How to Protect the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Protect the United States - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that considering the ever-evolving nature of terrorism and the risks posed by the terrorists to the American future, it becomes imperative that the nation should prepare itself for potential future attacks. The overall nature and modus operandi of the attacks can be uncertain however, it is important that a comprehensive and holistic strategy is developed to counter any potential threats and terrorist attacks. It is suggested that in future, the overall barriers to large and catastrophic events will be low and the individuals, as well as small groups, will have larger and better capacity to strike their targets. Such enemy can pose a greater level of threat to the security of the nation as compared to those enemies whose strength is almost known. The overall threats are not just limited to the man-made threats but the natural disasters can have an impact on the economy, people as well as the society at large of the United States. It is crit ical to note that the ideology and the Jihadist philosophy is still intact despite the fact that senior Al-Qaeda leadership has been killed. This continuity in the Jihadist ideology, therefore, offers a greater vitality to the overall Islamic Jihad and thus pose the greater level of threat in future. In order to dilute this ideological surge, it is critical that Homeland Security must evolve and develop a new strategy to deal with the ever-increasing level of terrorist threats.

Shakespeares treatment of evil in Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares treatment of evil in Macbeth Essay It is clear right from the beginning of the play that the witches play a key role in the play. The opening scene shows the witches planning their meeting with Macbeth. Not only does this scene hold suspense and capture the audiences attention from the start of the play, it sets the atmosphere also. They meet on a moor in thunder and lightening, this portrays an evil image. This is how Shakespeare portrays evil at the start of the play. Shakespeare used rhyming couplets for lovers and magical characters, as well as at the end of a scene to round it off. The Witches speak this certain way to stress their mysteriousness and sense of confusion. Some of their lines contradict each other and this can be very effective and powerful. All: Fair is foul, and foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air. (1.1) This is to emphasise the witches hate for good, and love for evil. Also, this would have caused tension among an Elizabethan audience. Witches were believed to be associated with the evil powers of Hell, and that they had diabolical powers and could take demonic power over anybody they chose. The image of them being able to fly would frighten them. In the Royal Shakespeares Companys production, starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter, the witches are shown as extremely mentally unhinged and deranged. They run around Macbeth and Banquo as they tell them their prophecies. Their evil is portrayed by the camera shots used, and fuzzy effects that a stage performance could not achieve. This gives them a sense of mystery. The theatre production I saw did not have a very effective or powerful opening. The witches seemed disturbed but I felt they spoke too quickly, this could have been connected with evil forces, but I feel that if the audience did not know the script very well, it could be confusing. Though I felt the parts of the witches were not acted very well, they did depict their power over Lady Macbeth very well. This was achieved in the unsex me here speech in Act One, Scene Five. The witches were shown behind Lady Macbeth in green light, which both created an eerie atmosphere but showed that perhaps they were the evil behind all of Macbeth and Lady Macbeths plans. Maybe they had some control over what was happening. In the witches foul is fair and fair is foul speech, it was sung in a way that made them sound very mentally disturbed. They also did mysterious movements with their arms. Both of these actions made the scene more powerful and interesting for the audience, and also created a feeling of evil and the unknown. The witches were not only in the play to put emphasis on evil; Shakespeare had intended to please King James I, which Macbeth was performed before. The king was very fascinated by witchcraft at the time, but witches were feared by almost everyone during the reign of Elizabeth I, as England was a Christian country, that believed literally in Heaven and Hell and as they thought that witches were associated with Hell, witches must have been evil, and if they were anything to do with them, they were to be condemned to eternity in Hell. Hundreds of people, many women were convicted as witches and tortured and executed. Towards the beginning of the play, King Duncan, his sons, and Lennox meet a captain who was wounded from a battle. Macbeth is well spoken of, and even though the audience have not yet seen Macbeth himself, they are given the impression he is a noble and respectable man. The captain tells of Macbeths victory in having captured the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to the king. Hearing this, Duncan is overjoyed with Macbeth and gives Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor for himself. For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) Distaining Fortune, with his brandishd steel, Which Smokd with bloody execution, (Like Valours minion) carvd out his passage. Captain (1.2) Macbeth therefore has good qualities at the beginning of the play that makes his abrupt change terrifying. He is simply a human being with human weaknesses, particularly his ambition, which makes him vulnerable when it comes to being tempted be the idea of having power He does not seem evil at all at the beginning of the play, infact he seems very far from it. He is a man who, as Lady Macbeth says: Too full o th milk of humane kindness to catch the nearest way. (1.5) From the opening scene, Macbeth is chosen as a target for temptation by the witches. This suggests that perhaps he was not an evil person, but just a victim of his ambition and moral weaknesses. He is tempted when he first meets the three witches when they say that he was to be king. But when Macbeth is told that he had been made Thane of Cawdor, he asks: The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in borrowed robes? (1.3) This seems to suggest that at the stage, Macbeth wants no honour that is not rightfully his? At first, Macbeth does not want to murder Duncan, as his fears were that he would be eternally damned, especially as Duncan was a good king to his country. But eventually, ambition takes over and he does not let his thoughts get in the way. The witches are not the only reason for why Macbeth becomes so unhinged and obsessed with the idea of becoming king. Lady Macbeth was very responsible for Macbeths decision to kill Duncan; it was she, who mocked Macbeth when he did not want to carry on with their plans to kill him. Lady Macbeth says: When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. (1.7) Lady Macbeth is an extremely strong and power craving woman. She is tremendously ambitious for herself and who is astute enough to recognise her husbands strengths and weaknesses, and also ruthless enough to make the most of them, this is shown when as she mocks him when he did not want to murder. The idea of becoming queen is incredibly tempting to her, and she realises that without her, he will never win the Crown. She therefore calls on the powers of darkness for his and her sake. Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty (1.5) Lady Macbeth describes in violent terms what she herself would be prepared to do in this situation, she explains how willing she would be to kill for the Throne, by stating that she would go as far as murdering her own child if necessary. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashd the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this. (1.7) The idea she expresses here certainly fits perfectly with the fair is foul and foul is fair speech. This shows that appearances may be deceitful. Lady Macbeth seemed like a very feminine, weak lady. This is shown when the murder of Duncan had just been discovered, Macduff says to Lady Macbeth: O gentle Lady, Tis not for you to hear what I can speak: The repetition in a womans ear, Would murther as it fell (2.3) She is also a very cautious criminal; she remembers details well such as in Act Two, Scene two, when Macbeth had just murdered Duncan, he forgets to leave the daggers back to the scene of the crime. Macbeth, at this point, is shocked after what he had just done. He is frightened, and very guilty, he is not in the state to return the daggers. So Lady Macbeth does it for him to cover their tracks. Not only does she influence Macbeth to such actions, but she is ambitious enough to finish off any things he had begun. At this stage, Macbeth still has a conscience, he panics after he had sinned. Ill go no more: I am afraid, to think of what I have done: Look ont again, I dare not. (2.2) But as time passes, he realises he will have to carry on killing people to cover up the truth that it was him who murdered Duncan. One of those people was his friend, Banquo, who knew about the witches prophecies. Banquo was suspicious, as he had always thought the witches were misleading Macbeth in some way. If anyone knew who had killed Duncan, it would be Banquo. Macbeth therefore needed to rid of him, and also his son, Fleance, as it was said by the witches that he would also become king. First Witch: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch: Not so happy, yet much happier. Third Witch: Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none. (1.3) This is the point where Macbeth gets carried away with his ambition. He tries to stop what the witches said would happen. This is proved impossible when Fleance flees from the murders, leaving his father, dying. Macbeth carries on murdering innocent people including Lady Macduff and her son. Macbeth returns to the witches to hear more of what was going to happen, in Act Four, Scene One. His ambition had already taken over by then. He is obsessed with keeping the throne. The apparitions one by one tell him bad news, but Macbeth is over confident and is now almost certain he would not be defeated. The power of man: for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. Macbeth shall never vanquishd be, until Great Birnam Wood, to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him. Apparitions two and three (4.1) Again, not all things are what they seem. This is again, another example of the half-truths that Shakespeare uses. They play a large role in Macbeth, and are what was used to draw Macbeth into doing evil deeds. Evil is also emphasized by clothing in productions and films. In the production that I saw, and in the RSC production, the actors were wearing mostly black all of the time. Lighting was very effective in the live performance; green lighting was used for the witches which gave a supernatural atmosphere. Smoke was also used to create a feeling of mystery in the opening scene. The consequences of evil develops drastically throughout the whole play, starting off with doubts and indecisions, and ending with empty, ruthless cruelty. If Macbeth is viewed as a psychological study of a murderers mind, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both show symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder characterised by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conducts. They may also hallucinate, and can not distinguish between what is real and what is not. Macbeth imagines Banquos ghost at the dinner. This scene was done very effectively in the live performance. Banquo appeared onstage, and slipped in and out of the stage through the iron gates, which normally, the actors would have to open to walk through. Stepping through the gate broke the boundaries and gave a very supernatural edge to the scene. Some schizophrenics withdraw emotionally, for example, their outlook on life is deadened and they show little or no warmth. This is exactly what happens to Macbeth near the end of the play. I have livd long enough; my way of life Is falln into the sear, the yellow leaf. I have almost forgot the taste of fears (5.5) Lady Macbeth is so mentally disturbed by what she and her husband have done that she cannot sleep peacefully, resulting in her sleep walking. This signifies that she can not get it out of her head, and she is beginning to become crazy because of it. She is even re-acting some of the past out, including the letter writing, which symbolises the letter that her loving husband wrote to her to inform her of the news that he was to be king. She feels unclean after touching the daggers and the blood of the king. She has hallucinations that her hands are covered in blood and that she cannot remove the smell of blood from her hands either. Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. The Thane of Fife, had a wife: where is she now? What will these hands neer be clean? Heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. (5.2) She also knows her husband is getting out of control, and she feels that it is all getting unbearable. This is first shown when Macbeth is planning to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth tries to discourage him, but fails: Lady Macbeth: You must leave this. Macbeth: O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife: Thou knowst, that Banquo and his Fleance lives. (3.2) It is towards her death, when she is seriously psychologically damaged by the events. Shakespeare shows this through the way that she speaks. While throughout most of the play, Lady Macbeth spoke in unrhymed iambic pentameter. At the end when she was sleep talking, she spoke in prose, which showed how disjointed her mind was: Wash you hands, put on your nightgown, look not so pale: I tell you yet again Banquos buried; he cannot come out ons grave. (5.1) In conclusion, I think Macbeth was extremely influenced by the witches. They were the main reason for spread of evil. There is certainly with little doubt, without the witches, and their prophecies, Macbeth would not have murdered Duncan. Though the witches were the main reason, the others was also his ambition, his weakness to temptation, and the power his wife had over him to tempt him to do what his conscience knew was wrong. Lady Macbeth is incredibly determined, and powerful, and eventually, the two of them lost their passion they had for each other because of their evil deeds and desire for control Your hand, your tongue, look like th innocent flower, But be the serpent under t. He thats coming, Must be provided for: and you shall put This nights business into my dispatch, Which shall to all out nights, and days to come, Give solely sovereign swat, and masterdom. Lady Macbeth. (1.5) Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself, And falls on th other. Macbeth (1.7)

Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

One night, Gatsby waylays Nick and nervously asks him if he would like to take a swim in his pool; when Nick demurs, he offers him a trip to Coney Island. Nick, initially baffled by Gatsby's solicitousness, realizes that he is anxiously waiting for Nick to arrange his meeting with Daisy. Nick agrees to do so. Gatsby, almost wild with joy, responds by offering him a job, a "confidential sort of thing," and assures Nick that he will not have to work with Meyer Wolfsheim. Nick is somewhat insulted that Gatsby wishes to reimburse him for his help, and so declines Gatsby's offer. It rains on the day that Gatsby and Daisy are to meet, and Gatsby becomes extremely apprehensive. The meeting takes place at Nick's house and, initially, their conversation is stilted and awkward. They are all inexplicably embarrassed; when Gatsby clumsily knocks over a clock, Nick tells him that he's behaving like a little boy. Nick leaves the couple alone for a few minutes; when he returns, they seem luminously happy, as though they have just concluded an embrace. There are tears of happiness on Daisy's cheeks. They make their way over to Gatsby's mansion, of which Gatsby proceeds to give them a carefully rehearsed tour. Gatsby shows Daisy newspaper clippings detailing his exploits. She is overwhelmed by them, and by the opulence of his possessions; when he shows her his vast collection of imported shirts, she begins to weep tears of joy. Nick wonders whether Gatsby is disappointed with Daisy; it seems that he has made of her a goddess, and  ­ though Daisy herself is alluring  ­ she cannot possibly live up to so grandiose an ideal. Gatsby has Ewing Klipspringer, a mysterious man who seems to live at his mansion, play "Ain't We Got Fun" (a popular song of the time) for himself and Daisy: In the morning, in the evening Ain't we got fun! Got no money, but oh, honey Ain't we got fun! As Klipspringer plays, Gatsby and Daisy draw closer and closer together; Nick, realizing that his presence has become superfluous, quietly leaves. Analysis The exchange between Nick and Gatsby that opens this chapter highlights the uncertainty at the heart of their relationship: is Gatsby's friendship with Nick merely expedient  ­ that is, is he merely using him to draw closer to Daisy  ­ or is he genuinely fond of him? The question cannot be absolutely decided: while it becomes clear that Gatsby has great affection for Nick, it is also true that he uses his money and power as leverage in all of his personal relationships.

Genetically Modified Foods Essay

Genetically modified foods have recently been in the new headlines for both their positive attributes and the negatives of genetic modification, this essay will look at the effects Genetically Modified foods have on the economy, environment and you. Genetically modified (GM) foods refer to crop plants which have been created for human or animal consumption, these foods have had their genetic material modified in a way that would not occur naturally within the food. Desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content are some ways food can and have been genetically modified. Traditionally, modifying plant to have a desired trait has been undertaken through breeding, conventional plant breeding methods are time consuming and are often inaccurate. (Better Health Channel, 2013) Genetic modification can create crops with the specific traits rapidly and accuracy. For example, the gene responsible for drought tolerance can be inserted into a different plant species, the GM plant will become drought tolerance as well as the host plant previously was. Experts say 60% to 70% of processed foods on Australian shelves have genetically modified ingredients. The most common genetically modified foods are soybeans, maize, cotton, and rapeseed oil. That means many foods made in Australia containing corn or high-fructose corn syrup, such as breakfast cereals, and snack foods, these ingredients appear frequently in animal feed as well. Today’s techniques of genetic modification provide innovative and infinite of improving specific traits in different crops. For example, physical means of removing weeds is time and cost consuming for farmers, they will often spray their crops with a variety of herbicides to destroy the weeds, this process takes great care to ensure the crop isn’t affected by the herbicide, GM plants modified to be resistant to a variety of herbicides could prevent damage to the environment by reducing the amount of herbicides required. Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off. (Kartha, 2013) Third world counties where malnutrition is major issue, could benefit greatly from GM crops. Impoverished people in Africa and Asia rely on a single staple crop such as rice for the majority of their diet. Rice, however is not an adequate staple with the correct amount of vitamins and nutrients to fully nourish a human. If rice where to be genetically modified with additional vitamins and minerals, malnutrition wouldn’t be an issue for third world countries. (Csa. com, 2013) As this issue grew it became a concern for Professor Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyerin who created The Golden Rice project, Potrykus and Beyerin in a collaborative effort were able to show that production of ? -carotene could be turned on in rice grains using Genetic Modification, Potrykus enabled golden rice to be distributed free to subsistence farmers. Free licenses for developing countries were granted quickly due to the positive publicity that golden rice received. Golden rice was said to be the first Genetically Modified crop that was unarguably beneficial. (Mayer, 2013) Environmental activists, professional associations and other officials have all raised concerns about Genetically Modified foods, and criticized laboratories for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards to humans and the environment. Genetically Modified foods have a long list of benefits, but along with the positive comes the negative, one concern for Genetically Modified foods is increased toxicity, most of the flora that is consumed by humans produce low level toxins, low enough that they don’t cause any adverse health effects. The concern is that inserting an exotic gene into a crop plant may cause its toxicity levels to rise significantly due to the new gene casing the host plant to stress and produce toxins as a defense or altering the plants toxin producing cells completely causing it to produce toxins at a rate dangerous to human health. Although these effects have not been observed in Genetically Modified crop plants, they have been observed through conventional breeding methods, causing scientist to become concerned with the safety of Genetically Modified plants. (Enhs. umn. edu, 2013) Another health concern for Genetically Modified foods is an increase is food allergies. Food Allergy affects approximately 6% of children and 3% of adults in Australia and lately has become a major public health issue (Bakshi, 2003). Allergic reactions occur when a usually harmless proteins enter the body and causes an immune response (Bernstein et al., 2003). If the protein in a Genetically Modified food originates from a source that is known to cause allergic reactions in humans or a source that has never been consumed by humans as food, the protein could evoke the immune response in humans increases. No allergic reactions to Genetically Modified foods by the public have been confirmed, evidence suggesting that some Genetically Modified food products could cause an allergic reaction has motivated a number of biotechnology companies to discontinue their development (Bakshi, 2003). Another serious concern for Genetically Modified foods is the production of â€Å"super bugs†, scientists are finding that Genetically Modified crops are a breeding ground for bacteria and virus’s and that they are extremely resilient to antibiotics and able to overrun the â€Å"good† bacteria in a healthy humans digestive system causing severe and irreversible damage after they have been consumed through Genetically Modified foods, there is documented proof that the digestive system of lab controlled mice fed these â€Å"super bugs† become enlarged and caused the mice to die after it’s digestive track was over run by the bacteria in turn causing its immune system to weaken. Government authorities across the world have strict regulations in place on genetically modified foods. In the U. S, agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration supervise projects that involve Genetically Modified crops. Although the U. S government doesn’t require farmers and retailers to label Genetically Modified foods, each product must go through a strict regulation test in order to be sold to the public. (Curiosity, 2013) Genetically Modified foods are new to the Australian food supply, a cautious and in depth approach is taken when assessing the safety of Genetically Modified foods for consumption by humans. FSANZ (Food Standard Australia and New Zealand) carry out safety checks on a CBC (case by case) basis, this means each new Genetic Modification is assessed individually for any potential impact on the foods safety, â€Å"We compare the Genetically Modified food with a similar, commonly eaten conventional food from a molecular, toxicological, nutritional and compositional point of view. The aim is to find out if there are any differences between the GM food and its conventional counterpart, which we already know to be safe to eat. † -FSANZ official (Foodstandards. gov. au, 2013) Although there are many health issues concerning Genetically Modified foods, rigorous and in-depth research has been done to ensure Genetically Modified foods that are available to the public are totally safe and healthy to be consumed, as more and more foods are becoming Genetically Modified more safe and sustainable procedures are being put in place to ensure that the public and the environment benefit from Genetically Modified Foods.

