3-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3-3 - Essay Example We have been quite guarded about expressing our feelings, as I said earlier, and during the task I learnt that there are a lot of things that I did not know about him and his interest. This activity with him also showed me how he feels towards me actually, something I was very keen on learning. I consider my brother to be one of my closest friends; we share a very close bond, I feel; a bond that has existed ever since I can remember. We have always managed to share our experiences and emotions, although we are on a different plane, both age wise and psychologically. My brother is 6 years older than me and is a college graduate. He is currently employed and is a married man, who takes excellent care of his wife and kids. One big difference between me and him is that he always speaks his mind. It does not matter to him how bad and ugly the truth would sound like, he will always say it the way he sees it to be true. On the other hand, I am not so outspoken. I am quite shy and do not talk much; in fact I am one of those people who do not talk unless it is necessary. I am not an open person by nature; I always tend to keep my emotions inside. I do not permit anyone to try to read me or my emotions or to have me figured out, as they say. I am so closely guarded that I normally do not tell anyone about my emotions, whether they involve that person or anyone else for that matter. I have learned a lot about my brother and how he feels about me after undertaking this assignment. The strangest, or funniest in a way, and surprising thing that I have learned was when he answered a question by saying that he liked it a lot â€Å"when we do some crazy funny stuff to our other siblings.† I thought he would say that he liked the way we share our feelings or the way we trust each other. I did not expect him to say what he said. However, this was a pleasant surprise, it made me realize that my brother is a very fun loving sort of person and he, in a way, does not mind the

Media in Elementary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media in Elementary - Essay Example The section of the society and for that matter of the whole world should come forward and pull up the weaker strata. This can be achieved only when the students who are the leaders and citizens of tomorrow understand the feeling of solidarity. Chapter three accurately points out that even though there are some universities in the United States that offer media literacy programs , they are meager in comparison to countries like Canada , Australia , New Zealand and especially UK where media literacy is far more institutionalized. There should be more programs for teachers so that they can instill in their students the knowledge of media literacy. In the fourth chapter author mentions his experience of interviewing the teachers who attended the Project SMARTArt. This project helped the teachers as they implemented their newly acquired skills in their classrooms. However , one of the greatest hurdle in providing media literacy has been inadequate funds. Hence , I strongly recommend that the governments should not only introduce media literacy programs in their universities but at school level as well.

