A Country Study on the Ancient Cultures of Japan

A Country Study on the Ancient Cultures of Japan On the basis of archaeological finds, it has been postulated that hominid activity in Japan may date as early as 200,000 B.C. when the islands were connected to the Asian mainland. Although some scholars doubt this early date for habitation, most agree that by around 40,000 B.C. glaciation had reconnected the islands with the mainland. Populating the Land of Japan Based on archaeological evidence, they also agree that by between 35,000 and 30,000 B.C. Homo sapiens had migrated to the islands from eastern and southeastern Asia and had well-established patterns of hunting and gathering and stone toolmaking. Stone tools, inhabitation sites, and human fossils from this period have been found throughout all the islands of Japan. The Jomon Period More stable living patterns gave rise by around 10,000 B.C. to Neolithic  or, as some scholars argue, Mesolithic culture. Possibly distant ancestors of the Ainu aboriginal people of modern Japan, members of the heterogeneous Jomon culture (ca. 10,000-300 B.C.) left the clearest archaeological record. By 3,000 B.C., the Jomon people were making clay figures and vessels decorated with patterns made by impressing the wet clay with braided or unbraided cord and sticks (Jomon means patterns of plaited cord) with growing sophistication. These people also used chipped stone tools, traps, and bows and were hunters, gatherers, and skillful coastal and deep-water fishermen. They practiced a rudimentary form of agriculture and lived in caves and later in groups of either temporary shallow pit dwellings or above-ground houses, leaving rich kitchen middens for modern anthropological study. By the late Jomon period, a dramatic shift had taken place according to archaeological studies. Incipient cultivation had evolved into sophisticated rice-paddy farming and government control. Many other elements of Japanese culture also may date from this period and reflect a mingled migration from the northern Asian continent and the southern Pacific areas. Among these elements are Shinto mythology, marriage customs, architectural styles, and technological developments, such as lacquerware, textiles, metalworking, and glassmaking. The Yayoi Period The next cultural period, the Yayoi (named after the section of Tokyo where archaeological investigations uncovered its traces) flourished between about 300 B.C. and A.D. 250 from southern Kyushu to northern Honshu. The earliest of these people, who are thought to have migrated from Korea to northern Kyushu and intermixed with the Jomon, also used chipped stone tools. Although the pottery of the Yayoi was more technologically advanced, it was more simply decorated than Jomon ware. The Yayoi made bronze ceremonial nonfunctional bells, mirrors, and weapons and, by the first century A.D., iron agricultural tools and weapons. As the population increased and society became more complex, they wove cloth, lived in permanent farming villages, constructed buildings of wood and stone, accumulated wealth through land ownership and the storage of grain, and developed distinct social classes. Their irrigated, wet-rice culture was similar to that of central and south China, requiring heavy inputs of human labor, which led to the development and eventual growth of a highly sedentary, agrarian society. Unlike China, which had to undertake massive public works and water-control projects, leading to a highly centralized government, Japan had abundant water. In Japan, then, local political and social developments were relatively more important than the activities of the central authority and a stratified society. The earliest written records about Japan are from Chinese sources from this period. Wa (the Japanese pronunciation of an early Chinese name for Japan) was first mentioned in A.D. 57. Early Chinese historians described Wa as a land of hundreds of scattered tribal communities, not the unified land with a 700-year tradition as laid out in the Nihongi, which puts the foundation of Japan at 660 B.C. Third-century Chinese sources reported that the Wa people lived on raw vegetables, rice, and fish served on bamboo and wooden trays, had vassal-master relations, collected taxes, had provincial granaries and markets, clapped their hands in worship (something still done in Shinto shrines), had violent succession struggles, built earthen grave mounds, and observed mourning. Himiko, a female ruler of an early political federation known as Yamatai, flourished during the third century. While Himiko reigned as a spiritual leader, her younger brother carried out affairs of state, which included diplomatic relations with the court of the  Chinese Wei Dynasty  (A.D. 220 to 65).

