Renaissance and Modern Art :: essays research papers fc

During my second time visiting the museum, I looked at paintings from the 15th and 19th centuries. Two of the art works that I choose is â€Å"The Story of Joseph† from the Renaissance period and â€Å"The Marketplace† from the modern art period. Both of these paintings were from different time periods but they were also very similar in content and style.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first pieces that I choose were from the Renaissance period. It is titled â€Å"The Story of Joseph† by Biagio d’ Antonio. The card states that it is Italian, Florentine, active by 1472. The artist, Antonio died in 1516.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The location of the artwork was located on the 2nd floor of the museum. It was kind of difficult to find as it is not listed on the map. The painting is framed and placed near the corner of the entrance to another room. The artwork measured about 3 feet by 6 feet. It is placed near paintings of portraits. This was one of the reasons why I choose this painting. As soon as I walked into the room, it caught my eyes right away as not only was it different from the other artwork in the room but it also consisted of many colors in the paintings. It was also one of the biggest artwork in the room. The room itself was fairly large. There was enough lighting to get a good look at the art work but much dimmer compare to the other rooms. The lighting fits perfectly with the period. Every artwork in the room was spread out evenly with enough spacing between them. There were about 2 artworks near the center of the room but most of the artworks were hung up against the wall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The painting â€Å"The Story of Joseph† by Biagio d’ Antonio is made of tempura on wood. â€Å"The tempura techniques of previous centuries had already used oil as a binder, although other non-transparent substances, such as fig-tree juice and egg yolk, were more common, such binder produced a color that was absolutely opaque.† (Wundram, 17) In the paintings, it shows various events going on almost like a storyboard. The people in the paintings are going about their business, talking, trading, and fishing. The painting tells the story of Joseph who is the favorite son of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. (Genesis 37, 39, 42-27). Throughout the paintings, there are various inscriptions painted on the artwork.

The Punishment of Oedipus the King

The Punishment of Oedipus the King At the end of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, king of Thebes, ends up banished forever from his kingdom. Additionally, Oedipus physically puts out his own eyes, for several reasons which will be discussed later. The question is: Did Oedipus deserve his punishments? There are many factors that must be considered in answering this, including how Oedipus himself felt about his situation. His blinding was as much symbolic as it was physical pain. After all factors have been considered, I think that only Oedipus' banishment was the necessary punishment.. It is important to keep in mind the whole basic reasoning for Oedipus' search for Laius' killers: he wished to put an end to a deadly plague, and that plague would only be stopped when said murderer is killed, or driven from the land (pp 4-5). Thusly, when it is revealed that Oedipus himself murdered Laius, then banishment seems to be the only option. Death, in my mind, is not valid simply because of what it might do to the kingdom's people. Even though it seems that Oedipus has not been a particularly good monarch, in fact his only major accomplishment seems to be killing the Sphinx all those years ago, having a king put to death could have serious repercussions on the rest of the kingdom. So in the end, the only way to cure the plague and keep the kingdom stable seems to be the banishment of Oedipus. In this case, the question of whether or not he deserved to be punished seems irrelevant; Oedipus' only goal was to stop the plague and by leaving, he has accomplished that goal. Banishment was the only choice. But what exactly was Oedipus being punished for? Even after re- reading the play, this still seems to be a gray area. Incest? Immoral, to be sure, but Oedipus was obviously ignorant to his actions, and to my knowledge, in Sophoclean times, there was no written law against it and therefore no punishment for it. Oedipus' punishment may have been for killing Laius, but how could you punish someone for being a victim of fate? Greeks believed at the time of the play's writing that a man's life was † woven† by the 3 fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) and that he was irrevocably bound to that destiny. Knowing this, and knowing that Oedipus became king of Thebes only because it was his destiny to murder Laius and kill the Sphinx, how could he rightfully be punished? Even Oedipus himself knows that his actions are not by choice, but by acts of the gods, he mentions this twice in the play: â€Å"Some savage power has brought this down upon my head. † As well as â€Å"My god, my god — what have you planned to do to me? † Such quotes clearly show that Oedipus knew that he had no choice in his actions. In this manner and in this manner alone, Oedipus is undeserving of said punishment. Oedipus may not have been a particularly good man, but in the end he knew what was best for his kingdom: â€Å"Out of this kingdom cast me with all