Andal-Goda And Mirabai Essays - Bhakti Movement, Alvars, Andal

Andal-Goda And Mirabai Poetry, Passion, and Power: The Lyrics of Andal-Goda and the Music of Goda Mandali, Vasudha Narayanan & Mirabai: Inscribed in Text, Embodied in Life, Nancy M. Martin-Kershaw This is a summary and reaction to the above articles, both of which have similar foci in that they each discuss different female Hindu saints. These Saints, though women, have life histories that do not exactly fit into the prescribed gender roles of current modern India. Interestingly, in an India where men dominate and female virtue is based on passivity and sacrifice for one's husband, these holy women, who never married (officially) and show no sign of passivity, are widely excepted and widely revered as examples of holy righteousness. Because of this, the saints can be viewed as alternative role models for women in India who do not readily want to submit themselves to the rule of men. The articles focus on this seemingly contradictory phenomenon of the incorporation of these female saints in Hindu mythology, first giving hagiographic details pertaining to the saints and then siting examples of various followers attracted to them. In the first article, Narayanan shows how the only female alvar of Tamil hymns, the Saint Goda (pupularly known as Andal), can be seen as an alternative female role model-one that showed contempt for marrying a man. Andal, or she who rules, is an eighth century poet saint who is worshiped in south India by adherents of the Srivaisnava faith. We see, however, that although Andal is and has been worshipped throughout south India in temples for centuries, her poetry and contribution to religious worship have largely been ignored in Hindu scholarship. Narayanan's article really drives the point home that, although many scholars have ignored Goda, the reality of Andal in the Shrivaisnava faith is very strong, which makes the fact that she has been ignored all the more peculiar. It certainly is not because Andal lacks sufficient hagiography. Narayanan mentions three different hagiographical traditions describing Andal's discovery by her father in the garden and her later refusal to marry, preferring to marry Visnu instead. For Andal, however, this is no mere fantasy and when she is brought to Srirangam upon Visnu's request, she is unified with the Lord both physically and spiritually, thus marrying Him. Apart from biographical stories, Andal is also survived by her two Tamil poems, which are recited daily in Srivaisnava temples. Also, inline with the recent emergence of women bhajana groups that sing the poems of the Tamil saints, several such groups have developed that are devoted specifically to the praise and worship of Andal-Goda through the singing of her poetry. It is interesting to note as well that these mainly female Bhajana organizations attract members from outside of the Srivaisnava community, as only about 10% of their membership come from this group. Narayanan mentions two different groups devoted to Andal. They have women members, meet twice a week, and frequently give performances also appearing on television, radio. It seems that these groups gathering in praise of Andal are drawn in perhaps not only by religious piety, but also out of the attraction that such a powerful female role model provides. Certainly the model of Andal inspires a hope of a different sort of role for women that traditional Indian society does not provide. The second Article by Martin-Kershaw focuses on another female saint, Mirabai. She is described to be the embodiment of absolute devotion to Krsna. Mirabai lived in the 16th century and was a member of the Rathor royal family. She seems to have been a true rebel and is seen as a defiant lover of God who ignored all social expectations for a royal woman in order to daily live out her limitless devotion for God. Martin-Kershaw next goes on to give us hagiographic details pertaining to Mira's life. It is said that she was forced to marry a Rana, but immediately she gets into trouble with this new family because she refuses to bow down to the family's Goddess. She refused because her only God was Krsna. Angered, the in-laws said that she was useless and ignorant and she was next made to be isolated in a separate palace. The in-laws later tried