Research Methods Essay

In case where I am taking part in a community mentoring program and have been assigned to help a local high school student who is experiencing difficulty in writing research papers, I am most likely to discuss the research methods that I utilized and why they worked best for me. First of all is experimental method. I will explain to the student that experimental research is a method of research wherein it aims to test a hypothesis in controlled circumstances, which means, â€Å"that all the causes/independent variables are controlled separately from a test variable to investigate the effect on a dependent variable† (Oulu.. 2000). I will also inform the student that the simplest model of laboratory experimentation is where two independent variables are contrasted (Oulu.. , 2000). I will provide examples for the student to understand it better, for instance, subjects are exposed to two different sound stimuli such as tones of different frequencies, to compare the effects on the dependent variable, which in this case is, heart rate (Oulu.. , 2000). It works best for me because the experimental method as a way to research because laboratory experimentation has been used to take a more in-depth look at human and animal behaviors basically because the effects of confounding variables including the influence of observation are controlled (Oulu.. , 2000). Another method of research that I will reintroduce to the student is the one which is technically referred to as â€Å"qualitative research† wherein its findings are not deduced by statistical or any other quantitative procedures (Bureau.. , n. d. ). I prefer this and it works best for me as well because it entails â€Å"detailed verbal descriptions of characteristics, cases, and settings or data deduced from observation, interviews, and document review† (Bureau.. , n. d. ). I will also inform the student about the objectives of the aforementioned method of research including the fact that it aims to: a) develop hypothesis or theory; b) understand behavior in a natural setting; c) study phenomena in their entirety rather than concentrating on narrow aspects of the phenomena referred to as independent or dependent variables (Ipsos, 2007).

Irelands Big Wind, 1839

Ireland's Big Wind, 1839 In rural Irish communities of the early 1800s weather forecasting was anything but precise. There are many tales of people who were locally revered for accurately predicting turns in the weather. Yet without the science we now take for granted, weather events were often viewed through the prism of superstition. One particular storm in 1839 was so peculiar that rural folk in the west of Ireland, stunned by its ferocity, feared it could be the end of the world. Some blamed it on the â€Å"fairies,† and elaborate folk tales sprang from the event. Those who lived through the â€Å"Big Wind† never forgot it. And for that reason the horrendous storm became, seven decades later, a famous question formulated by the British bureaucrats who ruled Ireland. The Great Storm Battered  Ireland Snow fell across Ireland on Saturday, January 5, 1839. Sunday morning dawned with cloud cover that amounted to a typical Irish sky in winter. The day was warmer than usual, and the snow from the night before began to melt. By midday it began to rain heavily, and the precipitation coming in off the north Atlantic slowly spread eastward. By early evening heavy winds began to howl. And then on Sunday night an unforgettable fury was unleashed. Hurricane force winds began to batter the west and north of Ireland as a freak storm roared out of the Atlantic. For most of the night, until just before dawn, the winds mauled the countryside, uprooting large trees, tearing thatched roofs off houses, and toppling barns and church spires. There were even reports that grass was torn off hillsides. As the worst part of the storm occurred in the hours after midnight, families huddled in total darkness, terrified by the relentless howling winds and sounds of destruction. Some  homes caught fire when the bizarre winds blasted down chimneys, throwing hot embers from hearths throughout cottages. Casualties and Damage Newspaper reports claimed that more than 300 people were killed in the wind storm, but accurate figures are difficult to pin down. There were reports of houses collapsing on people as well as houses burning to the ground. There’s no doubt there was considerable loss of life as well as many injuries. Many thousands were made homeless, and the economic devastation inflicted on a population that was nearly always facing famine must have been massive. Stores of food meant to last through the winter had been destroyed and scattered. Livestock and sheep were killed in vast numbers. Wild animals and birds were likewise killed, and crows and jackdaws were nearly made extinct in some parts of the country. And it must be kept in mind that the storm struck in a time before government disaster response programs existed. The people affected essentially had to fend for themselves. The Big Wind In a Folklore Tradition The tural Irish believed in the â€Å"wee people,† what we think of today as leprechauns or fairies. And tradition held that the feast day of a particular saint, Saint Ceara, which was held on January 5, was when these supernatural beings would hold a great meeting. As the mighty wind storm had struck Ireland on the day after the feast of Saint Ceara, a storytelling tradition developed that the wee people held their grand meeting on the night of January 5, and decided to leave Ireland. As they left the following night, they created the Big Wind. Bureaucrats Used  The Big Wind as a Milestone The night of January 6, 1839 was so profoundly memorable that it was always known in Ireland as the Big Wind, or The Night of the Big Wind. The Night of the Big Wind forms an era, explained a reference book published in the early 20th century. Things date from it: such and such a thing happened before the Big Wind, when I was a boy. A quirk in Irish tradition was that birthdays were never celebrated in the 19th century, and no special heed was given to precisely how old someone was. Records of births were often not kept very carefully by civil authorities. This creates problems for genealogists today (who generally have to rely on church parish baptismal records). And it created problems for bureaucrats in the early 20th century. In 1909 the British government, which was still ruling Ireland, instituted a system of old age pensions. When dealing with the rural population of Ireland, where the written records might be scant, the ferocious storm that blew in from the north Atlantic 70 years earlier proved to be useful. One of the questions asked of elderly people was if they could remember the Big Wind. If they could, they qualified for a pension.

Origin of the Chinese Zodiac Signs

Origin of the Chinese Zodiac Signs The well-trodden (no pun intended) story of the Chinese zodiac is cute, but a bit trite. The tale usually begins with the Jade Emperor, or Buddha, depending on the teller, who summoned all the animals of the universe for a race, or a banquet, depending on the teller. The 12 animals of the zodiac all headed to the palace. The order that they came in determined the order of the zodiac. The order is as follows: Rat: (1984, 1996, 2008, add 12 years for each subsequent year)Ox: (1985, 1997, 2009)Tiger: (1986, 1998, 2010)Rabbit: (1987, 1999, 2011)Dragon: (1976, 1988, 2000)Snake: (1977, 1989, 2001)Horse: (1978, 1990, 2002)Ram: (1979, 1991, 2003)Monkey: (1980, 1992, 2004)Chicken: (1981, 1993, 2005)Dog: (1982, 1994, 2006)Pig: (1983, 1995, 2007) During the journey, however, the animals got involved in everything from high jinx to heroism. For example the rat, who won the race, only did so through guile and trickery: it jumped onto the back of the ox and won by a nose. The snake, apparently also a little sneaky, hid on the hoof of a horse in order to cross a river. When they got to the other side, it scared the horse and beat it in the contest. The dragon, however, proved to be honorable and altruistic. By all accounts, the dragon would have won the race as it could fly, but it had stopped to help villagers caught in a flooding river cross safely, or it stopped to assist the rabbit in crossing the river, or it stopped to help create rain for a drought-ridden farmland, depending on the teller. Actual History of the Zodiac The actual history behind the Chinese zodiac is much less fantastical and much harder to find. It’s known from pottery artifacts that the animals of the zodiac were popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), but they were also seen much earlier from artifacts from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), a period of disunity in ancient Chinese history, as differing factions fought for control. It’s been written that the animals of the zodiac were brought to China via the Silk Road, the same central Asian trade route that brought the Buddhist belief from India to China. But some scholars argue that the belief predates Buddhism and has origins in early Chinese astronomy that used the planet Jupiter as a constant, as its orbit around the earth took place every 12 years. Still, others have argued that the use of animals in astrology began with nomadic tribes in ancient China who developed a calendar based on the animals they used to hunt and gather. The scholar Christopher Cullen as written that beyond satisfying the spiritual needs of an agrarian society, the use of astronomy and astrology was also an imperative of the emperor, who had the responsibility for ensuring harmony of everything under heaven. To rule well and with prestige, one needed to be accurate in astronomical matters, Cullen wrote. Perhaps that is why the Chinese calendar, including the zodiac, became so entrenched in Chinese culture. In fact, reforming the calendar system was viewed as appropriate if political change was eminent. Zodiac Fits With Confucianism The belief that everyone and every animal has a role to play in society translates well with Confucian beliefs in a hierarchical society. Just as Confucian beliefs persist in Asia today alongside more modern social views, so does the use of the zodiac. It’s been written by Paul Yip, Joseph Lee, and Y.B. Cheung that births in Hong Kong regularly increased, bucking declining trends, to coincide with the birth of a child in a dragon year. Temporary fertility rate increases were seen in the dragon years of 1988 and 2000, they wrote. This is a relatively modern phenomenon as the same increase wasn’t seen in 1976, another dragon year. The Chinese zodiac also serves the practical purpose of figuring out a person’s age without having to ask directly and risk offending someone.