speed† †¦ for only that would save his former subjects. Were that Oedipus' only punishment, the play might have been quite a bit simpler (and this essay quite a bit shorter), but Oedipus, in a fit of rage, stabs his own eyes with Jocasta's dresspins. This was Oedipus' way of trying to punish himself, as well as an escape. Oedipus would no longer gaze upon the faces of his subjects, his brother (uncle? Creon, or even those of his children. He is plunged into a world of darkness. It must be noted that this was more than simply a punishment, though I'm sure that it was one of the ways Oedipus intended it. The physical pain alone seems to prove that. There are much easier ways of becoming blind to the world than stabbing one's eyes out. As I have stated before though, Oedipus was blinded by his foolish pride long before the beginn ing of the novel. He only realized the truth behind Laius' murder when it was right in front of his nose. He was by no means stupid, in fact he came off as quite a clever man, but his was a world of blindness because of pride and power. I have been concentrating on the two most obvious of Oedipus' punishments, but there is another one that may not seem so clear. Keeping in mind that Sophocles made it very clear that Oedipus was a man of so much pride that he may have thought himself to be akin to a god, was not Oedipus basically stripped of that pride at the end of the play? The true punishment has been revealed. Oedipus' life was based on pride. It was what led to the murder of Laius, which in turn led to the killing of the Sphinx, which led to his becoming king. As he continues on his particular thread of life, Oedipus becomes more and more powerful, and as such, his pride also increases proportionately. He threatens both Tiresias and Creon, and single-handedly tries to unravel the mystery of Laius' death. What must go on inside his mind when he finds out that not only did he murder his father, the king, but he also slept with his mother? Knowing full well that his kingdom would eventually find out his acts, how could he hold his head up when walking through the city streets? How could his subjects respect and revere a king who was a murderer and commiter of incest? Oedipus is thusly stripped of his pride, the driving force behind his whole personality. He has been crushed, and that which he had so much of before has been denied him. Where he was once at one extreme (hubris), he is now at the other. To take away the very thing that drives a man is worse than any physical pain or even death itself. That is truly, as Sophocles intended it, Oedipus' ultimate punishment. When the curtain falls and the lights go out on Oedipus Rex, the king's punishments total three. Though in my mind at least, one far outweighs the other two, they are all important and they all contribute to the total experience of the Greek tragedy. In the end, I do not feel that Oedipus truly deserves the punishments he is handed, but that is only because of the fact that I place myself in the time period that this was written in, using the beliefs of that time for my own. Were this story to have taken place in modern times, Oedipus certainly would have deserved his punishment, but this idea is irrelevant because, quite simply, this did not take place in our â€Å"advanced† civilization. Oedipus was a victim of fate, incapable of free will, and as such he should have not been punished, save banishment only to cure the plague. The Punishment of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

Indroduction and dramatization Essay

At first, she spoke hurtful words directed at Elizabeth, however the power to condemn her of witchcraft dawned on her later, which took effect towards the conclusion of the play. She faked experiencing demonic presences, blamed it on Elizabeth, and acquired her desired outcome – the imprisonment of Elizabeth. This ties in with the theme of guilt too, as revenge was a result of the affair. Rebecca Nurse’s involvement in the case portrayed a further key element of this play; she displayed others’ loss of innocence, â€Å"It’s strange how I knew you, but I suppose you look as such a good soul should. We have all heard of your great charities in Beverley. † [Page 30 Reverend John Hale] We know immediately that Hale highly esteems her; she is trustworthy and possibly the finest character in the play to unravel this mystery. When she came in contact with Betty, she instantaneously soothed her and she could establish the girls silliness, during the bogus ‘devil’s presence’ charade in Act 1. Due to this charade, Salem could not resist hysteria or accusations, hence the harrowing finish to the innocent people of Salem. Even the most righteous of characters were noosed and left to swing – this showed the extent to how matters got out of hand. Miller stages loss of innocence most significantly during the girls ‘devil’s presence’ charade. â€Å"Stop it,† cries Mary as the girls constant echoing of Mary’s words enraged her. This raised suspicion in the court, where Deputy-Governor Danforth seemed convinced. On top of this, Abigail pretended to be attacked by a ‘yellow bird’ while ‘pleading’ with Mary Warren to stop. Arthur Miller intended to develop tension in this part of the act by exchanging the dialogue quickly and concisely, â€Å"I’m not hurting her†¦ She sees nothin’! She see’s nothing† [Mary Warren page 93] and â€Å"They’re sporting. They -! [Mary Warren], They’re sporting [Girls page 93]†¦ Abby stop it! [Mary Warren], (stamping