Massage Therapy

Annotated Bibliography and Critique: Massage Therapy September 19th, 2012 Introduction The alternative therapy I chose to research was Massage therapy. The Oxford Dictionary of Psychology defines massage therapy as â€Å"manual manipulation of soft tissue to promote physical and mental health and well-being. Forms of massage therapy can be traced back to ancient Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hindu, and Japanese civilizations† (â€Å"massage therapy†, 2008).I chose to do this topic for my annotated bibliography because I am interested in learning more about the benefits of massage and to understand ways of healing pain and discomfort through touch and manual manipulation. I believe that massage therapy is not only helpful in the relief of pain and discomfort but also helps in the emotional maintenance of romantic relationships. Article One Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Rand omized controlled pilot study.Pediatricsinternational, 52, 378-385. The purpose of this randomized trial was to â€Å"investigate the efficacy of massage therapy on stable preterm VLBW infants in promoting motor development, weight gain, and earlier discharge from the hospital† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Ho et al. suggest that â€Å"it is generally accepted that infants at 32 weeks gestational age and beyond may benefit from massage therapy† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). This was a randomized controlled intervention pilot trial that studied infants whose gestational age was between 25 and 34 weeks with VLBW.Two types of massage interventions were performed on separate groups of infants for 15 minutes in duration. One intervention being 5 minutes of massage therapy with tactile stimulation in the first and third phases and physical activity phase in the second phase and the other therapy (sham treatment) consisted of gentle still touch producing no indentation in the ski n. Each treatment was done an hour after feedings. Daily caloric intake was recorded as well as bodyweight before intervention, at 36 weeks PCA, and after intervention.The results of this study were shown to be that out of the 24 infants that were involved, the â€Å"infants with poor initial motor performance had significantly more improvement in motor outcomes and shorter length of hospital stay following massage therapy than sham treatment† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 381) Article One Critique Strengths of this article were the thorough explanation of the therapies done with the infants. This allows for easy replication of the study should anyone try and implement these types of massage therapies in hospital NICU’s.This article also outlined implications for future research suggesting that a large sample size would be beneficial for another study to have more accurate results. The author’s use and interpretation of the evidence lead to the same conclusion as was gi ven in the conclusion. Appropriate methods to gather evidence was used and measurements were done at appropriate growth stages. I believe that the results of this study were congruent with what the conclusion stated in the end.Shortcomings of this article are stated within the article saying that â€Å"the effect of massage on preterm infants’ motor developmental outcomes thus remains uncertain, and a study with a more rigorous study design is warranted† (Ho et al. , 2010, p. 378). Excluding certain infants from the study I believe was also a short coming in this article. They limited infants that had maternal drug addictions, congenital abnormalities, and genetic disorders. This was a limitation to this study because it didn’t allow for results to show if massage therapy could benefit these types of conditions in newborns.Limiting infants such as ones with congenital abnormalities may have allowed the results to show better growth in the overall group. For futu re studies infants with conditions such as congenital abnormalities or maternal drug addiction could be included as a third subgroup for testing of massage therapy to see if the benefits of this alternative therapy aids in their growth and development. Article Two Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609- 616. A randomized study was done to examine the impact of massage therapy in older adults with persistent pain compared to persistent pain clients who have not sought out the use of alternative therapies such as massage therapy. This article suggests that â€Å"high rates of persistent and acute pain have been reported by users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including recipients of massage therapy (MT), with pain being the primary reason some adults utilize CAM treatments† (Munk et al. 2011, p. 609). Participants of this study were 60 – 92years from Lexington, Kentucky either from 500 randomly selected Feyette County voters or from surveys given out at massage therapy clinics. Surveys and questions were dispersed to each participant and answers were recorded. The results of this study were â€Å"mean annual income and years of education were significantly higher for those who utilized MT in the past year compared to those who did not indicate MT usage in the past year† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 611).Furthermore, â€Å"participants who utilized MT in the past year had significantly higher incomes, more years of education, and greater cumulative CAM usage than those who did not report massage usage† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 612). Article Two Critique The strengths of this article were that it suggested future studies to look into things such as policy change that would help with older adults being able to afford massage therapy or be covered under their benefits. Another strength of this artic le was that it lists its limitations, allowing future studies to build off of the limitations they had and continue with the study.Shortcomings of this article were that it didn’t talk much about the positives that older adults experience from massage therapy. I would have found it more beneficial to understand how older adults benefited from massage therapy in regards to their persistent pain. Another shortcoming of this article, as stated on page 609, is that â€Å"due to the limited existence of evidence-based studies, the benefits of MT are not well understood for older adults, especially in regards to pain† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 609).As well, a wider variety of patients could be used to see how different types of people or conditions could benefit from massage therapy. This article was limited to only the Kentucky population rather than a wider variety of people. With this study being centered around a survey and data analysis I feel that surveys could have been sent out worldwide to get a better understanding of massage therapy and its benefits on a wide variety of conditions. More shortcomings were that there was no real measure of pain or how long it lasted for in the participants.This makes me wonder about the authors’ conclusion of massage therapy being â€Å"associated with self-report of less limitation due to physical or emotional issues† (Munk et al. , 2011, p. 614). The last short coming of this article was that there was no actual controlled massage therapy taking place, rather it was just assumed through self reports that massage therapy aided in the management of persistent pain. Article Three Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography.The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732. The objective of this repeated-measures crossover experimen tal design study was to â€Å"determine the effect of therapeutic massage on peripheral blood flow (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 723). It is suggested that â€Å"MT may improve circulation to damaged or painful tissues, and thereby improve the delivery of metabolic fuels and gas in addition to accelerated waste removal†( Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). â€Å"Thus, massage treatment may improve tissue function and potentiate tissue repair by removing barriers to healing processes† (Yarar et al. 2010, p. 724). 17 volunteers were chosen for this study. â€Å"Using a blinded, randomized crossover design, each subject completed the control (C), light touch (LT) and massage (MT) conditions on 3 separate days, at least 1 week apart† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 724). The participants were then scanned by dynamic infrared thermography (DIRT) and anterior, posterior and lateral thermal images were taken. â€Å"The key finding of this investigation was that the MT condition produc ed significantly higher skin temperatures when compared to the control condition in five zones† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 27). â€Å"Importantly, significant changes were found in zones 9 and 13, areas adjacent to the massaged areas that did not receive massage treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 727-728). â€Å"These results suggest that a 20-minute MT protocol can increase skin temperature and peripheral blood perfusion to both the areas receiving massage treatment as well as areas adjacent to the treatment† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). â€Å"The second key finding in this investigation was that the LT condition did not differ significantly from the C condition† (Yarar et al. , 2010, p. 728). Article Three CritiqueThe strengths and shortcomings of this article were that it was, to me, very difficult to read with the abbreviations throughout. There was only one method used for measuring the temperature of the skin following massage treatment after a few different methods were mentioned in the beginning. The strengths were that it outlined the changes in every zone after treatment, making it clear what areas benefited from treatment. Much time was taken into the discussion part to better understand the results that came of this study. The graphs on pages 729 and 730 are a great way of showing readers the different affects each treatment had on the zones.The use of DIRT to measure the surface temperature without touching the skin was beneficial to this study because it does not require direct touch to the skin. This allows for accurate results because contact with the skin could possibly increase temperature readings. However, I think further study into other methods of taking temperature could have been done to have more options and a wider variety of results. Different variety of massage therapies, such as relaxation massage versus deep tissue massage, could bring about different results as well. Perhaps with deep tissue massage ar terial blood flow would be encouraged throughout the body.The final shortcoming of this article I thought to be the small sample size of 17 participants. However, results were rather accurate due to each participant experiencing each of the 3 treatment types. Application to health care I believe these articles are all applicable to health care because each one is related to a type of condition or illness that could benefit from massage therapy. Low birth weight infants are born every day and finding an alternative therapy to helping with growth and development would help in reducing medical costs and helps in shortening hospital stays for the families affected.Aging adults are often affected by persistent pain from ware on their bones and joints. As an alternative of using harsh prescription medications, massage therapy would help with medical costs as well as lessen the complications and undesirable side effects that come with taking pills all the time. And lastly, massage therapy being used to help with peripheral blood flow to areas that may have little to no circulation can help with lessoning the chance of DVTs, decrease medical costs and improve healing time. ConclusionIn conclusion, massage therapy is effective in helping low birth weight babies with gaining weight and having shorter hospital stays as well as improvement in management of persistent pain and increase in peripheral blood flow. More studies could be done in regards to other positive effects that massage therapy has such as, mental and emotional health and well being. The articles reviewed in this annotated bibliography showed that very low-birth weight infants can benefit from massage in regards to promoting motor development and weight gain.Massage therapy in older adults experiencing persistent pain, according to self reported findings, improves limitation due to physical or emotional issues. And therapeutic massage helps with increased surface temperature aiding in peripheral blood flow . References Ho, Y. , Lee, R. , Chow, C. , & Pang, M. (2010). Impact of massage therapy on motor outcomes in very low-birthweight infants: Randomized controlled pilot study. Pediatrics international, 52, 378-385. Massage therapy. (2008). In A. Colman (Ed. ), A Dictionary of Psychology (3rd ed. ). Retrieved from http://library. troyal. ca:2139/view/10. 1093/acref/9780199534067. 001. 0001/acref- 9780199534067-e-9168? rskey=9C7gUq&result=1&q=massage%20therapy Munk, N. , Kruger, T. , & Zanjani, F. (2011). Massage therapy usage and reported health in older adults. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 17(7), 609-616. Sefton, J. , Yarar, C. , Berry, J. , & Pascoe, D. (2010). Therapeutic massage of the neck and shoulders produces changes in peripheral blood flow when assessed with dynamic infrared thermography. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 16(7), 723-732.