Queen Angelfish Facts

Queen Angelfish Facts The queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is one of the most striking fishes found in the western Atlantic coral reefs. Their large flat bodies are of a brilliant blue color with vivid yellow-accented scales and a bright yellow tail. They are often confused with blue angelfish (H. bermudensis), but the queens are distinguished by a navy blue patch located above the eyes at the center of the head, which is freckled with light blue spots and resembles a crown. Fast Facts: Queen Angelfish Scientific Name: Holacanthus ciliaris  Common Names: Queen Angelfish, Angelfish, Golden Angelfish, Queen Angel, Yellow AngelfishBasic Animal Group: FishSize: 12–17.8 inchesWeight: Up to 3.5 poundsLifespan: 15 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Western Atlantic ocean coral reefs, from Bermuda to central BrazilPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Least Concern Description The body of the queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is highly compressed and its head is blunt and rounded. It has one long dorsal fin along its top, dorsal and anal fins, and a range of between 9–15 spines and soft rays. Blue and queen angelfish look even more alike as juveniles, and the two species can and do interbreed. Researchers believe that the entire population in Bermuda may consist of hybrid blue and queen angels.   On average, queen angelfish grow to around 12 inches in length, but they can grow up to 17.8 inches and weigh up to 3.5 pounds. They have small mouths with slender brush-like teeth in a narrow band that can be protruded outward. Although they are primarily blue and yellow, different regional populations sometimes have different color variations, such as occasional gold coloration, and black and orange blotches. Queen angelfish are of the Perciformes order, the Pomacanthidae family, and the Holacanthus genus.   Colorful Queen Angelfish, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands. Terry Moore / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution A subtropical island species, queen angelfish are found in coral reefs on coasts or surrounding offshore islands. The queen is most abundant in the Caribbean Sea, but can be found in tropical western Atlantic waters ranging from Bermuda to Brazil and from Panama to the Windward Islands. It occurs at depths between 3.5–230 feet below the surface.   The fish do not migrate, but they are most active during the day and are most commonly found near the bottom of coral reef habitats, from the nearshore shallows down to the deepest part of the reef where limited light inhibits coral growth. They are predominantly marine but can adapt to different salinities as needed, which is why the species is often seen in marine aquariums.   Diet and Behavior Queen angelfish are omnivores, and although they prefer sponges, algae, and bryozoans, they also eat jellyfish, corals, plankton, and tunicates. Apart from the courtship period, they are generally observed moving in pairs or singly year-round: some research suggests they are pair-bonded and monogamous.   During the juvenile stage (when they are about 1/2 inch long), queen angelfish larvae set up cleaning stations, where larger fish approach and allow the much smaller angelfish larvae to clean them of ectoparasites. Hawksbill sea turtle swimming over coral reef with stove-pipe sponge and a Queen angelfish, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean. Georgette Douwma / Photographers Choice / Getty Images Plus Reproduction and Offspring   During the winter courtship periods, queen angelfish are found in larger groups known as harems. These pre-spawning groups are typically made up of a ratio of one male to four females, and the males court the females. Males flaunt their pectoral fins and the females respond by swimming upward. The male uses his snout to make contact with her genital area, and then they touch bellies and swim upward together to a depth of about 60 feet, where the male releases sperm and the female releases eggs into the water column.   Females can produce anywhere from 25,000 to 75,000 transparent and buoyant eggs during one evening event; and as many as 10 million per spawning cycle. After spawning, there is no further parental involvement. The eggs are fertilized in the water column and then hatch out within 15–20 hours, as larvae lacking working eyes, fins or gut. The larvae live on yolk sacs for 48 hours, after which they have developed enough to begin feeding on plankton. They grow rapidly and after three to four weeks they reach about one-half inch long when they sink to the bottom and live in coral and finger sponge colonies. Juvenile Queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris in the Caribbean. Damocean / iStock / Getty Images Plus Conservation Status   Queen angelfish are classed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are used as part of the commercial aquarium trade. They are not typically a food fish, in part because they are associated with the phenomenon of ciguatera poisoning which is caused by fish eating other toxic creatures and keeping a reservoir of toxins which may be passed on to human consumers.  Ã‚   Sources Feeley, M. W., O. J. Luiz jr, and N. Zurcher. Colour Morph of a Probable Queen Angelfish . Journal of Fish Biology 74.10 (2009): 2415–21. Holacanthus ciliaris from Dry Tortugas, FloridaPatton, Casey and Cathleen Bester. Queen Angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris. Discover Fishes, Florida Museum.  Pyle, R., R. Myers, L.A. Rocha, and M.T. Craig. Holacanthus ciliaris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T165883A6156566, 2010.  Reis, Fernanda, et al. Diet of the Queen Angelfish Holacanthus Ciliaris (Pomacanthidae) in So Pedro E So Paulo Archipelago, Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 93.2 (2013): 453-60. Shah, Saara. Holacanthus ciliaris (Queen Angelfish).  The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. University of the West Indies, 2015

Intervention and health impact analysis Coursework

Intervention and health impact analysis - Coursework Example Now with the 5-tier pyramid containing different forms of interventions to maintain life expectancy in countries that have developed, it will ensure the means of preventing diseases, reduction of spread level and improvement in economic growth to emerge. In addition, there is improved living standards, and with improved ways of treatments (Frieden, 2010). With the pyramid, it helps in addressing the determinants of socioeconomic at the bottom and public health interventions e.g. clean water with safe infrastructure, protective interventions like immunizations with long lasting importance with clinical care and lastly education counseling located at the top of the pyramid. The socioeconomic factors situated at the bottom of the 5-tier pyramid mostly explains on economic issues or health indicators like poverty eradication, advanced education for the benefit of the society (Frieden, 2010). With increase in wealth, roads are constructed increasing the number of vehicles and a result leads to pollutions and deaths from the accidents but all the problems can be prevented by the improved health like availability of clean water and sanitation making the bicycle and scooter rentals a better option. Additionally, with changes in the context, it motivates health decisions regardless of education, provision of service, income, and many other factors. On the contrary, people who use cabs and other fuelled countries with lack of these are encouraged by brushing their teeth. Activities that lead to the elimination and the exposure of asbestos, salt iodination, clean water, air and food, improved road construction that helps in the creation of advanced healthier practices (Lowe, 2002). Besides the above case, the bicycle and scooter rentals is an imperative intervention since the inventions are in place to prevent cardiovascular diseases yet it is erratic with adherence that may not be predicted with unreliable effectiveness. The

ECL Operations in the Chinese Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ECL Operations in the Chinese Markets - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that ECL failed to resist the temptation of believing in the universality of its global management policies and instead of adapting its policies to the Chinese cultural norms and practices, decided in favor of implementing its standardized policies in its Chinese ventures and subsidiaries. The net result is that though the systems and policies put in place looked suitable and methodical, it is finding it challenging to motivate and retain its Chinese employees. A saner solution in this context requires ECL to inculcate a strong Chinese cultural aspect in its otherwise standardized and effective global management policies. The origins of the problems being faced by ECL could be conveniently located in the ‘Basic Values and Objectives’ segment of this case study. So far as the key goals and initiatives of ECL in China are concerned, they are fairly reasonable and acceptable in the sense that they adhere to universal business aspira tions like the achievement of overall excellence, financial success, and effective leadership. However, when one takes a cursory look at the belief system of the company, it is then that the real problem pops out. The key beliefs of the company that had a direct bearing on the human resource management policies of ECL in China are discernibly affiliated to the Golden Rule that is â€Å"Do unto others as you have them do unto you.† The company seems to have totally overlooked the fact that the notions of effective and ethical behavior and communication are always relative and could mean different things to people adhering to different cultures. The net result is that the systems, management policies, institutions, and philosophies introduced by ECL in China are disproportionately Americanized and unsuitable. The company is intuitively aware of this discrepancy and is finding it difficult to recruit and retain the competent employees in China.

King James I of England (VI of Scotland) Research Paper

King James I of England (VI of Scotland) - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to explain why King James sought to the rigorous witch hunts particularly throughout Scotland and also why he did not rally the same in England. The paper starts with a brief introduction about King James’s road to monarchy, followed by the reasons behind his interest in demonology and witchcraft. This paper also explains some of the torture tactics that were used by the King and his company in order to persecute the witches and how the witch hunts initially began. Some of the content of the King’s book on the subject is also covered in the research paper in order to prove certain points from history and the King’s obsession with the idea and persecution of witches. Introduction King James I of England and VI of Scotland had had a rough past before he was crowned as the King of England in 1603, following the demise of Queen Elizabeth. Following the death of his mother, Queen Mary, at the age of thirteen months he was crowned as the King of Scotla nd. It is said that King James was amongst the most learned Kings in history, he knew a vast variety of languages due to which he did not need translators in order to perform trade deals. The fact that he ruled England and Scotland both comes as a surprise to many, since it is obvious that the Scott and the English have always remained at odds. Yet a Scott ruled England for a considerable period of time and was quite loved by the English, therefore it is said that King James united the English and Scott and was responsible for reducing the animosity that existed between the two (Mabry , 30-31). King James’s Interest in Demonology Demonology has been defined as the study of demons or of demonic belief (Merriam-Webster). Demonology was a topic that had gained immense popularity by the 16th century. Therefore at the time when King James started his scholarly career in the study of demonology, a lot of literature regarding the topic already existed to provide assistance. As a sub ject, demonology was restricted to the elite while the poor merely stuck to their beliefs regarding the devil and its worshippers. King James’s interest in Demonology is said to have its roots in his visit to Denmark, when he was going to see his future wife. On his visit, he met with the famous Danish demonologist Niels Hemmingsen, in 1589-1590. The idea of demonology was only remotely known in Scotland till it was taken interest in by King James; rather many of the scholars say that King James was the one who introduced the idea of Demonology in Scotland (Ryynanen , 1-39). King James was the only monarch in history to have studied and written a book on the subject of demonology. The title of the book was Daemonologie. Many scholars see the political inclinations of the book and argue that the third part of the book, with descriptions of the demons seems somewhat different than the first two parts and is thought to have been influenced by the political turmoil he had to face during the 1590s. On his visit to Denmark, King James was stuck in a terrible storm and that is what triggered his belief in the idea of witchcraft and demonology. The Witch Hunts While on his way to Denmark, the King’s ship was stuck in a dangerous storm, which was later confessed to have been a witch plot to take the life of King James. It was this confession in the 1590 that led to the rigorous witch hunt throughout Scotland in 1590 (Normand and Roberts). Amongst the very first instances of the persecutions during the witch hunt was that of Geillis Duncane, the maidservant of David Seaton - a deputy bailiff. Duncane was skilled in medicinal treatment through herbs. This skill led to her curing many of the people who came to her with various ailments. This

