The Comfort Women of Nanking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Comfort Women of Nanking - Essay Example The arguments are based on the reasons that there are no definite evidences that link the Japanese government to the maintenance of brothels of comfort women during WWII. Aside from this, prostitutions and sex slaves were considered legal during that time. Although it is admitted based on records that there were about 200,000 comfort women and that they went through pains, disease, and humiliations, the Japanese were not solely to be blamed. Some of the women were prostitutes who volunteered and others were sold by their families. The concern of the government at that time was the needs of the military soldiers that prompted them to act accordingly. The comfort women kept silent about this for a while, but recently, there is a renewed interest globally of justifying the wrongdoings committed to them. Some groups ask for compensation, others ask for public apologies. Governments, more specifically Japan, responsible groups and politicians look at the issue, and weigh things whether to compensate or not. There has been great interest on the issue of compensation for comfort women for supposed rapes and hardships they went through during World War II. International women’s group as well as the affected countries pressure Japan to apologize and issue just compensation for these women as it is argued that this is the least thing that they could do to correct the damage on these women. These comfort women who are now on their eighties still believe that they deserve to be paid because of the agony they had experienced

The ethic of equal opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The ethic of equal opportunity - Essay Example The concessions came into vogue in the 1960s and 1970s. Preferential treatment programs to the above categories of the American population is not a concession, they are entitled for it. It is a petty societal gesture for the centuries of subjugation, physical violence and mental torture, destruction of the native culture and all sorts of negativities practiced against them especially on the African Americans. Other racial minorities and women also have been at the receiving end. Thus the initiatives of some firms and institutions to recruit a fixed number of minority and women candidates was a welcome relief and that enabled them to change and improve their lifestyles and provide better education to children. The above arrangements have decidedly worked to the advantage of minorities and women. At the middle class level perceptible changes are seen but several inequalities continue to plague the American corporate world. About 97% of corporate senior executives are white. When the to p decision makers are white it is futile to expect of them not to work and frame policies that are beneficial to the white community. Reservation is one of the options to remove inequalities but it is certainly not the panacea to remove all inequalities. Criticism springs forth from two quarters. From whites and a section of the blacks which has resulted in friction amongst the working class. The grievance of the whites is that the policy affects their employment opportunities. The black scholars oppose it and claim that the programs victimize and stigmatize the minorities and this has led to friction amongst the blacks and whites on the one hand and also amongst the different groups of blacks. Reservations may not be a perfect and rational remedy, but the wise saying goes that desperate situations need desperate remedies. The gross injustice done to the African Americans for over three centuries was the desperate situation in their history. They were totally helpless from all ends and the white community enjoyed at their cost. The mansions they built were through the sweat and blood of the slave labor. The atrocities committed by the whites can be forgiven but the historical facts can never be forgotten. So, quotas and reservations are the just alternatives to overcome the racial and sex barriers in the American society. As such, preferential treatment programs are morally justified. If there is one post and there are two applicants for the same, when one of them is selected, the other one is bound to feel discriminated. This is the natural human reaction. But preferential treatment programs have a broader perspective as they are based on the grounds of distributive justice. Society is like the scale of justice and both arms of the scale are equally important. Turn the pages of American history, one arm of the scale had to bear the heavy burden for centuries. As a result of past discrimination, minorities and women were denied the share of opportunities that were due to them. Though discrimination has now ended from the legal perspective, subtle discriminatory policies and practices continue to pervade business organizations and educational establishments. As such, preferential treatment programs seek to lessen inequalities and justice demands this should happen. â€Å"The first premise put forth by Wasserstrom was that race is still a significant factor in our

Synergistic Relationship Between Higher Education and the Economic Essay

Synergistic Relationship Between Higher Education and the Economic Well-Being of a State - Essay Example In this essay, the researcher states that the unit of analysis is institution level and the study population is all public four-or-more year institutions in the United States. To test the theory of an interdependent and intertwined synergistic relationship of an education society, the economics of a community and the overall economy, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and Regression Modeling analysis was applied by the researcher. This essay is also designed to frame the discussion about approaches states can use to build better models to connect public information about the economics of higher education along with state-level planning and public policy for higher education. This essay focuses mostly on the effects of graduation rate on the Gross State Product (GSP). The researcher mentiones that over the past decade, accountability pressure in education is at the forefront on all levels. According to the human capital theory that proved the theory regarding the interdependent and intertwi ned synergistic relationship between economics and education though it has shown its limits. To strengthen this theory the researcher would need to run a multiple regression model which can also and mainly be used to determine Unrestricted State Appropriation for higher education. In conclusion, the researcher sums up his research on the topic and states that he believes that conducting this model presented in the essay would be a great contribution to the knowledge base on public policy related to the financing of higher education.