Successful Public Relations Campaigns

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Urban American Indian Youth Essay Example for Free

Urban American Indian Youth Essay Abstract This study focused on how a non-targeted group minority youth might or might not benefit from a prevention intervention focused on other cultural groups. The study specifically evaluated the effects of an evidence-based drug prevention curriculum with a sample of urban American Indian youth in the southwest U. S. , most of whom self-reported multi-ethnic heritages. This research examined the developmental trajectory of drug use for these youth, and compared it with the trajectory of youth from other racial/ethnic groups at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and two follow up time periods. Results indicated that alcohol and marijuana use increased from pre-intervention across subsequent time periods for all youth. The drug use of the American Indian youth in the treatment group increased on certain measures. They reported a steeper trajectory in the amount and frequency of alcohol and marijuana use compared to the youths in the treatment groups with other racial/ethnic identifications. Implications of these findings for the development of culturally grounded prevention programs for multi-ethnic, urban American Indian youth are discussed. Culturally specific, school-based drug prevention programs have been receiving increased attention in recent years. These programs are based on the premise that infusing youths culture into the content and format of the prevention message will reduce adolescent drug use (Kandel 1995). One such program, Keepin it R. E. A. L. , has achieved this by creating the curriculum from the developmental and cultural realities of Mexican American youth from the southwest United States (Gosin et al. 2003). To date, the program has been developed for and evaluated with primarily Mexican American youth (Kulis et al. 2005). Research has assessed the differences in program effectiveness by acculturation level among Mexican/Mexican Americans (Marsiglia et al. 2005) but has not closely examined the residual effects of this program among other minority youth populations (i. e. , the programs effects on non-targeted minority youth populations). In what ways might this program impact the drug use of minority youth who are not Mexican American? How might these effects compare with the treatment effects of the program for Mexican American and European American youth? Drug Prevention Programming for American Indian Youth There have been substantial efforts in recent years toward the development of drug prevention programs focused on American Indian youth. For example, Marlatt et al. (2003) described the development of the Journeys of the Circle Project, which is a culturally congruent life skills course targeted toward Northwestern American Indian youth. Similarly, Schinke et al. (2000) implemented and evaluated a culturally tailored life skills intervention with American Indian youth from 10 reservations in North and South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, and Oklahoma. Aside from the research conducted by Schinke and colleagues, however, the majority of prevention efforts with American Indian youth have not been rigorously evaluated for efficacy (Beauvais and Trimble 2003; Hawkins et al. 2004). Beauvais and Trimble stated that most of the prevention research with American Indian youth has focused largely on commentary and recommendations and not on the science of prevention (p. 397). However, while there are relatively few evaluation studies focused specifically on drug use and American Indian youth, there have been ongoing efforts related to culturally specific drug prevention programs for minority youth in general. Related to this research is the debate as to whether prevention programs need to be culturally grounded, that is, developed from the cultural values and variability inherent within each culture, or if they can be culturally adapted, that is, modified from universal prevention programs originally developed for non-Hispanic European American populations (Hecht et al.2003). Each of these approaches has implications toward the fidelity and fit of prevention interventions (Castro et al. 2004). Further, culturally focused prevention curricula range in ethnic specificity; some are highly specific (e. g. , Hecht et al. 2003) while others are more broadly targeted for minority youth (e. g. , Botvin et al. 1997). In sum, there is much left to learn about the degree of cultural specificity required for positive prevention effects with minority youth. The Keepin it R. E. A. L. Curriculum Keepin it R. E. A. L. is a culturally grounded, video-enhanced prevention intervention that was developed and normed from the narratives of Latino, African American, and Euro American youth (Gosin et al. 2003), and validated with teacher and student feedback (Gosin et al. 2003. ; Harthun et al. 2002). It has been identified as a Model Program by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; U. S. Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS] n. d. ), which is a designation given by the organization to effective programs that have been evaluated using rigorous standards of research. The 10-lesson curriculum was designed for use with middle school students (6th, 7th, and 8th graders), and draws from a variety of theoretical frameworks, such as communication competence theory (Spitzberg and Cupach 1984) and ecological risk and resiliency theory (Bogenschneider 1996). The curriculum situates these frameworks within the unique geographic and cultural contexts of Latino, African American, and European American youth in the southwest United States. The primary focus of the program is on teaching drug resistance skills using four strategies: refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (Hecht et al.2003). Refuse consists of statements of saying no to substance use offers, while explain consists of more elaborate reasons for refusing these offers. Avoid refers to avoiding situations where drugs and alcohol might be present, and leave refers to leaving the environment once the youth encounters substance use (Hecht et al. 2003). The cultural specificity of the program components is based on prior research, which found ethnic differences in common communication styles, competencies, and norms (Hecht and Ribeau 1984; Hecht et al.1990) and drug use contexts (Gosin et al. 2003). Based on this research, three versions of the curriculum have been developed: 1) A Latino version, which primarily reflects Mexican American and Mexican values (e. g. , familismo, or family orientation), 2) A Non-Latino version, grounded primarily in European American and African American values, and 3) A Multicultural version, which combines half of the lessons from the Latino version and half of the lessons from the non-Latino version (Hecht et al.2003; Kulis et al. 2005). An example of an objective from the Latino version of the curriculum is for the student to recognize what he/she does affects his/her community, group, and family, while an objective from the Non-Latino version is for the student to recognize what he/she does may have favorable or unfavorable consequences on his/her own future goals (Gosin et al. 2003, p. 128). The in-class curriculum was supplemented with a media campaign, consisting of television, radio, and billboard advertisements that reinforced the four strategies (refuse, explain, avoid, and leave) and follow-up booster activities such as school assemblies, poster projects, murals, and essay contests (Kulis et al. 2005). Research evaluating the curriculum found that the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana increased over time for students who received any version of the intervention and students in the control group; however, the increase was significantly less for students in the intervention group (Hecht et al.2003). This effect was particularly salient for alcohol use (Gosin et al. 2003; Hecht et al. 2003). Further, the intervention students perceived significantly smaller increases in their peers substance use compared with those in the control group (DHHS n. d. ; Hecht et al. 2003). Past research suggests differential effects of each version of the program, with the Latino and Multicultural versions of the intervention providing more benefits to Mexican/Mexican American students (Gosin et al.2003; Kulis et al. 2005) and the overall sample (Hecht et al. 2003). However, while versions of the curriculum that incorporated aspects of culture (the Latino and Multicultural Versions) were found to impact a wider array of substance use and attitudinal outcomes in the desirable direction than did the Non-Latino version, tests of strict cultural matching of program content with the students racial/ethnic backgrounds did not produce statistically significant differences (Hecht et al.2003; Kulis et al. 2005). In other words, these studies did not find that Mexican/Mexican American students receiving the Latino version of the curriculum demonstrated better overall outcomes than those receiving other versions of the curriculum. This finding is significant, because it provides support for prevention programs that broadly target minority youth, rather than those that are ethnic-specific. Subsequently, the strength of culturally grounded prevention programs may lie in their ability to reflect regionally-specific multicultural environments, rather than specific ethnic groups. In order to examine this hypothesis, we chose to examine the programs efficacy with another predominant minority cultural group in the southwest U. S. To date, no studies of Keepin it R. E. A. L. have examined the residual effects of the program among youth who were not Latino, African American, or Euro American. Perhaps this programs strength lies in its ability to integrate multiculturalism into drug prevention, defined as the inclusion of cultural values from all groups participating in the prevention program (Green 1999), rather than its cultural specificity related to drug use prevention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the curriculum on urban American Indian youth of the southwest in order to examine this hypothesis more closely. The study presented here involved a reanalysis of data that was previously reported (Gosin et al.2003; Hecht et al. 2003; Kulis, et al. 2005; Marsiglia et al. 2005). However, this study differs from previous studies because it tests the generalizability of the culturally enhanced versions of the curriculum with American Indian youth. This is accomplished through the use of growth curve modeling to examine the developmental trajectory of drug use among youth who participated in Keepin it R. E. A. L. While previous evaluations of the Keepin it R. E. A. L. curriculum support its efficacy with specific groups of racial/ethnic adolescents (Hecht et al. 2003; Kulis et al.2005; Marsiglia et al. 2005), the current study suggests that the program may have limited effectiveness in curbing the drug use of American Indian youth. Despite the current studys limitations, our findings have implications for the development of culturally grounded prevention programs in schools, reservation, and non-reservation communities for American Indian youth and for other minority youth populations. Our findings suggest that American Indian youth may require drug prevention curricula that are specific to their developmental and cultural realities. In order to effectively address drug use among American Indian youth, prevention researchers and specialists may need to focus on creating and/or modifying drug prevention programs in order to address the daily traditions, cultures, and values of American Indian youth. References 1. Beauvais, F. , Trimble, J. E. (Beauvais, F. , Trimble, J. E. (2003). The effectiveness of alcohol and drug abuse prevention among American-Indian youth. In Z. Sloboda W. J. Bukoski (Eds. ), Handbook of drug abuse prevention: Theory, science, and practice (pp. 393-410). New York: Kluwer. 2. Botvin, G. J. , Epstein, J. A. , Baker, E., Diaz, T. , Ifill-Williams, M. (1997). School-based drug abuse prevention with inner-city minority youth. Journal of Child Adolescent Substance Abuse, 6, 5-19. 3. Castro, F. G. , Barrera, M. , Martinez, C. R. (2004). The cultural adaptation of prevention interventions: Resolving tensions between fidelity and fit. Prevention Science, 5, 41-45. 4. Hecht, M. L. , Marsiglia, F. F. , Elek, E. , Wagstaff, D. A. , Kulis, S. , Dustman, P. , Miller-Day, M. (2003). Culturally grounded substance use prevention: An evaluation of the keepin it R. E. A. L. curriculum. Prevention Science, 4, 233-248. 5. Kandel, D. B. (1995). Ethnic differences in drug use: Patterns, paradoxes. In G. J. Botvin, S. Schinke, M. A. Orlandi (Eds. ), Drug abuse prevention with multiethnic youth (pp. 81-104). Thousand Oaks: Sage. 6. Gosin, M. , Marsiglia, F. F. , Hecht, M. L. (2003). keepinit R. E. A. L. : A drug resistance curriculum tailored to the strengths and needs of pre-adolescents of the southwest. Journal of Drug Education, 33, 119-142. 7. Kulis, S. , Marsiglia, F. F. , Elek, E. , Dustman, P. , Wagstaff, D. A. , Hecht, M. L. (2005). Mexican/Mexican American adolescents and keepin in R. E. A. L. : An evidence-based, substance use prevention program. Children and Schools, 27, 133-145. 8. Marlatt, G. A. , Larimer, M. E. , Mail, P. D. , Hawkins, E. H. , Cummins, L. H. , Blume, A. W. , et al. (2003). Journeys of the circle: A culturally congruent life skills intervention for adolescent Indian drinking. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 27, 1-3. 9. Schinke, S. P. , Orlandi, M. A. , Botvin, G. J. , Gilchrist, L. D. , Trimble, J. E. , Locklear, V. S. (1988). Preventing substance abuse among American Indian adolescents: A bicultural competence skills approach. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35, 87-90. 1. 1. Beauvais, F. , Trimble, J. E.