Slavery in South Africa essays

Slavery in South Africa essays Throughout the history of the world slavery and racism has existed in many societies. This has held especially true in Africa and Southern Africa. Even when the self deemed "more civilized" Europeans began to settle in Africa, black men and woman continued to be treated as property and less than "white." The Khoi were a group of people that coexisted with the white settlers from the early beginning and their progress of racial conflict with the white settlers reflected the progress that was being made world wide. South Africa was hard pressed to change its values on racial equality even with the outside pressures of England and the rest of the known world. Racism was already an issue before the Dutch East India Company's settlement at the Cape Colony became a reality. Previous prejudicious learned from racism overseas back in Europe was already embedded into the minds of the white settlers before they ever reached Africa. When they encountered tribesmen of the Khoi their initial instincts told them that they were superior to these Africans. They were white, and these African tribesmen were black, so in the European's minds they were inferior. On the other hand, the Khoi had never encountered a racist environment before. They had no reason to expect someone to try to enslave them or treat them as something other then equal. They were used to incorporation foreigners into their society as equals, as they had done with other African tribes. Since the Khoi had no presupposed notions of racism developed into their culture, it was easier for the white settlers to gain an advantage in confrontation. For example, black slaves were br ought over from the Dutch East Indies, therefore already bringing a preexisting slave movement into the area. Trade played a large role in the Khoi subordination to the European settlers. The Dutch East India company planned on acquiring meat from the Khoi. Cattle were central to the Khoi li...

Annotated Bibliography-Sheila-W6 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Annotated Bibliography-Sheila-W6 - Coursework Example Knowledge of information regarding the study was limited, and the researchers do not provide for future studies. The literature review is well explained that the readers had no difficulties absorbing the topic. The methodology was done by cross-sectional surveys of the samples of old adults that were similar to an earlier study by Wood. The technology users had improved health care compared to nonusers. The author is a public commentary with the information week health care leading to online publication. The researcher observes a difficulty in sharing health related information by patients. As a result, mobile manufacturers find it hard to provide apps that reveal their details. The author proposes further studies into the issue especially on possible solutions to the menace. Finding earlier information concerning the topic was almost inevitable making the study to rely on its data for analysis. The review was less in depth that resulted to rely much on the author conclusions. The methodology was by questionnaires presented to the health providers who revealed patients reluctant to share their data. Data is the solution to research as they form the basis of policy making. Skrvseth, S. O., Augestad, K. M., & Ebadollahi, S. (2015). Data-driven approach for assessing utility of medical tests using electronic medical records. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 53, 270-276. doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2014.11.011 It is a comprehensive scholarly journal of biomedical informatics published by the Elsevier. The author asserts that data from patients taken through electronic medical records can be used to provide utilities to the medical tests. Due to increased data observations, the researcher believes that methodologies can be generated that provide content idea to the satisfaction of the medical tests. The study is very silent on information regarding previous studies and neither does it suggests for further research concerning the topic. The

International criminal court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International criminal court - Essay Example There are several reasons for this inability of national institutions, such as, first, the absence of political will to prosecute their own citizens or high ranking officials. This situation was witnessed in the former Yugoslavia. Second, these national institutions could have been destroyed, as was the situation in Rwanda. In the absence of justice there cannot be peace, without law no justice, and when there is no court to decide what is just and lawful there can be no meaningful law (United Nations, 1999). An international criminal court achieves justice for all, ends impunity, helps in ending conflicts, remedies the defects in ad hoc tribunals, provides an alternative to national criminal justice institutions that are unable or unwilling to act, and to acts as a deterrent for future war criminals. In reality, the ICC has not achieved greater success than the ad hoc tribunals that it supplants. Akin to the tribunals of Rwanda and Yugoslavia, the ICC does not act swiftly. Moreover, it is devoid of a system for enforcing its decisions. This makes it dependent upon governments to arrest and present perpetrators before it. Albeit, the ad hoc tribunals had this defect, they were able to rely on a UN Security Council resolution requiring international cooperation in executing the arrest warrants. In addition, the ICC is devoid of forceful checks on its authority (Schafer & Groves, 2009). Theoretically, the nations that had ratified the Rome Statute were to control the ICC; however, this has not been realized in practice. Schafer, B. D., & Groves, S. (2009, August 18). The U.S. Should Not Join the International Criminal Court. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from The Heritage Foundation:

Utilitarianism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Utilitarianism - Coursework Example From this discussion it is clear that on utilitarian grounds, the individual should be tortured for the good and safety of others, which is noticeably ethical. For a terrorism free world, as a true utilitarian I would vote for the painful torture of the innocent individual. According to utilitarianism, the good of others should come first. Utilitarianism is a concept in normative ethics that views the best moral action as the one that maximises utility.   The best and valid action in this terrorism case is to save as many lives as possible. However, choosing the option of the innocent individual to be slowly and painfully tortured is not an easy decision to make and is not morally accepted.This paper discusses that the theory of utilitarianism is a basic view of consequences. For that reason, letting one individual die for the safety of the rest of the world is a justified, permissible, and an even obligatory action. The author takes on this situation can also be justified through the theory of doctrine of double effect. The doctrine suggests for an act to be morally permissible it has to fit certain criteria and the outcome should favour many. The doctrine also suggests the action is essential for ‘evil’ purpose if it results in beneficial good.   According to the school of thought established by Immanuel Kant ,believes that our sense of morality is connected to reason, therefore according   school of thought letting the individual face torture is worth if it saves many lives.  

Concepts of Language and Cognitive Development

Concepts of Language and Cognitive Development 1. Introduction Language is a symbolic system in which a limited number of signals can be combined according to rules that can provide an infinite number of messages. An important milestone in human development is mastering some type of language. (Sigelman, Rider De George-Walker, 2013). Language is the primary method that adults pass on culturally valued models of thinking and problem solving to their children (Vygotsky, 1962). Basic language skills develop through the influence of parents, other adults, peers and even the media. 2. Language Development The nature vs. nurture debate continues into language development. One school of thought is that the environment contributes to learning. Children learn the words that they hear spoken by others-even when the words are not directly spoken to them (Floor Akhtar, 2006). The other school of thought by nativists who minimise the role of language environment and focus instead on the role of the child’s biologically programmed capacities to acquire language. Chomsky (2000) proposed that humans have a unique genetic capacity to learn language and are equipped with knowledge of a universal grammar, a system of common rules that enable any language to be learnt. Interactionists believe that both learning theorists (nurture) and nativists (nature) have merit. Children’s biologically based competencies and the language environment interact to shape the course of language development (Bloom, 1998) 3. Interaction between language and cognitive development Piaget proposed four major periods of cognitive development: the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operations stage and formal operations stage. The core message is that humans of different ages think in different ways. (Inhelder Piaget, 1958). During Piaget’s sensorimotor stage, birth to two years, infants use their senses and motor actions to explore and understand the world. According to Gervain Mehler (2010) newborns immediately have a preference for speech over non-speech in their native language. By 7 months, infants demonstrate word segmentation. From birth infants produce a wide array of sounds that will eventually develop into language (Waxman Lidz, 2006), with cooing being the first vocalisation milestone at 6-8weeks. Babbling starts to occur at 4-6 months which Piaget labels as primary circular reaction. (Lee, Davis MacNeilage, 2010). As infants attempt to master the semantics of language, they begin to understand many words before the can say them and begin to say their first real words or holophrases at around 1 year. Many children have a vocabulary spurt at around 18months of age and the pace of word learning quickens dramatically. (Bloom, 1998). Secondary circular reactions begin to occur, following with tertiary circular reactions becoming intentional from the start. Piaget proposed that the child’s construction of reality takes place through the use of schemes and by the end of the sensorimotor stage they are capable of using symbolic thought using images and words. (Piaget, 2002) Vygotsky (1962) maintained that cognitive development is shaped by the sociocultural context in which it occurs. It develops from children’s interactions with members of their culture. Problem solving is passed on from generation to generation through oral communication, especially as it is embodied in language, shapes thought. (Sigelman, Rider, De George-Walker, 2013). In Piaget’s