Thursday, May 21, 2020

Gender Roles And Norms Of The Movie Bros Before Hos, The...

Whether we recognize it or not, our everyday actions and ideas are directed by the â€Å"normal† actions of our gender. Although the last century has been the most revolutionary in terms of gender rights, gender norms and roles still continue to push back and damage every aspect of society. Both Michael Kimmel, author of the story â€Å"Bros Before Hos, The Guy Code† and Junot Dà ­az, author of the essay â€Å"How To Date A Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie† illustrate that gender roles and norms are incredibly detrimental to everyone in society. As a result, both texts implicitly explore how gender roles damage everyone regardless of gender as well as every aspect of society, result in separation rather than unification, and actively change our†¦show more content†¦Our idea of gender norms shape not only how we act around others, but how we treat others as well. Diaz utilizes the narrator s point of view and imagery to demonstrate how gender n orms let us quickly judge others, often not for the best. He states, â€Å"A local girl will have hips and a nice ass but won’t be quick about letting you touch her. She has to live in the same neighborhood as you do. She might just chill with you and then go home. She might kiss you and then leave. Or she might, if she’s reckless, give it up, but that’s rare. Kissing will suffice. A white girl might give it up right then. Don’t stop her. She’ll take her gum out of her mouth, stick it to the plastic sofa covers, and then move close to you. You have nice eyes, she might say† (Diaz 650). Diaz describes what his character believes is the â€Å"norm† for the girls he is attempting to have sex with. Rather than actually get to know a girl and have a relationship, the author chases after the norm of flirting around and as a result ends up objectifying the very women he is trying to impress. As demonstrated in the text, masculinity and being â€Å"the man† are the most important ideas in the minds of some men and as such, cause men to not only disregard their own feelings and ideas, but to also ignore and condemn the individuality of others. By putting these expectations and limitations on both women and men, we