School Vouchers Essay

School Vouchers Essay School Vouchers Essay School vouchers: Are they effective or damaging? During the 1950s, Noble Prize winning libertarian economist, Milton Friedman, made the first proposal for American education to include a voucher system. However, it was not until the 1980’s when the nation’s first school choice voucher program came into effect, which was passed by the legislature of Wisconsin, and provided parents the opportunity to choose the school where they felt was appropriate for their child. The Friedman Foundation defined the notion of school choice in two parts: (1)†¦a common sense idea that gives all parents the power and freedom to choose their child’s education, while encouraging healthy competition among schools and other institutions to better serve students’ needs and priorities, [and] (2) a public policy that allows a parent/guardian or student to choose a district, charter, or private school, regardless of residence and location (www.edchoice.org). While the idea of school choice seems fitting and beneficial, especially to students who come from low-income families, there are many lies, dangers and threats seamed within the idea. School vouchers not only pose a serious danger to students and to the system of public education, but they also violate the separation between church and state. Beneficial†¦to an extent On its website, The Friedman Foundation provides an explanation to the significance and objective of school vouchers: Vouchers give parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children’s education. Under such a program, funds typically expended by a school district would be allocated to a participating family in the form of a voucher to pay partial or full tuition for their child’s private school, including both religious and non-religious options (www.edchoice.org). In a nutshell, vouchers are monies given to students in order to attend a school of their choice. The first sentence of the foundation’s explanation lays out the first benefit gained from the voucher program. What incites people to the idea of the voucher system is the opportunity that is given to low-income families to send their children off to an elite private school. While many are blinded by this aspiring opportunity, others, like Barbara Miner, look beyond the sugarcoated promises made by voucher programs. In her article, â€Å"Why I Don’t Vouch For Vouchers,† Miner makes a very interesting point by saying, â€Å"Private schools can control whom they accept and the terms upon which students stay enrolled. [†¦] The schools are to select on a random basis, [†¦] one problem, however, is enforcement. Who ensures that the rules are followed?† (1998). Parents do not realize that, although they are promised to be provided a better education for th eir children, they are never guaranteed that the child will be accepted to the school they choose, or whether they will succeed in a private school rather than in a public school. Yet again, Miner makes another thought-provoking point in questioning the furthering of segregation in schools through the voucher system. To provide an answer to this question she points out some statistics from a school in Milwaukee: In Milwaukee, the public schools are approximately 60 percent African American. At Divine Savior/Holy Angels and Pius XIth High Schools, only 3 percent of the students are African American. At Milwaukee’s most elite religious high school, Marquette University High School, 5 percent of the students are African American. Some religious elementary schools in Milwaukee do not have any African American students (Miner, 1998). Whether these numbers may just be sheer coincidence or intentional, the idea of providing vouchers to parents as a means of reserving the best possible education for their children do not come with a guarantee that the school they choose will be a safe haven and far better than public schooling. Another benefit gained

Othello Essays

Othello Essays Othello Paper Othello Paper The audience, having been introduced to Othello by Iagos motiveless malignity,1 expects this man to be professionally bombast and animalistic. In fact Othello is not named until the third scene, thus dramatising his blackness and bestiality. However this preconception of Othello is immediately undone when he successfully calms the angry Brabantio and satisfies the suspicious Duke and Senators. Othellos heroic nature cannot be doubted due to the solidity of his character in the first two acts of the play; as Rebecca Warren notes, Othello possesses a mythical and monumental quality that cannot be denied; he speaks and acts powerfully in a way that inspires confidence in his character. 2 This essay will explore the extent to which Othellos heroism is interdependent with his love for Desdemona, and what implications this dependency will have on the power of both. Othellos first action in the play is to convince Brabantio, the Duke and the Senators that he genuinely loves Desdemona, not that he has used mixtures, a dram or a practice of cunning hell to seduce her. Shakespeare allows Brabantio to speak before Othello, immediately creating a confident and superior character in the latter. When Othello does make his case, he uses linguistic devices befitting a hero with great control over both himself and others, Most potent, grave, and reverend seigniors rude am I in my speech and little blessed with the soft phrase of peace. Tim Blake Nelson uses non-dietetic mounds in the willow scene, Even the sun goes down Heroes eventually die these lyrics are foreshadowing the decline of the tragic hero and the audience is left to wonder about the events that to unravel. The Issue of race Is a quintessential aspect In both play and film. The racist undertone In Othello and O explores the Idea that Othello and Odin are seen as outcasts, haltingly that the universal value of race Is everlasting. The protagonists different ethnic background provides a platform for examining Ideas of racial conflict. Accepted part of public life; people of color were often thought of as savage. Shakespeare would have encountered no societal pressures against presenting such ideas. Yet he doesnt actually portray Othello as inferior, in fact he is represented as the noble savage. Although Ago makes him sound despicable in the first-act, Shakespeare then shows Othello as a well-spoken and highly regarded military leader. Shakespeare, throu gh the use of characterization, explores the critical factor of race all throughout his play. Othello the moor is consistently seen as an outsider. Ago initiates racial slurs and tension amongst all characters. In Act 1, Scene 1 He scribes Othello and Adhesions consummation as an old black ram Tipping A white ewe and making the beast with two backs. These racial innuendoes implicate the true feelings Ago has towards Othello and that he cannot look past the color of his skin. Othello could easily be read as a racist play. Its tragic hero is often described in racist, degrading tones. Tim Blake Nelsons setting of contemporary American enable him to explore racism more overtly in O. Odin and Dies Jokingly discuss their different races. When she disapproves of his use of enigma, he tells her that he is allowed to say it but she Anton even think it. Ironically Odin is haunted by a profound self-consciousness about the color of his skin. When Hugo tells him that Dies and Mike called him the enigma, the camera has an extreme close up of Dins face, and through expression it is evident that Dins worst fears are confirmed and he then begins to act out in rage and self-loathing, beginning the downward spiral of the tragic hero. Tim Blake Nelson has empowered this particular scene by employing dramatic irony; the audience knows to not trust Hugo although Odin does not. One of the most radical differences between the play is the setting. Othello takes place in the 17th century, Venice, contrasted against O, which takes place in an American private school, this is to exude the major time difference. Shakespeare has taken advantage of the patriarchal society that was in place in the 17th century. Desman throughout Othello represents one extreme of the stereotypical female, the passive ideal wife, and Emilie represents the other extreme, an independent and assertive woman. At the end of the play, Othello smothers Desman to death, she screams out O, Lord! Lord! Lord! through the use of apostrophe Desman is ailing out to the heavens, suggesting that she was controlled and manipulated to a greater degree. It is later revealed that Ago behind the events, bringing to light his duplicitous nature. Ago as a misogynist is a crucial example of the way women were perceived as Just pawns in the game of concurring Othello. The protagonist in O is power hungry and dominating. In the first party scene hip- hop music is employed to Juxtapose the divide between black and white in the preppy private high school. Symbolism has been initiated in the scene where Odin puts the rubber band around Deeds finger; he has blatantly declared his ownership ND power of Des. The rubber band is also the color green, which relates back to the green-eyed monster, this leitmotif signifies Jealousy and power. Shakespearean Othello and the contemporary appropriation O by Tim Blake Nelson, both explore the universal values of Jealousy, race and the domination of women. The themes and techniques used empower both play and film to help determine the values of each respected time. Although there are differences, ultimately the values attitudes and ideas explored do remain constant throughout history while maintaining textual integrity.

