Asylum in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Asylum in the Media - Essay Example Humanity has to be regarded to guarantee the wellbeing of individuals who have been influenced either by natural disasters back in their home countries or political instability making them to seek refuge. However, the kind of reception that asylum seekers have been receiving is much more worrying, considering factual reasons that have made them to flee their nation .This therefore means that such misconceptions by the media and the public at large have been baseless. In reality, asylum seekers are justified to seek refuge in any nation that they feel it’s secure for them as far as they do not contravene the laws governing that nation. In Britain, there has been media and public perceptions to try and lay bare issues of asylum seekers regarding their origin, race and their impacts on the economy of Britain. Growing misunderstanding on the level with which people and the media have been overestimating the number of asylum seekers who have been awarded the status of refugees in B ritain is evident. Speculations among the people on the number of asylum seekers who have been allowed refugee status left a lot to be desired when a survey conducted in 2009, which revealed that more than 100,000 of asylum seekers had been accepted as refugees with clear and credible sources reporting that only 4,175 people had been received as refugees. This point to the status accorded to asylum seekers with marginalization and skewed numbers evident in speculations. (Castillo, 2010). Compared with other destinations that asylum seekers target, UK is far much below in the acceptance rate for the haven seekers. During the period of 2001-2006 the acceptance rate for UK stood at 7.77 per cent compared to Canada which had an acceptance rate of 47 per cent during the same period. France, United States, Germany, Sweden and Canada are ranked as main countries that asylum seekers target with UK being sidelined on the verge of it low rate of giving room for asylum seekers. There has been conflicting views about asylum seekers in Britain, with a section of citizens expressing their views that it’s an identity of their country to accept asylum seekers. Others felt that the country had accepted too many of them back in 2008 with a bigger percentage believing that providing refuge to those people who have misfortunes had been a tradition among Britain. Trust in the process of accepting asylum seekers was faulted with many people speculating their uncertainness regarding the length through which the entire process was open to abuse by the authorities and the issue of UK being so accepting (Gant, 2007). This discussion will entail clear-cut assessment of the various issues that affect asylum seekers in UK and around the world, a justification of the claims and misconceptions that the media point to the asylum seekers and how international organizations and various groups of people have advised nations to reform their laws to ensure that asylum seekers are treated w ith all manners of humanity and respect as the international law and Conventions provide in their guidelines and deliberations which these countries are party to (Gilbert, 2006). Refugee Action and Asylum in the Media Journalists and media personnel have been keen to give reports that are conflicting and to some extent tainting the whole issue of asylum seekers. Many journalists give irresponsible reports about asylum and asylum seekers, attracting a lot of

Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Communication - Assignment Example The following constitute the communication plan for Starbucks app. The purpose of this document is to define the communications goals and strategies of Starbucks app project. These strategies and goals are aimed at providing guidance in planning and measuring results of the current and future communication efforts. In addition, this plan will outline the project’s structure and methods of collecting, formatting, screening and distributing the project’s information. The overall objective of this communication plan is to promote the project’s success through meeting the information needs of project stakeholders. The intended audience of Starbucks app project communication plan is the project manager, project sponsor, the project team and any other stakeholders in the project. The communication matrix below is used to outline details that concern the communication activities implemented during the Starbucks app project. The project matrix shows a communication plan strategy for the project manager, the project team, and other stakeholders of the project. The project manager will be responsible for the ultimate success of the project. In this regard, he/she oversee the all the activities of the project. However, the program manager will be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the communication plan is well monitored, controlled and well executed. He/she has to ensure that the communication plan extensively explains the effective communication channels and activities during the project. He reports any setbacks and progress of the communication channel. The program manager will report to the project manager (Binder, 2007). Program manager: the program manager oversee the activities of Starbucks app at the portfolio level. In this regard, the project manager is responsible for overall program costs and profitability of Starbucks app project (Binder,

Riordan Manufacturing Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Recommendations Essay Riordan Manufacturer is a global producer of plastics. They operate in four locations, three in the United States and one plant in the People’s Republic of China. Riordan’s United States’ plastic products include beverage containers produced in Atlanta, Georgia, and custom plastic parts in Pontiac, Michigan. The Hangzhou, China plant produces plastic fan parts and corporate headquarters is in San Jose, California, (Apollo Group, 2006). Riordan Manufacturing is looking to update their human resources department with the newest and latest software recommendations. The following is a summary of the history, current set up of the department and a recommendation of the upgrade. Human Resources Information Systems Riordan’s HRIS system was set up in 1992, part of the financial systems that keep track of employee information, rate of pay, exemptions, date of hire, seniority based on date