What is a Community? Essay -- Sociology

A community is established when more than two people share the same values and through time this personal connection evolves into a fellowship governed by rituals, traditions, and a particular form of communication that when taken together makes a group of individuals whether living in a specific geographical area or connected by ideals so distinct that their distinguishing marks allow them to stand out from among the crowd. They do not just believe in something like an organization but they need each other to survive and thrive. A good example is the Old Order Amish Mennonite community wherein the community serves as source of identity, strength and provides the reason why they should sustain the community’s way of life. It is important to understand that in order for a community to exist at least three conditions must be met: a) place; b) interest; and c) communion (Smith, p.1). There must be a territory or place where people can congregate or can be seen (Smith, p.1). The location also helps identify the community and differentiate its members from other groups. The common interests shared by the members create a tight-knit community. Some examples of interests found in communities are religion, occupation, ethnic origin and even hobbies. Aside from location and interest one of the most important components is communion. There must be a connection between the members of a particular community. Without this communion, the coming together, a profound sharing of ideas, resources etc., there can be no community but a group of individuals banded together simply because of proximity such as those living in a gated community in an upscale neighborhood but the residents do not know each other. A more technical definiti... ...rd the Amish Mennonite community exemplifies the meaning of community. The community is established and continues to develop because it is a source of identity, strength, and sustainability – the reason why they must exist and perpetuate their way of life until the end of time. Works Cited Cnaan, Ram & Carl Milofsky. Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations. New York: Springer Science, 2008. Schwieder, Elmer & Thomas Morain. A Peculiar People: Iowa’s Old Order Amish. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 1975. Smith, Mark. â€Å"Community.† Accessed 21 October 2010. Available from http://www.infed.org/community/community.htm Bellah ET AL., Robert. "Community, Commitment, and Individuality." Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation. By Terence Brunk. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2000. 74. Print.

First Paper: “The House on Mango Street” -- Literature Review

First Paper: â€Å"The House on Mango Street† In The House of Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros depicts the character of Esperanza as a coming-of-age female who dreams about having a house of her own. The house will bring for her the personal and family stability that she needs; as evidenced by the way the author uses the house to represent Esperanza’s search for what she wants to be as an artist and as a woman. This is significant because it speaks about how people may use their imagination as a means to reinvent themselves. Socially speaking, the concept of property is related to the possession of tangible and intangible things by an individual or a particular group. This idea of property brings benefits for some people: it gives the feeling of having accomplished something in their lives, along with the stability that allow individuals to develop new ideas and projects as a result of having more confidence. More important, this idea of property brings for people a sense of belonging that is a fundamental part of their success in any community. In The House of Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros starts the story with a main character who describes her family journey to a new house, the House on Mango Street. Despite describing a history of constant moving from different places that has ultimately constituted the girl’s family, the author implies in this description a sense of family unity that is based on the premise of acquiring property: â€Å"†¦we were six—Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me (†¦) The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 3). However, when what people accomplish in their lives do not meet their expectations, frustration and disappointment may come alone. This is Esperanza... ...that defines her personality in terms of who she is away from her family heritage. Rather than assuming a name simply because it was given at birth, Esperanza is looking to create her own history away from her parents and her sister; consequently, changing her name will be for Esperanza a very important part of her process toward finding an identity. â€Å"In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.† For the first time, Esperanza mentions her name, but she implies a negative connotation in it. Her complaint about having a name with so many letters might express her discomfort when trying to be part of a community, because her name has a longer, harder and foreign pronunciation in comparison to the names of her siblings: Carlos, Kiki and Nenny, which are more suitable into the sounds of the English language.