Berlin Wall Essay Example for Free

Berlin Wall Essay What Was the Berlin Wall? The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. Dates: August 13, 1961 November 9, 1989 Overview of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall was erected in the dead of night and for 28 years kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. Its destruction, which was nearly as instantaneous as its creation, was celebrated around the world. A Divided Berlin At the end of World War II, the Allied powers divided conquered Germany into four zones, each occupied by either the United States, Great Britain, France, or the Soviet Union (as agreed at the Potsdam Conference). The same was done with Germanys capital city, Berlin. As the relationship between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers quickly disintegrated, the cooperative atmosphere of the occupation of Germany turned competitive and aggressive. Although an eventual reunification of Germany had been intended, the new relationship between the Allied powers turned Germany into West versus East, democracy versus Communism. In 1949, this new organization of Germany became official when the three zones occupied by the United States, Great Britain, and France combined to form West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany). The zone occupied by the Soviet Union quickly followed by forming East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). This same division into West and East occurred in Berlin. Since the city of Berlin had been situated entirely within the Soviet zone of occupation, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany. Mass Emigration Within a short period of time after the war, living conditions in West Germany and East Germany became distinctly different. With the help and support of its occupying powers, West Germany set up a capitalist society and experienced such a rapid growth of their economy that it became known as the economic miracle. With hard work, individuals living in West Germany were able to live well, buy gadgets and appliances, and to travel as they  wished. Nearly the opposite was true in East Germany. Since the Soviet Union had viewed their zone as a spoil of war, the Soviets pilfered factory equipment and other valuable assets from their zone and shipped them back to the Soviet Union. When East Germany became its own country, it was under the direct influence of the Soviet Union and thus a Communist society was established. In East Germany, the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted. By the late 1950s, many people living in East Germany wanted out. No longer able to stand the repressive living conditions of East Germany, they would pack up their bags and head to West Berlin. Although some of them would be stopped on their way, hundreds of thousands of others made it across the border. Once across, these refugees were housed in warehouses and then flown to West Germany. Many of those who escaped were young, trained professionals. By the early 1960s, East Germany was rapidly losing both its labor force and its population. Having already lost 2.5 million people by 1961, East Germany desperately needed to stop this mass exodus. The obvious leak was the easy access East Germans had to West Berlin. With the support of the Soviet Union, there had been several attempts to simply take over West Berlin in order to eliminate this exit point. Although the Soviet Union even threatened the United States with the use of nuclear weapons over this issue, the United States and other Western countries were committed to defending West Berlin. Desp erate to keep its citizens, East Germany decided to build a wall to prevent them from crossing the border. The Berlin Wall Goes Up There had been rumors that something might happen to tighten the border of East and West Berlin, but no one was expecting the speed nor the absoluteness of the Wall. Just past midnight on the night of August 12-13, 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers rumbled through East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, these crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up concrete posts, and strung barbed wire all across the border between East and West Berlin. Telephone wires between East and West Berlin were also cut. Berliners were shocked when they woke up that morning. What had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for  operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. The Size and Scope of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall stretched over a hundred miles. It ran not only through the center of Berlin, but also wrapped around West Berlin, entirely cutting West Berlin off from the rest of East Germany. The wall itself went through four major transformations during its 28-year history. The Berlin Wall started out as a barbed-wire fence with concrete posts, but just a few days after the first fence was placed, it was quickly replaced with a sturdier, more permanent structure made out of concrete blocks, topped with barbed wire. The first two versions of the wall (barbed wire and concrete blocks) were replaced by the hird version of the Berlin Wall in 1965. This version consisted of a concrete wall, supported by steel girders. The fourth version of the Berlin Wall, constructed from 1975 to 1980, was the most complicated and thorough. It consisted of concrete slabs reaching nearly 12-feet high (3.6 m) and 4-feet wide (1.2 m), plus it had a smooth pipe running across the top to hinder people from scaling the Wall. And tentatively approached the border and indeed found that the border guards were letting people cross. Very quickly, the Berlin Wall was inundated with people from both sides. Some began chipping at the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels. There was an impromptu huge celebration along the Berlin Wall, with people hugging, kissing, singing, cheering, and crying. The Berlin Wall was eventually chipped away, into smaller pieces (some the size of a coin and others in big slabs). The pieces have become collectibles and are stored in both homes and museums. After the Berlin Wall came down, East and West Germany reunified into a single German state on October 3, 1990.