The Emergence Of The Psychedelic Experience Music Essay

The Emergence Of The Psychedelic Experience Music Essay When someone hears the word psychedelic, many different things come to mind. Certain drugs, bands, styles, genres, and art work can all be considered psychedelic; but what does that mean? The word psychedelic comes from a Greek word meaning soul-manifesting and in a way, it kind of makes sense. Many people believe that when they have a psychedelic experience, they learn things about themselves and their minds that they never knew before that may awaken their soul. What one would consider a psychedelic experience most often includes hallucinations, changes in perception, mysticism, and a heightening of the senses. These experiences open and expand the depths of the mind in creative and sometimes frightening ways. However, it is hard to deny the impact that psychedelic drugs had on some of the most popular music in American culture. Psychedelic music was created to mimic the experiences one would have on a psychedelic drug with the unique use of sounds, lights, and lyrics. Psychedelic music emerged in the 1960s when jazz, blues, rock, and folk musicians began experimenting with many psychedelic drugs such as LSD (acid), salvia, magic mushrooms, ecstasy, and other less common Psychedelics. Due to the massive influence of peace Salamone 2 and love in the sixties, the music that reflected this attitude had an enormous impact on the culture. Everyone began protesting, giving speeches, holding anti-war seminars, and using drugs. When it came to the music that everyone listened to, it was all part of the psychedelic genre. The psychedelic vibe began to take off in the folk scene when a band called the 13th Floor Elevators started advertising themselves as a Psychedelic rock band in 1965. After this happened, many other bands and musicians started using the term to describe themselves and their music. The Beatles, The Byrds, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin are just a few of the names that made hit songs and albums that were at the top of the charts not only in this genre of music, but in popular music all over the country. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour and Jimi Hendrixs Are You Experienced? are just two primary examples of the impact psychedelics had on a couple of the most recognized musicians at the time an d who are even considered legends in music today. Towards the 1970s, psychedelic music began to go downhill with LSD becoming illegal in the late 1960s. However, it was not too long after this that it started to become popular again. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the music started to rise for a second time. Although the music still was not as big as it was when it first emerged in the 1960s, it was still the music of choice by many musicians and listeners. Psychedelic music has many distinct characteristics that make it significantly different from any other genre in music. Songs are usually very long and strung out with many instrumental solos that can make it unclear when a song starts and ends. It is not uncommon for a song to turn into a twenty-minute jam session on stage. Like jazz, psychedelic music often uses a lot of improvisation. The music that these bands play can be looked at as more of an experience than an actual song, so the typical verse-chorus form is not used very often. Psychedelic music Salamone 3 has very complex song structures, key and time signature changes, and melodies. While many of these bands only use standard instruments like the guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums, they use unique effects to make them sound psychedelic. Other bands incorporate exotic instrumentation like the sitar and table; just to name a couple of examples. Guitarists in these types of bands do not stand on stage and strum chords; rather they use feedback and fuzz boxes to play the guitar in less common ways. They use studio effects such as panning, phasing, and long delay loops. More often than not, while the musicians are playing, they have a light show going on either behind them or throughout the entire room. These light shows include various bright colors that change shape and color, enhancing the feel of the psychedelic experience. Ever since music began recording, the music industry and drugs have gone hand in hand. It is not uncommon for your favorite musician or artist to have experimented with psychedelics or any other form of drug. In fact, the majority of the popular music today is based on the use of drugs even when most people do not realize it. Music throughout history has always been heavily influenced by the trends and politics that were relevant at the time the music was created. It has always been used as a way to tell stories about what is going on in its time and the 1960s were no exception to this trend. With all of the protests, demonstrations, and anti-war organizations in the sixties, it is no wonder people started to turn to music and drugs to ease the pain of knowing the tragedies that were going on in Vietnam. Like other musical genres, psychedelic music has represented an era in history that has given us a good idea about what our culture was in the 1960s. Economics, politics, and the lif e styles of the people at this time, were all shown in this unique style of music. Because of this, music has always been an art form that teaches us more about history, the world around us, and more importantly, it teaches us about ourselves. Salamone 4 (Part 2) On February 12th, I decided to go see my friend Zacs band, Genius Christ, play for the first time at The Lighthouse Lounge in Phoenixville. Before they even started playing, I could tell that they were a psychedelic band because of the lightshow that they had set up before coming out on stage. All of the walls near the stage were covered with large white cloths so that it was easy to see the pictures and designs of the light show. The room was all dark except for the colors coming from the projector. They had music hooked up to big speakers from an iPod that sounded very mystical before they came out on stage. When they finally came out and started playing their first song, it was called Falling Asleep on LSD. Their first song lasted at least seven minutes long and had a lot of cool, trippy effects and solos just like the rest of the songs that they played afterwards. Each song had its own distinct whimsical feel to it and made me feel like I was in a dream. Genius Christ consists of a bass player, drummer, keyboardist, saxophone player, and a guitarist who is also the vocalist. The vocalists singing style varied not only from song to song, but throughout each song as well. In one of the songs that they played, the vocalist began singing normally, then started screaming, and then started rapping toward the end of the song. The bass player and the keyboardist used many unique techniques to play their instruments, while the drummer just seemed to play very lightly. Salamone 5 At the end of their performance, they started handing out CDs to everyone in the audience and told us about their next few shows that were coming up. Overall, the experience was awesome. All of the musicians were extremely talented and their solos were complex and exceptional. I was very impressed with the entire show that they put on. Their concert was not like every other concert that I usually go to. It was not a typical rock show where the lyrics are predictable and the musical talent consists of a basic chord progression. They became my favorite band after this performance.