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good Idea - 1227 Words

The education correspondent for Time magazine, and undergraduate at the University of Washington, concentrating on journalism and political science, and the owner of the graduate degree at Northwestern University, specializing in new media, Kayla Webley, in her essay â€Å"Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?† states Robert Applebaum’s solution for student loan debt is a â€Å"radical and wildly unfeasible solution both economically and politically. Applebaum’s proposal is to â€Å"provide a one-time bailout of student debt†¦as a way to stimulate the still-limping economy.† However, Webley counters that the solution has to have â€Å"the purported benefited and fairness of a one-time student loan bailout.† In Webley’s essay, in the sixth paragraph she mentions the average debt total of the graduate students. Students who have six-figure debts are only one percent of the overall college graduate students, Webley said, â€Å"the a verage debt total at graduation is a much more reasonable—yet still significant—$27,500.† This evidence is irrelevant to her essay topic of stating a reason why there should not be a one-time bailout of student loan. This information is not relevant to the rest of the essay because her point related to how much the student borrowed. Also, she did not provide the information where she got the statistic of as little as 1 percent. She needs to relate this claim back to her thesis. With the amount of money that is vanishing, it would not simply be back into the economyShow MoreRelatedIs Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good Idea?1009 Words   |  5 Pagesnew media, Kayla Webley, in her essay â€Å"Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?† states Robert Applebaum’s solution for student loan debt is a â€Å"radical and wildly unfeasible solution† in both economically and politically. Applebaum’s proposal is to â€Å"provide a one-time bailout of student debt†¦as a way to stimulate the still-limping economy.† However, Webley counters the solution has to have â€Å"the purported benefited and fairness of a one-time student loan bailout.† In Webley’s essay, in the sixthRead MoreIs Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good Idea?970 Words   |  4 PagesMONEY In the article â€Å"Is forgiving student loan debt a good idea† by Kayla Webley, a writer for Time, Webley feels that from a human standpoint forgiving student debt holds some appeal (2). Kayla Webley refers to Robert Applebaum who started a petition in 2009 with a petition of nearly 670,000 signatures. The comments from persons posting the petition are quoted as â€Å"guessing this will never happen but it can’t hurt to sign on† (1). Burdened with an estimated $88,000 in debt, Applebaum’s proposal isRead MoreIs Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good Idea?972 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea Many people would love to have their student loans debt forgive but do not believe it will happen. So Kayla Webley decided to write an article about student loan forgiveness, at the time Webley wrote the article she was the education correspondent for Time magazine. Now she is currently a staff writer for the same magazine. In her article, she claims that the student loan dilemma that is facing a lot of Americans is a problem for your countryRead MoreForgiving Student Loan Debt Essay examples822 Words   |  4 Pagesamount of student loan debt have an effect on the economy? If so would forgiving student loan debt help lower the national debt or would it just increase it? According to Mary Claire Fischer, a writer for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, â€Å"two-thirds of students who receive bachelor’s degrees leave college with debt in tow† (Fischer). Among these students, the average amount owed is twenty-six thousand dollars (Fischer). There is a six month grace period after graduation to allow the student timeRead MoreStudent Loan Is A Terrible Idea1308 Words   |  6 PagesStudent loan forgiveness is a terrible idea. Sure, in an idealistic world it would be great if the country could forgive all student loan debt and thus bring relief to all students across the nation. Realistic? Not necessarily! Instead of the fairytale notion of student loan forgiveness being the answer to all the problems, America would fair better in taking the initiative in making reforms to the educational loan system that are a bit more realistic. Student loans are a massive predicament in theRead MoreEssay on Student Loan Debt Should be Forgiven1256 Words   |  6 PagesDoes the amount of student loan debt have an effect on the economy? If so would forgiving student loan debt help lower the national debt or would it just increase it? According to Mary Claire Fischer, a writer for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, â€Å"two-thirds of stu dents who receive bachelor’s degrees leave college with an average debt of twenty-six thousand dollars† (Fischer). This means that the average student debt has doubled since 2007 (Ross 24). The total student loan debt is $1.2 trillionRead MoreStudent Loan Loans Should Not Be Forgiven938 Words   |  4 Pages Should student loan borrowers be forgiven for their debt? The cumulative total of student loan borrowing has already reached $1 trillion dollars already make up more than half of what Barack Obama is pushing to cap the amount any borrower must pay back and forgive outstanding debt after 20 years, even so calling to forgive some or all of the debt that is escalating. Robert Applebaum, the Author behind the Student Loan Forgiveness Act, believes that student loan should be forgiven to highlight anRead MoreIn The Short Essay, â€Å"Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt A Good807 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short essay, â€Å"Is Forgiving Student Loan Debt a Good Idea?† by Kaya Webley, she illustrates through validations that student debt is a problem, but Applebaum’s proposal brings about political and economic problems. One of her validations is that most people can afford their student loans. She also states that only a small handful of graduates leave school with an unbeara ble student debt. Webley touches upon programs that are already in place to help pay off college debt. Another one of her validationsRead MoreShould Student Loan Debt Be Forgiven?1344 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Student Loan Debt: Should We Forgive? EN1123 Most Americans would agree that higher education is important. Compared to years ago, when a high school education was acceptable in most jobs, a college degree is now required in the majority of positions. But what if you can’t afford to get a degree? What then? For many, student loans are the only way to finance one’s education. Paying out of pocket simply isn’t a reality for most, so they rely on state and national government to provide them theRead MoreStudent Loan Debt Has Become A National Problem With No Solution2311 Words   |  10 PagesIntroduction: According to CNN, â€Å"Almost 19% of student loan borrowers owe more than $50,000.Only 6% of borrowers had that much in 2001.† (Gillispe, 1). Why has student loan debt increased so much? Student Loan debt has become a national problem with no solution. Many students are borrowing more money to keep up with the rising cost of tuition in universities, leaving themselves with thousands of debt after graduation. Students after gaining this debt, have to find jobs to support it which can come

Kinetic sculptures; phenakistiscope Free Essays

Artwork creations consisting of continuous moving parts or sounds are examples of kinetic sculptures. Windmills, wheels, mobiles, lava lamps and water all may be considered kinetic sculptures. Paintings giving illusions of continuing into the unknown, such as towers leading and combining into another item of the painting use kinetic elements. We will write a custom essay sample on Kinetic sculptures; phenakistiscope or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sculptures containing motion are most commonly referred to as kinetic art. Artists use many scientific elements creating kinetic sculptures. Persistence of vision is a common element used in kinetic sculpturing. Persistence of vision means the human brain fills the blanks between sequential images seen in rapid succession creating an illusion of continuous motion† (Barsamian, July 3, 2006). Film, television and even stage acting adopt persistence of vision techniques making their productions come alive. Often art museums depend on outside affects such as lighting, strobe lights, external lighting, wall coloring and even other artwork to accent the kinetic sculptures. â€Å"Through the use or rotating mechanical armatures and synchronized strobe lights, three dimensional objects move horizontally and vertically and change their shapes in real time. The inspiration for this strange and wonderful world are animation techniques that predate the film such as the zoetrope, flip book and phenakistiscope, all of which are based on the persistence of vision, in other words, after image† (Barsamian, 2006). Moving kinetic sculptures originate with very simple lines, shapes, rectangles, and circles everyone learned before pre-K. Phenakistiscope is a spinning disk reflecting images. The wheel continuously spins as the viewer looks into slits of continuous moving reflections. The symbology of images is left up to what the viewer interprets, incorporating the persistence of vision concept. How to cite Kinetic sculptures; phenakistiscope, Papers

