Nina Simone

Nina Simone was one of the most powerful singers of not only her time, but of all time. Her music made people think, change and copy. In her music, she made contributions to the civil rights movement. She used and touched so many genres of music from Jazz all the way to modern day rap She had influenced countless artists and passed without any acknowledgment or fanfare deserving of such an amazing arust. Eunice Kathleen waymon was born February 21, 1933, In Tyron North Carolina.She was an especially brilliant and talented child. Eunice picked up music very easily and even as a small child after hearing a hymn only once could sing it perfectly. She was able to play plano by ear at age two and a half. she was the regular planlst every Sunday at church by age five. at this age she was compared to Mozart. After seeing the talent in such a young child an older German lady, Muriel Massinovitch offered to teach young Eunice. Mrs. Masslnovltch, fearrd her pupil would soon surpass her as by a ge eight she could decipher musical scores, read and write music.Eunice awoke even more with the classical composer, such as Bach,† Bach made me dedicate my ite to music†. Eunice had her first brush with segregation at an early age ot twelve. Mrs Massinovitch was so proud of her talents she organized a recital to show of Eunice talents. Her parents very proudly sat in the first row; however, before the recital started a white couple approached them for their seats. As was the law back then the Waymon's got up to move, at that point Eunice stated in front of everyone she would not play If they were made to move.The white couple sat elsewhere and her parents visibly embarrassed took their seats and watched Eunice play.. After this Eunice would say later looking back, â€Å"All of the sudden it seemed a dfferent world graduating In 1950 at the top of her class applied to the Curtis Institute. She received a letter in 1954 stating that they had rejected her. There is specul ation that it was because she was a women and because she was a black woman. whatever the reason an all white male jury had rejected Eunice this plagued her through her life.. Eunice changed her name to Nina Simone after playing a club in Philadelphia in1954. he got the Job to play plano her true love and was told by the manager she would ing or be out of a job thus her stage persona was borm She took the name Nina meaning â€Å"little one† she said was nickname from a former lover and Simone for Simone Slgnoret In casque d'Or. Nina married her manager Andy Stroud In 1901 and gave birth to daughter Lisa in 1962 She worked hard to support her family and endured abuse from her husband. Stroud controlled every aspect of Nina's life and career. She was hospitalized several times tor exhaustion.Andy told her that too many people relied on her so she couldn't take a break and wouldnt even allow her to breast feed their daughter. It Is suspected that Nina had begun to have a mental Imoalance or a m Olsoraer around IYO/ out tnls was not connrmea. Nlna's songs were classified as Jazz, blues, gospel and even later r&b. All she has ever wanted to do was play classical piano and consider any other music as inferior. Nina got involved in the civil rights movement and her songs became anthems for not only the civil right movement but for the emerging feminist movement.Her song â€Å"Mississippi Goddam† was written after she heard about four black girls that were killed going to church by a bomb in Alabama. The songs lyrics are â€Å"Alabama's got me so upset. Tennessee made me lose my rest. / But everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam/ Hound dogs on my trail/ schoolchildren sitting in Jail/ Black cat across my path/ I think every day ‘s going to be my last. † The last lines are mfou don't have to live next to me/Just give me my equality. † Most radio stations refuse to play the song.The song sold well except in the south where it was boyco tted and censored. Some retailers return the record to the distributors after breaking each record in two. Although most of Nina's music chronicles the fight for equal rights and racial njustice her song â€Å"Four Women†, not only spoke to the civil right movement but to feminist groups fighting for equal right for women. The song talks about one daughter being born out of a rape of a slave and many black stations banned the song. They considered the song,† an insult to black women. Nina made sure to continue to fight for both causes not only in her music but she also cancelled tour dates to participate in protest concerts with many others most notably Langston Hughes who became one of Nina's best friends. Nina's music draws from spirituals, blues, folk, classical and even some traditional music. Many of her songs have been redone and made popular by other artist for example â€Å"House of the Rising Sun† this bothered her as she felt people didn't know where th e songs came from. Although Nin's instrument was a piano she felt that her