Manuscript Draft and Proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Manuscript Draft and Proposal - Coursework Example Performance Appraisal: A Workplace Dilemma All across the country supervisors have been evaluating their employees on a regular basis. These evaluations often become ground or justification for granting a raise, promotion, retention, or even termination. In the case of termination, or denial of promotion, objectivity becomes of paramount importance. Performance appraisals or evaluations are crucial element of the maintenance function of human resources management. Through it, the employee should receive one’s due share of benefits in terms of remuneration, rewards and sanctions, psychological motivation, wholesome and safe working environment, among others. Performance appraisals are supposed to encourage continuance and stability, not only of the workers, but also of managerial personnel from the frontline to top management. The paper aims to examine and evaluate various practices and policies on performance appraisal systems and procedures as revealed by diverse authors whose researches have been published in peer reviewed academic journals. Likewise, the discourse hereby aims to proffer relevant issues that emerge on performance appraisal as a relevant organizational concern affecting both managers and employees. Diverse peer reviewed academic journals in the area of public personnel management and administration were evaluated in terms of determining parallel issues on the dilemma faced by both supervisors and employees when subjected to the process of performance evaluation. The preparation for the paper required significant reviews, analysis and evaluation of diverse secondary information on performance appraisals in public organizations. The results of reviewing academic journals on the subject are proposed to be presented in the following structure: a presentation of the major dilemma on performance evaluation as seen from two points of views: that of the employees being evaluated, and from the perspective of the managers or supervisors doing the ratings. Concurrently, there were studies that indicate a significant impact of receiving low ratings on employees in terms of future career plans and paths that employees choose to take and the effects on alternative decisions that face the emp loyees: the decision to leave; to seek reform; to stick with the organization; to drop out, or wait for better opportunities. Other relevant concerns such as the benefits of

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine Research Paper

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine - Research Paper Example Palestine is controlled by two governing bodies i.e. Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank. The division of governance has resulted in suspension of peace making attempts between Israel and Palestine. The recent war occurred in 2014, is a result of political tensions between the two states. This research paper focuses on the major political issues due to which peace-making attempts have been failing between the states. The conflicts between Israel and Palestine have become sensitive at present due to several issues. In the year 2006, the Palestinian Authority held elections in Gaza and the West Bank on the request of George W. Bush’s administration and Israeli support. Despite making attempts, Hamas won the majority of seats. The United States responded by cutting off aid to Palestinian Authority, on the other hand the Israelis withheld tax revenues they collected on Palestinian’s behalf. The Bush’s administration encouraged Abbas to go against Hamas with the help of Fatah and its chief Mohammad Dahlan (Brownlee 113). The circumstances were severe during the period and Fatah was defeated by Hamas in the battle. Finally Hamas took charge in Gaza. These situations became even worse when United States did not make any attempt to talk to the new formed government. The Israelis started to block exports from Gaza, which led to drop of per capita income to 17 percent in the year 2011, compared to 2005. The Israelis even banned exports to the West Bank, which made the life of people worse in Gaza. The people of Gaza were suffering from unemployment and malnutrition on a very high scale. The circumstances forced Hamas to attack Israelis, for the benefit of their people and save his government. The attacks disturbed the life of people and most of the citizens were exposed to threat. The occurrence of cold-war was merely due to the political issues that happened in the year 2006.  