Sound in Films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sound in Films - Essay Example Through the challenge of the lack of sound films in the 1920s were able to present an artistic form of visual arts while successfully conveying the message. Comparative analysis of the present and past audience can reveal that the audience during the period of silent movies have more open mind in terms of communication. It can even be perceived that understanding was achieved by the audience through a sense of empathy and emotional acceptance. But through the said issue, it can provoke the analysis that sound is an important element. Although this is the case, the absence of sound in the silent films created made these films worth of admiration on the basis of the fact that other elements are exponentially compensated. On the other hand, in the present era sound can be considered an indispensable component of film making. To be able to present an analysis on the key concepts of sound in films, it is important to concentrate on a particular film. ... is can be attributed to the fact that the movie Sunrise belongs to the batch of films that pioneered the use of soundtrack of music and even sound effects that had been recorded. The role of the said film can be considered essential to the perfection and development of the synchronized sound in films (McCaffrey and Jacobs 8). It can be observed that the silent era presented an important capacity to create an atmosphere that can make the audience understand the message. This was done through visual instruments. Through the course of the film history, the shift on the capability to relay messages to the public is through the sound. The sound became one of the most important tools in the film that were produced from the 1920s up to the present. It terms of the production of films, it can be considered as a continuous challenge to the present batch of film makers to be able to achieve the level of classic triumph that was achieved in the early films. In Sunrise, the objective of the film was achieved through the capture of the visual sense of the viewers. In addition, it had introduced the era wherein even the sense of hearing is satisfied. Due to the said fact, the film was able to create more success in capturing the attention of the audience. Basically, the sound in the said film was only used to be able to create an atmosphere of feeling the film. This can be attributed to the fact that the said movie can still be classified as a silent film. The only difference is the background music or musical scoring. For that matter, Sunrise can be considered as a hybrid or a transitional type of film, a form that is intermediate of the silent and modern films. Analysis of the Key Components of Sound Sound as we presently conceive can be considered as one of the major

Can socialism be achieved within a capitalist society Essay

Can socialism be achieved within a capitalist society - Essay Example The forces of demand, supply and availability of goods determine prices. As a result, there exists a huge gap between individuals in possession of capital and the ones without. Under capitalism, the government has little control over labour forces (Wu, 2002, p. 56; Yunker, 2009, p. 56). Although socialism idea was noble, its enforcement in a modern capitalist society can prove to be retrogressive rather that progressive (Hancke?, Martin, and Mark, 2007, p. 34). The introduction of socialist elements would prove inefficient and wasteful in a capitalist economy. This owes to the difficulties that arise in the organization of production by socialists. Moreover, socialists remain vague on the manner in which the system should be effectively integrated without harming the more stable capitalist form of governance. Gross misconceptions and indolence of the masses about the intentions of socialism also threaten its practicality (Hancke? et al., 2007, p. 58). In effect, this would challenge the scientific thought of rational conduct over life, which promotes rational economic calculations. Socialism would fail to address scarcity, an economic problem, if introduced in a capitalist society. Scarcity stems from the unlimited wants versus limited resources to meet them. Capitalism solves this problem through the theory of value, which asserts that an individual can only chose a good whose value is appeasing. Preference therefore sets the platform for monetary valuations and prices. Socialists do not value pricing or the determination of prices by economic agents. Without prices, valuations of goods and services would not adequately support satisfaction of wants through expending acquired incomes from specialized division of labour (Watson, and Hassett, 2008, p. 121). Socialism, through its limitation of the absence of fluctuating prices and free markets, would undermine proper use of resources in a capitalist society. It is nearly impossible to imagine a successful societ y that prevents free expression of preferences through a pool of prices. Random and frequent valuations of a resource through the forces of supply and demand are the only sure way of determining whether it is being used effectively to meet human wants. It would be impossible for socialist ideas like these to thrive in a highly competitive capitalist society where only the strong survive (Yunker, 2009, p. 112). While competitiveness in a capitalist society drives civilization, socialist ideas would lead to slow growth. This is because decision making and planning become centralized with bureaucracy standing in the way of development and growth. There is also the aspect of collective effort rather than personal challenge that leaves the society exposed to inefficiency and laxity. There is no place for laxity in a capitalist society as everyone is encouraged to work hard to attain personal development, which often reflects in the overall performance of the economy. Socialists cannot gu arantee adequate service to consumers while maximizing profits compared to capitalists. This efficiency arises from the promotion of private ownership of factors of production, which socialists oppose (Lawler III, 2009, p. 6). Freedom by private owners like proprietors and entrepreneurs to acquire and dispose property sets them on the path to determining true prices that reflect market forces of demand and supply. Through such freedom to calculate and