Preparation for counselling and psychotherapy practice Essay - 1

Preparation for counselling and psychotherapy practice - Essay Example EFT gives individuals an opportunity to learn how to tolerate and regulate, reflect on emotions in order to make sense of them and mostly transform them. It systematically meant to help clients be aware and make their emotions be of a productive use. Emotion-focused therapy has its principal of change that it mainly works on Clients have to change after going through EFT. It makes people who attend the session to discover their past experiences and takes through a process of change. Some clients who go for EFT have had past painful experiences that arouse emotions. The therapists use experimental methods to teach clients to make health contacts with physical sensations, memories, feeling and thoughts that have been ignored in the past. EFT provides resources to that can transform maladaptive emotions developed from traumatic experiences (Greenberg, Carlson, American Psychological Association, & Governors State University 2007). EFT has been noticed to work for different individuals and populations. Initially, it was meant to advise couples. EFT primary goal over time has been to reorganize and expand emotional responses. EFT outlines emotional responses that are classified into four types: primary adaptive responses that are initial emotions to a given stimulus. They include sadness, anger, and fear. Primary adaptive emotions are expressed to help solving problems. Primary maladaptive is an emotional response to a stimulus that is from an experience that was traumatic in the past. Treatment, in this case, will aim to transform the individual’s emotions through taking them through new experiences (Power, Philippot, Hess, & Wiley InterScience (Online service) 2010). The third response is secondary reactive emotion response that responds to past emotional responses and replaces it. It is associated with a feeling of hopelessness, desperation, and even helplessness. The therapy will help increase awareness and address primary

Company law case study analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company law analysis - Case Study Example ny is a commercial organization that joins the pass-through taxation of a sole proprietorship or partnership with the limited liability of an organization. However, it is not a corporation, rather, a legal type of a business that offers its owners limited liability at various jurisdictions. Advantages of forming a limited liability company (LLC) include; it involves protection of the company’s assets. It will offer a restricted liability security to them, as the owners, for they are not individually responsible for the company’s liabilities or debts. Therefore, creditors will not chase their personal assets, such as the building, savings accounts, among others, in attempts for them to pay the business debts. In addition, forming an LLC will offer a pass-through taxation, in that; they will not have to pay any taxes at the business level. Any company loss or income will be "passed-through" to them, as the company owners and recounted on their individual income tax returns. Any due tax will, therefore, be paid at the individual level (Martin, 2011, p.28). Another advantage is that there is heightened credibility, whereby, this form of accompany night assist their new company create reliability with its prospective vendors, partners, and customers, since the y will the owners have made an official obligation towards the business (Hollowell, Miller, Clarkson &Cross, 2012, p.58). In addition, if needs limited compliance requests in that, the company will face lesser state-enacted yearly requirements than other forms of corporations. It also has a flexible management structure, such that, they will be free to form any business structure that they will agree on. Therefore, the owners can choose to manage the company or have managers to do so for them, unlike in major corporations that have board of directors and managing officers manage them. Lastly, this kind of a company has less restriction, in that, it they will not be limited on whom an owner can be or the

Contemporary Developments in Business and Management Assignment

Contemporary Developments in Business and Management - Assignment Example The elements of the general environment are the political systems, economic systems of societies, socio-cultural elements, technological systems of societies, ecological systems, and legal systems. The task environment is the segment of the external environment with which an organization interfaces on a regular basis and is of immediate interest to the organization. It is within the organization's control. The elements of the task environment are the customers and clients, competitors, suppliers, labor supply, government agencies, etc. Guinness is in the beer brewing industry founded in 1759, with breweries (by way of license arrangements) in almost 50 countries and exports to around 150 countries. Next, the beer industry's policies and decisions are analyzed with regards to political influences. This is followed by using Robert Miles's dimensions of corporate social responsiveness to determine the effectiveness of the industry's response. Lastly, recommendations for improvement in t he response of the industry are made. Alcohol is a dependence-producing drug that causes detrimental societal and physical effects. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it leads to diseases, early mortality, accidents, and violent crimes. Due to these social influences, the beer industry operates within a tight legal environment. Legislation exists in various nations to curb the advertising and excessive consumption of alcohol. Examples include control on drunk driving, operation hours of pubs, advertising, distribution, and even import controls, such as in Sweden. Another external influence to which the beer industry is subjected is the economy. Beer as a luxury product  depends on the economy to stimulate demand. With the economic development of the developing nations, the demand for higher quality beverages, and hence beer is set to grow. Ecologically, beer brewing contributes to global warming by emitting carbon dioxide. The use and disposal of bottles and packagi ng also contribute to environmental pollution. Hence, beer brewing is a cause of concern for many environmentalists. Technological influence is not as great as political influence in the beer industry. No doubt, the proper application of technologies such as the brewing facilities and the bottling and packaging technology could help to cut costs and increase efficiencies. However, technologies may be imitated by competitors and any competitive advantages will soon disappear.

Company law case study analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company law analysis - Case Study Example ny is a commercial organization that joins the pass-through taxation of a sole proprietorship or partnership with the limited liability of an organization. However, it is not a corporation, rather, a legal type of a business that offers its owners limited liability at various jurisdictions. Advantages of forming a limited liability company (LLC) include; it involves protection of the company’s assets. It will offer a restricted liability security to them, as the owners, for they are not individually responsible for the company’s liabilities or debts. Therefore, creditors will not chase their personal assets, such as the building, savings accounts, among others, in attempts for them to pay the business debts. In addition, forming an LLC will offer a pass-through taxation, in that; they will not have to pay any taxes at the business level. Any company loss or income will be "passed-through" to them, as the company owners and recounted on their individual income tax returns. Any due tax will, therefore, be paid at the individual level (Martin, 2011, p.28). Another advantage is that there is heightened credibility, whereby, this form of accompany night assist their new company create reliability with its prospective vendors, partners, and customers, since the y will the owners have made an official obligation towards the business (Hollowell, Miller, Clarkson &Cross, 2012, p.58). In addition, if needs limited compliance requests in that, the company will face lesser state-enacted yearly requirements than other forms of corporations. It also has a flexible management structure, such that, they will be free to form any business structure that they will agree on. Therefore, the owners can choose to manage the company or have managers to do so for them, unlike in major corporations that have board of directors and managing officers manage them. Lastly, this kind of a company has less restriction, in that, it they will not be limited on whom an owner can be or the

Marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing management - Essay Example Media group possesses half of the National rugby League shares. Furthermore, it is the main share holder of Brisbane Broncos together with Melbourne Storm in the rugby league. The media also owns several studios, broadcasting channels, as well as satellite televisions and internet providing companies among others. The main academic theories applicable in the media industry include mathematical, physics, social, political and legal theories. Human resource academic knowledge is very important in the running of any company. News Corporation has over 50,000 employees of different academic background and skills. It requires appropriate human resource knowledge to manage such work place diversity to ensure the media group maintains its large pool of customers and stakeholders. The company’s human resource teams are Masters Degrees holders in human resources in addition to their vast experiences. Further more; appropriate human resource academic knowledge would help the corporation make appropriate decisions when entering partnership deals with other companies. The essence of knowing the existing work place diversity would determine the lacking skills and professional to be hired. Academic knowledge could be associated with good leadership skills based on equality and this would enable the corporation maintain its customers and other stakeholders. Human resources and business leadership principles could of great help in these situations (Slaughter, 2004). The media group ventures in news papers where appropriate writing skills and English mastery is a plus. Good writing and language skills are associated with good academics. Further more, the newspapers team comprise of researchers who have to engage good data collection methods before publishing. Academics theories enable the researchers understand the social, cultural and religious values of an individual so that whatever information required from him does not violate any of his or her rights. Not every info rmation obtained from the community is worth being published; some news or information could evoke violence if not well handled, and academic theories provide several media acts and policies to govern the industry. Any editor or columnist ought to fully understand such laws to keep a smile in their newspapers’ readers among other stake holders. The corporation ventures in satellite TV channels. A lot of technological knowledge and skills are applied in the industry. For instance, the employees involved need to understand the frequency and wave bands of the satellite signals before they are converted to normal waves so that such channels can be watched by millions of people. News Corporation satellite TV channels are the most quality in the entire Europe and other parts of America. The media group is associated with sophisticated machineries and telecommunication gadgets like dishes, decoders, GPS among other equipment. Such machineries and gadgets require good technological s kills to be operated. The corporation so far has the widest pool of TV demand in the entire world. Quality TV channels due to good academic knowledge would not only maintain the existing customers but attract more. Physics, mathematical and electrical theories play great role in such incidences. The corporation is associated with