Issues Related To Household Expenditures And Consumption Economics Essay

Issues Related To Household Expenditures And Consumption Economics Essay Introduction With economic and social progression of the nation the minimal basket of basic human needs which a society would expect for its citizen may be expected to keep expanding. These changes in the basic needs of the society may be affordable by the level of income. The level of income of the households ensures the minimum standard of living in the society. Household income and consumption expenditure are two direct monetary measures used in assessing the economic well-being of a population. However, consumption expenditure is pre ­ferred to income as it reflects long-term economic status of the household, particularly in low income countries (Friedman 1957). It is important to note however that expenditures are not similar with income, which may even be a better indicator of well-being, for various reasons. Among them is the possibility of consumption without expenditures at least within the same period. According to Atkinson, (1998), Expenditures are thus supposed to better reflect long-term or permanent income and are from this point of view considered to be a better measure of economic well-being and respective inequalities. Besides, in developing countries, income estimates are under-reported, drawn from multiple sources and vary across seasons. Though the consumption expenditure data are collected in many developing countries including India, the process is time-consuming, expensive and needs adjustment for household size, composition and for price level. Owing to these difficulties, the economic proxies (consumer durables, housing quality and household amenities) are collected to measure the economic sta ­tus of the households in both small-and large-scale population-based surveys. In the context of the growth performance during these two decades, economists and policymakers have become interested in the trends in regional inequality during this period. Rising regional inequality can create economic, social and political problems for any country. For the Indian economy, it has serious ramification for the continuation of the reform process. Hence, it is of utmost importance to understand the regional disparity in terms of consumption expenditure on consumer durables, housing quality and household amenities of the economy. Household expenditures as they result from budget limitations at the one hand and choices based on needs, demand, preferences etc. on the other may be regarded as manifestations of economic and social inequalities as well as cultural differences and social distinctions. Studying the patterns, disparities and determinants of household expenditures and their changes across time by making use of large scale population surveys thus seem to be promising in various respects. At a most general level it may provide insights into general consumption behaviour as a major source of human well-being and respective choices and restrictions. Investigating household expenditures and consumption patterns is considered to be key for the monitoring and explanation of inequalities and changes in material living standards and general welfare. Studying expenditures and consumption behaviour of households also seems to be an important and promising strategy to extend and supplement mainstream approaches of studying inequality as a key topic of sociological and economic research. As one would expect, research on household expenditures and consumption is much more common and popular among economists and looks back to a long tradition in economics (Stigler, 1954). This issue was also addressed by Houthakker (1957) as early as in the 1950s. The issues related to household expenditures and consumption have been disregarded in sociology and particularly empirical sociological research to a large degree, although family and household budget data frequently used for empirical study in the early days. Some observers and commentators of developments in sociological research thus conclude that consumption has been strongly neglected in sociological research (Rosenkranz and Schneider, 2000). Thus it is an area which needs greater attention to be paid. Although there is a long history of research on patterns of household expenditures and their changes across time, which goes back to the 19th century and the famous work by Ernst Engel and others, these questions have attracted surprisingly little attention in recent years. Blacklow and Ray, (2000) in their paper compare, using Australian unit record data, income and expenditure inequalities over the period 1975-76 to 1993-94. The study finds inconsistencies between the two inequality movements over much of this period. They, also, observe differences in the nature of income and consumption disparities. Bà ¶genhold and Fachinger, (2000) used repeated cross sectional data (RCS) in their empirical analysis which is based on the West German Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) in 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988 and 1993. The results revealed that the relationship between income and expenditure is given but it is weak. All in all, the social organisation of consumption is a research object in itself to obtain information about the living standard of individuals and households. Zaidi and Klass (2001) in their study on poverty and inequality in developed countries focus on income. This paper presents trends in consumption-based poverty and inequality in nine member countries of the European Union. During the 1980s, both poverty and inequality increased in Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium, while decreases in both poverty and inequality are observed for Spain and Portugal. In Greece only inequality increased. Dhawan-Biswal, (2002) measure inequality in Canada with a comprehensive look at inequality trends in Atlantic Canada during the period 1969 to 19966. They use consumption expenditure as a measure of family well being and compare it with the income based measure of well being. Overall consumption inequality has continuously been lower in Atlantic Canada in comparison to the rest of Canada. Meyer and Sullivan, (2003) found in their study that it is fairly compelling that most households can more easily report income. They suggested that use consumption to supplement income in analyses of poverty whenever possible. Kalwij and Salverda, (2004) examine in detail the changes in household expenditures patterns, and in particular services related expenditures, in the Netherlands over the years 1979, 1989 and 1998. Using Engel curve estimations, these changes are related to changes in household demographics, employment, the budget and relative prices. They find that the dominating changes in demand are decreasing shares of expenditures on food and clothing and an increasing share of expenditures on housing. Decrease in food expenditures is for a large part explained by changes in household characteristics and the budget and about a third is a price effect. The increase in housing expenditures share is predominantly a price effect. Blow, Leicester and Oldfield (2004) examined how and why has the way in which the average British family spends its money changed over the past 25 years by using data from the UK FES between 1975 and 1999. It looks not only at broad changes in total spending, but also at how the division of expenditure between basics and non-basics and between durable goods, non-durable goods and services has altered over time. Johnson, Smeeding and Torrey (2005) used the period 1981 and 2001, to measure economic inequality among groups in the general population in the United States. Two measures of income and consumption are used to gauge relative well-being. Households with children are at a disadvantage, relative to the general population through both prisms. And households with children are the only group whose distribution of consumption was relatively more unequal than their distribution of disposable income throughout the 1981-2001 period studied. Comparison with the general population is a zero-sum game where households with children are relatively less well off, regardless of whether disposable income or consumption is used as the resource measure. Brewer, Goodman, and Leicester, (2006) in their study on Household spending in Britain by using 30 years of data from household surveys conclude that although there has been much recent emphasis on the advantages of measures of household expenditures in assessing household welfare in more academic circles, this has yet to work its way into the mainstream poverty measurement debate. This study shows the trends in poverty in Britain since the 1970s when household expenditure is used as a measure of financial well-being, rather than household income and investigates how using spending, rather than income, as a measure of well-being alters our view of who is poor. It examines the spending levels of the lowest-income