of hire, which is difficult and different from the hire date, manager’s name, department information, and non-exempt vacation time. Managers submit a form for changes to the employee information and then entered by the payroll clerk into the system. Microsoft Excel is used to keep records on training and development. Recruiters maintain information for each open position within Riordan. All resumes filed in a central location and Excel is used to track application status. A third-party manages the Worker’s compensation and keeps records at that location, not Riordan. Each manager keeps employee information for that department, which there is no central location for keeping these files. Managers are responsible for tracking all FMLA absences and any ADA recommendations. Excel spreadsheets are used for the compensation manager for job analysis, surveys on salary, and compensation decisions on individuals. Specialists in the employee relation department keep track of complaints, harassment complaints, grievances, all other employee relation information, and are then filed and locked in the employee relation department. Recommendations for Human Resources Information Systems Riordan has a diverse set of needs over four locations, one of which is an international factory located in China. This will require the software to be flexible to handle different culture and regulatory environments. Also the system will capture information form a diverse set of archival media. This is not limited to digital information but vast amounts of paper files will need to be integrated into the system. Systems complex will have specialized technical skills to deploy, customize, and maintain its operations as well as experts to provide training for personal. Ultimately careful consideration must be given to the existing processes and the results of the project. Because services are provided company-wide careful consideration about the capabilities of the program to adapt to different culture mores and holidays is a must. Also the services provided to employees need to be available in the local languages of the countries they reside. To accomplish this provider of the software must be fluent in both countries of operation. They should also have an established presence in both countries to provide service in and by local professionals. Riordan has a long history of data for its operations many of the records are stored in paper files and legacy office products rapidly nearing their production life. As such to pull historical data for strategic planning the system will need to collect data form a wide range of active and archival sources. Providers, who have a long history, will often have experience with these both with their own products and that of their competitors. As a manufacturing company of plastic parts and bottles there is a fair chance that the company will not have the skills required for such an undertaking. So the provider must be established in the market to have spawned a large pool of expert professionals using this solution. This will help in negotiating service and training contracts. The current project proposal The current HRIS project is projected to 180 days from start to the implementation of the project. The initial project will begin with a meeting with Hugh McCauley, . Questions specified to gathering information from human resources, about the current system, what he expects from the new developed system, and expectations will be of the meeting. A follow-up e-mail will also ask the same questions to aid in the answers and also give a general idea of the project guidelines, requirements, and expectations. The next step is meeting with Yvonne McMillan, Director of Human Resources. She will also have some of the same questions for the project as Mr. McCauley did during his meeting. Yvonne will be part of the initial team composed of other managers within the company and from other locations. A follow-up e-mail will also have the questions for general idea purposes. Therefore, we recommend a team comprised of management from Yvonne McMillan, Maria Trihn, Dale Edgel, Donald Bryson, Mari Carillo, Patricia Miller, Dirk Kort, Stacey Jones, and the Chinese National. Each member is from a different location within the company, from human resources, training and development, the IT department from each location including the Chinese location, finance department, and accounting and finance/controller department. Most of the initial meetings will be over an Internet setting to keep the initial cost down for the project and within the constraints inside the budget. This team will recover information from the current human resources department at Riordan to help developers to a system. This system will can be used in each location. During this stage weekly meetings will be held to discuss progress, ideas, problems, and budget matters. After information is gathered and the next step can move forward, the team will meet with developers with their presentation. Once the developers have gathered the initial information, developed a preliminary design, and prepared a presentation, they will meet with McCauley to present the general idea for the system. The development team will work on this project for the next 110 days. Once a month meetings will be scheduled between developers and the team members to discuss progress, problems, budget constraints, and hours to date. During this time, developers will check in with Yvonne with issues, concerns, and suggestions not discussed in the monthly meetings. Developers set up a trial run on Riordan’s current system. The developers will have 14 days to set up and check for compatibility issues. At which time, suggestions can be made for updates or upgrades to the current system. Once this phase of the project is successfully completed, the implementation phase will begin. Managers in the IT department will then begin the implementation phase of the project for their location. This phase should take 14 days to complete. Each location will have four days to complete and implement changes, upgrades, and updates to the system before training and in-service meetings will begin. Members of the training and development department will schedule and hold training and in-service for all departments in each location. This final stage will take eight days to complete. Each IT department for each location will be ready and available for any glitches or problems, which may arise.