Social action plans: drugs and alcohol

Social action plans: drugs and alcohol Table of Contents Background Objectives Proposed Actions Anticipated Outcomes Key roles and responsibilities Timelines and resources required Key risks Evaluation Method References Background Drugs and alcohol is a major social issue (J. David Hawkins, Richard F. Catalano, and Janet Y. Miller, 1992). It is not something that can be solved by the law (Lee P. Brown, 2008). Throughout history, many attempts have been made to try and legalize and control alcohol and drug addiction but has failed. It requires education, international awareness and a lot of work to resolve. Whilst alcohol and certain drugs are not illegal, the potential dangers are well documented. It is in many regards, worse of a problem than other social problems such as smoking. Not only does it create health problems, but creates a habit from a young age that is hard to avoid (Kabir Ayub, 2011). This affects families, schools and the larger part of society. It creates a burden for law enforcers, violence, accidents and a lot of other side-effects. Drugs and alcohol have especially been a major issue in NSW full of pubs and night life. Major incidents of violence at many locations have been recorded. The number of police officers required to monitor and deal with incidents have greatly increased since 2011. New laws, curfews and extreme measures had to be put in place (NSW Government, 2014). This shows that inaction is a major cost to society and is a major burden on the government and law enforcers. Local Christian Churches have been chosen to address the issue. Drugs and alcohol is an international social problem that is very hard to tackle. The local Christian communities serves as a good attempt to address problems in the local community. Studies have shown that peer influence is a major factor in drugs and alcohol abuse (Karl E. Bauman, Susan T. Ennett, 1996). The church will be able to put a positive influence back to society to help change this issue. The church (religion) is and has been a major influence to society. Religion helps shape lives. Objectives The key objectives in this action plan are to raise awareness about drugs and alcohol and to create a series of events to reduce the consumption of drugs and alcohol. In raising awareness of the adverse effects of drugs and alcohol, we hope to increase public understanding of what they are, the potential harm and the damage it has caused to our society. Local churches often run campaigns to promote Christianity and raise awareness of their religion. It would be viable for them to continue as is, but include flyers and other advertisements that target alcohol and drugs. Through a series of special events, such as alcohol free nights, we create incentives for those addicted to drugs and alcohol to attend and make it a habit to reduce consumption of drugs and alcohol. These events are aimed at providing the first steps for affected people to adjust to life without harmful substances. It is business as usual for local churches as they already run local community events. Running alcohol and drug themed campaigns fits in with their schedule and aim to promote and improve the greater community. For example, a family bbq gathering can include an extra clause of being alcohol exempt. The key theme is to use religion and the major influence of the church to shape lives, stop alcohol and drug abuse and to increase awareness. Proposed Actions Use of social media to link and highlight key media that raise awareness. Through official Facebook, Twitter and other accounts of the churches, social media is a strong platform to push information. Door to door knocking and handing out pamphlets is part of a Church’s day to day activities (Archie Poulos, 2010). Within the advertisements, the church can embed information on drugs and alcohol to further increase awareness. Anti-drug and anti-alcohol posters can be posted within the premise. Each time people visit the church they will be able to see these media items and gain awareness to the drug and alcohol problems. Preaches every Sunday can be used to influence the followers on reducing consumption of alcohol. Religion is known to have a major influence and the voice of god is very useful. Prayers will help those guilty of drugs and alcohol be persuaded to change and move away from these harmful substances. Alcohol and drug free events can be introduced as part of normal family events and gatherings. Prizes and other rewards can be introduced as an extra incentive. Families can get together and share their experiences. Anticipated Outcomes The anticipated outcome is increased awareness in drugs and alcohol. Social media activities such as Twitter and Facebook can easily be measured by likes, replies, retweets and other common statistics. This can provide numbers on the number of people have read and reacted to the postings. The local community will be more aware of its harmful effects. They will be able to spread this out to other local communities via word of mouth to further increase awareness. The community will be educated to stop alcohol/drugs based violence and help report/resolve any incidents. Parents will be able to educate their children to prevent the next generation early on. Another anticipated outcome is reduced consumption of drugs and alcohol. Alternatives such as soft drinks and replacements can take its place. Alcohol and drugs driven violence should be reduced. Families will increase in happiness. This will reduce load on the community and even local council/government. This means funding and resources can be better spent elsewhere and further improve lives. Key roles and responsibilities Within a church, many of the staff are volunteers, including the door knocking staff. Different staff will be required for each action point. The organization structure is rather flat. The media advisor will be in charge of coordinating the social media activities. They will be spreading the message via the church’s social media account. Door to door knocking events will coordinated by the normal door knocking organizer. Posters will be reviewed and signed off by the priest. Alcohol and drug free events will be reviewed by the events coordinator. Preaches and prayers will be reviewed by the priest. The key is to add extra roles and responsibilities to existing staff. Timelines and resources required The church anticipates that the promotional campaign will run for a month and based on feedback may be extended. Most of the action points are ongoing and will be held in part every Sunday as part of the Church gathering and extended events. Social media, posters and door knocking will be incorporated with day to day activities. The idea is to enhance and set the theme for the staff to work on – to add their current jobs. No extra resources are anticipated except a potential external graphics design company to create the promotional poster. All other efforts are conducted by current staff of the church, such as priests and other volunteers. Families are encouraged to help out as they normally would. Extra funding is anticipated and this will be sourced from the church’s annual budget. The church does not expect a huge burden on the budget. The staff may have to put in extra hours to meet the deadlines to get this kick-started. The local social worker can be contacted for further assistance and to attend special events to help the church out in assisting any attenders that do have actual problems in life with drugs and alcohol. Local doctors would also be a useful resource in helping with providing material and assisting with drug and alcohol effects on the body. Key risks A key risk in raising awareness about drugs and alcohol is that it may get some people that were previously never interested to try the mentioned products based on curiosity. Many people may be unwilling to identify themselves as an addict to drugs and/or alcohol. This may be due to peer pressure, family issues and others. This will make it difficult to convince these people to join the events created especially for them. Preaches may be seen as some as propaganda campaigns and a way to control and restrict an individual’s freedom. Care must be taken at the wording, how it is addressed and it must be linked back to Christianity. Lack of attendance or feedback may also be an issue. Over time people could be back to their old lifestyle. Evaluation Method An attendance count can be used to evaluate how many people are interested in the series of events. An anonymous informal survey can be used to further gauge the situation. This helps to evaluate how effective the proposed actions are and also direction for further action. A follow up survey months later can be used to see if lifestyle has changed. Informal discussions and interviews can be had to see what effects it has had on lifestyle of people. Social media feedback is the most evident and can generate huge discussions. There are many statistics used to measure the success of a social media campaign, such as the number of retweets. The local police stations can be contacted before and after to determine if the number of reported incidents related to drug and alcohol abuse has decreased. References Lee P. Brown, 2008, Two takes drugs are a major social problem we cannot legalize them, US News, 25th July, 10th May 2014, http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/07/25/two-takes-drugs-are-a-major-social-problem-we-cannot-legalize-them Kabir Ayub, 2011, Drug addiction: A Social Problem!, 24th March, 10th May 2014, http://pamirtimes.net/2011/03/24/addiction-a-social-problem/ NSW Government, 2014, New measures rolled out to target drug and alcohol fuelled violence, 21st February, 10th May 2014, http://www.nsw.gov.au/news/new-measures-rolled-out-target-drug-and-alcohol-fuelled-violence J. David Hawkins, Richard F. Catalano, and Janet Y. Miller, Risk and Protective Factors for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Implications for Substance Abuse Prevention, Psychological Bulletin Vol 112, 1992, 10th May 2014, http://adai.washington.edu/confederation/2008readings/Catalano_86.pdf Karl E. Bauman, Susan T. Ennett, On the importance of peer influence for adolescent drug use: commonly neglected considerations, Vol 91, Issue 2, pages 185-198 Archie Poulos, 2010, Doorknocking is fun?, 25th Match, 10th May 2014, http://sydneyanglicans.net/blogs/churchlife/doorknocking_is_fun Social Action Plan: Group Name Social Action plan: Team members: Description of the Issue: 1 | Page