Should America and Canada Have a Common Economy

People have always wondered what it would be like to step in the shoes of others – people that are completely different from them and see the differences and similarities in their lives. These days even countries are thinking of the same question. For example, what if, Canada started sharing its economy with the US? Canada and the United States have different economic systems even though the countries are geographically close to each other. In the economic continuum of planned, mixed and market economies, Canada has a mixed economy, and U. S has a market economy. Generally speaking, Canadians and Americans are very different people. Creating a single economy could have disastrous effects on the lives of the people and should not be done. First off, with less government involvement Canada would no longer have the things that Canadians celebrate. Secondly, the switch would go down hard on the homeless people of Canada who would now not have the government help that they desperately need and in a colder climate like that of Canada, it would be very hard for them to survive with the new economy not helping them much. And lastly, Canada already has the North American Free Trade Agreement which gives Canada, good cooperation with the United States and obviates the necessity of such a move. If the Canadian economy integrated into the American economy, the future of Canada would be destined to collapse because of the things that the people would lose. At the moment, Canada is a welfare state, where there are things such as senior pension plans, free healthcare and free education from K-12. If the economy converted, these would be no more. That would lead to the start of these services being commercialized which would make the prices skyrocket (refer to figure 1). Cost of living would go up. Health conditions would deteriorate and the workforce would not be as skilled due to higher cost of education. Also immigrant and refugee population would drop. That will adversely affect Canada's workforce. To sum up, the Canadian economy will suffer heavily. In the United States, the government, leaves much of the economy to the private sector and this leads to a higher cost of living. To the homeless people of Canada this is bad news. First of all, Canadian homeless people live in a very cold climate where they have to buy winter jackets and such. With a higher cost, the homeless people simply cannot afford the all the things to survive winter and will have lots of problems. This would add approximately 300,000 homeless protesters that would go against the integration along with the others that want free healthcare back and would cause big problems to the government. In 1994, The North American Free Trade Association started to be implemented and free trade started between Canada, America and Mexico. Canada has the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association) that makes Canada, United States and Mexico very good cooperative nations and together they have made the largest free trade area. [1] John McCain from the Republican party[5] said â€Å"Last year alone, we (U. S. ) exchanged some 560 billion dollars in goods, and Canada is the leading export market for 36 of the 50 United States. [2] The countries have agreed to many things that they will do for each other such as strengthen the special bonds of friendship and cooperation among their nations, contribute to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide a catalyst to broader international cooperation and many more things[3] NAFTA has created a very strong foundation for future and created good cooperation for the three economies. So why does Canada need to share economies? In fact, what Canada gets from it, is not worth the expenses and risks it faces during the transition. So as a summary, making such an integration possible could lead to devastation, and a lot of struggle for the people. So this should not be done. Making the switch, takes away the joys that we celebrate such as free healthcare and makes big problems in the lives of people that depend on these services. This also raises the prices of the goods in the market making a problem for not only the common people but even more drastically for the homeless people of Canada. Also, due to NAFTA, we have very good cooperation with the United States. Is all this really worth the change? Are we going to get enough back by doing this change?

Blue Colour

My Favourite Colour Open our eyes and everything we see is colourful. We all live in a world where colour is often a part of us despite affecting us in our daily lives. Colour in everyday life is varies, from knowing that a fruit is ripe to eat, to understanding how colour can affect and influence our lives. Scientifically, colour is is known as light of different  wavelengths  and  frequencies  and light is just one form of energy that we can actually see that is made up from photons. We are all surrounded by electromagnetic waves of energy of which colour is a small part. Color can influence our emotions, our actions and how we respond to various people, things and ideas. Much has been studied and written about color and its impact on our daily lives. When I close my eyes and visualize, the only colour that clicks my mind at first is the colour, blue. Blue is known as the coolest colour. The reason blue is my favorite reason is that of all the colors in the spectrum blue compliments almost all other colors. Blue is the master of backdrops. Interestingly, blue is the color of the universe and nature such as sky, ocean, sleep, twilight. Besides that, blue is the color of inspiration, sincerity, modernatization and spirituality. Blue is often the chosen color by conservative people. Blue is the calming color that makes it a wonderful color to use in the home, work and many more environments. Right now as I stare out my window, the horizon is almost a white-washed blue and as I look up the colors deepen to an ocean blue. Blue, in my eyes is the beautiful and soothing colour. My favourite football team is Chelsea Football Club. Co-incidentally, blue is their official colour and they are well known as ‘the blues’. In here, I realized sportiness in the colour blue. Furthermore, the reason I like blue is because I have come across some facts about the colour itself. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. So, one who is on healthy diet and would like to do some work out may paint their wall in blue for the calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize goodness and sincerity. Actually, blue represents both sides in a melancholic way as it has never been an overly emotional color. By overly emotional it is never been to the extremes although it can lead there. Blue is the color that refreshes the mind and the color of relief as it washes over you. Other than that, I am a male. Blue is often referred as a masculine color. According to studies, it is highly accepted among males. I too feel the masculinity and calmness when I am in blue. Most of my attires are in blue regardless of dark or light blue. That does not mean other colours are exceptional, but I prefer blue the most. Conclusively, there are unlimited reasons why blue seems to be the most interesting colour in my eyes, but it is the most wonderful colour that appears across my eyes. My day is delighted with blue, the inspirational colour.