their feet) Abby, stop it! † [Girls]. If neither of the other topics were a catalyst to the uprising of this insane and barbaric event, then Reverend John Hale’s persistent dangerous implications to a zealous witch-hunt, tightened the knot, â€Å"When the Devil come to you does he ever come-with another person? (She stares him into his face. ) Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know? † [Page 37 Reverend John Hale] Hale’s questions prompted false confessions from Tituba and Giles Corey; both characters were able to save themselves and allow another character to take the blame. In the end, Corey’s wife was imprisoned due to this method of interrogation, so Hale pulled out of the proceedings as he distrusted the witnesses condemning her to an ill-fated destiny. The beginning of many dangerous implications to follow only raised one question in the mind of the audience; would the influence of these ridiculed implications determine the result of this witchcraft case? Sadly, the answer was yes. Highly evident from the dialogue, ‘The Crucible’ was built up of many interesting themes, all of which are of contemporary relevance. It would be easy to fathom about the people in this world that are still affected by these struggles. We only had to see the racial abuse towards black footballers, whom monkey imitations were directed at from the fans. In the zealous witch-hunts case, witches’ unusual view upon lifestyle and faith was discriminated against, so the rituals had to be held secretively. Also in the modern era, we see cases of revenge splashed across newspaper front pages; the events of 9/11 (twin tower suicide bombing) was believed to be an act of revenge from the Afghans towards the USA, due the USA’s previous cases of hatred and abuse. I personally believe reputation was probably one of the most significant themes; most events either improved or did the opposite to a certain person’s reputation. It almost certainly is applicable today: jobs, shops, sports, music or communities portray some form of reputation, which shapes arguments for or against them. As a final thought, ‘The Crucible’ did not only display life in Salem, but displayed life as it were today; it is the humans’ version of the ‘animal kingdom’ and ‘where one stands is how one may live. ‘ Mitul Dave 10SD 1 ‘The Crucible’ English coursework Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Effects and Solutions to the Eradicating of Illiteracy Essays

Effects and Solutions to the Eradicating of Illiteracy Essays Effects and Solutions to the Eradicating of Illiteracy Paper Effects and Solutions to the Eradicating of Illiteracy Paper Words: functional literacy, earnings determinants, Ghana, Sub-Sahara Africa Abstract This article analyzes the determinants of literacy and earnings in Ghana. It links literacy and earnings with a variety of factors, including age, gender, family educational background, distance to school, and income. Literacy and age are negatively correlated, suggesting that efforts at strengthening the supply and quality of basic education programs in recent years have been successful in raising literacy rates. Females are less literate than males, controlling for other actors. Parents education is positively associated with literacy. Distance to the nearest primary school, residency in a rural area, and poverty affect literacy negatively. Functional literacy appears to be a prerequisite for entering the labor market, Which may partly explain the lack Of return to education Other than middle school and technical/professional training. The policy implication of the study is that basic education and literacy programs should target females and poorer households, especially in rural areas. We would like to thank Rosemary Bellmen and Helena Rib for invaluable support. We are also indebted to Rocco Castro; Ronald Reneging; Nicolai Christensen; our discussant, Inhabitant Data Guppy; and the other participants at the conference on the Economics of Education and Human Capital, held by the Centre for Labor Market and Social Research and the Argus School Of Business, Denmark, in June, 1399, for helpful comments and suggestions. The views expressed here are those Of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank or any of its member countries. Addresses: Department of Economics, The George Washington University, 2201 G street, Washington, DC 20052, USA and world Bank, 1818 H street, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA E-mail: [emailprotected] Org, [emailprotected] Org. 1. INTRODUCTION Significant and rapid increases in earnings and education have taken place over the past hundred years in industrial economies. In developing economies the picture is different: High illiteracy rates and very low incomes, and thus widespread poverty, are realities for large parts of the world. Literacy and income are closely linked. Establishing and assessing the nature of these links may help increase both literacy rates and earnings, thereby eradicating poverty. In this article, we analyze the determinants of literacy and earnings in Ghana based on two household surveys. Our results link literacy and earnings with a variety factors, including age, gender, family educational background, distance to school, and income. Literacy and age are found to be inversely correlated, implying that younger generations are more literate than older generations. This relationship indicates that recent efforts to strengthen the supply and quality