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Daniel Overmyer’s, Religions of China, discusses the historical developments of the different religions of China. It also addresses the impact religion has on the daily life of the Chinese in the past and present. Overmyer introduces the Chinese living system with his knowledge of Feng-shui, and how everything is connected by shared rhythms. â€Å"These rhythms are discussed as the cold, dark forces of yin and the hot, bright forces of yang; together with the five powers of metal, plant, life, water, fire and earth; these forces are modes of qi, â€Å"vital substance†. Their interaction produces all things† (12). The author does an excellent job in his approach to teaching Chinese religions and culture. He explains its concept and upbringings then tries to relate them to the reader’s daily life. This book serves as an introduction to Chinese History, in terms of religions and practices, which paved the way for China today. In order to help introduce the major cultural and religious features of the book, the author places a chronological list of events in the beginning of the text; from the Prehistoric time (6000 B.C.) to the Peoples Republic of China (1949-present). Its geographical limits are all of China, which extends from the Pacific Ocean to India to Afghanistan, and from Burma in the south to Siberia in the north. Overmyer gives a brief historical view of the country’s’ political and social climb, one example was with the decline of the Hans dynasty to the uprising of the Yellow Turbans then to Way of the Celestial Masters. â€Å"These two popular movements were also forerunners of Daoism, which became the most important religious tradition founded in China† (37). The presentation of the text is thematic and it provides the reader with a step by step analysis to religions and practices. The author presents the concept in a very organized fashion. The first chapter introduces the beliefs and values of China’s living system, with the concept of Feng-shui and qi. The next chapter gives a brief overview of the historical developments of the different religions; Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Popular Religion, and Foreign Religion. The proceeding chapters include the traditions and practices in their religious life and also the community’s intervention with the spiritual life; i.e. The Spring Festival, Exorcism and the Buddhist Enlightenment. The last chapter, Chinese Religions Today, emphasizes on present day religion in Taiwan and China mainland. Overmyer is very knowledgeable in the subject matter, he was taught by his mother during his first 5 years living in China.

The play ‘The Birthday Party’ Analysis

The play ‘The Birthday Party' is about an everyday, domestic lifestyle/ characters with mixed emotions. The whole play is based on a boarding house with one guest, Stanley. It starts off with the owners, Meg and Petey, leading a normal day with Stanley. Two men come to look at the house to stay and Stanley gets nervous. The two men, McCann and Goldberg hold Stanley's birthday party and make it a living hell! Throughout the play McCann shows signs of confusion and innocence at the task-in-hand. However this is not always the case, for example McCann, later on in the play, attempts to strike Stanley with a chair. When McCann and Goldberg arrive at the boarding house in Act 1, McCann states, ‘what are we doing here Nat?' this gives off signals that McCann is there as Goldberg's aid and not a leading figure. As the play goes on, the audience may start to feel sorry for Stanley due to unfortunate circumstances and more hatred and dislike towards Goldberg and McCann for making him feel so negative. McCann: He killed his wife! Goldberg: Why did you kill your wife? Stanley: What wife? (Back turned, facing the audience) The above quote shows how McCann and Goldberg continue to bully Stanley. Pinter uses the language in the above quote as if McCann and Goldberg were ‘pressing' Stanley for information and as if Stanley found it hard to lie whilst looking at them so he turned his back. The prospect of McCann being more innocent may counter the dislike and tempt the audience to feel sorry for McCann as he gets dragged deeper and deeper into the unknown. Pinter does this to, yet again, represents the plays psychotic nature and obscure mentality. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own† At the beginning of act two McCann is said to be sitting at a table tearing newspapers into 5 equal strips. This may make the audience uncomfortable as it is a rather curious thing to do and may make the audience paranoid as to why he is doing this and what he is thinking as it never tells you this in the play. Stanley picks up a strip of paper McCann moves in McCann: Mind that. McCann clearly has a motive for tearing the paper or he wouldn't mind it being touched. It is a fine example of the plays paranormal mentality. Also Pinter wrote McCann's line like this to make the audience uncomfortable as it is a rather subtle, commanding statement. During Stanley's birthday party in act 2, McCann offers to take Stanley's glasses for him during a game of blind mans buff Stanley stand blindfold. McCann backs slowly across the stage to the left. He breaks Stanley's glasses, snapping the frames. McCann picks up the drum and places it in Stanley's path Stanley walks over and puts his foot through it. Here McCann proves to be quite a bully and may convince the audience to feel disgust towards him, due to the audiences feeling towards the main character, Stanley, countering the possible sorrow from earlier on in the play. Pinter may do this to make sure that the audience can never set on a real feeling for McCann which may add to the ‘fog' of confusion surrounding the play. As a conclusion I think that McCann is a character the brings emotion and excitement and you can never really settle on a feeling for him