Parzania †Critical Review Essay

These words are reminiscent of a Gandhian quote. The Father of the Nation, a larger than life individual, who single-handedly stunned the world with his unusual principles which millions believe, paved the way for the Indian Independence. However, his dedication and perseverance to free the Indians by non-violent means is being honored more in theory, as of today, than in practice. The above quote is from a 2007 Rahul Dholakia movie, namely, Parzania. Critically acclaimed and thrown open to a global audience, it attempts in the characteristic manner of all literature, to reiterate a story, in a way that will make people reflect on it and see the events of the tale in a whole new light, much like the concept of defamiliarization. The movie is about the horrific events that took place in Godhra, Ahmedabad on Februray 28th 2002. Communal violence is a social and political evil that has taken India by storm after Independence. Our country is exemplary of the claim that two predominant religious groups cannot co-exist. This very fact has been exquisitely portrayed in Parzania, which is unalike any piece of literature covering a similar issue. Firstly, the irony of the tale lies in the fact that the events of the Godhra riots which was primarily a Hindu-Muslim discrepancy, has been depicted from the point of view of a Parsi family as well as a formerly Protestant, American man. This almost-objective narrative is the essence of the story because it eliminates all cause for concern regarding any sort of bias. The audience is free to display any feelings of sympathy and compassion for the protagonists, without the fear of being disloyal to their religious sentiments. Moreover, Muslims are the minority in India. They account for roughly 14% of the population of the nation as a result of which, they are always the popular villains. Regardless of the mounting evidence supporting their equal contribution to communal violence in India, more often than not, they are blamed for having instigated any and all mayhem. Parzania, on the contrary has, in a very subtle manner, portrayed the Muslims as the grieving community. The movie concentrates chiefly on the events of February 28th, 2002, when thousands of Hindu rioters retaliated most violently to the burning of the Sabarmati Express, killing 59 Hindus the day before. Muslim inhabited areas were focused upon and several hundred Muslims were massacred in the most horrifying manner. Thus, Parzania tempers its objectivity by making a understated case for the innocent Muslim people who unwittingly fell prey to the hungry demon, that is communal violence. The greatest consequence of Communal violence is not the expression violence; it is the creation of it. Parzania is the story of how a minority of non-violent, extremists are capable of such wide spread massacre. It depicts, most beautifully, a community of people who are as religiously diverse as they can get and yet find a way to co-exist peacefully. ‘The Mansion’ as it is called, is a small community of middle class Hindu, Muslim and Parsi families who sow the seeds of warmth and friendship and hence reap the benefits of love and belongingness. The women indulge in good-natured gossip about each other but support each other unconditionally albeit worshipping a triad of Gods. This peaceful setting is the prequel to how deep friendships are shattered due to religious and political differences. It is human tendency to want to avenge the wrongs done to you. Communal violence works on this principle. It is an infinite loop; no one can trace the origins of it, or know for sure as to who threw the first stone. But with every incident of communal violence, a beast awakens in formerly peaceful people and they occupy their minds, bodies and souls with thoughts of revenge. This is the case of a Muslim lad, Asif who lived among the inhabitants of The Mansion. A compassionate man, he is seen chiding members of his religious community for shaming Muslims as a group. He laughs and mingles with the Hindus, Muslims and Parsis alike, and shows no signs of revolt. However, being witness to the murder of her aging father changes the man he is. He rounds up other enraged Muslims and yearns to right the wrongs done to him. His extreme action is only a reaction to the injustices done to him, but that can be said about every riot, every instance of attack or violence. The blame game never ends; it does not have a solution. Hence, the violence festers and continues, creating new perpetuators of Communal violence in a vicious circle. The story begins with a young American man, Alan (Corin Nemec) who seeks to publish his thesis about the life and trials of Mahatma Gandhi. Having traveled all the way to Ahmedabad, India, he lives among the locals in the state that bore the Mahatma. His objective view of the nation is a reality-check