households and analyses whether low-income pensioners spending on basic and non-basic items increased as a result of the large increases in entitlements to means-tested benefits since 1999. Zhang, Xie and Zhou, (2009) studied the disparity of consumption expenditure among rural areas in China by principle and method of cluster analysis. Results showed that income and consumption expenditure of 31 districts, cities and provinces could be divided into 5 classes of income and consumption. Shanghai City was the only city rated as the first-class areas with highest income and consumption. Bhattacharya and Mahalanobis (1967) had decomposed the Gini-coefficient and the standard deviation of logarithms for the year 1957-58 based on the household consumer expenditure survey data of India and found that one-quarter of the total inequality was being explained by between-state inequality and the remaining three-quarters was explained by the within-state inequality. Paul, (1988) studied the importance of household composition in the analysis of inequality measurement based on the National Sample Survey data (25th round). The results for rural Punjab reveal that the ranking of households by per equivalent adult consumption expenditure (PEAE) differs significantly from the ranking by per capita consumption expenditure (PCE). Many households classified as poor according to the criterion of PCE are not so classified by the criterion of PEAE. The exercise also reveals that the distribution of HCE, if not adjusted for household size and composition effects, gives biased measures of the extent of true inequality. Jain and Tendulkar (1989) in their paper deduces the analytical conditions for the movements in the same or in the opposite direction of the real and the nominal relative disparity in cereal consumption consequent upon the differential movements in the prices of cereals faced by the bottom and the top fractile groups of the population. These conditions are used for interpreting the movements in the real and the nominal relative disparity with reference to the Indian rural population over the period from 1953 to 1978. Datt and Ravallion, (1990) argued that the costs and the benefits of regional policies will tend to be borne widely within regions. Some benefits are likely to leak to the nonpoor in recipient regions, and some costs to the poor in donor regions. The paper suggests that the quantitative potential for alleviating national poverty through purely regional redistributive policies is small. Even assuming no political problems, the maximum impact on poverty is nomore than could be achieved simply by giving everyone a uniform (untargeted) windfall gain equal to about 1.5 percent of Indias mean consumption. And other considerations including increased migration to areas of higher benefits make it unlikely that the maximum impact will be attained in practice. Greater alleviation of poverty requires supplementary interventions that reach the poor within regions, by reducing the costs borne by the poor in donor regions and enhancing benefits to the poor in recipient regions. Mishra and Parikh (1992) in their paper measured household consumer expenditure inequalities in India by regions (states) and sectors (urban-rural) for the years 1977-78 and 1983 based on the National Sample Survey data. The results consistently indicate that the inequality within states contributes much more towards national inequality and within-sector inequality explains a large part of state level inequality. The inequality at state levels has shown a decline from 1977-78 to 1983 due to a better monsoon season in 1983, and anti-poverty programmes. Dubey and Gangopadhyay (1998) in their analytical report mention intra-state disparities by using NSSO consumption income data set. There are several states in India where the incidence of poverty across regions within a state is very high. They reported for seven regions of Madhya Pradesh, poverty incidence varied from one of the lowest in the country in the western region to one of the highest in the eastern region. Deaton and Dreze (2002) in their paper presents a new set of integrated poverty and inequality estimates for India and Indian states for 1987-88, 1993-94 and 1999-2000. The poverty estimates are broadly consistent with independent evidence on per capita expenditure, state domestic product and real agricultural wages. They show that poverty decline in the 1990s proceeded more or less in line with earlier trends. Regional disparities increased in the 1990s, with the southern and western regions doing much better than the northern and eastern regions. Economic inequality also increased within states, especially within urban areas, and between urban and rural areas. They also examine other development indicators, relating for instance to health and education. Most indicators have continued to improve in the nineties, but social progress has followed very diverse patterns, ranging from accelerated progress in some fields to slow down and even regression in others. Gaiha, Thapa, Imai and Kulkarni (2007) in their analysis of the 61st round of the NSS for 2004-05 confirms higher incidence and intensity of poverty among the STs and SCs, relative to non-ST/SC (Others). A decomposition of poverty gap suggests that a large part of the gap between the ST and Others is due to differences in returns or structural differences while among the SCs it is due largely to differences in characteristics or endowments. Whether these structural differences are a reflection of current discrimination is far from self-evident, given the important role of personal identity in determining performance. The policy design therefore cannot be limited to enhancing the endowments of the STs, SCs and other disadvantaged groups. Dubey (2009) examine the interstate disparity in five states in India i.e. Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Orissa and Punjab by using NSSO data of 50th round and 61st round. He used three indicators, consumption, inequality and incidence of poverty. Highest level of disparity emerged in Punjab followed by Gujarat and Kerala. Haryana has least disparities only marginally lower than that in Orissa. Singh (2010), in her study examined and analysed the disparities in level of living as measured by monthly per capita consumption expenditure across different income groups in various states in India based on 61st round survey of NSSO. Various measures like gini coefficient and rank for the states in rural and urban areas has been calculated. Disparities in MPCE across income groups are observed in Punjab. Srivastava and Mohanty (2010) in their study used data from the World Health Survey, India, 2003, covering a nationally representative sample of 10,750 households and 9,994 adults, examines the extent of agreement of monthly per capita consumption expenditure and economic proxies (combined with the wealth index) with the differentials in health estimates. Cain, Rana, Rhoda and Tandon, (2010) utilise household-level consumption expenditure data to examine the evolution of inequality during 1983-2004 in India. Various measures of inequality show that inequality levels were relatively stable during 1983-93, but increased during 1993-2004. The increases in inequality have not precluded reductions in poverty, however. They are also more of an urban phenomenon and can be accounted for by increases in returns to education in the urban sector to a considerable extent, especially among households that rely on income from education-intensive services and/or education-intensive occupations. Significance of the study The National Human Development Report 2001 for India (2002) reveals vast differences in human development and poverty between the States of India in 1981. The report notes that At the state level, there are wide disparities in the level of human development. (NHDR 2002, page 4). The report also notes that disparities amongst the States with respect to human poverty are quite striking. Socio-economic disparities across the regions and intra-regional disparities among different segments of the society have been the major plank for adopting planning process in India since independence. Even after its impressive performance in the field of science, technology and agriculture during the last three or four decades, a vast majority of Indians are facing the problems of poverty. They are denied even the basic needs of human life like food, safe drinking water, shelter, health, education etc., and are forced to live in a degraded social and physical environment. According to the 61st NSS, the proportion of persons living below poverty line was estimated at 27.5%3 (i.e., more than 315 million people). But, about one third of the population lives under the poverty line of $1 a day, and out of them three in four poor people live in rural areas. Thus, poverty in India is most widespread in the rural areas. Despite a vast range of poverty eradication programmes and several measures adopted in this regard, even