preoperational stage, 2 to 7 years, young children use their symbolic thought to develop language, engage in pretend play and solve problems. They use words to talk about a problem and use categorisations which become the basis for language with each noun or verb representing a category. (Waxman, 2003). The next step in language development is telegraphic speech where toddlers begin to use a combination of two or three word sentences to express basic ideas. Between ages of 2-5 years children start to use sentences that are much longer and more grammatically complex. (Hoff, 2009). Children learn to phrase questions to solve problems and propel their cognitive growth. Throughout childhood and adolescence, advances in cognitive development are accompanied by advances in language and communication skills. Adults also refine the pragmatic use of language, adjusting it to different social and professional contexts. (Obler, 2005) 4. Multilingual Development According to Schwartz, Share, Leikin Kominski (2008), being bilingual or multilingual has benefits, as children have greater awareness of the underlying structure of language. Bilingual children are better understanding that words are symbols for objects and are better at applying grammatical rules. Bhargava Mendiratta (2007) purport that their study indicates that Indian children who are multilingual by mid-childhood are able to effectively use different languages in different contexts and participate well in the global economy. Swanson, Saez Gerber (2004) also states that children who speak more than one language score higher on cognitive ability and flexibility, and analytical reasoning, indicating that there are benefits of being bilingual. 5. Conclusion Developing a language competence is one of a human being’s earliest learning challenge. Language lays the foundation for further education and the acquisition of reading, writing and many other skills. Language development requires a child to be at the appropriate biological phases in an environment that is conducive to growth, with at least one conversational partner who is prepared to tailor the speech to the level of the child’s understanding to enhance cognitive development. References Bhargava, S., Mendiratta, A. (2006) Understanding language patterns of multilingual children (8-10 years) belonging to high socio-economic class. Social Science International, 22, 148-158. Bloom, L. (1998) Language acquisition in its developmental context. In D.Kuhn R. S. Sigler (Eds), W.Damon (editor-in-chief). Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 2, cognition, perception and language (5th ed., pp. 309-370). New York: Wiley Chomsky, N. (2000) New horizons in the study of language and mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Floor, P. Akhtar, N. (2006) Can 18 month old infants learn words by listening in on conversations? Infancy, 9,327-329. Gervain, J. Mehler, J. (2010). Speech perception and language acquisition in the first year of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 191-218. Hoff, E. (2009) Language development. Belmont CA: Wadsworth. Inhelder, B. Piaget, J. (1958) The growth of logical thinking from childhood to adolescence: An essay on the construction of formal operational structures. (A Parsons S. Milgram, Trans). New York: Basic Books. Lee, S.A., Davis, B. MacNeilage, P. (2010) Universal production patterns and ambient language influences in babbling: A cross-linguistic study of Korean and English learning infants. Journal of Child Language, 37, 293-318. Obler, L.K. (2005) Language in adulthood. In J. B. Gleason (Ed.) The development of language (6th Edn) Boston: Allyn Bacon. Piaget, J. (2002). The epigenetic system and the development of cognitive functions. In R.O. Gilmore, M, H. Johnson, Y, Munakata (Eds.). Brain development and cognition: A reader (2nd ed, pp. 29-35) Malden: Blackwell. Schwartz, M., Share, D.L., Leikin, M., Kominsky, E. (2008) On the benefits of bi-literacy: Just a head start in reading or specific orthographic insights? Reading and Writing, 21,905-927. Sigelman C.K., Rider, E.A., De George-Walker, L. (2013). Life Span: Human Development. Australian and New Zealand edition. CENGAGE. Swanson, H., Saez, L. Gerber, M. (2004) Literacy and cognitive functioning in bilingual and nonbilingual children t or not at risk for reading disabilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 3-18. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962) Thought and Language. E Hanfmann G. Vakar, (Eds Trans.) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press (Original work published in 1934) Waxman, S.R. (2003) Links between categorisation and naming: Origins and emergence in human infant. In D.H. Rakison L.M. Oakes (eds.) Early category and concept development: making sense of the blooming, bussing confusion (pp. 193-209). New York. Oxford University Press. Waxman, S.R. Lidz, J.L. (2006) Early word learning. . In D.Kuhn R. S. Siegler (Vol. Eds), W.Damon R Lerner (Eds). Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol 2, cognition, perception and language (6th ed., pp. 299-335). New York: Wiley