Johnson vetoed the first and second reconstruction acts Essay Example for Free

Johnson vetoed the first and second reconstruction acts Essay The impeachment of the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson was a key event in the history of Reconstruction as well as in the history of our nation. In the spring and summer of 1864, it seemed unlikely that Abraham Lincoln was going to be reelected. Not only had the war been going rather badly for the Union, but a president had not been reelected in the past thirty years and it was almost understood that Lincoln would follow that form. One of the ways in which Lincoln helped himself to get elected, as well as planning for the time in which the North and South would need to be reconciled to each other, Andrew Johnson, representative from the border state of Tennessee was selected. Johnson was a Southerner but he hated with a passion, his countrymen from the south who left the Union and despised them. However, despite his hatred for the Southern aristocrats, which Johnson had blamed for the Civil War, he certainly was no friend to the African American and this apathy towards their plight would be seen in one veto after another. Johnson also vetoed the Freedman’s Bill which sought to ensure that the newly freed African Americans would have land and a chance to make a new life for them and to ease the transition from a life of slavery to one of freedom. All of the above mentioned, led to the first impeachment of an American President. The radical Republicans became increasingly frustrated at the rate in which President Johnson was vetoing everything that they had worked so hard to form as it was their goal to make sure that the Civil War was not fought in vain. President Johnson, in the minds of the Radical Republicans and an increasing number of other representatives in both Houses of Congress, started to see Johnson as the enemy. When President Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, it was seen as the last straw and impeachment procedures begun. However, even though Johnson escaped formal impeachment by a single vote, his hopes for a second term, and his first full term, vanished as he was now seen in league with the Southerners whom he had previously professed to hate. When Andrew Johnson was selected by President Lincoln as his running mate in the 1864 election, many Republicans, especially radical Republicans like Thurlow Weed and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, were very suspicious of Johnson’s motives as he was from Tennessee. Their fear left when Johnson expressed his hatred towards the aristocratic land owners of the South, whom he had faulted for the start of the war in the first place. However, suspicion soon returned when Johnson made his feelings know concerning the need for Reconstruction in the first place: â€Å"Those states have not gone out of the Union. Therefore reconstruction is unnecessary. † This would be a theme that Johnson would keep through his formal responses concerning his multiple vetoes. Johnson was either hopelessly optimistic about the plight of the African Americans in the South, apathetic, or purposely took on a mission to help the white farmers against what he considered the legislation of the reformers to be in aid of the black farmer over the white. When Congress met in December of 1865, the first time that both Houses had met since the death of President Lincoln, only Mississippi had failed to adopt the lenient measures that both President Lincoln and Johnson had put in place in order to ease the transition of the South back into the Union. When it was realized that the Southern legislations had placed African Americans in a sort of quasi slavery through the restrictive black codes, Radical Republicans were enraged and sough to instill within the southern states, a series of laws which would ensure and forever protect the rights of the African American as it was their legal rights that were to be protected, the Union had the ability to ensure that these rights were enforced by their military presence in the area and to make sure that the Civil War was not fought in vain. These were the motivations of the Radical Republicans and it soon became clear, that such goals were in direct conflict with the motivations of President Johnson. The trouble between Congress and President Johnson began in February of 1866 with the veto of the Freedman Bill. The original bill had been passed in March of 1865 and it was up for its yearly renewal. The bill called for the redistribution of land to the freedmen, provided schools for their children and set up courts which were reinforced by the military which ensured that these laws would be carried out. President Johnson did not see the need for such expenditures and called it too expensive and unconstitutional. â€Å" I share with Congress the strongest desire to secure to the freedmen the full enjoyment of their freedom and property and their entire independence and equality in making contracts for their labor, but the bill before me contains provisions which in my opinion are not warranted by the Constitution and are not well suited to accomplish the end in view. † Since then, it has become clear by historians that this was not the true motivation of President Johnson. â€Å"President Johnson sought to return African Americans to a state of the oppressive and restrictive black codes. In being an enemy of the large land owners of the South, he still was no friend to the African American. † Also, there seemed to be a sense of ignorance concerning the condition of the African American in these southern states. Upon closing his formal reply in this veto, President Johnson said: â€Å"It is hardly necessary for me to inform Congress that in my own judgment most of these states, so far, at least, as depends upon their own action, have already been fully restored and are to be deemed as entitled to enjoy their constitutional rights as members of the Union†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This would mean, and it would be a common theme that would be seen in many of President Johnson’s responses to repeated measures by Congress to expand or protect the rights of the African America, that President Johnson would not be aiding in any legislation which helped to protect the rights of the African American, despite his aforementioned statements. The next measure which put President Johnson at odds with the Congress was his veto of the 1866 Civil Rights Bill. The Civil Rights Bill was put in place as a reaction the oppressive Black Codes which the South had implemented in order to return African Americans to as close to their previous slavery conditions as possible. Within these codes, African Americans were given a curfew, were not allowed to carry guns, serve on a jury or congregate with other African Americans in a group to name a few of the provisions. The Civil Rights Bill would later be used as a stepping stone for the 14th amendment which said that all persons born in the United States are therefore citizens and as a result, are entitled to equal protection under the law. In his veto of the 1866 Civil Rights Bill, President Johnson stated: â€Å"This provision of the bill seems to be unnecessary, as adequate judicial remedies could be adopted to secure the desired end without invading the immunities of legislators, always important to be preserved in the interest of public liberty; without assailing the independence of the judiciary, always essential to the preservation of individual rights†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was believed by the Radical Republicans that such beliefs were not only overly optimistic and ignorant of the current situation in the South, they were simply wrong. The Congress would override Johnson’s veto on the Freedman’s Bill and sought to do the same here. However, President Johnson continued to veto every bill that dealt with Reconstruction and further alienated himself from both Houses of Congress. 1867 would not be a kind year in the Johnson Administration. On March 2nd of that year, President Johnson vetoed the first of two Reconstruction Acts that would be presented to him. The Reconstruction Bill stated that in order for the previous laws to be enforced within the Southern States, the South would be divided up into military districts and put under a type of martial law, depending upon the severity of those who ignored the law. Again, President Johnson vetoed the bill as he saw it to be unnecessary. â€Å"This is a bill passed by Congress in time of peace. There is not in any one of the states brought under its operation either war or insurrection. The laws of the states and of the Federal government are all in undisturbed and harmonious operation. † This certainly was not the case but it would seem to be out of the character of President Johnson if he ever recognized the grave state that the African Americans were under within the South. President Johnson seemed to be oblivious towards this fact and his voting record surely did reinforce this notion. In March of 1867, President Johnson would veto his second Reconstruction Act which provided for military commanders to reconstruct the Southern states into states which would recognize the rights of the African American by force if necessary. In his veto, President Johnson again stated the lack of need for such pieces of legislation. â€Å"The existing Constitution of the ten States conforms to the acknowledged standards of loyalty and republicanism. Indeed, if there are degrees in republican forms of government, their constitutions are more republican now than when these States, four of which were members of the original thirteen, first became members of the Union. † President Johnson will always assert a sort of â€Å"lassie faire† notion towards the South; a notion that is in direct conflict with the Republican majority in both the House and the Senate and especially with regards to the very vocal Radical Republicans. Throughout 1867, The House Judiciary Committee, further irritated by Johnson’s repeated vetoes, sought to find some illegal activity in which to possibly impeach the President. However, upon their investigation, there was no evidence in which to do this. However, later that year, on August 12, 1867, President Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Stanton certainly was no friend of Johnson and there was no love loss between them. Stanton repeatedly undermined the President at every turn and President Johnson viewed Stanton as a hold over of the Lincoln Administration and not loyal to his administration. As a result of the firing, which was in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, eleven articles of impeachment were brought against the president. Ironically, it was this very law which President Johnson had vetoed earlier that year on March 2, 1867 in which he said: â€Å"The question, as Congress is well aware, is by no means a new one. That the power of removal is constitutionally vested in the President of the United States is a principle which has been not more distinctly declared by judicial authority and judicial commentators than it has been uniformly practiced upon by the legislative and executive departments of the Government. † President Johnson had overplayed his hand and formal articles of impeachment would be brought to him. On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Johnson. Congress. The formal reason was the firing of Stanton but in reality, President Johnson’s refusal to adhere to the political flow of Congress, which at that time, sought to regulate by force if necessary, the Southern states into submission on the issues of securing the rights of African Americans. However, a President could only be impeached if he was guilty of â€Å"high crimes and misdemeanors† as it states in the Constitution. Article I of the Impeachment document formally spelled out his charge of high crimes and misdemeanors: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his office, of his oath of office, and of the requirement of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully and in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States of America issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin Stanton from the office of Secretary for the Department of War†¦.. † The impeachment committee was made up of all Radical Republicans: Thaddeus Stevens, Benjamin Butler and James Wilson, the most notable of the cast. Johnson’s defense, as President Johnson was never present at the hearings, was Henry Stanberry, William Evarts and Benjamin Curtis as well as Jeremiah Black who would later resign from the hearings. On the first day of the trial Johnson’s defense team asked for a forty stay since they had not been given enough time to gather up their defense. The trial, which was processed over by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, a former member of President Lincoln’s cabinet, allowed a stay of only ten days. Another six day extension was voted upon by the Senate and granted. On March, 30, the trial began in which Benjamin Butler, former Union General, talked for three hours in which he lambasted the President for his violation of the Tenure of Office Act and the fact that even that the President had given orders to subordinates of General Grant before even allowing him to see and review them. The defense opened by stating that President Johnson had not violated the Tenure of Office Act with the firing of Secretary of War Stanton and that Stanton had tried everything in his power to undermined the President at every turn. Also, the fact that President Johnson had not reappointed Stanton meant that his office was not under the protection of the Tenure Act. The prosecution called other witnesses but in the end, proved unhelpful. The prosecution added further charges to the President. Article VIII stated: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, with intent unlawfully to control the disbursement of the moneys appropriated for the military service and for the Department of War, did unlawfully, and in violation of the Constitution of the United States of America, , and without the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States†¦ there being no vacancy in the office of Secretary for the Department of War, and with intent to violate and disregard the act aforesaid, then and there issue and deliver to one Lorenzo Thomas a letter of authority. The charges went further in order to prove that the firing of the Secretary of War was done with premedidation. Article IX states: â€Å"That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, unmindful of the high duties of his office and of his oath of office, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, did unlawfully conspire with one Lorenzo Thomas, by force to seize, take, and possess the property of the United Sates in the Department of War, and then and there in the custody and charge of Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary for said Department, contrary to the provisions of an act entitled An act to define and punish certain conspiracies, approved July 31, 1861, and with intent to violate and disregard an act entitled An act regulating the tenure of certain civil offices, passed March 2, 1867, whereby said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, did then and there commit a high crime in office. † It would also be the vocal opinions of the Radicals which helped the country to come to this stage in the first place. Charles Sumner stated that his objections with the President came from his many vetoes. † Andrew Johnson is the impersonation of the tyrannical Slave Power. In him it lives again. He is the lineal ancestor of John C. Calhoun and Jefferson Davis. And he gathers about him the same supporters. Original partisans of slavery North and South; habitual compromisers of great principles; maligners of the Declaration of Independence politicians without heart; lawyers, for whom a technicality is everything, and a promiscuous company who at every stage of the battle have set their faces against Equal Rights; these are his allies. It is the old troop of slavery, with a few recruits, ready as of old for violence cunning in device and heartless in quibble† Senator John Sherman voted to impeach the President because, he had abused his power and in his words: â€Å"Armed by the Constitution and the laws, with vast powers, he has neglected to protect loyal people in the rebel States, so that assassination is organized all over those States, as a political power to murder, banish and maltreat loyal people, and to destroy their property. All these he might have ascribed to alleged want of power, or to difference of opinion in questions of policy, and for these reasons no such charges were exhibited against him, though they affected the peace and safety of the nation. â€Å" However, there would be members of Congress which would come to his defense. One such member was William Fessenden who stated in his defense: â€Å"To the suggestion that popular opinion demands the conviction of the President o these charges, I reply that he is not now on trial before the people, but before the Senate. In the words of Lord Eldon, upon the trial of the Queen, I take no notice of what is passing out of doors, because I am supposed constitutionally not to be acquainted with it. And again, It is the duty of those on whom a judicial task is imposed to meet reproach and not court popularity. The people have not heard the evidence as we have heard it. † Lynman Trumble would also concur by stating in his formal decision: â€Å"What law does this record show the President to have violated? Is it the tenure of office act? I believe in the constitutionality of that act, and stand ready to punish its violators; but neither the removal of that faithful and efficient officer, Edwin M. Stanton, which I deeply regret, nor the ad interim designation of Lorenzo Thomas, were, as has been shown, forbidden by it. Is it the reconstruction acts? Whatever the facts may be, this record does not contain a particle of evidence of their violation. Is it the conspiracy act? No facts are shown to sustain such a charge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The trial had commenced and now a formal vote would be needed in order to either convict of acquit the President. In the end, senators who voted for his guilt numbered 35 and those for his innocence was 19 which was one shy of the necessary 2/3 vote needed from the senate. The Radical Republicans had gambled and lost and the zeal that the country had for Reconstruction, would eventually end with the Great Compromise of 1877. A quasi form of slavery would impede the African American from experiencing his equal treatment under the law and as a result, future laws which would be used. Jim Crow laws and grandfather clauses kept African Americans from the polls and placed their previous masters, as masters again. Also, the hopes that President Johnson had for reelection were gone and General Grant would follow him in two lackluster terms as President. It was a sad chapter for the President as well as the Presidency as a whole. Such events make historians wonder how the country would have been different had President Lincoln never been assassinated. Tempers among North and South might not have come to a head as they did and most accurately, African Americans would not have had to wait as long as they did for equal treatment under the law. The choice of Andrew Johnson for Vice President had consequences for the Union which could not have been seen when President Lincoln first appointed him as the Vice President in 1864. Only unhelpful speculation can possibly answer what the make up of this country and race relations for the forty years after the end of the Civil War would have looked like, had President Johnson, in the spirit of â€Å"malice towards none and charity for all. † Nobody will ever know. WORKS CITED Commanger, Henry Steele Documents of American History. New York: Century Press. 1947 Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals. New York: Simon Schuster 2006 Reconstruction and the Courts New York: PBS American Experience 2003 http://www. impeach-andrewjohnson. com/ Downloaded on June 5, 2007.