voice was the only â€Å"pure instrument†.Many of her songs may have appeared to be filled with anger but many of her songs just have soul and no anger for example â€Å"l Hold No Grudge† The words are, â€Å"l hold no grudge/ There is no resentment und'neath/l'll extend the laurel wreath and we'll be friends. † Brooks also calls Simone â€Å"the cultural arm of the civil rights† Nina Simone assed away April 21, 2003 in a small village in the south of France. â€Å"Her death didn't cause much stir in the media European or American. It was said merely that a bad tempered but successful diva from the world of Jazz had passed away.That was about it† â€Å"On May 18th 2003 the Curtis Institute of music posthumously awarded Nina an honorary diploma for her contribution to the art of music. † Nina was aware of the schools plan before her death but her family accepted the ho nor for her. It almost seems like at long last Simone achieved her ultimate goal. To see what kind of mpact Nina Simone had on the world you need only look at todays popular artist from Norah Jones, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and even Marilyn Manson, â€Å"claim her as an influence. Her songs have been rerecorded over and over many people are fans and don't even know they are listening toa Nina Simone song. To have such a huge impact on such wide variety of artists is outstanding and hard pressed to match. I have long been a fan of Nina Simone. I myself used to be one of those saying,†Oh this is a song of Nina Simone. † upon hearing the song in a movie of a soundtrack. I began istening to her music and realized how unbelieving moving it is. Her songs and make you angry and then relax you in the next verse.

Macbeth’s path to evil Essay

In â€Å"Macbeth†, it is clear that Macbeth at the start of the play is a different person to Macbeth at the end of the play. During the course of the play, he changes a great deal, most obviously from a good and faithful thane of Scotland to a cruel and ruthless king. At the beginning of the play, he is at his noblest. He has shown great courage and loyalty: â€Å"brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name†, and is considered a hero by Duncan, the king, for ending the rebellion in Scotland, and is thought trustworthy: â€Å"O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!† He is a great warrior and one of the leaders of the Scottish army: â€Å"like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage.† Yet he is ambitious, and this leads him to become a terrible king, moving from one act of violence to another, seeing one threat after another, so killing conscience and pity. As he is king of Scotland, his evil floods Scotland, making it horribly unnatural and filled with fear: â€Å"A falcon†¦/Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.† However, at the end of the play he still shows that he has not lost his courage as he dies fighting: â€Å"Exeunt, fighting†, but it is somewhat diminished and his fear has grown as earlier in the play he is scared of the apparitions: â€Å"But no more sights!† Yet at the beginning of the play he fought a bloody and gruesome battle in which a single, detached, armoured head (the appearance of the first apparition) would not have been an uncommon sight. It could be said that at the end of the play Macbeth is a villain, as Malcolm does: â€Å"this dead butcher†, or that he is a tragic hero, as he fought, knowing that Macduff would kill him: â€Å"And thou oppos’d, being of no woman born, /Yet I will try the last.† In order to be a tragic hero however, he needs a tragic flaw. This could either be his ambition, which causes him to be willingly swayed by the witches and risk everything, or it could be his courage, as he does not realise that courage is sometimes the ability to say ‘no’. But Shakespeare’s audience would more than likely consider him bound for Hell, as he at no point in the play asks for forgiveness. One of the beliefs on which Christianity is built is that no matter what people do on Earth, if they ask for forgiveness they will be forgiven by God, and Shakespeare’s audience would mostly have been made up of faithful Christians. No matter what people do to redeem themselves, God does not forgive them unless they ask to be. But this change from good to evil does not happen overnight. It is triggered at the beginning by the witches, who open the play in the most unnatural of ways for a Shakespearian tragedy. The scene is very short, only 12 lines long, and it is unnatural in every way possible. The three witches are supernatural beings: â€Å"you should be women, /And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/That you are so,† the weather is unnatural and violent, even the incantatory poetry that Shakespeare gives them is unnatural, as no one else in the play ever speaks in the same way as they do. It is a prologue to the evil events that will occur throughout the play. They have planned out everything and know exactly what will happen when they tell Macbeth that he will be king one day: â€Å"There to meet with Macbeth†, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King hereafter.