Exogetical Essay On Matthew 11:25-30 :: essays research papers

Exogetical Essay on Matthew 11:25-30 This passage opens up with the phrase, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. This speaks of two kinds of people in his prayer: the "wise" - arrogant in their own knowledge - and the "little children" - humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word. Are we wise in our own eyes, or do we seek the truth in childlike faith, realizing that only God hold all the answers? God wants us to be open at all times. When we become too "informed" and "wise" we can sometimes become to sure of our own knowledge, and possibly miss what God is really telling us. The next passage says, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." According to my Life Application Study Guide, in the Old Testament, "know" means more than knowledge. It implies an intimate relationship. The communion between God the Father and God the Son is the core of their relationship. For anyone else to know God, God must reveal himself to that person, by the Son's choice. How fortunate we are that Jesus has clearly revealed to us God, his truth, and how we can know him. The last major section of this passage reads, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders, (3) oppression and persecution, (4) weariness in the search for God, or any number of other problems we may face day to day. The beautiful thing is that Jesus frees people

History of the periodic table Essay

Alexandre Beguyer de Chancourtois (1820-1886) In 1863, a 44 year old French geologist, he created a list of the elements arranged by increasing atomic weight. The list was wrapped around a cylinder so that several sets of similar elements lined up, creating the first geometric representation of the periodic law. In 1862 was the first person to make use of atomic weights to reveal periodicity (i.e. when the elements were arranged according to their atomic weights, similar elements seemed to occur at regular intervals.) He drew the elements as a continuous spiral around a cylinder divided into 16 parts. The atomic weight of oxygen was taken as 16 and used as the standard against which all others were compared. Chancourtois noticed that certain of the triads appeared below one another in his spiral. In particular the tetrad oxygen, sulfur, selenium and tellurium fell together, and he called his device the â€Å"telluric helix†. The atomic weights of these elements are 16,32,79 and 128, respectively, and quite fortuitously they are multiples or near multiples, of 16. Other parts of the screw were less successful. Thus boron and aluminium come together all right but are then followed by nickel, arsenic, lanthanum and palladium. Chancourtois had discovered periodicity, but had got the frequency wrong. If a periodic table is regarded as an ordering of the chemical elements demonstrating the periodicity of chemical and physical properties, credit for the first periodic table (published in 1862) probably should be given to a French geologist, A.E.Beguyer de Chancourtois. De Chancourtois transcribed a list of the elements positioned on a cylinder in terms of increasing atomic weight. When the cylinder was constructed so that 16 mass units could be written on the cylinder per turn, closely related elements were lined up vertically. This led de Chancourtois to propose that â€Å"the properties of the elements are the properties of numbers.† De Chancourtois was first to recognize that elemental properties reoccur every seven elements, and using this chart, he was able to predict the the stoichiometry of several metallic oxides. Unfortunately, his chart included some ions and compounds in  addition to elements.

Why Your Resume File Name Matters

Why Your Resume File Name Matters So a recruiter has asked you to submit a resume. Yes! This is a solid win. That’s almost a guarantee that she’ll actually read the file you submit. Does this come as a bit of a surprise? Wait- you’re thinking- don’t recruiters read all the resumes they receive? The answer is no. Recruiters receive so many resumes in any given day that they very often weed out dozens upon dozens simply based on format and method.Here are a few things you should never ever do when naming your resume file†¦ unless you want it to end up in the trash.Not including â€Å"Resume† or â€Å"C.V.†You may know that â€Å"YOUR NAME† or â€Å"YOUR NAME_DATE† or â€Å"Name, Your – Mktg† is your resume for a marketing position, but how do you possibly expect a recruiter to? Always always include the word.Calling it â€Å"Updated† or â€Å"Version X†You updated your resume. What, do you want a cookie? You’re supposed to k eep it updated. And while saving files with version numbers can be helpful for you in figuring out which document to send, it sends useless- and potentially harmful information- to the recruiter. â€Å"She needed to revise this 4 times†Re-save your file without these tags before sending to any application or recruiter or job site.AbbreviateThere is no reason to skimp on space. So YRNME_CV or NAME-RES-15 just makes for unnecessary confusion. Save the shorthand for your notes and use your full last name at the very least.Add a DateThis is the same as numbering the version or calling your file â€Å"updated.† YOUR NAME DEC 2014. They do not need to know the month and year in which you last added something new to this resume. In fact, it’s much better that they don’t.Leave Out Your NameThis may sound like the most obvious thing in the world, but people do forget. MARKETING RESUME or RESUME FOR ADMIN POSITION get sent around and downloaded and then recruiters have no idea who they describe. Bottom line: that file isn’t getting opened without your name on it.When in doubt, keep it simple: YOUR NAME RESUME. And bonus points if you send the correct file format specified by your application or recruiter, usually .doc, .pdf, or .rtf.