Immigration to the United States and Dream Act

Immigration Immigration policies and immigrants was a major issue in the American Society. The Immigration Act of 1990 raised the amount of immigrants that were allowed in the United States. Each year the number of immigrants that come to the United States were known to be very skillful and talented workers. They could have improved the American Society. Immigrants often traveled with their families. Many of the Immigrants that came to the United States came for a better life and to have more opportunities.The Immigration Act of 1990 also allowed no limit on the amount of visas that a family could have. Because of this 71 percent of immigration visas were going to residents. A law was also formed on how immigrants could get deported. The amout of deportations also increased as the years went on. People were concerned that the laws being passed gave immigration to much power. They get o make to much decisions. In 2012, the DREAM Act was created. It was created based upon immigrants, e ducators, and business leaders.Many people were against the DREAM Act, many people were for it, and their were those who were between it. The DREAM Act was able legalize the undocumented minors that entered the country. The meaning of the DREAM Act is Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors. Their are several requirements that the DREAM Act has in order for a person to eligible for it. To be eligible for the DREAM Act a person must have been 15 years of age or younger when they entered the country. Proof must being given to show that they have been in the country for at least 5 years.Some form of education either a GED or a high school diploma must be shown. They must also be under the age of 30. All of this information can be shown in Document 1. Not many states allow undocumented immigrants to enter the country and receive an education, but New York is one of the few states that allow immigrants to receive an education. I am in favor of the DREAM Act because it has many o pen opportunities for undocumented immigrants. The main goal of the DREAM Act is to makesure that undocumented immigrants can vote, be sucessful, and be apart of the Union.The DREAM Act supports immigrants and wants them to make it somewhere in life and be able to adapt to the American culture. Immigration Policies and Immigrant Policies are discussed in Document 4. Document 4 is stating that the U. S immigration policy wants to keep the United States as a union, which means making undocumented immigrants apart of the United States. Document 4 also shows that the United States also wants to have different cultural mixes involving a variety of different people from different places.Having morals and values are important to immigrants and also the people who are apart of the United States. The current policy for undocumented immigrants is that they still have to go through an interrogation and other processes. Another goal of the DREAM Act is to make sure that everyone is covered with health insurance. As immigrants entered the country, it was possible for them to bring different diseases with them. In 2009, immigrants had more health insurance than the native-borns. About 87. 6 percent of the United States population had health insurance, and the other 14. 1% didn’t.Compared to immigrants the native-borns were no where near having that many people on health insurance, as shown in Document 12. As the years continued, the percentages of immigrants coming to America increased. Most of the undocumented immigrants settled more in the west. The foreign born population was taking over. This is shown in document 9a. Immigrants also took jobs from the Americans because they were more hard-working. Majority of the countries that immigrants came from involved hard labor, so they already knew what it was like to work. Eventually immigrants began to pay taxes.The immigrants who were paying taxes were the ones who were head of their households. Document 9b shows ten d ifferent states that had immigrants paying taxes. The immigrants who were paying taxes were the ones who were the head of their households. Document 9b shows ten different states that had immigrants who were paying taxes. California had the highest amount of taxes being paid. While Washington and North Carolina had the lowest. Georgia, New Jersey, and Arizona are all at the same amount when it comes down to the taxes that are paid by undocumented immigrants who are the head of their households.Undocumented immigrants continue to come to the United states. The number of immigrants who are entering the country continues to increase. Immigrants are settling in the other states also. The DREAM Act applies to and affects immigrants who are entering the United States without any full understanding of how they are going to survive. Since the DREAM Act has been passed for mainly minor immigrants, it affects their level of learning. The DREAM Act requires having some learning experience and stable proof to show that. But depending on what country a inor is coming from the learning curriculum in the United States would be different from how it was to them in their home country. The DREAM Act also says that parents should start teaching their children from home so that when it’s time for them to attend public school they aren’t far behind, and maybe they will be able to pick up quickly. Overall, I still believe that the DREAM Act should be passed, but not in full because it does have a positive impact on our society and it also takes away some of the power that immigration has.