† Throughout the play, Macbeth tries to control the witches, yet he never can: â€Å"Speak, I charge you. Witches vanish†, and he tries the same with the apparitions, and is scolded by the witches: â€Å"He knows thy thought: /Hear his speech, but say thou nought.† He does not realize that he cannot control either Fate or such unearthly creatures as the witches. Also throughout the play, the witches treat Macbeth as one of their own, and he does not realise that he finds them only because they want him to: â€Å"Something wicked this way comes. /Open locks, /Whoever knocks.† Shakespeare makes this comparison between them in Macbeth’s very first line, by giving him almost the exact same words as he gave the witches: â€Å"So foul and fair a day I have not seen.† The witches are also significant to Shakespeare’s audience because there are three of them. There has always been an ancient superstition that the number three is a magical number, yet most of the Shakespearian audience would immediately associate it with the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. In â€Å"Macbeth† this has been inverted, as so many other things are. Instead, there is an Infernal Trinity; the three witches or a more elaborate one, made up of the witches, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth. Still, there could also be an incarnation of the Holy Trinity in â€Å"Macbeth†, represented by Macduff, Malcolm, and Banquo. Macbeth’s progression to evil is chiefly marked out by his soliloquies and the murders that he performs, or orders. He starts as a mighty and noble warrior, killing rebels for his King and country. Then, once his ambition has started to take over, he goes on to kill Duncan, an innocent, defenceless, old man: â€Å"Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope/the Lord’s anointed temple†. He puts much thought into this before performing the deed, debating with himself whether to do it or not: â€Å"He’s here in double trust/†¦his host, /Who should against his murderer shut the door/Not bear the knife myself.† And once he has performed the horrific deed, he regrets it bitterly: â€Å"Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!† His hesitation however, is not the hesitation of fear, as he has a terrible courage, but of an intimate, buried knowledge between right and wrong. Then he goes on to kill Banquo, though not personally. He gives less thought to this deed: â€Å"There is none but he/Whose being I do fear;† and he does not regret the deed at all, yet is petrified of Banquo’s ghost at the coronation banquet. Banquo, when he is killed, knows what has transpired: â€Å"I fear, /Thou play’dst most foully for ‘t.† He knows how Macbeth became king and that he killed Duncan, and also knows that he is behind his own murder: â€Å"O treachery!† Macbeth finally orders the murders of Lady Macduff and her children: â€Å"give to the edge of the sword/His wife, his babes†. While killing men was considered a great crime, killing a woman and her children was considered a much worse crime. This is done without second thought and never regrets it at all; he never mentions it to himself after it has occurred: â€Å"The very firstlings of my heart shall be/The firstlings of my hand.† As he becomes increasingly evil, so Scotland becomes increasingly unnatural. This is most obviously shown when Banquo dies to save Fleance, a parent sacrificing himself for his child’s life, which is natural: â€Å"Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!† Later in the play however, it is clear that Scotland has become more unnatural as the Son dies in an attempt to save Lady Macduff, a child sacrificing himself for his parent’s life: â€Å"He has kill’d me, mother: /Run away; I pray you!† This is unnatural and fails, as both Lady Macduff and her Son die. Finally, another sign of Macbeth’s descent to evil is that he becomes more and more secluded. This is mainly shown by the increasing amount of soliloquies that Shakespeare gives him, but is also shown by his relationship with Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the play they are a happy couple, who love each other intensely: â€Å"my dearest partner of greatness,† yet as the play progresses, especially after Duncan’s murder, Macbeth separates himself from his wife, and once he is king, she must ask to see him: â€Å"Say to the king, I would attend his leisure†. All Macbeth’s deeds are consequently thought out by himself, unlike the murder of Duncan, in which Lady Macbeth did most of the thinking and planning: â€Å"Leave all the rest to me†, and Macbeth keeps Lady Macbeth out of the murder of Banquo even when she asks him what he is planning: â€Å"Be innocent of the knowledge†¦/Till thou applaud the deed.† All of these points show how Macbeth becomes increasingly evil throughout the play, eventually becoming a much feared villain, or a tragic hero.