Steps to a Successful Family Reunion

Steps to a Successful Family Reunion With some creativity and advance planning, you can organize and plan a memorable family reunion that everyone will talk about for years. Who Is Family? It may seem obvious, but the first step for any family reunion is to decide who is family. Which side of the family are you inviting? Do you want to include only close relatives or all descendants of Great Grandpa Jones (or another common ancestor)? Are you inviting only direct-line relatives (parents, grandparents, grandkids) or do you plan to include cousins, second cousins, or third cousins, twice removed? Just remember, every step back on the ancestral tree adds a ton of new potential attendees. Know your limits. Create a Guest List Start by assembling a list of family members, including spouses, partners, and children. Get in touch with at least one person from each branch of the family to help you track down contact information for each person on your list. Make sure to collect email addresses for those that have them - it really helps with updates and last-minute correspondence. Survey Attendees If youre planning to include a lot of people in your family reunion, consider sending out a survey (by postal mail and/or email) to let people know that a reunion is in the works. This will help you gauge interest and preferences, and ask for help with the planning. Include possible dates, proposed reunion type, and a general location (discussing possible costs early on can discourage a positive response), and politely ask for a timely response to your questions. Add the names of interested relatives who return the survey to your reunion list for future mailings, and/or keep them up-to-date on reunion plans via a family reunion Web site. Form a Reunion Committee. Unless this is a get-together of five sisters at Aunt Maggies house, a reunion committee is almost essential to planning a smooth, successful family reunion. Put someone in charge of each major aspect of the reunion - location, social events, budget, mailings, record-keeping, etc. Why do all the work yourself if you dont have to? Select the Date(s) Its not much of a reunion if no one can attend. Whether you plan your family reunion to coincide with a family milestone or special day, summer vacation, or a holiday, it helps to poll family members to avoid time and date conflicts. Since family reunions can encompass everything from an afternoon barbecue to a large affair lasting three or more days, youll also need to determine how long you plan to get together. A good rule of thumb - the farther people have to travel to reach the reunion location, the longer the reunion should last. Most importantly, remember that you wont be able to accommodate everyone. Choose your final date(s) based on whats best for the majority of attendees. Pick a Location Aim for a family reunion location that is most accessible and affordable to the majority of people you want to attend. If family members are clustered in one area, then select a reunion location thats nearby. If everyones scattered, then choose a central location to help cut down on travel expenses for far-flung relatives. Develop a Budget This will determine the scale of the food, decorations, accommodations, and activities for your family reunion. You can choose to have families pay for their own overnight accommodations, bring a covered dish, etc., but unless you have another source of income, youll also need to set a per-family registration fee to help with decoration, activity, and location costs. Reserve a Reunion Site Once youve chosen a location and set a date, its time to select a site for the reunion. Going home is a big draw for family reunions, so you may want to consider the old family homestead or other historic site connected to your familys past. Depending on the size of the reunion, you may be able to find a family member who will volunteer to have it at their home. For larger reunions, parks, hotels, restaurants and community halls are a good place to start. If youre planning a multi-day reunion, then consider a resort location where people can combine reunion activities with a family vacation. Choose a Theme Creating a theme for a family reunion is a great way to interest people and make them more likely to attend. It also makes things more fun when it comes to being imaginative with food, games, activities, invitations, and just about every other aspect of the reunion. Family history themes are especially popular, as are reunions which celebrate a very special family members birthday or anniversary, or the familys