Joule Thompson effect Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Joule Thompson effect - Lab Report Example Credible sources were used to provide the needed literature review that would help in producing relevant information on the discoveries that preceded the Joule-Thomson experiment. Two equations and a diagram were given to form the basis of the work. A description of what the experiment was designed to test vis-a-vis the outcome that was expected It also became important to vividly describe what the Joule-Thomson experiment was designed to test and the outcome that was expected from this experiment. This would help us to know what Joule and Thomson sought to achieve in their experiment. From this expected outcome, it would be possible to deduce the result of the Joule-Thomson experiment. A detailed explanation of the experimental setup and procedure The experimental set-up and the procedure of the Joule-Thomson experiment were well detailed in this section. This helped to have a full understanding of the subject matter. The apparatus that was used in the experiment were highlighted an d the procedure for a typical Joule-Thomson experiment was properly elaborated. A diagram to show what a typical Joule-Thomson experiment should look like was also presented. The experimental setup and procedure was given in a step by step manner as this was done in order to ease the comprehension of the Joule-Thomson experiment. ... Hence, that was the notion behind this section. The criticisms that greeted the Joule-Thomson experiment and the impact of the experiment in the scientific advancement were briefly analyzed. The Sources for the work The report was processed in the MLA format. Three websites were used for this paper for ease of accessibility and one text book to balance the credibility of the work. The sources that were consulted for this paper are given below: Physical Chemistry by Joseph Noggle, http://home.sou.edu/~chapman/ch444/JOULET.HTM, www.pdfcari.com/THE-JOULE-THOMSON- EXPERIMENT.html & www.chem.arizona.edu/~salzmanr/480a/480ants/jadjte/jadjte.html Name of Student Name of Lecturer Course 27 June 2011 Joule Thompson effect The historical context of experiment It was based on a basic assumption of the Kinetic Theory of Gases that there is no significant force of attraction between molecules of an ideal gas that Gay-Lussac and J.P. Joule presented the relevant discoveries that preceded the Joule -Thompson effect. Gay-Lussac and J.P. Joule discovered that gas molecules attract one another (Noggle 104). They believed that the fact that gaseous molecules attract one another means that there is a force of attraction between them that is too significant to be neglected. They reiterated working on the dependence of energy of gases on pressure and as a result they investigated the dependence of energy of gases on pressure (Noggle 104). The apparatus that was used by Gay-Lussac and J.P. Joule are as follows: Copper bulbs A and B, Valve V and Water-bath and a sensitive thermometer. Air was pumped into Bulb A under pressure and this was secluded from the Copper Bulb

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 5

Economics - Essay Example Friedman’s main argument is that tax cuts and little or no intervention by the government in regulating private enterprise would help entrepreneurs to produce more at a lower cost. Thus consumers would benefit from plenty of cheaper goods. However conservative economics has acquired a newer dimension in that the absence of concern among conservative economists for environment related problems is changing for better. Karl Marx, the German political thinker, is better known for his ideological premises expressed in his treatise Das Kapital. Marxian economics is based on these thoughts, though most of his teachings are basically centered on the perpetual conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. His economic thoughts though aren’t substantial are concerned with how working classes are able to run the country’s economy with fair play and social justice. When all productive resources are controlled by the proletariat a comparative cost/benefit analysis is not possible. This paper takes the free market appraoch as the point of refernce for comparative analysis. Market forces, demand and supply, move in opposite directions with respect to price changes. When the price of a good is high the demand for it is less while the supply of it is greater. This is economic sense but nevertheless this positive economic statement about the predictable behavior of the consumer does not hold true when the demand patterns for Giffen and inferior goods are factored in. For instance when income, of the individual consumer, rises his demand for inferior goods such as potatoes, would rise. This is because the consumer’s purchasing power increases when his real income increases. Consumer sovereignty principle illustrates the fact that in a free market economy the consumer is free to consume what he wants. However, the consumer’s sovereignty does not have meaning if he/she is unable to buy what he/she wants. This paradox