The Commercial Growth of the Live Music Events Industry

The commercial growth of the live music events industry â€Å"Live music events have grown into global events, give five reasons as to what has driven their commercial growth and success† By Anjes Kuypers LT1059 The Service Sector Industries Module Tutor: Abu Naser Word Count: 1499 Introduction In the past few decades there have been many developments in the live music events industry, which have led to live music events growing to be global events. (Goldblatt, J. 2002) There are several reasons for this development in the music events industry, many of them closely connected to developments in other sectors that influence the business of live music events. In this essay we will discuss the commercial, social, legal, technological and environmental factors that have contributed to the commercial growth and success of the events industry that has resulted in this industry to become a global one, producing events on a much bigger scale than before. Global live music events are now a common phenomenon producing billions of pounds in revenue and many industries outside the direct business of music events want to be involved to get a share in this major success. Books, articles, websites, reports and a few films have been the main resources for information for an essay on this subject, and to determine how music events have become global events. Commercial Events have always been organised for commercial purposes in many sectors of the economy. One of the recent developments in the live music events usiness is that music events have become a big part of marketing strategy for many companies in almost every sector of the business industry. Companies have tried to transform advertisement into real life experiences that relate to their product or company, which makes it easier for the clients to connect to the company. (Allen, J. , 2006) Not only are companies organising music events to promote their businesses or their products them selves but they are also connecting their image to music events by sponsoring big events such as concerts and festivals to advertise and create a certain image. Ali-Knight et al, 2004) Sponsorship deals are crucial for music events, â€Å"We have 5% of our budget from the public purse, 70% of our budget from ticket sales, but without the money from Sky and Emirates and The Guardian then we'd be stuffed. † (Florence, P. , 2008) This development is a direct reason for live music events to become global events because it creates a bigger budget and possibly a wider variety of public depending on the nature of the sponsoring businesses. Social A shift in the social composition of people who visit music events is one of the reasons for the commercial growth of live music events. Music events were originally created as a way to entertain young people and this created an image that suggested that only teenagers and adolescents could go to and enjoy live music events. But in the past few years this image has changed and promoters have widened their range of public and even designed music events especially to attract a public of all ages. This has everything to do with the idea of being an â€Å"eternal teenager†, people who grew up with live music events still want to go. This is the first time we've had this generation who are traditionally time and cash rich, this is the first time we've had a generation in this segment who have grown up with rock and roll. † (Cope, R. , 2008) For more success in the business organisers also present events with a certain theme or represent a certain ethical standpoint. (Goldblatt J. , 2007) The major success of this concept is proven by many successful fundraising events for charity, green events or events confin ed to a certain music genre. This does not only attract attention of an entirely new public to the live music events business but has also provoked political involvement in these events. For example, the popularity of pop/rock music events, which have produced the best performance during the past five years, is mainly due to its broad appeal because they tend to appeal to an older than normal demographic. (Mintel, 2010) Also charity events have increased the global involvement in music events and have attracted not only a wider variety of public but also political involvement. Because of this, live music events have been able to attract a much bigger variety of public, which has enabled the business to create global music events that are not focused on a particular segment of people but attract people of all ages and social backgrounds. (Bennett, A. , 2001) Legal As a result of commercial success and growth in the live music events business legal involvement has over the years become necessary and this means involvement of an entire business that has contributed to the growth of the music events industry in many ways. According to D. Becker (2006) the growth in commercial value and the increase of complexity of live music events have increased the need to record arrangements in writing and have made the legal rights and obligations of the parties involved more complex. This has led to the legal business becoming a big part of the live music business because especially with global music events so many parties are involved and thus so many legal involvement has become necessary. In this day and age where digitalization has influenced the music business so severely, new legislation is introduced every year to update the copyright code (Bargfrede and Mak, 2009) and this has directly and indirectly influenced the legal involvement in live music events. Also