A History of Pottery

A History of Pottery The production of pottery is one of the most ancient arts. The oldest known body of pottery dates from the Jomon period (from about 10,500 to 400 BC) in Japan; and even the earliest Jomon ceramics exhibit a unique sophistication of technique and design. Excavations in the Near East have revealed that primitive fired-clay vessels were made there more than 8,000 years ago. Potters were working in Iran by about 5500 BC, and earthenware was probably being produced even earlier on the Iranian high plateau. Chinese potters had developed characteristic techniques by about 5000 BC. In the New World many pre-Columbian American cultures developed highly artistic pottery traditions. TYPES OF WARES Pottery comprises three distinctive types of wares. The first type, earthenware, has been made following virtually the same techniques since ancient times; only in the modern era has mass production brought changes in materials and methods. Earthenware is basically composed of clayoften blended claysand baked hard, the degree of hardness depending on the intensity of the heat. After the invention of glazing, earthenwares were coated with glaze to render them waterproof; sometimes glaze was applied decoratively. It was found that, when fired at great heat, the clay body became nonporous. This second type of pottery, called stoneware, came to be preferred for domestic use. The third type of pottery is a Chinese invention that appeared when feldspathic material in a fusible state was incorporated in a stoneware composition. The ancient Chinese called decayed feldspar kaolin (meaning high place, where it was originally found); this substance is known in the West as china clay. Petuntse, or china stone, a less decayed, more fusible feldspathic material, was also used in Chinese porcelain; it forms a white cement that binds together the particles of less fusible kaolin. Significantly, the Chinese have never felt that high-quality porcelain must be either translucent or white. Two types of porcelain evolved: true porcelain, consisting of a kaolin hard-paste body, extremely glassy and smooth, produced by high temperature firing, and soft porcelain, invariably translucent and lead glazed, produced from a composition of ground glass and other ingredients including white clay and fired at a low temperature. The latter was widely produced by 18th-century Europea n potters. It is believed that porcelain was first made by Chinese potters toward the end of the Han period (206 BC-AD 220), when pottery generally became more refined in body, form, and decoration. The Chinese made early vitreous wares (protoporcelain) before they developed their white vitreous ware (true porcelain) that was later so much admired by Europeans. Regardless of time or place, basic pottery techniques have varied little except in ancient America, where the potters wheel was unknown. Among the requisites of success are correct composition of the clay body by using balanced materials; skill in shaping the wet clay on the wheel or pressing it into molds; and, most important, firing at the correct temperature. The last operation depends vitally on the experience, judgment, and technical skill of the potter. DECORATING TECHNIQUES In the course of their long history potters have used many decorating techniques. Among the earliest, impressing and incising of wares are still favored. Ancient potters in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, northern India, and the high regions of Central Asia (where primitive terra-cotta figures associated with religious cults were produced) frequently decorated wares with impressed or incised designs. A notable incising technique developed more recently was that of Korean potters working in the Koryo period (918-1392). These artisans began by ornamenting their celadon wares with delicately incised and impressed patterns and later developed elaborate inlaying by filling incised lines with colored slip (semiliquid clay). Black and white slip was used most effectively for inlaying colored porcelains. Decoration of this sort generally depends more on the skill of the artisan than on the complexity of the tools being used. An especially popular type of decoration involved the sgraffito, or scratched, technique used by Italian potters before the 15th century. This technique, which is thought to have reached Italy from the Near East, was probably derived from China, where it was first used during the Song (Sung) dynasty (960-1279). By