Who Hates America The World Stage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Who Hates America The World Stage - Essay Example On one side, the 'American is still the greatest country in the world' faces off with their opponents - the 'America is the home of political tyranny and capitalist imperialists' tribe. Each group comes to the table with a particular set of talking points. Each group seems to have an ax to grind, and regardless of the amount of angst burning between them, either group rarely hesitates to through a bit more gasoline on the fire. At times, it seems that the purpose is to create a larger fire, rather than promote honest communication and positive progress toward constructive goals. But such is the life of those who have power vs. those who want to accumulate power. Conflict seems to be the chosen path. Hating America has been a staple of the American cultural battle since the 1960's. Since a large number of students dissented over the Vietnam War, and took their voice to the streets, and newspaper headlines, political distress has become commonplace in the American culture. ... One group believes that democracy, or a democratic republic can best guide its own destiny with tools, information, and opportunity. The other seems to desperately create reality following the communist principle, that 'if you repeat something long enough, often enough and loud enough, people will eventually believe it, and follow you. However, from a global viewpoint, the picture changes. The world has its own views of the American experiment on freedom and self governance. These views flow from their own worldview, and their own experiences within the political subsystems in their own countries. So when discussing "who hates America" the question of 'why' must also have added to it the question of 'what is the person's own paradigm and experience" as well as "What does the speaker have to gain be winning listeners to his or her point of view. Often this last question is more revealing than the person's own words. This phenomenon has gained momentum and stature during the last half decade since the terrorist bombings of Sept 11, 2001. Being the first act of war on American soil, this incident galvanized the American peoples to action. The terrorist network had been growing for some time during the 1990's. The bombing of the marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon (cnn.com, 2003), the subterranean truck bomb attack on the World Trade Center buildings in 1993 (Wickens, 2000), the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 (Rodgers, and Frieden, 2000) . . . and the list goes on. After each of these terrorist attacks, the American political leaders rattled their sabers a bit, but generally subjugated their efforts to the opinion of the world stage. However, when a terrorist attack killed thousands of American civilians, and was carried out on American

Select one question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Select one question - Essay Example Other paintings are of aesthetic value as they express nature. Paintings also have some teachings. Some paintings according to me disclose what an artist feels about a vital object inclusive of social justice, death, religion and love. Some paintings tell history of time at which it was created (Norman, pp. 36) The paintings provide information on interests, goals and customs of past communities and people. Much of our knowledge about the past has been drawn from ancient arts and paintings as many communities did not leave behind enough records of the past. Painting discloses on tools, clothing, food and shelter of the past. It would be difficult to miss a subject that has no painting. Artists paint everything around them for instance, object, nature, animals and people. They also imagine non existing scenes and make a painting on them.an artist can flashback on the past and make a painting on a myth, religious story or a historical event. Painting is also very interesting as one can paint on a subject that expresses your idea or feeling of importance. Reaction on Painting Painting has an art may be complex as the artist tries to make his intentions be seen. The use of different colors in painting gives meaning to the art. For instance, black may be employed in a painting to bring out a somber mood. I look art as a painting as a great art as I can express what I want to put across without talking a word. The manner in which I arrange my piece of work on the surface makes the painting to be more realistic and will create an impression of creativity. The works of a painting is supposed to bring an individual to a real world where the painting looks real. In a painting there are always many shapes involved. The shapes are all blended to make a creative scene. The whole location of the painting should make meaning of the whole thing. According to me paintings brings a relief to a human emotions. For instance, tension may be cooled down through painting. This is bec ause when painting all senses are involved in thinking and painting. This makes the stress that had built up to ease with time as thoughts are diverted to the painting. For instance, at one time I had examinations just around the corner but unfortunately I was not that prepared. Therefore, I decided to walk to the woods and got an idea of painting the whole scenario. I dashed back to the class and sat down with my painting tools and started contemplating on what I wanted to paint and in what context. In my painting, I was to pass a message on the nature and its location. My thoughts and concentration were glued to the painting. I was just half way and I felt a relief and happiness. It is astonishing what an art like this can perform. Paintings can be more than blobs of pigment on work but semantics space (Norman, pp.10). They are doors into new ideas and worlds that expose our brains to new realms that we never thought existed. An inflammatory subject gives us a break to think. A ve ry young boy who was hospitalized was able to put up with his illness by indulging in art projects. The astonishing story shows both emotional and physical powerful responses, that an art can harvest (Norman, pp. 23).When an individual looks at a piece of work like a painting a lot of things cross the mind. Many may react on a piece of painting but an artist objective is for their work to be remembered. Firstly, a painting can portray emotions from the colors one