legislation concerning music events has changed over the years, the rules on for example alcohol distribution, drug-use, the Licensing Act of 2003, and most currently the smoking-ban have influenced the live music industry in both positive and negative ways. But it has increased the involvement and influence of the law on the live music events business and added value to the industry. Environmental Because of commercial growth and success of global events environmental possibilities are enormous. Venues are built especially for global events and designed for extraordinary amounts of people and live broadcasting possibilities. For example the New Wembley in London, completed in 2007 is one of many venues produced for mass consumption. Operated by Wembley National Stadium Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of The Football Association, the new stadium offers up to 90,000 fans the opportunity to watch world-class events with unrivalled views of the action in state-of-the-art facilities. † (Wembley Stadium website) This is only one of many examples of venues designed to accommodate global events, due to technological developments the environmental possibilities for live music events are endless. From music events in the middle of the desert to events on top of the Himalaya Mountains, anything is possible. (Goldblatt, J. , 2007) This has once again increased the variety of people interested in and involved in live music events, there are options for all ages, backgrounds and different areas of interest. Technological Developments in the technological area are probably one of the most important of reasons for live music events to become global events. In the past two decades technology has evolved beyond our imagination, we live in a science-fiction-like world where a mobile phone can do more than a computer ten years ago. (Kumar, V. , 2006) This has had many consequences, amongst others a huge impact on the live music industry. Live broadcasting, events taking place in different places in the word, global involvement, communication possibilities and easier access to live music events all over the world are only a few examples of the wide range of possibilities we have these days. A live music event can now be accessed from TV’s, radio’s, computers, iPads or even phones from anywhere in the world. (Kumar, V. , 2006) This technological development is a direct reason for live music events to turn into global events. Also live music events are the only area of the music industry that has not been affected by the digitalization of music. We can legally or illegally download or stream music for free but the experience of being present at a live music event has not yet been replaced by some digital form of replacement. (Katz, M. 2004) This means that live music events have become more important for artists and record companies as a source of income. Their focus has shifted from album sales and copyright income to concerts, festivals and other live music events. Conclusion The immense growth of the live music events industry has reasons related to many subjects. Changes in commercial involvement, social interest, legal developments, environmental possib ilities, and technological breakthroughs are amongst many other reasons for the commercial success in this industry the past few decades. The world is changing and evolving so quickly and our possibilities become greater and greater and the live music industry has tried hard to take advantage of these developments and use them to their advantage, which has enabled the business to become a global one and create global music events. Although economic, technologic, legal, commercial, environmental, political and cultural factors have influenced this process; the most important reason for this development is that music appeals to almost everyone, which has enabled this industry to become so successful. Reference list * Ali-Knight, J. , Drummond, S. , McMahon-Beattie, U. , Robertson, M. , Yeoman, I. , (2004) festivals and events management, an international arts and culture perspective, Elsevier Ltd, Oxford * Allen, J. , Bowdin, G. , Harris, R. , McDonnell, I. , O'Toole, W. , (2006), Events Management (2nd edn), Elsevier Ltd, Oxford * Becker, D. , (2006), The essential legal guide to events, Dynamic Publishing Limited * Bennett, A. , (2001) Cultures of Popular Music, Open University Press, Buckingham * Bradley, P. (2008), UK festival fever on the increase, BBC Money Programme, [online] Available at: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/7499708. stm [accessed 11 January, 2011] * Goldblatt J. , (2007) Special events: the roots and wings of celebration, Wiley & Sons, New York * Goldblatt, J. , (2002), Special Events: twenty-first century global event management. , 3rd edition, Wiley, New York * Katz, M. , (2004), Capturing Sound, how technology has changed music, University of Califo rnia Press Ltd, London * Legislation. gov. uk [Online] Available at http://www. egislation. gov. uk/ukpga/2003/17/introduction [Accessed 12 Januari 2011] * Music concerts and festivals –UK- Mintel (2010) [accessed 29 October 2010] * Wembley Stadium website: http://www. wembleystadium. com/about/WembleyStadium/ [accessed 11 January 2011] ——————————————– [ 1 ]. â€Å"An Act to make provision about the regulation of the sale and supply of alcohol, the provision of entertainment and the provision of late night refreshment, about offences relating to alcohol and for connected purposes. † (Licensing. gov. uk, 2003)

Sales Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 9