cultural heritage (i.e. Hawaiian luau). Determine the Menu Feeding a large group of people with different tastes is perhaps one of the trickiest parts of planning a reunion. Make it easy on yourself by selecting a menu that relates to your theme, or perhaps one that celebrates your familys heritage. Organize a group of family members to prepare the food for the family reunion or, if you have a large group and your budget allows, find a caterer or restaurant to do at least part of the work for you. A tasty menu makes for an unforgettable family reunion. Plan Social Activities You dont need to occupy everyone all the time, but planned activities and ice-breakers at your family reunion will provide an easy way for people who do not know each other well to comfortably spend time together. Include activities that will appeal to all ages and further family knowledge of shared heritage. You may also want to award prizes for special distinctions such as oldest family member or longest distance traveled to attend. Set the Stage Youve got a bunch of people, now what do you plan to do with them? Its time now to make arrangements for tents (if an outside reunion), chairs, parking decorations, programs, signs, t-shirts, goodie bags, and other reunion-day requirements. This is the time to consult a family reunion checklist! Say Cheese! While many family members will no doubt bring their own cameras, it helps to also make plans to record the overall event. Whether you designate a specific relative as the official reunion photographer or hire a professional photographer to take photos or videos, you should prepare a list of the people and events that you want to be recorded. For spontaneous moments, purchase a dozen disposable cameras and hand them out to volunteer guests. Dont forget to collect them at the end of the day! Invite the Guests Once you have most of your plans in place, its time to invite the guests by mail, email and/or phone. Youll want to do this way in advance to make sure and give everyone time to get it on their calendar. If youre charging admission fees, mention this in the invitation and set an advance deadline by which at least a percentage of the ticket price is required (unless youre wealthy enough to cover all of the costs yourself and can wait until the actual reunion for reimbursement). Tickets purchased in advance also means people will be less likely to cancel at the last moment! This is also a good opportunity to ask people, even if they cant attend the reunion, to provide family trees, photos, collectibles and stories to share with other family members. Fund the Extras If you dont want to charge admission fees for your reunion, then youll need to plan for a little fundraising. Even if you do collect admissions, fundraising can provide money for some fancy extras. Creative ways for raising money include holding an auction or raffle at the reunion or making and selling family hats, t-shirts, books, or reunion videos. Print up a Program Create a program that outlines the lineup of scheduled reunion events to provide to family members as they arrive for the reunion. You may also want to send this out via email or your reunion Web site in advance of the reunion as well. This will help serve as a reminder to people of activities which may require they bring something with them, such as a photo wall or family tree chart. Decorate for the Big Day The big day is almost here and now its time to make sure it goes smoothly. Create catchy, easy-to-ready signs to point arriving guests to registration, parking, and important locations such as bathrooms. Purchase or make a guest book to collect signatures, addresses, and other important information, as well as serve as a permanent record of the reunion. Purchase pre-made name badges, or print your own, to facilitate mixing and mingling between unacquainted family members. Family tree wall charts are always a big hit as reunion attendees always want to know where they fit into the family. Framed photos or printed posters of common ancestors or past family reunions are also popular. And, if you want to know what everyone thought of all your reunion planning, print up some evaluation forms for people to fill out as they leave. Keep the Fun Going Designate a volunteer or volunteers to create and send out a post-reunion newsletter with stories, photos, and news items from the reunion. If you collected family information, send along an updated genealogy chart as well. This is a great way to get people excited about the next reunion, as well as include less fortunate family members who were not able to attend.