of basic education programs have been successful. Females are found to be less literate than males, controlling for Other factors. Parents education is positively correlated with their childrens literacy. Distance to the nearest primary school and residency in a rural area, are negatively correlated with literacy rates. Poverty and literacy are also negatively correlated. Our analysis Of the determinants Of earnings reveals no significant returns to education other than middle school and technical/professional training. This result may indicate that the quality of education in Ghana generally is poor. Alternatively, it could suggest that education is not serving as a signaling device in Ghana. Functional literacy affects selection into the labor market. In evolving countries, jobs are rationed (that is, demand-side determined). We therefore interpret this result to indicate that functional literacy is a prerequisite for entering the labor market. This interpretation may partly explain the lack of returns to education. The policy implications of these results are that greater efforts should be devoted to developing functional literacy skills and basic education. Policymakers should aim to increase both the supply and the quality of basic education and literacy programs. Basic education and literacy programs should target females and poorer households, especially in rural areas. The article is organized as follows. Section 2 describes changes in and determinants of literacy. Section 3 describes the Ghanaian economy. Section 4 presents the economic model and the econometric methodology underlying the analysis. Section 5 presents the data and descriptive statistics, and section 6 presents the regression analysis. Section 7 summarizes the articles findings and draws policy conclusions. 2. CHANGES IN AND DETERMINANTS OF LITERACY opinions differ widely over how best to define literacy. Unesco defines a functionally literate person as any person 15 or older who can read and write a simple statement on his or her everyday life (Unesco 1993, p. 24). The World Development Report (1997) also adopts this definition of functional literacy. Others propose a broader and more explicitly political definition. Paulo Ferrier, the Brazilian educator, sees literacy as a process of concentrations that involves reading the world rather than merely reading the word (Ferrier and Macedon 1987). Widespread literacy is a twentieth century phenomenon. Before the nineteenth century, when public school systems were developed, education was reserved for the few. School systems developed in industrial countries largely in response to increased and more peccadillo industrialization, which in turn lead to increased economic growth and demand for an even more educated labor-force. Over the past decade, education worldwide has exploded, as a result of the overstraining demand for still more specialized labor. Attitudes toward education have also shifted. Less than 50 years ago, education, especially higher education, was reserved largely for men. Today people in industrial countries believe the entire population has the right to education. 2. 1 Developments in Literacy in the United States Literacy progressed in stages in the united States. Initially, according to Has (1996), literacy spread because radical Protestants wanted to read the Bible. Their need for literacy lead to agitation for general public education in the nineteenth century. Literacy rates later rose as a result of several societal changes, beginning with Reconstruction (Coy 1988). Immigration during the Industrial Revolution and the Progressive reform movement increased literacy later in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. World War and the Depression forced the federal government into a more active and direct role, and literacy rose even farther. The civil rights event of the 1 *ass shifted the focus to minority groups, broadening efforts to fight illiteracy. Coy believes that the concept of functional literacy developed during this period and that the formalization of that concept helped increase the number of adult literacy programs. 2. 2 Developments in Literacy in Great Britain In Great Britain literacy also progressed in stages, Street (1995) identifies three distinct stages in the modern development of adult literacy programs. First, the recognition of adult illiteracy being a widespread phenomenon in the sass lead to increased focus on the issue. Government grants were provided, a national Right to Read Campaign was launched, and local practice and experience Vass developers During the sass and early sass the government-funded agency Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Licit emerged. The unit provided materials and guidelines for good practice and funded small research projects. Since the late sass there has been a shift in policy and focus, aiming at adjusting education toward changing national and economic needs. 2. 3 Rates of Literacy in Developing Countries Substantial regional differences in illiteracy rates exist. The rate of illiteracy is relatively low in Latin America and the Caribbean (13. 4) and very high in South Asia (50. 6 percent) (table 1). Ghana is in the middle of the spectrum, with an illiteracy rate of 35. 