after more than 60 years of Independence the situation is still very critical. In recent years, some significant changes have occurred in the poverty alleviation strategy. The Government of India has launched various programmes, such as NAREGA, MNAREGA, Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM), Development of Women and Children in Rural Area (DWCRA), Wage Employment Programme, National Rural Employment Programme, Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, etc., for the alleviation of poverty. Further, these programmes are now the responsibility of the local bodies (Panchayati Raj institutions) that are expected to improve their performance. But despite all the rigorous efforts, the desired results could not be achieved and considerable level of regional disparities remained in the society. The Structure Adjustment Programme of economic reform s since 1991 with stabilisation and deregulation policies as their central pieces seems to have further widened the regional disparities. Sen 2002 rightly observed that, the real concern of the so called anti-globalization protesters is surely not globalization per se, for these protests are amongst the most seem to stem in large part from the continuing deprivations and rising disparities in level of livings that they see in current period of globalization. Liberalisation had resulted in the rich becoming richer and the poor, poorer. No State actually got poorer in terms of falling per capita income but the interstate inequality certainly increased  [1]  . The seriousness of the emerging acute regional imbalances has not yet received the public attention it deserves. On the basis of above it can be understood that no significant study has been found in the area of disparity in household consumption expenditure for the period 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 by using NSSO unit level data in India. The NSSO has been collecting data on consumption expenditure on a regular basis for over four decades. Along with other infor ­mation, it collects detailed information on food and non-food items in a reference period. While majority of the studies happen to be at macro level, this study is a more specific analysis in micro frame by using unit level data household survey conducted by NSSO in India. It is able to lay stress on certain vital issues that needed a more serious discussion. To large extent, the study can be regarded as pioneering one. Objective of the study: The major objectives of the study are as follows: To know the expenditure structures and consumption patterns To know the level of disparity in household consumer expenditure in Indian society. To know the level of disparity in household consumer expenditure in various regions (states) and sectors (urban-rural) in the society. To know the difference in levels and patterns of household consumer expenditure and across socio-economic groups i.e. caste, religion and family structure in the society. To know the difference in levels and patterns of food and non-food expenditure of across socio-economic groups i.e. caste, religion and family structure in the society. Methodology Data: Collecting consumption expenditure data is not new in India. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) conducted an all-India survey of households on participation and expenditure in education, employment, unemployment, migration and consumer expenditure on a regular basis for over four decades. Surveys on consumer expenditure are being conducted quinquennially on a large sample of households from the 27th round (October 1972 September 1973) of NSS onwards. Additionally, the NSSO has conducted annual consumer expenditure surveys using a smaller sample of households from 1986-87 to 2007-08. In the present study data will be utilised from the three rounds of NSSO consumer expenditure survey i.e. 62, 63 and 64 round collected in the year 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 respectively .These three consumer expenditure surveys belongs to annual series. Data Analysis: In the present study the disparity in terms of consumer expenditure will be measured in the above mentioned three rounds of survey. Data provided by NSSO is in text document. For the analysis of these unit level data we will use statistical software (STATA). Disparity in terms of MPCE will be calculated for the state wise, region wise, caste, religion and family structure. Different statistical methods (like; descriptive statistics, range, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Gini coefficient Lorenz curve, Theils index, etc.) will be utilised for measuring inequality and disparity. Graphical presentation of the results will be used for the easy understanding of the data. There are the criteria (Mean Independence, Population size independence, Symmetry, Pigou Dalton Transfer sensitivity  [2]  , Decomposability, Statistical Testability) that make a good measure of income inequality. Among the most widely used are the Theil indexes and the mean log deviation measure. Both belong to the family of generalized entropy. The formula is given by Where is the mean income per person (or expenditure per capita).The value of the measures vary between zero and infinity, with zero representing an equal distribution and higher values representing higher levels of inequality. The parameter in the GE class represents the weight given to distances between incomes at different parts of the income distribution, and can take any real value. For lower value of GE is more sensitive to changes in the lower tail of the distribution and for higher values GE is more sensitive to changes the affect the upper tail. The most common values of used are 0, 1, and 2. GE(1) is Theils T index and GE(0) is Theils L (sometimes refered to as the mean log deviation measures) are given by: Atkinson has proposed another class of inequality measures that are used from time to time. This class also has a weighting parameter Ɇº (which measures aversion to inequality). The Atkinson inequality measures defined as Decomposition of Income Inequality The issue of relating subgroup inequality levels to overall inequality has been discussed in the number of recent studies (Cowell 1980, Cowell and Kuga 1981, Bourguignon, 1979, Shorrocks 1980 and 1984, Shorrocks and Mukherjee, 1982, Das and Parikh 1982, Mishra and Parikh 1992). If the total inequality can be expressed as a function of sub-group inequality values, when the sub-groups are mutually exclusive and exhaustive, then a variety of ways is found to decompose the total inequality. The particular method of decomposition depends on the nature of the inequality index and the way in which it is decomposed since the decomposability of the indices differ from measure to measure. The most attractive type of decomposability has been additive decomposability. An index is additively decomposable if it can be neatly expressed as the sum of a between-group term and a within-group term. Conceptually, the between-group component can be defined as the value of the inequality index when all the within-group inequalities are assumed to be non-existent by a hypothetical assignment of the group average income to each member of the same group. The common inequality indicators mentioned above can be used to assess the major contributors to inequality, by different subgroups of the population and by region. For example, average income may vary from region to region, and this alone implies some inequality between groups. Moreover, incomes vary inside each region, adding a within-group component to total inequality. For policy purposes, it is useful to be able to decompose these sources of inequality: if most inequality is due to disparities across regions, for instance, then the focus of policy may need to be on regional economic development, with special attention to helping the poorer regions. More generally, household income is determined by household and personal characteristics, such as education, gender, and occupation, as well as geographic factors including urban and regional location. Some overall inequality is due to differences in such characteristics-this is the between-group component-and some occurs because there is inequality within each group, for instance, among people with a given level of education or in a given occupation. The generalized entropy (GE) class of indicators, including the Theil indexes, can be decomposed across these partitions in an additive way, but the Gini index cannot. To decompose Theils T index (that is, GE(1)), let Y be the total income of all N individuals in the sample, and be mean income. Likewise, Yj is the total income of a subgroup (for example, the urban population) with Nj members, and is the mean income of this subgroup. Using T to represent GE(1), Where is the value of GE(1) for subgroup j. Equation separate the inequality measure in to two components the first of which represents within group inequality while the second term measures the between-group inequality.