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Reform And Fundamental Change In The Political Essays - Texas

Reform and Fundamental Change in the Political Economy and Government of Texas The political economy and government of each state in the United States are different. James W. Lamare discusses Texas politics in his book Texas Politics: Economics, Power and Policy. In the last chapter of the book, Lamar discusses reform and fundamental change in the political economy and government of Texas. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss Lamare's view and give my own opinions of his views. Lamar argues that the economy of Texas is controlled by a relatively small number of corporations. Wealth is socially accepted as a sign of success. Many of the dominant businesses in Texas are economically interconnected. Also, he talks about elections in Texas and he says that substantive competition in elections is rarely found in Texas. This is why voter turn out is extremely low. Moreover, the organizational design of Texas government enhances the political power of well-organized interest groups. Also, Lamar remarks that the overall tax system in the state is very regressive (cutting more into income of middle- and lower-class than into the earnings of the wealthy.) However, people face high prices for petroleum products, electricity, and insurance. The state lacks strong unions, does not have full government protection for all employees, and assumes only limited responsibility for unemployed or injured workers. For these reasons, Texas businesses operate in a labor environment that allows maximization of profits. I believe that it is true that the economy of Texas is controlled by elite. People in Texas accept these small elites and support them because they think that these businesses provide more job opportunities. Also, I believe that voter turn out is extremely low; moreover, thinking about low voter turn out leads us to the fact that the majority of Texans are worker class. The lake of income makes it much harder for them to think about politics more than thinking about paying their bills and their life expenses. Consumer needs are getting more expensive every day, but the average salary has not increased as much as consumer needs even though Texas is a rich state compared to the other states because of the large amount of gas and petroleum it has. In Texas, people pay extremely high prices for gas, electricity, and insurance. It is true that people in Texas pay less for these products compared to other state but we don't look at it in this way. We need to look at it as how much profit a re those companies making. They are making much profit in Texas than they do in other states even those companies do not need to chip it far away from it's original source. Being a rich state is not helping people in any way. It is only enriching the rich and making the poor poorer because rich are making more profit and poor paying much more for products. More over, Texas workers are not fully protected by the government. The unemployment number has been increased lately and the number of poor kids in the state of Texas has been extremely increased. Indeed, businesses in Texas make a huge profit. Lamar suggests in his book that implications for political changes in Texas could be done by changing the close relationships between corporate and political power. There are two ways to change that. One involves a fundamental change in the economic system. The other is less extreme; it emphasizes opening the political system to more voices and interests, thereby making it more pluralistic. First, I agree with him on the first part. [We should change the economic system fundamentally to make the economic system more accessible for the people rather than strength the power of the political parties.] Therefore, we can open the political system to more voices and interests. We can reach our goals by dividing the big companies to small ones so that power can be controlled by average citizens. This will benefit all people and not only a few or another approach is to have business condoled by governmental bodies so all people can benefit from that profit. Lamar stated these changes are unlikely to occur for some reasons; most Texans are quite content with corporate control of their state's

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Portrait of Friederike Maria Beer essays

Portrait of Friederike Maria Beer essays In the portrait, I see many vivid colors, reds, yellows, greens, and blues mostly. The lines are very scattered. There are so many it is hard to follow, in places such as her dress, where there are heavy patterns. The texture is soft and blotchy, almost like a watercolor. The woman in the foreground is standing very still, and the people in the background are showing movement, as they are fighting. It is 2 dimensional. There are many shapes that are rounded, and soft. There are even flowers on the ground below the womans feet. It is like she is on a stage, with a small border around it. You see lots of circles. There are no obvious shadows, except some basic shading of the people to make them look dimensional. The lady in the center has on a wild outfit, which consists of several different colors, and shapes. Her puffy pants and heavy fur-trimmed coat contradict the green grass and spring flowers. Gustav Klimt painted this in 1916. This painting is oil on canvas, and approximately 168 x 130 cm. He is said to be living in Weissinbach at the time he painted this particular painting. Even though he moved around so much. It consists of a heavy woman in the foreground, and several fighting men in the background. The woman looks tired and unhappy. It seems that the men are of a different race than her. Maybe it symbolizes the war that was going on at that time. They are holding swords, shields, and have angry faces. I think that it serves the romantic perspective of art. It is very complicated, strange, mysterious, emotional, and rebellious. He uses repetition, which is the source of his splendid decorative effects. He was once described as a pornographer, because of the overly erotic content of many of his paintings. Klimt once said, I am more interested in other people, above all women. The artists intent was romanticism. His emphasis on ...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Laos Facts, History, and More