5 percent. Regions with high illiteracy rates also tend to have low per capita GNP and high philanderer ratio. Within Sub-Sahara Africa, substantial differences exist between Anglophone and Francophone countries (table 2). Illiteracy rates in Anglophone countries are 16 percentage points lower than in Francophone countries. Average per capita GNP in Anglophone countries is more than twice as high as in Francophone countries, school enrollments are higher, and pupil teacher ratios are lower (37. 8 pupils per teacher in Anglophone countries versus 47_3 pupils per teacher in Francophone countries). Table 1. Selected Social and Macroeconomic Indicators, Ghana and Six Regional Groups, 1995 Middle East Latin Europe Cubans America and North South Sahara and the East Asia Central Africa Asia Caribbean Africa Asia Ghana and Pacific Indicator Adult illiteracy rate (percent) 35. 16. 9 -? 13. 4 38. 7 50. 6 44. 0 GNP per capita 350. 0 807. 8 -? 3,419. 8 -? 354. 1 485. 6 Gross primary enrollment ratio 76. 0 1154 99. 6 Ill . 5 96. 5 egg. C 74. 6 (percent) Ratio of primary school pupils to 27. 6 24. 2 20. 0 24. 5 27. 8 62. 7 40. 6 teachers Notes: -? Not available, gross primary enrollment ratio and ratio Of primary school pupils to teachers for Ghana are for 1993. Source: World Bank Detests database. Table 2. Selected Social and Macroeconomic Indicators, Ghana and Anglophone and Francophone Countries in Substandard Africa, 1995 Indicator Ghana Anglophone countries Francophone countries in Sub-Sahara Africa in Sub- Sahara Africa Adult illiteracy rate (percent) 35. 5 36. 1 51. 9 GNP per capita 350. 0 675. 7 333. 4 Gross enrollment ratio (percent), primary 76. 88. 8 64. 4 Ratio of pupils to teachers, primary 27. 6 37. 8 47. 3 Notes: Gross primary enrollment ratio and ratio of primary school pupils to teachers for Ghana are for 1993, Source: World Bank Detests database. 2. Worldwide Increases in Literacy For the world as a whole, illiteracy rates have declined significantly, falling from almost 40 percent in 19/0 to just AS percent in 1990. Rates of illiteracy fell even more dramatically in developing countries, declining from SO percent in 1970 to AS percent in Gigs (Limb; 1996). Wide differences across gender, geographical region, and age exist within countries, however. Or the most part, m ales have higher literacy rates than females, urban areas have higher literacy rates than rural areas, and younger generations have higher literacy rates than older generations. Limb (I egg) also draws attention to the fact that while total illiteracy rates have been falling, the proportion of women in the Worlds total illiterate population has been rising. Three reasons for this tendency are suggested: the technologies of goods production, the nature Of human reproduction, and institutionalizing Of violence in the state. 2. 5 Literature on the Determinants of Literacy Little has been written on he determinants Of literacy. Law, Sprat, and Laborer (1995) analyze the determinants of literacy in Morocco. They find that illiteracy is more widespread among females than among males, higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and inversely correlated with age. The negative relationship between age and literacy may reflect both deteriorating literacy skills over time and improvements in the quality of education. Cavy, Sprat, and Laborer also find that parents literacy and household expenditure level positively affect the level of childrens literacy, suggesting that poverty and family background are important determinants to literacy. Verne (1999) analyzes the determinants of worldwide literacy rates by applying a human capital framework. She finds that enrollment rates, average years of schooling of adults, and life expectancy at birth are the main determinants of literacy, Income affects literacy in a nonlinear fashion, with a negative impact until a threshold of about $2,000 income per year per capita, after which the effect is positive, Institutional and regional variables are not very important in explaining literacy across countries. Literacy rates differ widely across regions, a finding that can be explained by social and economic notations 3. AN OVERVIEW OF THE GHANAIAN ECONOMY Ghana is a low-income country, With per capita income Of 5406 in 1998 (World Bank 199%). It relies heavily on the agricultural sector, in particular cocoa, which accounts for almost half of GAP (World Bank Bibb). From the mid. CSS to the mid. sass, declining cocoa production and trade restrictions stalled economic growth in Ghana. The return of more than a million Ghanaian from Nigeria in 1982-83 and a prolonged drought in 1982 caused growth rates to fall to laetrile low levels by about 1984 In conjunction with the MIFF and the World Bank, the Ghanaian government initiated he Economic Recovery Program (ERR) in 1983. The program implemented a number of policy reforms aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability, encouraging savings and investment, providing an enabling environment for the private sector, and improving public sector management, including prevarication of some of the many publicly owned enterprises, The ERR places significant emphasis on education. The Education Sector Reform Program, established in 1987, improved the efficiency, quality, and relevance of education. The program also increased access to education and shortened the length of pre-university schooling from 17 to 12 years. As a result of the reform program, spending on education rose from 1. 4 percent of GAP in 1983 to 3. 