of sorts; forcing us to reconsider our society, polity and economy. Inspired by Gandhian principles, he attempts to study about the Gandhi himself, so as to put his disorderly life into perspective. However, he is shocked to the point of disbelief as the Communal violence unravels around him, in a place that prohibited the consumption of alcohol and largely meat, as a tribute to Gandhi, but nurtures and nourishes religious animosity and non-violence; the two most important things that Gandhi tried to obliterate in the nation. The irony of the situation does not fail to catch the audience’s attention as they see the country in the eyes of a foreigner, who is driven to the point of helpless tears at the plight of the country. During his stay in Ahmedabad, he befriends several people, including a good-natured Parsi man, Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife, Shahnaz (Sarika) and his two young children. They seem well-educated and intelligent, albeit middle class, and welcome Alan into their lives and home. The young boy, 10 year old Parzaan (Parzan Dastur) is an imaginative child, who creates a fantasy world for himself, much like the pre-Pandora world. He calls it Parzania and fills it with innocence and beauty; a place where he and his younger sister can retreat into, and can be guaranteed of happiness, love and comfort. In the larger sense of the movie, Parzania is an example of a time and place where the ugly, rearing head of communal violence can be slaughtered and Indians will be able to find unity in religious diversity. Parzaan is a typical 10 year old miscreant, with his love for cricket and lack of academic interest. But his loving parents have utmost faith in him and believe wholeheartedly in his potential to do great things. This almost fairy-tale like aura is shattered on the day the riots occur. In her attempt to escape angry Hindu mobs with swords and other killing weapons, Shahnaz scampers to protect her children but suddenly loses sight of Parzaan. In light of what was happening all around her, she realizes her daughter is in more danger and rushes to bring her to safety so that she can find her son. But she fails to do so, and this she has to live with for the rest of her life. During this time in the movie, another evil of the Indian sociopolitical condition is brilliantly depicted. The Godhra Riots and its aftermath saw widespread corruption chiefly among the Police Force and the Hindu Ruling Party. Parzania is a reflection of this sad state of affairs when bribes were the order of the day as the ‘protectors’ of society not only watched the gory events like voyeurs, but they laughed and cheered as they unraveled. In their undeterred search for their son, a sense of pathos is evident in the lives of Cyrus and Shahnaz. They are looted by corrupt policemen and manipulated by power-hungry Hindu Party workers as they go through the awful experiences of looking for their son among casualties and the like. When all else fails, the couple begin to draw support from their faith, but in different ways. Cyrus turns to traditional Parsi rituals of cleansing and purifying himself in his quest for answers. Shanaz, on the other hand, as noticed by Alan, quietly prays, for her son, her daughter and her husband, to give them strength to continue on. At this moment, one of the most powerful lines in the movie is delivered by Alan as he reflects quietly upon the irony of the situation. He says, ‘Never in my life would I have guessed that religion could be both the cause of the problem AND the solution. ’ The victims testify at the National Human Rights Commission despite the threats made anonymously. Shahnaz’s testimony serves as a sort of confession, an outburst. The audience realizes that she carries with her and will carry with her, for the rest of her life, the guilt of not having protected her son enough. She clearly blames herself and breaks down, in a heart wrenching plea for forgiveness, even know she knows with certainty that she can never forgive herself. The story of Parzaan is surprisingly never revealed to the audience. This both frustrates and interests the audience, as we are left hanging, in anticipation for more. This may be due to the fact that the movie has been inspired from a real story of a boy who went missing during the Godhra Riots and hasn’t been found yet, and thus, that side of the story may never be told. Parzania is classic example of how an innocent bystander is at the greatest risk of being hurt. The vultures that feast on the flesh of deceased Parsis, is a metaphor for Communal violence, and how it attacks and destroys people for selfish reasons without a care in the world. This poignant tale does not fail to break your heart with its magnificent rendition of real-life tragedies and events and how they lead to the breakdown of human emotion and humanity in general.