Culture :: essays papers

Culture Israeli culture reflects the diverse background of its people. The country's most successful writers draw their inspiration from Jewish tradition. Such writers have included the novelist Shmuel Yosef Agnon, co-winner of the 1966 Nobel Prize in literature, and the philosopher Martin Buber. The foremost orchestra of the nation, the Israel Philharmonic, attracts a number of world-famous conductors and soloists each year. A vigorous tradition of folk song, in which the influence of Oriental Jewish music is strongly felt, thrives in Israel, as does folk dance. The Israel National Theater, in Tel Aviv, is notable. Israel has more than 130 museums, two of the most prominent being the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum, in Jerusalem, which houses a large collection of Jewish folk art, a collection of modern sculpture, and biblical and archaeological artifacts. The Shrine of the Book, a part of the Israel Museum, houses a notable collection of Dead Sea Scrolls. Of the more than 500 public libraries in the country, the most important is the Jewish National and University Library on the campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which contains approximately 4 million volumes.1 Religion The affairs of the three major religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, are overseen by the ministry of religious affairs through councils established by the various religions. Jewish holy days and the weekly Sabbath are, by law, observed throughout the country, and only kosher food is served in the army, hospitals, and other official institutions. About 82 percent of Israel's Arabs are Muslim, and most of the rest are Christian. Languages Hebrew and Arabic are the country's official languages. The most widely spoken language is Hebrew, but Arabic is used frequently in schools, legal affairs, and the legislature. Many Israeli residents speak English, Yiddish, Russian, or any of a number of other European languages. Education Israel's educational tradition reaches back to biblical times, although the country did not become a modern independent state until 1948. During the ancient period, schools of all levels were in existence, and through the centuries elementary and secondary education and, to a large extent, higher learning continued under various ruling factions. The Compulsory Education Law of 1949, as amended, provides for free and compulsory elementary education for all children between 5 and 16 years of age. Reform continued with the State Education Law of 1953, which established a national system of public secondary schools. Higher education is governed by a law enacted in 1958, which set up a council to control universities and other higher educational institutions, such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1918); the Technion^Ãâ€"Israel Institute of Technology (1912),