8 percent of GAP in 1934. The governments plans for additional reforms are outlined in its development starter, Ghana-vision 2020 (Republic of Ghana 1935). A substantial part of the programs social agenda is aimed at basic education. Specific goals include achieving universal basic education and adult literacy, increasing access to secondary and tertiary education, and strengthening laborer skills by increasing technical and vocational training. To achieve these goals, the overspent, With the assistance Of the World Bank and Other donors, launched the Basic Education Sector Improvement Program in 1996. The program plans to increase investment in school facilities and teacher housing in rural areas and to strengthen science and math in the curriculum by raising education expenditures from 3. 8 percent of GAP in 1998 to 4. Percent in 2001. 4. THE ECONOMIC MODEL AND THE ECONOMETRIC FRAMEWORK The framework tort the analysis is standard human capital theory, in which individuals build up knowledge and skills through education and experience specific on-the-job experience as well as general experience (Becker 1975: Minced 1974). According to the theory, individuals who invest in human capital are subsequently rewarded with higher earnings. Formally, the economic model may be derived from the theory of either household or individual demand for schooling, both of which view education as an investment in human capital. In industrial economies, in which subsidies for education are common, the investment decision may be viewed as an individual decision; in developing economies the relevant decision unit may be the household (Chandler, Lava, and Filmier 1994; Mason and Chandler 1997). Households will invest in education up to the point at which the marginal benefit from an additional year Of schooling equals the marginal cost of an additional year of schooling. In the traditional human capital literature, earnings are determined by education and Other individual, household, and, possibly, community characteristics. Earnings are observed, however. Only for individuals who have positive earnings (that is, who actually supply labor). To take this into account, we specify a labor supply function. Our model then becomes: (1) (2) Ii Is E(lie, HI, Chi) S(lie, Hair Chi) This implicitly assumes that the household decommissioned possesses perfect information and that capital markets are perfect. Both assumptions are very restrictive and appear unrealistic in developing economies. Where Ii (earnings of individual i) and Is (the labor supply of individual i) are the dependent variables; is a vector of individual characteristics, such as age and age squared (to capture possible nonlinearities), gender, the individuals level of education, and the level of education of the individuals parents; H is a vector of household characteristics, such as the wealth of the household: and C is a vector f community variables, such as urban versus rural location. Literacy, L, is then determined by the following simple model: (3) Lie = L(lie, Hi, Chi) The explanatory variables are similar to those in the earnings equation, with some differences. In order to investigate the possible link between poverty and literacy, we include earnings and the poverty quintile of the household in H. We also include a measure Of the distance to the nearest primary school in C To analyze the determinants of earnings, we use a Hickman selection model (1976, 1979), which can be briefly described as follows. Consider the earnings regression: (4) In Wi = Xi; * Ii here In Wi is log-earnings for individual i, Xi is a vector of explanatory variables for individual i, is a vector of parameters, and Ii is an error term capturing unobserved variables, The problem in estimating equation 4 is that we implicitly apply a sample selection rule because we observe only earnings of individuals who work; potential earnings of people who do not supply labor are not incorporated. If the sample has characteristics that dieter from those of the underlying population in a nonrandom fashion, it will suffer from a selection bias, which, if not taken into account, will lead to biased parameter estimates. Hessians solution to this problem is to incorporate the labor supply choice in the earnings equation. The earnings and labor supply choice equations thus become: In Wiz = Uzi where equation 5 is the earnings equation (equivalent to equation 4), in equation 6 is a latent variable that reflects the excess utility from participating in the labor market, and Uzi is a vector of variables explaining the labor supply decision of individual i. The latent variable l* corresponds to the indicator variable: lie- 1 if > 0, 0 otherwise The model is estimated by first estimating the inverse Mills ratio and then including it as an additional regresses in equation 5: (7) In Wi Kip -t- Ii where ski is an estimate of the inverse Mills ratio for individual i. The Hickman model views labor supply as an individual choice. This view may be inappropriate in a development context, where the absence of (public) safety nets means that there is not likely to be much of a choice involved in the labor supply decision. The labor actually supplied to the market is likely to be determined more from the demand sid e than from the supply side. This contrasts with industrial economies, in which the labor supply decision is likely to be made in a different Skilled workers are more likely to supply their labor than unskilled workers since they forgo more income than do skilled workers by staying idle (given that there is a social safety net whose benefits are high enough not to force them into working). We applied the maximum