the 16th century Italian potters working mainly in Padua and Bologna had developed great skill in sgraffito, which entailed the incising of designs on red or buff earthenware that had been coated with ordinary transparent lead glaze, usually toned yellow or, sometimes, brown, copper, or green. After firing, the wares were dipped into white clay slip so that a dark pattern could be cut on the surface. By cutting through the white slip, the artist produced a design on the exposed red or buff body. Pigments were also sometimes applied. After a further coating of lead glaze the ware was fired a second time. A sound knowledge of glazesboth utilitarian and decorativeis vital to the potter. The origin of glazes and glazing techniques is unknown, but the fine lustrous glazes developed in China surely began with a simple glaze that served to cover earthenware and render it watertight. Chinese potters used two kinds of glazes, one composed basically of feldspar, and another produced by fusing silica of quartz or sand by means of a flux, generally of lead oxide. Chinese potters regarded glazes and glazing techniques as having prime importance; under the Han emperors they made great efforts to improve this technology. The use of lead glaze increased, and wood ash was incorporated to impart a dullish brown or gray green coloring, somewhat blotchy and occasionally iridescent. These effects were entirely natural, as no coloring matter was added to the composition. Glazing techniques were modified under successive dynasties. Colored glazes were developed and used to brilliant effect by Tang (Tang) and Song potters, and a great diversity of brightly hued wares appeared over the centuries. Many connoisseurs feel that the pure white porcelain, called blanc de chine, which first appeared during the Ming dynasty, is the most serenely beautiful of all Chinese ceramics. Dehua (Te-hua) potters in Fujian (Fukien) province, working during the 17th century, produced their blanc de chine masterpieces in the purest white porcelain coated with a thick white glaze. Salt glaze, used by English potters during the early 1700s, may well have been known to the Chinese but was not used by them. Near Eastern potters glazed wares in ancient times. Potters in Mesopotamia and Iran commonly used an alkaline glaze made of quartz mixed with sodium and potassium. An admixture of colored metallic oxides, mostly lead, was introduced later. Painting on pottery and porcelain became richly colorful in many regions and periods. Decorative brush painting directly on the baked clay reached its zenith in China during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), whose artists were highly skilled at painting in fired colors. For a long period Chinese ceramic artists had used only black or brown pigment to decorate wares that were then covered with clear glaze. It is believed that the appearance in China of 13th-century brush-decorated wares from Persia sparked a change. These works, painted in blue cobalt under the glaze, inspired the brushwork of the Chinese and the resulting so-called blue-and-white style. Ming artists also excelled in painting over the glaze, using brilliant enamel colors. The overglaze technique, which evolved over two centuries, demanded correct preparation of the enamels, skill in application, and the proper (low) firing temperature. The overglaze enamel decorations executed during the reign of Chenghua (1465-87), which were never surpassed in China, incorporated flowers, foliage, and figure subjects against backgrounds of arabesques and scrollwork. Designs enclosed within dark blue outlines were filled in with brilliant color. Enamel decoration of superb quality was also executed in Japan during the Edo period (1615-1868) by celebrated artists and potters of the caliber of Kenzan, Kakiemon, and Ninsei. In the ancient Aegean the potters art developed continuously from the Neolithic period and through the periods of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, culminating, in ancient Greece, in a unique type of painted pottery, which reached its height between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. The finest Greek pottery, especially Attic vases, was exquisitely proportioned and often decorated with finely painted relief work. Unlike artisans in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia, the Attic potters did not apply heavy glaze to their wares. The unique gloss commonly seen on Attic pottery and similar wares made elsewhere in Greece