Socrates versus Nelson Mandela Essays -- essays research papers

As an Athenian philosopher, Socrates spent his life in constant pursuit of insight. He loved engaging in conversations that helped him derive philosophical views on a number of different issues. The birth of ideas through critical reasoning can be credited back to his method of teaching, which is now known as the Socratic Method. Although widely respected today, many of his teachings were found controversial in Athenian times. Socrates was placed on trial and put to death soon after because of the disapproval of his ideas. Even with the anticipation of death linguring in his path, Socrates remained composed and curious. During his defense, he made it clear that death was nothing to fear, but rather an accepted inevitability of life. â€Å"Those of us who think that death is an evil are in error†(Plato, 39). Instead of viewing his sentence as a burden, Socrates regarded it as a potential opportunity. If death was the soul's journey to another place, the possibilities could be endless. He could obtain a considerable amount of knowledge by conversing with those who had already passed on. He could discuss virtue with victims who had also suffered death through injustice. Socrates would be able to reveal his philosophical views without having to fear for his life, which to him could be the greatest gift attainable. His uncertainty of death left him with one other view, if not a journey, then death was simply a state of nothingness. It would be an eternal resting period free of any and all d isturbances, like a peaceful sleep where even dreams were absent. As Socrates saw it, either alternative was just an advancement of the soul and nothing to be uneasy over. Socrates spent time carefully challenging the true meaning of... ...ad the right to learn, it was the soul’s most admirable gift, in which he could place no price on. Mandela deemed an education important as well. In fighting against the apartheid, he hoped that people of all colors and social classes could have equality in education. Mandela wrote, â€Å"Education is the great engine of personal development (Mandela, 166).† He believed it was the only cure for poverty and ignorance. â€Å"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions,† this famous line quoted by Lillian Hellman depicts the outlook of Socrates and Nelson Mandela. Even after being accused of some form of treason and being subjected to the punishment of losing their lives, neither man chose to conform to the basis of their authority. They had already carefully conceived their notions, and were not ready to mold them to fit someone else’s standards.