likelihood version of the Hickman selection model -? rather than the Two-Step version in order to be able to weight the data. We view the Hickman model as the general model, the validity of which must be tested against the reduced model, The reduced model here is the standard earnings equation, which is nested within the selection model. That is, the standard earnings equation is a special case of the selection model in which the selection correction terms, Ai, are statistically insignificantly different trot zero. S. THE DATA AND DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS We test the model using data from two household surveys, the 1931192 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GILLS) and the 1997 Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CSCW). GILLS aims at obtaining measures of the living standard in Ghana on several dimensions, including health and education/literacy_ The survey is very extensive and includes 4,565 schooled. The CSCW aims mainly at providing data applicable for analyzing factors affecting poverty, education, and labor markets issues. It contains a much smaller number of questions (questions about earnings, for example, are not included) but a larger sample of households (14,514) and individuals (60,686). 5. Results on Literacy Investigating literacy and its covariates for the GELS data enables differentiating between several types Of literacy and reveals that being able to read and write in English is associated with higher earnings than is being able to read and write in one or more Ghanaian languages (table 3). The various measures of literacy are highly correlated, however. A problem that is likely to cause collinear in the regression analysis of the next section. To circumvent these problems, we comb ine the various literacy variables into a single composite measure of functional literacy.

The Life And Works Of Bertolt Brecht Essays - Bertolt Brecht

The Life And Works Of Bertolt Brecht Essays - Bertolt Brecht The Life And Works Of Bertolt Brecht The Life and Works of Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht was one of the chief innovators of modern theatrical techniques. He was both a poet and a playwright all in one. His epic theatrical creations developed drama as a forum for social and idealistic causes. Brechts imagination, artistic genius, and social views distinguish his work and his life. Eugen Bertolt Brecht was born February 10, 1898 in Augsburg Germany, a town in Bavaria. His family was of middle class, which he came to resent, in favor of a Marxist proletarian society. In 1917 he attended Ludwig Maximillian University, in Munich, where he studied medicine. Towards the end of the First World War, Brecht served in a military hospital. During this time in 199918, he wrote his first piece of work Baal, however it was not published until a later time. In 1922 he wrote his first success, Drums in the Night. In 1923 Baal was finally produced. Until this time Brecht had lived in Bavaria. In 1924 he moved to Berlin, where he developed a strong antibourgeois attitude. Several people of his generation developed similar attitudes, as a result of the disappointing post World War I society in Germany. Among his friends, at this time, was a group of Dadaist, who aimed at destroying what they called the false standards and ideals of the bourgeois society. Brecht also became acquainted with a prominent theoretician named Karl Korsch, who taught him the elements of Marxism. During this time period from 1924 to 1933, Brecht worked briefly with the directors Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator. However he mainly worked with his own group of associates. In 1924 he wrote his first professional production Edward II. In 1927 he wrote A manual of Piety. In 1928, while working with the composer Kurt Weil, Bertolt Brecht created what many believe to be his finest piece of work; The Threepenny Opera; a satirical and successful ballad opera. In 1 930 he wrote The Rise and Fall of the Town of Mahogany. Also during this year he wrote his first exemplary plays, A Mans Man, which introduced his unorthodox idea of epic theatre. Epic theatre is a technique created by Brecht, which causes the audience to feel no emotions about a play, but to think critically about its content. This would become a well-used and important technique in Brechts later plays. In 1933 Brechts Marxist political beliefs forced him to go into self-imposed exile, from fascists Germany. His writings had made him a natural enemy of the National Socialists, rising to power in his native country. He first managed to escape to Switzerland, then to Scandinavia. With help from some of his fellow artists and exiles, especially Lion Feuchtwagner, Brecht was able to come to the United States of America. He became anti-Nazi writer for a periodical published in Moscow, and produced the 1938 drama Fear and Misery of the Third Reich. During this time Brecht wrote what are critically regarded as his greatest works. In 1943 Brechts desire to motivate social concerns, in his audience, led to the play The life of Galileo. In this play, through the character Galileo, Brecht reexamines the recurrent theme of obstacles to social progress. In 1949, he created Mother Courage and her Children, which enlists the spectators feelings as well as their reason. This play was both a success and a failure. It was a success because it was highly popular, but it was a failure in that it caused the audience to feel sympathy for its characters, which violated Brechts technique of epic theatre. In these mature works Brecht overgrew the single-minded didactic message of his earlier pieces, and achieved complex themes that would be impermissible under the official policies of communism. For a brief period of time, Brecht lived in Hollywood on1954 argyle Avenue. He then moved into a house on 817 25th Street in Santa Monica, from 1941 to 1942. In 1943 Brecht moved into a house on 1063 26th Street. Brecht described the latter house in his diary saying this about it one of the oldest is about 30 years old, California clapboard, whitewashed, with an upper floor with two bedrooms. I have a long workroom