Modern American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Modern American Culture - Essay Example According to the studies of Cunningham (2005, Pg 110) as the service form becomes an inner part of culture, so culture and society becomes obtainable for use in the awareness of co-modification as special cultural substances, as a foundation of commercial influences, and as representational legitimation for the complete structure. Culture and the service form turn out to be dialectically entwined. Americans live in an over-commodified world, with requirements that are created in the well being of the marketplace and that can be met only in the course of the advertisement or marketing. Calthorpe (1994, Pg 3-4) explains the New Modernism emerged in America as a potential remedy for decades of inadequately planned sub urbanization. The period in which this sub urbanization actually began raises debate. Many researchers cite the latter half of the nineteenth century as the advent of suburbia, when development in major metropolitan areas began to move into circles outside the city limits. Some researchers, on the other hand, claims that although the subordinate urbanization of the United States began in the 1920s, it was not until the postwar era that the process gave way the collusion of public policy and private practice'. And up till now Fjellman (1992, ... reveals that, as the subsequent 50 years would illustrate, the promises of the American borders brought their individual distribution of special troubles. Long travels, traffic squeeze, effluence, not careful city planning, disparaging ignorance for built heritage, environmental unawareness, lack of sufficient leisure space, and mind-numbing community and confidential architecture all donated to the all-purpose depression and sarcasm of uptown life in the delayed twentieth century. In numerous ways, postwar suburbanites fundamentally switched one set of troubles for another. (Kunstler, Pg 36) Whereas they may have runaway the rising 'black fright' of the internal city, these perpetrators in the course, shaped for their grandchildren a heritage of predictability, boredom, civilizing homogeneity, and domestic/personal dysfunctionality. Disney, City Of Celebration And Modern American Culture Katz (1994, Pg 13-14) explains what does culture have to do with Walt Disney World The 'Disney City Of Celebration's environment of the New Modernism faces yet again as one of the mainly widespread criticisms of neo traditional values. Criticism that New Modernist societies look 'false' or seem too 'intentionally wistful' usually outside, though many of these same opponents cannot help but esteem the wealthy colors, pleasant views, and sparkling streets such towns present. Places like Disneyland's Main Street, USA motivates many of the same manners one understands in a New Modernist society. 'Americans love Disney City since the daily places where they survive and go about their business are so miserable that Disney City seems superb in contrast'. Without a hesitation, the New Modernism and Disney's 'architecture of reassurance' contribute to a number of general objectives: Both

Sustainability with Different Energy Sources Research Paper

Sustainability with Different Energy Sources - Research Paper Example It is therefore necessary to implement measures aimed at sustaining the energy under consideration. This paper takes a stand that energy is a very important element that helps in sustaining life, and making it easier. The term sustainability has a wide reaching effect on the various disciplines that are associated with it. The term sustainability refers to a variety of changes that occurs within a given population and this population is able to maintain these changes over a given period of time. Energy is a very important element that helps in sustaining the life and activities of human beings. People use energy in their day to day activities, and this includes firewood, electricity, solar energy, etc (Beggs, 39). Energy can be used for purposes of lighting homes, cooking food, and even in the manufacturing sector. Another term that directly relates to sustainability is sustainable practices. These are activities, which are responsible for the conservation and utilization of energy products and substances. Sustainable practices is not only limited to energy products, but it also involves other aspects such as protection, and preservation of the environment, health, etc (Simon, 39). Sustainability of energy refers to the methods and ways of preserving the productive capacity of the energy, for purposes of using it to the foreseeable future. This aspect of sustainability includes all the activities that human beings initiate for purposes of preserving energy. This includes the prudent use of natural resources that have the capability of producing energy. These resources are firewood, rivers, and the solar system. The activities that human beings can initiate for purposes of sustaining and preserving energy includes the enactment of laws that prevent illegal logging, and cutting down of trees. This is because trees are an important source of energy, and they help in the