Phantom of the Paradise as a Postmodern Horror Essay

Phantom of the Paradise as a Postmodern Horror - Essay Example The paper will lucidly look into some of the postmodernism aspect of films using the movie as the only reference. It will explain how the movie approaches traditional ideas in non-traditional ways. Some of the common features of postmodernism that have been portrayed in this movie are pastiche, metafiction, paranoia, maximalism, temporal distortion, and techno-culture and hyper-reality. To begin with, the character attire or dressing in the movie is quite different from what was there earlier on. The main character of the film has put on a metallic gown. Others, especially the women, in most of these movies we watch have their own dresses. Most of the dresses worn by women characters are those that that have a close relationship to that of the current American dressing. This is a clear implication that the existing American dressing codes came about as a result of such places. Moreover, the characters themselves. The metallic robe symbolically worn by Roderick Heath represents obedie nce to the law, as well as, protection of oneself. The different dressing models have led to the upcoming of different styles of making dressings in order to meet everybody’s expectations and desires. The current dressing system probably has its origin from the movie. The dressing is also symbolic on the counterculture nature of postmodern horror movies. The other aspect of the movie that brings to the light of the readers is about heroism in most horror movies. It is mainly found among men; however, hero is a woman. Heroes, in horror movies normally act as the main characters of the movies displaying their strengths of defeating a supernatural or extremely energetic character (antagonist). Using various expressive cinema techniques, the director has managed to show certain repeating devices such as scenes and most of the time the entire movie. The cinema techniques originated or evolved due to the issue of postmodernism. Postmodernism brought with itself certain learning, as well as, artistic techniques that affected the entire world of artists, especially on the horror movies (Foster 41). Another technique related to the above is the use of temporal distortion. The movie’s plot is not well organized with certain events overlapping. For instance, the appearance of Roderick Heath at the washroom where one of the music performers is taking a shower is a symbol intentional improper arrangement of the plot. Pastiche is another aspect found in films that have been affected by postmodernism. It refers to the imitation of certain or several works by other people or other genres of literature. Most of the events or characters in the movie have been imitated from other works of arts. The idea of Winslow becoming a terrorist and a killer of Swans is an imitation of certain works of history that have been saved in different historical materials. For instance, being a killer of another person has another meaning altogether and can be compared to past war ex periences such as world war II. Moreover, the image or the way the killing takes place is too simple and unbelievable to some extent. He stabbed him to death using a break of a bird mask from one of the dancers. This is a clear indication of the effects that technology has (Grant 76). Therefore, postmodernism is regarded as the epitome of all the recordings that are done seven today by highly respected printing and publishing houses. Postmodernism is the source of high technology that affects the reproduction of

Environmental and global health issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental and global health issues - Essay Example Health care centers and nurses became very active and strict precautionary measures were taken for the controlling of the disease. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a viral lung disease which is caused by coronavirus often referred to as SARS –CoV. It is serious or an extreme case of pneumonia. A person suffering from SARS will have to face severe difficulty in breathing and sometimes may even face death. The first case of SARS was found in Asia in 2003 and within a few months it spread in numerous countries all over the world. It is a well-studied example of a communicable disease and a disease that can spread easily due to the travelling of people to other countries. The breakout of SARS in 2003 was a very serious one and it took almost all the countries of the world and a total of 8,098 people were affected and out of these 774 people died. But now SARS have become totally under control but the virus still exists in the hosts which are animals and there are always chances that the virus can again return to the humans. The severity of SARS is greater in people of older age as compared to younger and middle aged people (Serradell, 2005). The symptoms of SARS are similar to that of common cold but those symptoms are much more severe as compared to those that of cold. SARS has no definite cure or medicine but it can be prevented by taking precautionary measures like avoiding communication with the patient, frequent hand washing, eating food rich in vitamin C, and other such measures. The epidemiological indicators of the SARS rife and the ways for the prevention, control, and complete eradication of SARS include gestation period, time period of communicability, mode of transference of the epidemic agent, risk factors involved in the transmission of the virus, environment, ways of reserving animals and the prevention of SARS (Stewart, 2004). The various countries in which the outbreak of SARS occurred