still baffles those who have tried to determine its formula and method of application. Neither a glaze nor a varnish, it is more marked on some areas, such as those painted black, than on others. Some experts conjecture that it may be attributed to illite or a similar clay mineral in a weak solution that was thinly applied to the surface of wares or mixed into the black paint used by the artists. In the Islamic world ceramic decorative art flowered with the creation of a great diversity of painted wares. Painted luster decoration on pottery originated in Mesopotamia and spread to ancient Egypt; later, under Islam in Persia, this type of decoration on white-glazed wares became incredibly brilliant. Islamic luster-painted wares were later imitated by Italian potters during the Renaissance. MAJOR TRADITIONS IN THE WEST After the fall of the ancient Roman Empire potters in Europe produced little other than repetitive utilitarian wares until the end of the Middle Ages. Earthenware A distinctive type of earthenware known as majolica, which was derived from Chinese porcelain, appeared in Italy during the last quarter of the 14th century. It is now believed that this type of painted earthenware was inspired by the Hispano-Moresque luster-decorated ware of Spanish origin introduced to Italy by Majorcan seagoing traders. Majolica ware, whether thrown on the wheel or pressed into molds, was fired once to obtain a brown or buff body, then dipped in glaze composed of lead and tin oxide with a silicate of potash. The opaque glaze presented a surface that was suitable to receive decoration. A second firing after decoration fixed the white glaze to the body and the pigments to the glaze, so that the colors became permanently preserved. Frequently, the beauty of these wares was increased by dipping them in a translucent lead glaze composed of oxide of lead mixed with sand, potash, and salt. When certain luster pigments and enamels were used in all-over painting, wares had to be specially fired at low temperature. Application of metallic luster pigments required great skill because these colors were extremely volatile and needed special handling. Luca della Robbia (see della Robbia, family) did not, as has been held, invent the enamel tin-glazing process; nevertheless, his work raised majolica production from a craft to high art in Italy. Not only did he use blue and white enamels in decorative work, but, as a sculptor, he also used the majolica technique to add brilliance to the surface of his productions. By the beginning of the 15th century Italian potters had abandoned the old familiar processes, and a revolution in style and techniques was under way. The severe style as followed principally in the school of Tuscany continued to the end of the 15th century, but rules and principles slackened until the inclusion of human figures in designs, previously frowned upon, was accepted. At the end of the 15th century Faenza became the thriving center of a reinvigorated pottery industry in Italy. A new, rich decorative style, known as istoriato, fired the imagination of potters, reaching its zenith in the workshops of Urbino. In early 17th-century England attractive slipwares were produced, including the slip-decorated earthenware that was a speciality of the Toft family of potters. A kind of tin-glazed earthenware was also produced in the Netherlands, principally at Delft, beginning in the mid-17th century. Termed delftware, it was among the first European wares to be decorated with motifs inspired by Chinese and Japanese models. Continental Porcelains Eventually, European potters, who much admired the porcelain of the Far East, attempted to imitate it, but the formula remained elusive. Francesco de Medici, grand duke of Tuscany, produced an inferior type of soft-paste porcelain in his Florence workshop during the 16th century. In March 1709, Augustus II of Saxony announced that his ceramist Johann Bottger (1682-1719) had discovered how to make porcelain. The first European royal porcelain manufactory was consequently established at Meissen (see Meissen ware) near Dresden, Germany. Throughout the century following the discovery of the porcelain formulawhen, despite the utmost precautions at Meissen, the secret leaked outmany rival factories were set up in Europe. Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and England soon had factories engaged in the production of wares much like those of Meissen. Porcelain figures were first produced in Meissen as table ornaments; the earliest examples were formed as part of sweetmeat dishes. Many splendid wares issued from the royal factory, but none were more admired than the finely modeled and decorated porcelain figures imitated by almost every German, Austrian, Italian, and English factory of note. Widespread interest in figures of both pottery and porcelain has continued to the present. Johann Joachim Kandler (1706-75), a master modeler, was the most notable of the artisans engaged in this work at Meissen and rivaled the famous Franz Anton Bustelli (1723-63) of Nymphenburg (see Nymphenburg ware). The methods used to produce porcelain figures as developed by Kandler imparted a new dimension to the art. German porcelain figures were usually produced from molds, which, in turn, were cast from an original master model made of wax, clay, or, occasionally, wood. The use of molds facilitated unlimited reproduction. Because the figures shrank during firing, allowances had to be made in their sizes; they were also provided with a small venthole in the back or base to permit excess heated air to escape. Because different factories placed these holes differently, their positions help determine the provenance and authenticity of given pieces. When considerable undercutting was necessary, porcelain figures were usually made in sections, using separate molds. Portions of elaborate groups and single figures were later joined by a specially trained assembler (known as a repairer) who usually worked from a master model. Europes second hard-paste porcelain factory began operations at Vienna in 1717. In the late 1700s at the royal Sevres (see Sevres ware) factory in France, potters experimented until they developed a remarkably white, finely textured body. Sevres wares were painted in unique colors that no other European factory could duplicate. The bleu de roi and rose Pompadour of Sevres wares captivated all Europe and, with the products of Meissen and Vienna, inspired English potters. English Wares The finest English porcelainboth soft- and hard-pastewas made between about 1745 and 1775. The first English porcelain was probably produced at Chelsea (see Chelsea ware) under Charles Gouyn, but his successor Nicholas Sprimont, a Flemish silversmith who took over management in 1750, was responsible for the high-quality wares, especially the superb figures, for which the factory became famous. Factories at Worcester (see Worcester ware), Bow, and Derby also produced wares that rival those of the Continent. Led by the ambitious, energetic, and enterprising Josiah Wedgwood and his successors at the Etruria factory, English potters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries became resourceful and inventive. Wedgwoods contributions consisted mainly of a much improved creamware, his celebrated jasperware, so-called black basalt, and a series of fine figures created by famous modelers and artists. After Wedgwood, other potters of the first half of the 19th century developed a number of new wares. Of these, Parian ware was the most outstanding and commercially successful. The name of this ware was derived from Paros, the Greek island from which sculptors in ancient times obtained the creamy or ivory-tinted marble that Parian ware resembled. The first examples of this new product, described as statuary porcelain, issued from Copeland and Garrets factory in 1842 and were immediately acclaimed. Two varieties of Parian ware were produced: statuary parian, used in the making of figures and reproductions of sculpture, and hard-paste, or standard, parian, from which hollowware was made. Statuary parian, incorporating a glassy frit, is classified as soft porcelain. Standard parian, with a greater proportion of feldspar in the composition but no frit, is hard porcelain. Early parian statuary was ivory-tinted due to the presence of iron in the feldspar devoid of iron silicate. Suitable deposits were eventually located in Sweden and Ireland. Both English and American potters either obtained details of the original formula or worked out their own, and the resulti ng production of Parian wares on both sides of the Atlantic was enormous. Among the most beautiful and successful wares invented by 19th-century potters were those decorated in what came to be known in England as pate-sur-pate, a paste-on-paste technique devised sometime after 1870 by Marc-Louis Solon (1835-1913) of Mintons in England. Pate-sur-pate, involving both modeling and painting techniques, was stained Parian ware decorated with reliefs in translucent tinted or white slip, the colors being laid one upon the other. Solon was inspired by a Chinese celadon case decorated with embossed flowers that he had admired in the museum at Sevres, where he worked for a time. At first his slip painting on biscuit porcelain simply peeled off; he was successful, however, when he applied layers of slip to a damp surface. Minton wares decorated with pate-sur-pate became the most costly and coveted ceramic ornaments produced in England in the last quarter of the 19th century. Only a few English potters mastered Solons complex technique, although the work of his pupil, Alboin Birks, rivaled that of the master. 