The Chocolate War Essay -- Essays Papers

The Chocolate War Many people often meet different characters in literature and in life that they admire or despise. They conclude if those characters are good or evil and at the same time they reflect on the choices and responsibilities that those characters have. From The Chocolate War I admire Roland Goubert or The Goober based on his actions. I despise Archie Costello (The Assigner of The Vigils) because of the choices that he made and also because of his actions. I admire Roland Goubert (The Goober) the most of all the characters within this book because he is honest, loving, and a loyal friend to Jerry. In the book when Jerry was refusing to sell the chocolates, Goober felt many feelings that Jerry was feeling. For example the guilt, fear, anger, tension, and most of all the horror of living another day just waiting for the coming of the next homeroom period to once again refuse the chocolates from Brother Leon. That was a sure sign of a bond between the two of them. When Goober waited for Jerry one day at the school’s entrance and pulled him aside to ask, â€Å" Jeez, Jerry, what did you do it for? † after the assignment was over with and Jerry still refused to sell the chocolates. That showed that Goober cared about Jerry and wanted to warn him of Brother Leon and how Brother Leon could control Ferry’s fate. For example when Jerry stated, â€Å" It’s not the end of the world. Four hundred kids in this s chool are going to sell chocolates. What does it matter ...

Walt Whitmans Influence on Germany :: Walt Whitman Germany Poetry Poets Essays

Walt Whitman's Influence on Germany Walt Whitman (1819-1892) is considered to be one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth century. While Edgar Allan Poe may have been more widely read, Whitman had more international writers actively respond to him and his poetry than any other American poet. A century after his death, writers around the world are still in dialogue with him, pondering the questions he posed, arguing with him and elaborating on his insights. People have been attracted to Whitman for numerous reasons. For his time he was truly unconventional and introduced the modern lyric with his autobiographical collection of prose poems called Leaves of Grass. The impact Whitman has, however, exceeds technical innovation; it lies in his universal appeal. Walt Whitman is many things to many people. The poet once remarked about the various photographs of himself he used to come upon, "I meet new Walt Whitmans every day. There are a dozen of me afloat." Perhaps even more manifold than the physical images of the author are the ways in which he has been perceived. The purpose of this paper is to examine how Walt Whitman's poetry influenced Germany. How the poet was received, which aspects of Whitman's philosophy most attracted Germans, ultimately has to do with the Zeitgeist, the intellectual climate of the day. For numerous authors Whitman has primarily been a poet of democracy and political questions have often been at the center of the international responses to Whitman. While this aspect of his poetry has inspired people from states such as the former Soviet Union and China, it has not been the only theme to spellbind his admirers. Authors from India, for example, have been able to identify with Whitman on a spiritual plane, seeing in him a Hindu vision. Clearly the way in which people relate to the poet has much to do with what is essential and pertinent to their own lives. Whitman's Influence For Whitman's contemporaries the most obvious deviation from the norm was his prose style. Whitman does not submit his thoughts to metered rhyme, yet they are rhythmic, just not in the traditional sense of a stanza. His free verse forms have been likened to the ebb and flow of the ocean tides, which inspired him throughout his life. The innovation of Whitman's poetry, however, exceeds structure and pattern and those who have admired his poetry have also been intrigued by its content.

Free Essays - The Excellent Tale of Ernest Hemingways A Farewell to Arms :: Farewell Arms Essays

A Farewell to Arms Inspiring    Ernest Hemingway^s A Farewell to Arms captures the inspiring trials and tribulations of a disillusioned man caught between love and war.   Driving an ambulance on the Italian front of World War One Frederick Henry discovers his values as he realizes his love for Catherine Barkley, a innocent English Nurse.    An American Second Lieutenant in the Italian Army^s Ambulance Corps, Frederick Henry is depicted as an average man in search of a set of values.   Initially Frederick is lonely, lustful, confused and restless, but as he becomes involved with Catherine Barkley he finds his niche, and a meaning to life. Frederick can be considered heroic in that he is honorable, not interested in material commodities, and puts his fellow soldier before himself.   When the entire mess hall teases the priest Frederick defends him and is his only true friend.   Also, when offered an award, Frederick refuses.   Additionally, when he and the other drivers were bombed, he ignores his own injuries to assist the others and insists that the doctors treat others before himself.   Catherine Barkley is a young English nurse who has already lost a fianc to the war and is introduced as partially crazy.   She begins her relationship with Frederick pretending, he is her lost fianc who has returned, but soon falls!   in love with him and regains her sanity.   Throughout the story Catherine remains static, and represents the ideal Hemingway character that Frederick is to become as the novel comes to an end.    The basic plot of the novel revolves around Frederick^s relationship with Catherine.   Frederick experiences the war in the Italian Alps and sustains a leg injury that hospitalizes him for several months.   Although he knew Catherine before his hospitalization, their relationship blossoms during this period when he is away from the front.   Soon after his return to the front, there is a huge retreat and he takes his ambulance crew on a back road to get around traffic.   When he finally does make it back to the army he is forced to desert in fear of execution.   He finds Catherine and they begin a new life together in Switzerland.   Ultimately, Frederick learns his basic values through Catherine in their adventures of love, war, and death during World War One.   The theme shown is that love can come from even the strangest places, also there is a basic good versus evil shown by the dramatic tragedy at the end.    A Farewell to Arms is a very emotional and understanding story.   Throughout the book Frederick acted as a confused hero

Brazil

Brazil is perceived as a standout amongst the most multiracial district on the planet that involves a colorful, diverse and intriguing society made up of Local American, Africans, and Portuguese. The reason why I am focus on Brazil is because someday I would like to be apart of the diversity. I believe that understanding their culture better will enable me to develop sensitivity and appreciation towards Brazil culture. I would be honored to participate in many traditional celebrations such as the annual Rio Carnival, which is one of the world most exciting and inspiring cultural festival in South America. It would be a wonderful opportunity to experience cultural tradition food such as â€Å"Feijoada†, which is consist with black beans and some sort of meat you consider to add to make a stew. In the following cultural resume, I will attempt to present a comprehensive brief summary of the diverse Brazilian culture. This will include providing a broad overview of the country's profile that will includes the country geography, racial, ethnic and also, with cultural holidays, traditional foods, different languages, beautiful landmarks. Alongside, a summary of the country's history, political system, educational system and challenges that Brazil is faced with. The second section will be focus on challenging some of the biases and assumptions that I previously held about the country. This will also include an attempt to evaluate how my stereotypes and sensitivity toward Brazilian population has changed, and the major lessons that I have learnt by focusing on this country. Finally, I will scrutinize on the ways that I will make effort to communicate with people that comprise the Brazilian culture. Brazil is arranged on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. The greatest country in South America running along 5000 miles from coastline to coastline through every edge in South America foresees from Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is on the coastline of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The Brazilian scene is enormous and complex, with sprinkled streams, wetlands, mountains, and levels connecting other real highlights and navigating the limits of states and locales. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. Brazil's physical condition and atmosphere fluctuate enormously from the tropical North to the mild South. The scene is overwhelmed by a focal good country area known as the Planalto Focal (Brazilian High countries, or Level of Brazil) and by the huge Amazon Basin which possesses over one-third of the nation. Brazil is a beautiful topical country. The restricted seaside marsh zone ranges from tropical in the north to mild in the south. The cool upland fields of the south have a calm atmosphere and an incidental snowfall. The coolest period is from May to September, and the most blazing is from December to spring. October to May is the blustery season. As of 2018 the Brazilian population is well over 200 million. Set at number 5 in populace among the 193 countries of the world. In Brazil the decent variety of the scene coordinates that of the general population possesses of it which is indigenous people, Portuguese, Africans (which came as slaves). Around 86 percent of the population is urban.