Egypt and Mesopotamia Essay

Egypt and Mesopotamia have both similarities and differences, throughout both of these civilizations from back to 3,500 B.C. The political and social structures in these civilizations were different and the same in their own way. The political differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia included hierarchy power, land control, and centralized government. The similarities between both civilizations are social class, male patriarchy, and kings. Egypt and Mesopotamia both had differences of their political and social structures. Egypt had more of authorial government, where one head person was in charge which in this case was the pharaoh, which was the head on Egypt social class, as well as leader of his society. The Pharaoh was basically a king ruling for his people, while Mesopotamia, had city states, which was controlled by priest kings. Another difference is that in Egypt the Pharaoh had complete control over the land, while in Mesopotamia the kings were not so powerful, and the land was split with others such as priest kings. Lastly, Egypt had a centralized government, while Mesopotamia did not have this. Egypt was ruled under one leader and was together as a unity. Egypt had an overall leader such as the Pharaoh, which helped Egypt stay united as one government and civilization. Key similarities would be that they both had poly gods and many of their gods were very brutal. Both the lands were birthed in war and had much cultural strife for land. Mesopotamia had an all mighty ruler of gods and Egyptians really didn’t. Many people say Ra was the almighty sun god of Egyptian culture but really all of Egypt’s gods were about equal. The idea of what is beautiful and what is considered â€Å"manly† is still held upon Egyptian beliefs, not Mesopotamian beliefs. Very different cultures Egypt developed in relative isolation from the rest of the ancient Near East. Thus, cultural evolution resulted in a totally unique civilization, without influence from the outside. Mesopotamia was a multicultural society, with Sumer and Akkad, Elam and Babylon, Assyria, Mitanni, and others all vying for supremacy. Mesopotamia and Egypt were both in flood basins of major rivers. Mesopotamia was characterized by turmoil and tension and in contrast Egypt was characterized by stability and serenity. The Mesopotamian climate was harsh and since the Tigris and the Euphrates flooded irregularly, nature was not viewed as life enhancing but rather considered to be a threat. Mesopotamia was located on an open plain without protection from foreign intrusions; therefore they  were continually on alert. Differences between the religions is the idea of death and resurrection for all people, including common people, was possible in ancient Egypt, but not generally so in Mesopotamian religions. Early on in Egyptian history, only the king, or pharaoh, could resurrect from the dead and live forever. That is why the Egyptians mummified their dead. Later, even the common man wanted his body to be preserved as a home for the spirit, who would live on in the afterlife. This was not possible for the average Mesopotamian. Egyptian religion was less likely to be influenced by the outside world. Mesopotamia is at the crossroads of many different peoples and cultures. Changes in the Mesopotamian religions was much more likely, and more common, than in Egypt. Egypt and Mesopotamia have both similarities and differences, throughout both of these civilizations from back to 3,500 B.C. The political and social structures in these civilizations were different and the same in their own way. The political differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia included hierarchy power, land control, and centralized government. The similarities between both civilizations are social class, male patriarchy, and kings. Egypt and Mesopotamia both had differences of their political and social structures. Egypt and Mesopotamia believed in polytheistic, but the Mesopotamia they believed in many rulers such as ur-nammu and sargon ant ect but they Egyptians believed in the pharaoh he was the only person in charge over everything.

Coordination Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Coordination - Coursework Example Moreover, commuters travelling on busy ferries of coastal river will have to buy passes costing up to $100 each month or pay toll, something that has been free. Additionally, drivers who have speeding tickets as well as other defendants will now pay $52 more to Superior Court and $24 more for District Court Costs. Finally, the house plan has also increased file motion fees to $20 for civic suit parties, while they will also be required to pay between $150 and $200 for counter-claim files. Anonymous, observes that the public would also have to face lose of unemployment benefits following the 13% cut in unemployment benefits proposed on April 16. Education will also be more expensive and this could be deteriorated by insufficient teachers because no funds were allocated to hire the required 1,100 teachers. The proposed budget mainly compromises the education sector (Anonymous). However, this is a key sector that the government has to fund. Through proper coordination, state education board should be made responsible for policy setting on the handling of impending school layoffs. There should be a balance between each sector and the public, so as to reduce the challenges. Budget watchdogs should also be employed to examine the efficiency of state programs. Funding of the various sectors should be balanced in relation to their needs and urgency. For example, it is not fair for public education to receive the least tax cuts and have almost everything else losing, while a sector like IT receives so many benefits at the cost of other public benefits like unemployment