The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman Times Essay -- Roman Emp

The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman Times Florence, Italy lies in the Tuscan region in the middle of the Italian peninsula, and is a part of the temperate Mediterranean climate region. Being in such a temperate zone means that Italy is less subject to extreme climate change than other parts of the world. This does not mean that throughout recorded history the climate of the region has been static, however we can see many similarities between the climate today and that of the time of the Roman Empire. H.H. Lamb describes a gradual global warming in Europe leading up to AD (CE) 400. As he says, this is consistent with a rising sea level during the same period of time. We have evidence of Roman writers indicating that olive and the vine could be grown farther north than earlier in Roman history (Lamb, 157). As those two crops are very prominent cultural aspects of Rome, this is a very culturally pertinent piece of evidence. Not only was this northern cultivation of olive and vine possible during Pliny’s time (1 st century CE), but it is still possible now, as olives and wine are two very important parts of Mediterranean culture. Ptolemy kept a weather journal in the 2 nd century, near the time of Pliny, which Lamb refers to, citing â€Å"occurrence of rain in every month of the year except August, of thunder in all summer months, and in that days of great heat were commonest in July and August† (Lamb, 159). This is still more or less true of the Mediterranean, particularly Florence. [tu30.jpg]While Lamb says that â€Å"today the continual north and northwest winds off the sea in [July, August] lower the temperature,† Ptolemy kept his journal in Alexandria, farther south than Florence. While Florence may not have expe... ...e had shifted dramatically south. Eventually, as we know, the Roman Empire fell apart and was unable to maintain its magnitude or its grandeur, and its downfall is closely linked to climate change. The ecotone currently lies in southern France, where, as Fagan tells us, we can see the vegetation change from Mediterranean to temperate within a few meters. The trend today suggests warming, but unlike in the high period of the Roman Empire, today a lot of this warming appears to be caused by human activity. Political trends show that an Empire of such magnitude as Rome would not be possible today, but undeniably the history of human life is tied closely to our climate. Bibliography Lamb, H. H. Climate, History, and the Modern World. 2nd ed. London and New York: Routledge, 1982. 156-170. Fagan, Brain. The Long Summer. New York: Basic Books, 2004. 189-212.

The Death Penalty Essay -- capital punishment, death penalty

As of January 1, 2010, 3,261 people live on death row (â€Å"Death†). Fewer than 3,261 people live in my small town of Belle Plaine, so to me this number is outrageous. Inmates that wait on the death penalty jail create a problem for everyone in the country. If we would put these inmates through the death penalty quickly, we could take the problem away from the country. Why do we keep murderers and criminals on death row around? People argue the controversial topic of the death penalty very thoroughly, and address all sides. On one side people argue that we would save money and the death penalty sets an example for other criminals, while on the opposition people argue that life without parole is cheaper, capital punishment is morally wrong, and innocent people mistakenly are killed. The United States abolished the death penalty, also called capital punishment, in 1963. Throughout the 1960s, the Supreme Court battled many cases involving whether the death penalty should be allowed. The Supreme Court finally ruled in 1976 that the death penalty be enforced by the states that wanted it and not enforced by those who do not want it. Currently in the United States, thirty-five states have the death penalty, while fifteen do not. Even though some states have the death penalty, seven states have not performed any executions. Seventy percent of the public approves of the death penalty to be enforced throughout the states (Robinson). I also support the death penalty, and I think the death penalty should be enforced for many cases. Capital punishment would save money throughout the nation. Ten years ago, the average cost for an inmate was $22,650, and now ten years later the cost has only risen. (Stephan). This $22,650 may not... ... Richard Dieter. Death Penalty Information Center. N.p., 2010.Web. 28 April 2011. â€Å"Death Row Inmates by State.† Chart. DeathPenalty.org. N.p., 20 September 2010. Web. 25 April 2011. Feingold, Russ. â€Å"Irrevocable Mistakes.† ProCon.org. 7 Feb. 2007. Web. 28 April 2011. â€Å"Number of Executions.† Chart. DeathPenalty.org. N.p., 20 September 2010. Web. 28 April 2011. Sharp, Dudley. â€Å"Cost of Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison.† ProCon.org. 1 Oct. 1997. Web. 26 April 2011. Robinson, B.A. â€Å"Part 1: Death Penalty Data.† ReligiousTolerance.org. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance., 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 25 April 2011. Stephan, James J. â€Å"The High Cost of Imprisonment in America.† Noor’s List. Tina Dorsey and Tom Hester., June 2004. Web. 26 April 2011. â€Å"Top 10 Pros and Cons: Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?† ProCon.org. N.p., 14 April 2009. Web. 26 April 2011.