Addiction in our brain

Addiction in our brain Over time, the brain adapts in a way that actually makes the activity less enjoyable. Addictions do not only include bodily things we consume, such as drugs or alcohol, but may include virtually anything. The main addictions tend to be alcohol and heroin, and psychological dependence to activities such as gambling, sex, work, running, shopping, or an eating disorder. Signs of drug addiction include changes in personality and behaviour like a lack of enthusiasm, touchiness, bloodshot eyes and frequent bloody noses, or slurred speech. Addiction is well-defined as a chronic relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is measured a brain disease because drugs change the brain they change its structure and how it works. Though everyone’s path to addiction is different whether he or she tries a drug or behaviour because it’s what that person’s parents or peer do, or just out of curiosity what’s common across all substance and behavioural addictions is their stunning ability to increase levels of an important chemical in the brain called dopamine. If you have a blood relative, such as a parent or sibling, with alcohol or drug problems, you’re at greater risk of emerging into a drug addict. Men are more likely to have problems with drugs than women are. However, progression of addictive illnesses is known to be faster in females. Drug use is on the rise in the USA and 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol a nd drugs. That’s approximately one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12 roughly equal to the entire population of Texas. But only 11 per cent of those with an addiction receive conduct. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that between 40 and 60 per cent of recuperating drug addicts will eventually relapse. With heroin, those rates are even higher. Some experts place the rate of relapse for heroin addicts as high as 80 present, which means that the recovery rate may be as low as 20 per cent. Most people overcome addiction to alcohol or drugs on their own, without joining a support group or entering treatment. Alcoholism and other habits are not diseases. There are specific tools anyone can use to help themselves to overcome any addiction with or without professional assistance. The old belief that it took 21 days to change a habit has now been labelled a myth. According to psychologists, while it may take approximately 21 days of mindful and consistent effort to create a new habit, it takes far longer to break an existing habit. In conclusion to this I think that depending on what you do and your daily routine you can become addicted to anything, Some people face completely different addictions to others but the most common one seems to be drug addictions.

Analysis of Newspaper Research Report Results Paper

Analysis of Newspaper Report Results - Research Paper Example The news report did not mention the kind of statistical procedure used in the study. As mentioned in the news report, I agree that it is valid and necessary to combine land and marine temperature in order to measure the average global temperature. Basically, the temperature in land and marine areas are different from each other during day and night. The idea of combining the temperature of land and marine areas is to enable the statistician determine the average global temperature within a given time frame. To determine whether a statistic is statistically significant, it is necessary to get the difference between a sample statistic and a specific population parameter (numerator) before dividing the value by the standard error (denominator) (Urdan, 2005, p. 64). For this reason, it is more difficult to confirm the statistical procedures as mentioned in the news report is valid given that the length of years used in each period of time varies from one another. and vice versa. It means that when the sample size is small, bigger the standard error will be. Since a bigger sample size will have smaller standard error, there is a higher probability that the research findings will be statistically significant because of the bigger value as a result. Because of the effects of sample size in determining whether a hypothesis is statistically significant or not, Urdan (2005) explained that it is possible that a small difference between the sample statistic and population parameter to be statistically significant provided that the sample size is big (p. 64). This concept was confirmed by Phil Jones when he explained that it is more likely to achieve a statistically significance given that the available data is good for a very long period of time (Harrabin, 2009, question B). When asked whether the global warming between 1860 – 1880, 1910 – 1940, and 1975 – 1998 were identical, the