20th-Century Developments By the late 19th century, with the development of machinery and the introduction of new technologies, the age of mass production dawned and the potters art consequently suffered. Western ceramic wares declined markedly in quality of materials and decoration. Florid designs, gaudy coloring, and inartistic shapes became fashionable, and the resulting decadence continued into the 20th century. Not until the 1930s were signs of revival in the form and decoration of ceramics discernible, principally in the productions of artist-potters who were active in Western Europe and the United States. Many of these artist-potters arrived at their innovations by way of continuous experiment with materials and techniques. Others sought inspiration from primitive types of Japanese pottery or in the forms of ancient American Indian traditions. Since the end of World War II the design and decoration of ceramics in both Europe and the United States, especially ornamental wares, has been largely influence d by individual artist-artisans. Commercial products, such as tablewares, have tended to reflect the styles and patterns developed by these potters, whose work has often shown striking originality.

Shintoism in Japan Essay -- Papers

Shintoism in Japan Shintoism is the indigenous and national religion of Japan. The word Shinto means the way of the gods. Shintoism is a nature worship based religion. Shintoism is a unique religion with its own concepts on deities, ethics and life. Shintoism is based on the beginning of the race when "the trees and the herbs had speech"(Underwood 16). At the beginning of the Earth, Shinto followers believed, that the animals acted and spoke like men. The religion does not directly deal with common religious themes of; problem of evil, man's consciousness of sin and his need for redemption. Shinto followers believe that spirits exist everywhere whether good or evil. The religion is unorganized worship of these deities. The name given to these spirits and deities are Kami. Kami is a key concept in Shintoism and is difficult to define. "All that is wonderful is God, and the divine embraces in its category all that impresses the untrained imagination and excites it to reverence or fear." (18) Objects of worship included: the sky, heavenly bodies, mountains, rivers, seas, trees, beasts, great fishes, reptiles and the process of reproduction in nature and humans. There are four historical written sources, which provide scholars with information on the beginnings of Shintoism. The first of these books is the Kojiki, which means records of ancient matters. The Kojiki was written in a combination of archaic Japanese and Chinese. The book was compiled in 712 CE by an emperor who feared that many variants may destroy the foundation of the monarchy. The book's principle aim was to demonstrate the divine origin of the ruling family and the foundation of the state. Some refer to this book as the "Bible of the Japa... ...lose connection with the state. Every Emperor in Japan's imperial lineage has served as both sovereign and priest. The Emperor was head of the Shinto faith as well as head of the nation. This in turn transferred down the ranks. The heads of the provinces were also head of Shintoism in that province. The head of each clan was the head priest for that particular clan. And the head of each family was the head priest of that family. And even today the priests of Japan's over 50 000 Shinto shrines are under state control. Shintoism is a uniquely Japanese religion. It is inseparable from the Japanese state and is critical in defining Japanese culture. Shintoism is a thriving religion as many people in Japan follow both the teachings of Shintoism and Buddhism without any difficulties. The religion stresses the importance for respect of nature and oneself.