Eastern Theater Essay

Noh and Kyogen The earliest existing Kyogen scripts date from the 14th century. Kyogen was used as an intermission between Noh acts — it linked the theme of the Noh play with the modern world by means of farce and slapstick. The Noh was only performed to the high level class. Unlike Noh, the performers of Kyogen do not wear masks, unless their role calls for physical transformation. Both men and women were allowed to perform Kyogen until 1450. Kabuki The best known form of Japanese theatre is Kabuki. It was performed by Okunis. Perhaps its fame comes from the wild costumes and swordfights, which used real swords until the 1680s. Kabuki grew out of opposition to Noh — they wanted to shock the audience with more lively and timely stories. The first performance was in 1603. Like Noh, however, over time Kabuki became not just performing in a new way, but a stylized art to be performed only a certain way. As a matter of interest, the popular Gekidan Shinkansen, a theatrical troupe based in Tokyo today, insists it follows pure kabuki tradition by performing historical roles in a modern, noisy, and outlandish way — to shock the audience as kabuki intended, if you will. Whether or not they are kabuki, however, remains a matter of debate and personal opinion. Kabuki is a type of theatre that combines music, drama, and dance. Bunraku Puppets and Bunraku were used in Japanese theatre as early as the noh plays. Medieval records record the use of puppets actually in Noh plays. Puppets are 3- to 4-foot-tall (0.91 to 1.2 m) dolls that are manipulated by puppeteers in full view of the audience. The puppeteers controlling the legs and hands are dressed entirely in black, while the head puppeteer is wearing colorful clothing. Music and chanting is a popular convention of bunraku, and the shamisen player is usually considered to be the leader of the production. Modern theatre Japanese modern drama in the early 20th century, the 1910s, consisted of Shingeki (experimental Western-style theater), which employed naturalistic acting and contemporary themes in contrast to the stylized conventions of Kabuki and Noh. HÃ… getsu Shimamura and Kaoru Osanai were two figures influential in the development of shingeki. In the postwar period, there was a phenomenal growth in creative new dramatic works, which introduced fresh aesthetic concepts that revolutionized the orthodox modern theater. Challenging the realistic, psychological drama focused on â€Å"tragic historical progress† of the Western-derived shingeki, young playwrights broke with such accepted tenets as conventional stage space, placing their action in tents, streets, and open areas and, at the extreme, in scenes played out all over Tokyo. Plots became increasingly complex, with play-within-a-play sequences, moving rapidly back and forth in time, and intermingling reality with fantasy. Dramatic structure was fragmented, with the focus on the performer, who often used a variety of masks to reflect different personae. Playwrights returned to common stage devices perfected in Noh and Kabuki to project their ideas, such as employing a narrator, who could also use English for international audiences. Major playwrights in the 1980s were Kara Juro, Shimizu Kunio, and Betsuyaku Minoru, all closely connected to specific companies. In contrast, the fiercely independentMurai Shimako won awards throughout the world for her numerous works focusing on the Hiroshima bombing. ELEMENTS The Musician’s Stage (Yuka)This is the auxiliary stage upon which the gidayu-bushi is performed. It thrusts out into the audience area at the front right portion of the seats. Upon this auxiliary stage there is a special revolving platform. It is upon this revolving platform that the chanter and the shamisen player make their appearance, and, when they are finished, it turns once more, bringing them backstage and placing the next performers on the stage. The Partitions (Tesuri) and the Pit (Funazoko)Between extreme upstage and extreme downstage, there are three stage partitions, known as â€Å"railings† (tesuri). The area behind the second partition is called the pit (funazoko;lit., â€Å"ship bottom†), and it is where the manipulators stand. It is one step lower than the main stage. When the puppets move, their feet move along the railings, making it look as though they are actually walking upon the ground. The building (yatai) or painted backdrop (kakiwari) is attached to the partition farthest from the audience (main railing). Training to become a puppeteer begins with the feet, and then the left hand, and finally proceeds to the head and right hand. Such a long period of study was required those in olden times, it was said: â€Å"Ten years for the feet, ten years for the left.† In order to help the left-hand puppeteer maintain a more comfortable position, the head puppeteer wears some special footwear known as â€Å"stage clogs† or â€Å"elevated clogs.† A large doll can be as much as 1 m 50 cm tall, while a smaller one is about 1 m 30 cm, so the height of the elevated clogs to be used can vary from 20 cm to 50 cm, depending upon such conditions as the size of the doll. The heads of the dolls are carved of wood and are hollow, and they are placed atop a special head-grip stick (dogushi), which is placed through a hole in the shoulder board; it is with this stick that the main puppeteer manipulates the doll. There are lengths of fabric draped both in front of and in back of the shoulde r board, and they are attached to bamboo hoops. The puppet’s costumes consist of an under robe (juban), an inner kimono (kitsuke), an outer jacket (haori) or outer robe (uchikake), the collar (eri), and the belt-like sash (obi). In order to give the dolls’ bodies the sensation of softness, the robes are lightly stuffed with cotton. Further, there is a hole in the back of the robes to allow the puppeteer to manipulate the dolls. For each performance, the costume masters choose costumes out of many of the same types of robes of different colors and patterns, deciding which robes to use with which puppet. The complete set of robes that they have chosen is then sent to the puppeteers. The puppeteers then take part in what is called koshirae, or the dressing of the doll. Because they are used on the stage, the robes’ lose their bright colors, they become soiled, and in places they are even worn out. Therefore, they are in constant need of maintenance and repair. Furthermore, preparing new sets of costumes for the characters in a new play is another important task of the costume masters. The Nobori-hige mask is worn by the Ai-kyogen in a Noh drama in which he plays the role of the god of a subsidiary shrine. The smiling expression of its open, toothless mouth gives a better hint of human goodness than of sacredness. The Oto mask is often used to portray ugly women, but it is also used by characters who disguise themselves as the deity Jizo. The Buaku mask is like a Kyogen version of the Noh Beshimi, and although it is a demon mask, its humorous expression is not frightening. TheKentoku mask is used for the spirits of non-human beings, such as horses, cows, dogs, and crabs. TheUsofuki mask looks like it is whistling, and is used for the spirits of mosquitoes and mushrooms. TheKitsune mask is used for the old fox in Fox Trapping, the highest-ranking Kyogen play. In the Edo period, it seems that there were many realistic animal masks use, but today only the fox (Kitsune), monkey (Saru), and badger (Tanuki) remain. The daimyo (feudal lords) that appear in Kyogen usually wear a dan-noshime as an under robe, a suosuit as trousers and vest / jacket, and a special cap (hora-eboshi). Taro Kaja, who might be said to be representative of Kyogen, usually wears a stripednoshime as an under robe, a kataginu as a kind of vest / jacket, and a pair of han-bakama (shorthakama) as trousers. One special characteristic of akataginu is that it is usually decorated with a free design of an animal, plant, or utensil that graphically depicts some theme from the character’s daily life. On the half-hakama as well, pestles, sailboats, and giant radishes are often dyed in circular motifs, and on characters such as travelers, warrior priests, con-men, salesmen, and the spirits of plants or animals,kyakuhan (loose trousers that are tight fitting on the lower leg) are used, in order to indicate that they are very active. Almost all female characters wearnuihaku as under robes, and a special hat calledbinan-boshi. This is actually a 5-meter piece of white linen that is wrapped around the head, in such a way that long sections fall from the head down, like braids; the ends of these sections are tucked into the waist band. Unlike the white tabi (split-toed socks) worn by Noh actors, all Kyogen actors, even those taking the part of the ai-kyogen in a Noh play, wear yellow or brown tabi. The heads (kashira) of the Bunraku puppets are divided into male and female, and then classified into categories according to the age, rank (social class), and distinguishing personality traits of the role they portray, and all of them have special names reflecting their special characteristics. If the play is different but the type of character is the same, the same head might be used for different characters in different plays. Sometimes, in order to match the character more closely, they are even repainted to give the right skin tone, or the wig might be changed, as the heads as used for one role after another. The wigs in Bunraku as called kazura, and there are a number of fundamental styles, depending upon the type of character being portrayed. It is the job of the wig masters (called tokoyama), to sew and create an appropriate hairstyle (keppatsu) for every role, based upon these fundamental styles. Also, the tokoyama does not just style the wigs; he also makes them by attaching hair to copper plates. The type of hair used is mostly human hair, but sometimes, in order to create the illusion of volume, the hair of a yak’s tail is also used. The finished wig is then carefully placed upon, and then securely attached to, the head. When creating a special hairstyle, no oil is used, in order to prevent soiling the face, so the styling must be done only with water and beeswax (bintsuke). The small hand props of Bunraku include things that are carried in the hand or attached to bodies, such as swords or handkerchief-like tenugui, as well as larger items such as chests of drawers or lighting fixtures. There are also a number of disposable items, such as letters that get torn up and thrown away, along with numerous others. All the hand props are small in size, in order to match the size of the puppets. Yet the types of fans used are the same size as those used by humans, which strangely enough does not seem to appear incongruous. The prop masters prepare all of the small props that are needed for each performance. THEMES 1. Classification by work content Jidaimono Jidaimono means the Kabuki works describing the world of samurai and kuge (court nobles) in periods earlier than the Edo period, including works such as â€Å"Kanadehon chushingura† based on incidents that occurred in the Edo period, but were rewritten as if they occurred before the Edo period. This alteration of historical era was made because the Tokugawa Shognate prohibited the dramatization of historical acts that occurred in and after the late Sengoku period (the age of civil wars in old Japan). Kabuki works based on stories from the Heian period or earlier are called Ochomono or Odaimono (tales of royalty/tales of the imperial era) . Sewamono are Kabuki works based on the lives of tradesmen in the Edo period. These were the modern plays of that era. Works focusing on the lives of common people of low social position are called Kizewa. The Kizewa works by Tsuruya Namboku 4th who was active in the Bunka/Bunsei period [1804 – 1830] are famous. Shosagoto means Buyo (Kabuki dance). At first, Shosagoto were considered to be the speciality of Onnagata, but from the latter half of the 18th century, tachiyaku also started to dance. Later, in the Bunka/Bunsei period, works called Hengebuyo (transformation dances) in which a single actor alone portrays multiple different characters became popular. Shosagoto can be classified by subject into groups of works such as Shishimono, Matsubamemono and Dojojimono. Gidayu-kyogen are also called Maruhonmono, meaning works which were initially performed in Ningyo-joruri (puppet play) and later dramatized for Kabuki. The story is advanced by the reciting of Takemoto (narrative recitation and music). Much of the action, production techniques and movements are stylized and are synchronized with the narration and musical accompaniment. References: http://www.arlymasks.com/japanese_history_timeline.htm http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/whats/stage.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/kg_mask/kg_mask.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/creaters/operator.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/dolls/kashira.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/creaters/wig.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/creaters/cloth.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/bunraku/en/contents/creaters/prop.html http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/5/5_03.html