All About Eve Essay

â€Å"..and, in the last analysis, nothing is any good unless you can look up just before dinner or turn around in bed – and there he is. Without that, you’re not a woman† Is this the message of the film? Made in 1950, the film ‘All About Eve’ screen written and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, was deliberately engineered to entice women back into their homes after WWII had forced many to assume working roles in the outside world. The film focuses on publicizing the importance of the image of a nuclear family and traditional gender roles and how finding love is endorsed as the ‘proper’ course for women. This is evident through the roles and character development of the three main women in the film; Karen Richards, Margo Channing and Eve Harrington. Through these characters, the film explores the fulfillment of an archetypal 1950s American housewife and the hollowness of actresses’ career success compared to marriage. Furthermore, the film depicts self-supporting women as a threat to conservative values as they inhabited masculine traits. In the film, Mankiewicz emphasizes the security, gratification and permanence in housewives post Cold War. This is evident through the role of Karen Richards, ‘the wife of†¦ playwright’ Lloyd Richards. Lloyd and Karen personifies the ideal marriage where Lloyd is the bread winner, and Karen operates as a traditional, ‘happy little housewife’. Mankiewicz repeatedly frames Karen with characteristics of pureness and happiness through the use of bright camera lighting in mid-close up shots, portraying her as luminescent and angelic. In addition to this, Karen is often shot in light coloured costumes in contrasts to Eve and Margo, who are continuously framed in dark colours throughout the film, suggesting her innocence. Both of these techniques highlight her fulfillment from marriage compared to Eve and Margo who are independent and unma rried. Karen’s character is used as a reflection of 1950s America stereotypical housewife who is completely defined and loyal to her husband. This is evident during the film hinting Lloyd’s indiscretions, Karen remains loyal to him, and even blames herself for his unfaithful behavior, where she wonders in a voiceover about ‘that helplessness you feel when you have no talent outside of loving your husband.’ Here, love is represented as a ‘talent’ and the generic mode of the line indicates a duty of wives to their husband. Ultimately, Karen is a reflection of the traditional housewife in 1950s America and is perceived as the most stable and mature female character as marriage has provided her  with financial and emotional security, social mobility and protection. Throughout the film, career accomplishments and fame is presented as fleeting and temporary, whilst marriage is emphasized as the utmost success for a woman. Mankiewicz establishes that femal es who rise to the top of their profession are only to be faced with the glass ceiling of the patriarchal status quo. This is apparent in the character Margo Channing, a ‘great star’ whose days as Broadways reigning star are numbered as she is at the peak of her career, at the age of 40. Although she is ‘talented, famous [and] wealthy’ Margo is insecure that when she retires from the theatre she’ll be alone, without a career and without a man to love her. Marriage is offered as a solution for Margo, and only once she makes the decision that allows her to ‘get back to being a woman’, do we see a gradual shift from Margo being an actress to being a ‘proper’ married women. The gratification from marriage is highlighted through the use of camera lighting in the cub room scene after Bill and Margo announces that they’re getting married. A close up shot of Margo’s smiling face and relaxed manner with radiant lighting similar to Karen’s indicates true happiness as she has achieved the role of housewife. Through portraying her p ositively, the film asserts this will provide her with the happiness and ‘sentiment’ she had been actively rejecting. In short, the use of Margo’s growing happiness as she transitions from professional career for marriage, the film positions the audience to view domesticity as providing ultimate fulfillment for women. In an era where women were expected to conform to social norms, those who failed to take on the role of a nurturing mother with a financially secured husband were labeled as a threat to society. Mankiewicz uses the characters Margo and Eve to explore how independent and successful careered women possess masculine traits because they do not have a man. Prior to Margo’s marriage with Bill, the film portrays her with a masculine demeanor through her deep voice and posture. In the scene of Margo’s voiceover, the audience can see that Margo is the head chief of the house, with Birdie and Eve jostling for her favour. This highlights Margo’s masculinity as during this era, the males were the dominant figure in the house, and the wives role was to please their husband. Therefore, Margo is not presented as an ideal woman as she takes on the male role in her own home. Only once Margo marries Bill, we see her conform to society’s expectations of married woman, as she leaves  paid employment upon marriage to become a domestic housewife. Mankiewicz also depicts Eve, an independent and constructed success as manipulative, conniving and calculating mastermind driven by personal ambition, all of which were dominant values in a masculine society at this time. Furthermore, women without a man to love were displayed with masculine characteristics, and thus not truly a woman because they did not abide by reactionary American values. Ultimately, the film ‘All about Eve’ is marked by a polarizing gender ideology, used to promote marriage as a romantic ideal and women. Through the roles of Karen, Margo and Eve, the film highlights that married women find happiness from serving their husband, the inevitable emotional emptiness that women will experience e if they reject their domestic roles in their pursuit of a career, and how independent women show traits that aren’t consistent as a true 1950s women. Thus the film suggests that domesticity is what provides women with ultimate satisfaction.