Anti-semitism And Sartre :: essays research papers

In Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew, he makes reference to the notion that anti-Semitism arises not against individual Jews, but against the " idea of the Jew." That is to say that the Jew is recognized only as a member of a group associated with fear and disgust, not as an individual capable of being anything but the stereotype of the Jew. I agree with Sartre's theory as I have seen first hand the disgust associated with being Jewish. The Jew is judged not by his action or words but simply by the fact that he is a Jew, and the preconceived idea of what this means. As discussed in class, Jews have been used as scapegoats throughout history. They have been blamed for countless economical and social problems simply because of the predisposition towards anti-Semitism that most have. To understand this predisposition is easy. It has come from years of unwillingness to assimilate by the Jews. Because of this unwillingness, the Jews have come to be recognized as different and therefore bad, because, as discussed in class, most identify easiest with what is different with the automatic assumption that it is bad. I think another reason for this assumption is the fact that it is easier to judge people than to understand them, as we can clearly see gentiles have done continuously throughout history to the Jews.Consequently, throughout history, the anti-Semite has come to adopt an "idea of the Jew", of his nature, and of his role in society. As Sartre explains, "the Jew whom the anti-Semite wishes to lay hands upon is not a schematic being defined solely by his function, as under administrative law; or by status or acts, as under the Code. He is a Jew, the son of a Jew, recognizable by his physique, by the colour of his hair, by his clothing perhaps, and, so they say, by his character." To the anti-Semite, the Jew's character is oily, tactless, intriguing, selfish and greedy. He believes that all Jews are this way, and therefore treats them all the same, with hatred and repulsion. While a Jew might be a successful business man, a doctor, lawyer, or teacher etc. he is also a Jew, and that is all he is recognized for in the eyes of the anti-Semite.Furthermore, Sartre argues that "if the Jew did not exist, the Anti-Semite would invent him." This is self explanatory by the fact that Jews have been used as scapegoats and will continuously be used as such in the future.

The Old Man and the Storm

This program starts with the family patriarch, 82-year old Herbert Gettridge, out in his yard cleaning up from the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He has made it his mission to recreate the home he’d originally crafted more than 50 years earlier, this was literally his creation. So there was nothing in his body that was going to allow him to walk away from that. Mr. Gettridge was trying to get the house together so that he could bring his wife (Lydia Gettridge) of 60+ years home.Nobody felt comfortable bringing her back to a city where there really was no hospital, no ambulance service or anything. She suffers form congestive heart failure and diabetes, New Orleans is the only place she has ever known so it was really important for her to come back. And so, therefore, really important to Mr. Gettridge, him being a good husband and all. To make sure that she is able to get back to her home. Officials said the area was uninhabitable but Mr. Gettridge didn’t care. I t hink his attitude was, well, the house withstood the water.I’ll be damned if I’m going to just walk away from it. I worked too hard to get this. He has worked since the time he was seven years old, he dropped out of school during the Depression. And had learned to work with his hands. He fought racism and diversity at work and over came it, becoming a master plasterer. He took pride in his work and it showed. He did a lot of one of a kind work, one of the houses he did work on is a historical landmark. The Gettridge family has a lot of perseverance, love and strength he and his wife raised nine children.Only seven are living now, they have thirty-six grandchildren and many great grand children. The house is only part of his tragedy. Three generations of his family, were scattered across the country in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His family has been in New Orleans for over five generations. It’s very possible that the Gettridge house is on land that his ancestors had once worked as slaves. His family of 200 people or so, all lived within fifteen-minute drive from each other and would still get together for holidays and to celebrate things they were a close knit family.Mr. Gettridge with the help, support, and sacrifice of volunteers, and charities finishes his house against the huge odds he faced. Lydia is brought home by one of her daughters just before July fourth of 2007. A year and a half after the flood. She is disoriented when she arrives from a stroke she had suffered. She doesn't recognize the house she left and says she wants to leave. Mr. Gettridge tries to lighten the mood with his since of humor telling he she looks as beautiful as she did when she was sweet sixteen. However, she’s not buying it.Only when their children and grand children start visiting them for the up coming forth of July festivities does Mrs. Gettridge start to feel as if this is her home again. Mr. Gettridge was asked if he had to do it al l over again, would he? He answers, â€Å"I’m kinda skeptical about that now. Once upon a time I could answer that question in a split second for you. I can’t do that now†. He’s a man of incredible determination and incredibly stubborn. But, He’s been worn down. There’s just so much you can do at 84 to start over again. It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. ~Author Unknown