Globalization and Environmental Effects on our planet Essay

orbicularisation and the Environmental Effects on our Planet We exit on a in truth fortunate major artificial satellite t eyelid everyows the descriptor-hearted race to non plainly outlast on it, but in addition to enlarge in its consistent temp eontures, natural resources, and gilt ecosystem. precisely the effects of worldwideisation, pollution, international unraveling and a nonher(prenominal) milieual problems queer our option as a species in this ecosystem. galore(postnominal) believe t lid through with(predicate) technology, commerce, and travel orbiculateisation will lead us to scotch prosperity, plot of land conservationists and scientists atomic number 18 working gravid to preserve the priceless resources that our state has to decl be superstarself us.The widespread changes that be brought about cod to sphericization subscribe a stable seismic disturbance on our environment and threaten our choice. These global changes run arrest o ur founding both ch tot every(prenominal)yenging and a necessary task if our next depends understanding these concepts in entirely their various pretends. Our ecosystems be adapted by the financial decisions we cast off at present and the energy we determination, the pollutions we create will impress our lives for our children and our childrens children, if we dont annihilate ourselves by then. globalization is a very real phenomenon and a concept hat nigh heap do not fully come to grasp in order to understand the ramifications of it. Globalization does not Just preserve our societies economical every(prenominal)y, but in like manner politically and affectionately as well. The media does an commodious Job at portraying the ideologies and opinions of globalization through politicians and activist groups, but does not accu set uply portray the arguments or the al slipway expanding inequality gap between the thick and poor and the lack of evidence to turn out the achievement of the feed down effect.Globalization is nigh comm still delimitate as , the increase nterconnectedness of raft and places through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural change (Rowntree, Lewis, Price, & Wyckoff, 2003). This means that once-distant regions and cultures ar now linked together through commerce, travel, and communications causation an economic shakeup of our creations systems. Early forms of globalization obtain been seen since the early eld of our societies, including the set-back era of globalization before domain of a function War I calculateed to shrink our global finance capitalism system.The inventions of the steamship, telegrams, and ventually the telephone atomic number 18 all examples of the increase of globalization in our earlier societies that establish had a abundant impact on our political, cultural, and economic systems. But this new era of globalization, as mentioned by Thomas Friedman, is not only unali ke in degree than the previous(prenominal) era of globalization, but is also driven new(prenominal)wise and is change magnitude at a railyard n incessantly witnessed before (Friedman, 2000).Since the Industrial Revolution, some(prenominal) may argue that contemporary globalization is the most fundamental reorganization of the socioeconomic structure, but few agree on whether the benefits actually outweigh the costs. In previous eras, inventions such as the railroad, steamships, and automobiles increased globalization and the falling transportation costs allowed mickle to get to lots places cheaper and faster than ever betore.Now, the talling costs ot telecommunications allow todays era ot globalization to link the world together still tighter than before. Microchips, the internet, satellites, and cellphones allow societies and cultures of greater distances to connect apace and cheaply in order to parcel out business, form relationships, and transfer information from one geographic location to another. Travel has plow aster and to a greater extent cost effective, communications with other countries live become easier, and people are able to offer and exchange run globally.This is why Friedman defines globalization as, The inexorable consolidation of markets, nation- states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before- in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to collide with around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before, and in a way that is enabling the world to reach into individuals, corporations and nation-states farther, faster, deeper, cheaper than ever before. (Friedman, 2000, p. 9) Not everyone has profited from economic globalization, nor have the benefits been felt equally in authentic world regions.The multitude of economic changes collectible to increases in communication, travel, and financial decisions have triggered fundamental cultural changes to many populations, whic h have threatened local cultural diversity. Globalization, specially in its economic form, is one of the most contentious issues today. frugal globalization is lots applauded by those who believe that economic cleverness will issuance in a rising prosperity for the entire world, ut in actuality it will only for the most part benefit those who are already prosperous, increasing the gap between the rich and poor, all while reducing cultural and bionomical diversity around the world.Globalization is not a natural process, or else it promotes excess market and export oriented economies at the expense and exploitation of localized activities and resources. The inequality between the rich and poor from this trickle down effect is actually increasing the portionage of poor people in most world regions. To put this into perspective, 20 percent of the worlds richest people onsume 86 percent of the worlds resources equally the wealthiest countries have grown more richer (Rowntree, Lewis, Price, & Wyckoff, 2003).While the richer seem to be acquire richer, the poor grow more and more impoverished, with the least amount of pulmonary tuberculosis of these global resources. The poorest 80 percent use only about 14 percent of global resources, with the poorest 10 percent seeing their income decline in quality in the past couple decades (Rowntree, Lewis, Price, & Wyckoff, 2003). Economic globalization is an unavoidable phenomenon that holds both promises and drawbacks. At certain levels, we provoke use globalization to reduce some economic inequalities and hold dear the natural environment.In order to cast globalization work for our future generations and our artificial satellite, in that location needs to be a kind of openness in education and social cohesion that stresses the need for strong, good politicss that idler create networks of environmental and humane rights groups with government policies. With these interrelations between the 2 extremes of pro- globalization and anti-globalization wings, we empennage create the opportunity for profit and gain through complementary institutions, such as the government and social ssurance.Although these economic activities seem to be the driving force potty globalization, the consequences attect every aspect ot lite and bolt down in our day and age. Our ecosystem is affected due to the demand for natural resources as global commodities and our planets physical environment is at risk. As Rowntree, et al. points out, our local ecosystems are altered by financial decisions make thousands of miles away these activities have profound and unwholesome implications for the worlds climates, oceans, and forests (Rowntree, Lewis, Price, & Wyckoff, 2003).Unfortunately for our global environment, the pace of destruction has worsened and our response to the climate crisis is much too idle if we plan on inhabiting this planet for the beside 50, 60, 70+ years. Our terra firma is a fine-lookin g and magnificent place for life to form and grow, but our time on this planet is not going to last much longer if we do not do something about our environmental impact on the planets natural resources. In a biological sense, our environment is defined as, the complex of climatic, biotic, and social factors that acts upon an organism and determines its orm and survival (Class lecture,week 6).Nature is our basis of well being and the biodiversity has delcined glabally 30 percetn between 1970 and 2008. As A1 battue discusses in his book An Inconvient Truth, Many people still rely on our planet as if it is big enough to keep up our habits forever. Some still assume that the earth is so big that we could never use up all its resources. Due to globalization and population growth, we are influencing many separate of our earths environments, especially the most vulnerable, the atmosphere (Gore, 2006). world see themselves as apart from ature, instead of as a part of nature. How we live, what we consume, all impacts our environment. The earths atmosphere is so thin that we are actually receptive of changing its composition by the big amount of snow dioxide we have pump into it. High income countries, much like the U. S. , have a footprint 5 times greater that that of low income coutnries, thus tip to the loss of biodiverstiy and impacting the ecosystem. (WWF Global, 2012).The world is undergoing major changes, glacier are melting, species are on the verge of extinction, sea levels are rising, and temperatures are high temperatureing up. Global warming is a direct result of humans documentation in disharomony with the planet and its natural resources. We are beginning to live in a more and more human created environment causing degree Celsius dioxide levels to increase because of the burnign of fossil fuels. The problem that we are faced with now is that every living system in our biosphere is delcining and we are a part of nature that stool buoy not affor d to lose these valuable resources.As the temperature increases all over the world, we are set ourselves and our fellow species at risk of extinction. This begins to affect our storm systems, because the armer the oceans get the stronger the storms get. These consequences are all due to the basic understanding our earths atmosphere, and the most important agents, the one thousand house gases. Due to huge quantities of human caused carbon dioxde, we are thickening this this atmopheric layer, causing the gases to trap the suns irradiation inside and causing the planet to heat up. (Gore, 2006). Just a suttle increase of a few degress can have a dangerous effect on our plantes ecological system. Areas around the world are experiencing unwanted amounts of rain in short periods of time, while others are facing immeasurable droughts. This break of serve in temperature not only causes glaciers to melt and oceans to rise, but it also disrupts migration patters, how or where certain plan ts grow, and the species that depend on those climates. Our ever evolution demand on resources is putting an immense burden on biodiversity.The continued provsion of ecosytem resources, our furture security, our health and well being are all in Jeapordy due to the current rate of consupmtion of non-renewable resources. According to the living planet report, as of 2012 the Earth would need 1. 5 years to produce and replenish the natural resources hat we have consumed in only a single year (WWF Global, 2012). And this number has only increased since the last report. The technology and the manipulation of resources in the Unites States alone contributes to 30. 3 percent to global wamring.That is more that South America, Canada, Africa, the pose East, Australia , Japan, and Aoutheast Asia combined (Gore, 2006). It is no doubt that the U. S. is the biggest subscriber to not only globalization, but also to the poor environmental quality of this planet. We have rightfully earned our n ame as the biggest polluter in the world, but it may not be too late. The firstly step in reducing our global footprint is by accepting and understanding the consequences our actions have on our planets environment and that there are ways we can reverse some of the cast out impacts we have had on our planet.We can no longer turn a finesse eye to the effects we cause on our ecostyems. A1 gore proposes many solutions to how we as individuals can help this climate crisis. Considering that this problem is a vast and complicated, we can each do our part to help reduce our carbon footprint and together we can make a difference. Sacing energy at crime syndicate by using energy efficient light bulbs, turning off ights when we do not need them, and heating and alter our house efficiently are entirely a few ways we can help out individually.In the communtiy, not driving so much, taking everyday transportation, reducing emissiones from our cars, and being conscious of our day-to-day co nsumptions are all ways we can reduce pollution in our air. And most importantly consuming less, reusing water bottles, bags, buying things that last, buying local, and modifying your diet are all important changes that we can make to run across our health for ourselves and for future generations. Globalization and our nvironmental impact are very important factors that we essential always consider if we plan on existing in this environment with other species.We are fortunate to live on a planet that can extend life and allow it to thrive, but if we are not careful, we will use up any and all resources that Earth provides. Our consumption and the effects it has on the environment is bad to our survival and the survival of our ecosystems. These global changes make understanding our world both challenging and a necessary task if our future depends understanding these concepts in all their arious forms.