International Trade Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Trade Concepts - Essay Example Engaging in international trade means that the demand for the country’s products is no longer limited to and determined by the home country. With international trade, the country’s product will have greater demands. These greater demands mean increase in wealth for the countries. Because there are greater demands for a product, with costs of production decreasing, assuming that with specialization the technology improves and the efficiency is increasing—production increases and wealth comes to the country. International trade encourages local competition within its industries in order to achieve efficiency. With more products in the market due to import or other companies bringing their products to compete with local competitors, local players are forced to produce more competitive products to satisfy the consumers. This stimulation of local competition can also bring down the prices of goods in a given industry. By making excellent products available to consumers at the same price level, satisfaction is met among the population. When firms go trading with countries, it is very usual that they bring with them the technical know-hows as regards their production. This experience adds to the increase in a country’s intellectual capital. When there is trade of goods, it is likely that trade in certain knowledge also follows. Therefore, this is beneficial to both countries as they exchange more knowledge in order to increase their technological capacities. When more efficient foreign players enter a local industry, it can offer prices below the market clearing price. Due to this, there will be issues like dumping because the players’ interests are at stake, when they cannot compete with the more efficient foreign player in terms of price. International trade, therefore poses a limitation—a country should also consider the interests of the local players when

Adam Smith Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Adam Smith - Term Paper Example The behaviour of the economy and its interaction with the agents and actors of the economic system of a particular country has been noted and studied by various economists. This paper shall discuss one of the most noted and prominent economists, along with his contribution, background, and school of thought for the subject. Adam Smith Adam Smith has been one of the most prominent and noted economists of his time. He was born in Kirkcaldy Scotland in 1723, and, later, went to Oxford at the age of 17. In the year 1951, Smith was appointed at Glasgow as a professor of Logic, and within one year, he was made the Chair of Moral Philosophy. Besides being a Scottish social philosopher, Smith was also the founder of the political economy. He had proven to be one of the chief personalities of the Scottish Enlightenment, and had also authored some major academic works including An Inquiry into the Nature, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759, and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, 1776. His spec ial achievement, The Wealth of Nations, is generally regarded as the very first of the modern works in the contemporary economic society these days (Butler, Eamonn, 2007). Through this work, Adam Smith has attained huge respect and reputation, this works has been ranked the most prominent, and significant works ever published in the field of economics. Smith is broadly known as the father of capitalism and modern economics. Later, in the year 2009, the Scottish television channel (STV) ran votes and the economist and writer, Adam Smith, was ranked as the 'Greatest Scots' of all time. School of Thought There are various challenging and competing schools of thoughts commanding different opinions and viewpoints of the economic philosophies. The chief division in the classes of schools of thoughts includes the Classical and Neoclassical schools. Adam Smith was the pioneer of the Classical school of thought, which fundamentally stressed upon the notion of creating economic value and dist ributing the wealth of the economy between various classes including the capitalists, landlords, and the workers. One of the prominent branches of the Classical school is the Marxist school of thought. Economic Theories Just like all other economists, Adam Smith also held his own viewpoints and perceptions regarding the economic cycle that moves the world around. Due to his emerging thoughts on the subject of economic, he introduced the economic theories which included one of the significant economic theories, the Invisible hand theory. The Invisible Hand Theory Adam Smith believed that there was an â€Å"invisible hand’ in the marketplace which has always operated in order to make the markets of a self-regulating nature. This metaphor stated that all the consumers have a free will to select what to purchase and each manufacturer is free to decide what to produce and sell. Such a marketplace sets the distribution of the products and the prices which are of benefit to the ind ividuals in the community and to the community in a collective manner. This is the involvement of self-interest which forces the actors to behave in a beneficial way. The profits are maximized using efficient methods of production. Revenues are maximized through charging lower prices and the returns are maximized by investing in the urgently required industries. Thus, all the effects in the markets occur automatically and dynamically, and this occurrence, Adam Smith has mentioned, exists due to the ‘benevolent invisible hand’. All these effects take place dynamically and automatically (Helen, 2001). Contribution to Economics Adam Smith gave major contributions in the field of economics through