essentially ending the Depression. Businessmen ignored the mounting national debt and heavy new taxes, redoubling their efforts for greater output to take advantage of generous government contracts. Picture 5: A female factory worker in 1942, Fort Worth, Texas. Women entered the workforce as men were drafted into the armed forces. 10. Effects The majority of countries set up relief programs, and most underwent some sort of political upheaval, pushing them to the left or right. In some states, the desperate citizens turned toward nationalist demagoguesâ€â€the most infamous being Adolf Hitlerâ€â€setting the stage for World War II in 1939. Canada Harshly affected by both the global economic downturn and the Dust Bowl, Canadian industrial production had fallen to only 58% of the 1929 level by 1932, the second lowest level in the world after the United States, and well behind nations such as Britain, which saw it fall only to 83% of the 1929 level. Total national income fell to 56% of the 1929 level, again worse than any nation apart from the United States. Unemployment reached 27% at the depth of the Depression in 1933. During the 1930s, Canada employed a highly restrictive immigration policy. France The Depression began to affect France around 1931. Frances relatively high degree of self-sufficiency meant the damage was considerably less than in nations like Germany. However, hardship and unemployment were high enough to lead to rioting and the rise of the socialist Popular Front. Germany Germanys Weimar Republic was hit hard by the depression, as American loans to help rebuild the German economy now stopped. Unemployment soared, especially in larger cities, and the political system veered toward extremism. The unemployment rate reached nearly 30% in 1932. Repayment of the war reparations due by Germany were suspended in 1932 following the Lausanne Conference of 1932. By that time, Germany had repaid â…› of the reparations. Hitlers Nazi Party came to power in January 1933. Japan The Great Depression did not strongly affect Japan. The Japanese economy shrank by 8% during 1929-31. However, Japans Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo was the first to implement what have come to be identified as Keynesian economic policies: first, by large fiscal stimulus involving deficit spending; and second, by devaluing the currency. Takahashi used the Bank of Japan to sterilize the deficit spending and minimize resulting inflationary pressures. Econometric studies have identified the fiscal stimulus as especially effective. The devaluation of the currency had an immediate effect. Japanese textiles began to displace British textiles in export markets. The deficit spending, however proved to be most profound. The deficit spending went into the purchase of munitions for the armed forces. By 1933, Japan was already out of the depression. By 1934, Takahashi realized that the economy was in danger of overheating, and to avoid inflation, moved to reduce the deficit spending that went towards armaments and munitions. This resulted in a strong and swift negative reaction from nationalists, especially those in the Army, culminating in his assassination in the course of the February 26 Incident. This had a chilling effect on all civilian bureaucrats in the Japanese government. From 1934, the militarys dominance of the government continued to grow. Instead of reducing deficit spending, the government introduced price controls and rationing schemes that reduced, but did not eliminate inflation, which would remain a problem until the end of World War II. The deficit spending had a transformative effect on Japan. Japans industrial production doubled during the 1930s. Further, in 1929 the list of the largest firms in Japan was dominated by light industries, especially textile companies (many of Japans automakers, like Toyota, have their roots in the textile industry). By 1940 light industry had been displaced by heavy industry as the largest firms inside the Japanese economy. Soviet Union Having removed itself from the capitalist world system both by choice and as a result of efforts of the capitalist powers to isolate it, the Great Depression had little effect on the Soviet Union. A Soviet trade agency in New York advertised 6,000 positions and received more than 100,000 applications. Its apparent immunity to the Great Depression seemed to validate the theory of Marxism and contributed to Socialist and Communist agitation in affected nations. United Kingdom The effects on the northern industrial areas of Britain were immediate and devastating, as demand for traditional industrial products collapsed. By the end of 1930 unemployment had more than doubled from 1 million to 2.5 million (20% of the insured workforce), and exports had fallen in value by 50%. In 1933, 30% of Glaswegians were unemployed due to the severe decline in heavy industry. In some towns and cities in the north east, unemployment reached as high as 70% as ship production fell 90%. The National Hunger March of September-October 1932 was the largest of a series of hunger marches in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s. About 200,000 unemployed men were sent to the work camps, which continued in operation until 1939. In the less industrial Midlands and South of England, the effects were short-lived and the later 1930s were a prosperous time. Growth in modern manufacture of electrical goods and a boom in the motor car industry was helped by a growing southern population and an expanding middle class. Agriculture also saw a boom during this period. United States President Herbert Hoover started numerous programs, all of which failed to reverse the downturn. In June 1930 Congress approved the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act which raised tariffs on thousands of imported items. The intent of the Act was to encourage the purchase of American-made products by increasing the cost of imported goods, while raising revenue for the federal government and protecting farmers. However, other nations increased tariffs on American-made goods in retaliation, reducing international trade, and worsening the Depression. In 1931 Hoover urged the major banks in the country to form a consortium known as the National Credit Corporation (NCC). By 1932, unemployment had reached 23.6%, and it peaked in early 1933 at 25%, a drought persisted in the agricultural heartland, businesses and families defaulted on record numbers of loans, and more than 5,000 banks had failed. Hundreds of thousands of Americans found themselves homeless and they began congregating in the numerous Ho overvilles that had begun to appear across the country. In response, President Hoover and Congress approved the Federal Home Loan Bank Act, to spur new home construction, and reduce foreclosures. The final attempt of the Hoover Administration to stimulate the economy was the passage of the Emergency Relief and Construction Act (ERA) which included funds for public works programs such as dams and the creation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) in 1932. The RFCs initial goal was to provide government-secured loans to financial institutions, railroads and farmers. Quarter by quarter the economy went downhill, as prices, profits and employment fell, leading to the political realignment in 1932 that brought to power Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Shortly after President Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933, drought and erosion combined to cause the Dust Bowl, shifting hundreds of thousands of displaced persons off their farms in the Midwest. From his inauguration onward, Roosevelt argued that restructuring of the economy would be needed to prevent another depression or avoid prolonging the current one. New Deal programs sought to stimulate demand and provide work and relief for the impoverished through increased government spending and the institution of financial reforms. The Securities Act of 1933 comprehensively regulated the securities industry. This was followed by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 which created the Securities and Exchange Commission. Though amended, key provisions of both Acts are still in force. Early changes by the Roosevelt administration included: Instituting regulations to fight deflationary cut-throat competition through the NRA. Setting minimum prices and wages, labor standards, and competitive conditions in all industries through the NRA. Encouraging unions that would raise wages, to increase the purchasing power of the working class. Cutting farm production to raise prices th
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