Laos Facts, History, and More Capital: Vientiane, 853,000 population Major cities: Savannakhet, 120,000; Pakse, 80,000; Luang Phrabang, 50,000; Thakhek, 35,000 Government Laos has a single-party communist government, in which the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the only legal political party. An eleven-member Politburo and a 61-member Central Committee make all laws and policies for the country. Since 1992, these policies have been rubber-stamped by an elected National Assembly, now boasting 132 members, all belonging to the LPRP. The head of state in Laos is the General Secretary and President, Choummaly Sayasone. Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong is the head of government. Population The Republic of Laos has approximately 6.5 million citizens, who are often divided according to altitude into lowland, Midland, and upland Laotians. The largest ethnic group is the Lao, who live mainly in the lowlands and makeup approximately 60% of the population. Other important groups include the Khmou, at 11%; the Hmong, at 8%; and more than 100 smaller ethnic groups that total about 20% of the population and comprise the so-called highland or mountain tribes. Ethnic Vietnamese also make up two percent. Languages Lao is the official language of Laos. It is a tonal language from the Tai language group that also includes Thai and the Shan language of Burma. Other local languages include Khmu, Hmong, Vietnamese and over 100 more. Major foreign languages in use are French, the colonial language, and English. Religion The predominant religion in Laos is Theravada Buddhism, which accounts for 67% of the population. About 30% also practice animism, in some cases alongside Buddhism. There are small populations of Christians (1.5%), Bahai and Muslims. Officially, of course, communist Laos is an atheistic state. Geography Laos has a total area of 236,800 square kilometers (91,429 square miles). It is the only land-locked country in Southeast Asia. Laos borders on Thailand to the southwest, Myanmar (Burma) and China to the northwest, Cambodia to the south, and Vietnam to the east. The modern western border is marked by the Mekong River, the regions major arterial river. There are two major plains in Laos, the Plain of Jars and the Plain of Vientiane. Otherwise, the country is mountainous, with only about four percent being arable land. The highest point in Laos is Phou Bia, at 2,819 meters (9,249 feet). The lowest point is the Mekong River at 70 meters (230 feet). Climate The climate of Laos is tropical and monsoonal. It has a rainy season from May to November, and a dry season from November to April. During the rains, an average of 1714 mm (67.5 inches) of precipitation falls. The average temperature is 26.5 °C (80 °F). Average temperatures over the year range from 34 °C (93 °F) in April to 17 °C (63 °F) in January. Economy Although the economy of Laos has grown at a healthy six to seven percent annually almost every year since 1986  when the communist government loosened central economic control and allowed private enterprise. Nonetheless, more than 75% of the workforce is employed in agriculture, despite the fact that only 4% of the land is arable. While the unemployment rate is only 2.5%, approximately 26% of the population live below the poverty line. Laoss primary export items are raw materials rather than manufactured goods: wood, coffee, tin, copper, and gold. The currency of Laos is the kip. As of July 2012, the exchange rate was $1 US 7,979 kip. History of Laos The early history of Laos is not well-recorded. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans inhabited what is now Laos at least 46,000 years ago, and that complex agricultural society existed there by about 4,000 BCE. Around 1,500 BCE, bronze-producing cultures developed, with complicated funeral customs including the use of burial jars such as those on the Plain of Jars. By 700 BCE, people in what is now Laos were manufacturing iron tools  and had cultural and trade contacts with the Chinese and Indians. In the fourth to eighth centuries CE, people on the banks of the Mekong River organized themselves into Muang, walled cities or petty kingdoms. The Muang were ruled by leaders who paid tribute to more powerful states around them. Populations included the Mon people of the Dvaravati kingdom and proto-Khmer peoples, as well as forebears of the mountain tribes. During this period, animism and Hinduism slowly mixed or gave way to Theravada Buddhism. The 1200s CE saw the arrival of ethnic Tai people, who developed small tribal states centered on semi-divine kings. In 1354, the kingdom of Lan Xang united the area that is now Laos, ruling until 1707, when the kingdom split into three. The successor states were Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak, all of which were tributaries of Siam. Vientiane also paid tribute to Vietnam.   In 1763, the Burmese invaded Laos, also conquering Ayutthaya (in Siam). A Siamese army under Taksin routed the Burmese in 1778, placing what is now Laos under more direct Siamese control. However, Annam (Vietnam) took power over Laos in 1795, holding it as a vassal until 1828. Laoss two powerful neighbors ended up fighting the Siamese-Vietnamese War of 1831-34 over control of the country. By 1850, the local rulers in Laos had to pay tribute to Siam, China, and Vietnam, although Siam exerted the most influence.   This complicated web of tributary relationships did not suit the French, who were accustomed to the European Westphalian system of nation-states with fixed borders. Having already seized control of Vietnam, the French next wanted to take Siam. As a preliminary step, they used Laoss tributary status with Vietnam as a pretext to seize Laos in 1890, with the intent of continuing on to Bangkok. However, the British wanted to preserve Siam as a buffer between French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) and the British colony of Burma (Myanmar).  Siam remained independent, while Laos fell under French imperialism. The French Protectorate of Laos lasted from its formal establishment in 1893 to 1950, when it was granted independence in name but not in fact by France. True independence came in 1954  when France withdrew after its humiliating defeat by the Vietnamese at Dien Bien Phu. Throughout the colonial era, France more or less neglected Laos, focusing on the more accessible colonies of Vietnam and Cambodia instead. At the Geneva Conference of 1954, the representatives of the Laotian government and of Laoss communist army, the Pathet Lao, acted more as observers than participants. As a sort of afterthought, Laos has designated a neutral country with a multi-party coalition government including Pathet Lao members. The Pathet Lao was supposed to disband as a military organization, but it refused to do so.  Just as troubling, the United States refused to ratify the Geneva Convention, afraid that communist governments in Southeast Asia would prove to correct the Domino Theory of spreading communism. Between independence and 1975, Laos was embroiled in a civil war that overlapped with the Vietnam War (American War). The famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, a vital supply line for the North Vietnamese, ran through Laos.  As the US war effort in Vietnam faltered and failed, the Pathet Lao gained an advantage over its non-communist foes in Laos. It gained control of the entire country in August  1975. Since then, Laos has been a communist nation with close ties to neighboring Vietnam and, to a lesser degree, China.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

The American Experience from 1865 to 1945 Assignment - 1

The American Experience from 1865 to 1945 - Assignment Example With the deprived agriculture in the South, the industrial North became powerful and dominate both politically and economically. Although the North played a vital role in slave freedom, the problem came in the readjustment of vanquished South and victorious North politically and economically. Reconstruction process which focused in states returned in full status passed in four stages such as the appointment of Andrew Johnson as president, Freedmen Bureau which was active in helping refugees, setting employment contract of freedmen. Thirdly, came Radical or Black Reconstruction whereby Republic coalition governed the states under President Ulysses Grant and in fourth stage Redeemer won political control in most states which made all federal troops withdraw, hence the collapse of Republican state governments. "Congressional Radicals strongly disagreed with Andrew Johnson over securing the place of African-Americans in American society." (J.W. Davidson, W.E. Gienapp, C.L. Heyrman, M.H. Lytle and M. B. Stoff, Nation of Nations, Vol I, Chapter 17, 2001). Moderate Republicans who fought for black rights were overpowered by Presidential vote in alliance with radicals.Reconstruction came to an end in 1868 after Rutherford B. Hayes elected as President who withdrew all federal troops which led to Southern states. Black Americans struggle did not end with the collapse of reconstruction, racism and white resistance took charge which led to the loss of land for some of Black American to white farmers. The vivid example is in 1878 when Benjamin Montgomery the first ex-slave to purchase land lost it to Jefferson Davis. White Southerners designed laws to keep blacks uneducated, propertyless but agricultural laboring class. Racism became rampant whereas in Jim Crow's legal codes segregate blacks from whites. The code forbade blacks from mingling with whites; furthermore, due to racism blacks could not compete and secure most jobs. The problem was aggravated by the lack of education and skills for most black Americans and no rights to the legal system. The black American struggle had undergone several obstacles and with the collapse of reconstruction, the philosophy of protecting black rights, subjected them into more racial segregations. Racial segregation did not recede, and despite the fact that male blacks were granted voting freedom, women were not allowed to do so. Blacks now were not permitted to board third class in the trains which were the main transportation after the war. Despite the good documentation of black struggle history in Nation and Nations book, such events were not mentioned. Supreme Courts passed laws that made blacks to have separate accommodations and not mingle with whites accommodations and public schools for blacks and whites.