Sales Management - Essay Example The identification of the needs of the customers helps sales persons in approaching them. Well-built business relationships between the sales person and the customer, provides the customer with an ease to communicate their expectations from the product or services and aid the salesperson in easily capturing the customers’ knowing their requirements (Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2008). Customers enter into a process of purchasing a product on the basis of the purchase situation. A purchase situation refers to the relationship or interaction of the buyer with the business, for instance, it may be a new business and the first time the customer shows his willingness to purchase from a particular business, or it may be a longstanding relationship with the business running for several years. The multi-attribute matrix of buyers is an important tool for the salesperson to understand the requirements of the customer, satisfy their needs and build their relationship stronger in terms of pri oritizing the products with attributes which are appreciated or important to the customers like price, quality, quantity and so on (Tanner, Honeycutt, & Erffmeyer, 2009). Customers need a salesperson who has the understanding of their choice and requirements. It helps the customers in getting the right product, at the right price, on the right time with less effort. Such a system of relationships between buyers and sellers help in customer satisfaction and reliance on the seller’s advice. This trust and reliance is basically on the convincing power of the salesperson along with their presentation style for a particular product (Kurtz et. al., 2009 p. 310). Organizations and salesperson can work hand in hand to build stronger customer-seller relationship. The relationship between customers and the company lies in the goodwill of the brand. The brand name is the recognition factor for the customers for a business. Building a strong brand name, however, is not an easy task. It requires

What causes structural unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What causes structural unemployment - Essay Example In most cases, unemployment occurs when the economy in the recession. Globally, more than 200 million people are unemployed which is equivalent to 6% of the global workforce. There are different types of unemployment. These include classical unemployment, cyclical unemployment, structural unemployment, frictional unemployment and hidden unemployment. This paper seeks to discuss about the causes of structural unemployment as well as the ways of dealing with this kind of unemployment. Structural unemployment is defined as a type of unemployment whereby at a given wage level, the labour demanded is lower that the labor supplied. This happens when there is a mismatch between the number of jobs available in the economy and the number of people who are willing to work (Romer, 2011). The mismatch may occur if the unemployed individuals lack the necessary skills as needed by the organizations or they may be residing in different parts of the country far from where the job opportunities are available. Being one of the permanent types of unemployment, most economists argue that improvement on causes of structural unemployment can only take place in the long run. Based on the changing level of technology and obsolescence of certain technology, some experts and systems become of less importance (Ford, 2009). For example, with the emergence of modern forms of printing by use of computers, the use typesetters became insignificance. Another scenario of structural unemployment can be indicated when the economy experience an increase in the level efficiency. In most cases, when any of the economy sectors has high level of efficiency, the number of workers required goes down. For example, by mechanizing the work in the agricultural sector, few employees are needed to carry out the duties in the sector. This implies that some individuals who have qualification in agricultural related

Theory that support obesity in Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Operations and Project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Operations and Project management - Assignment Example Coca Cola is most popular and famous soft drink brand. Coca Cola has implemented several innovative and unique operational strategies. These strategies have enhanced the manufacturing, processing, and distribution. It is known to all that the organization has faced several problems regarding the quality of product, but they are trying to overcome the challenges by effective quality management of cold drink products. This essay will analyze the operation and project management activities of Coca Cola. Operations Performance The operation performance of Coca Cola is quite significant and effective. Due to effective operational strategies the organization has become the leading player within the industry. Coca Cola has achieved several competitive advantages due to effective supply chain management strategies. Effective resource utilization is the major strength of Coca Cola. Starting from the collection of raw materials to product delivery, Coca Cola has implemented several advanced te chnologies in their business process (Liu, 2012, p.133). The organization follows decentralized manufacturing and product delivery process. It is known to all that Coca Cola has several manufacturing plants in the leading cities around the globe. Moreover, they have established their warehouses near the manufacturing plants and distribution centres. ... The fuel efficient logistics trucks help to reduce the emission level. Moreover, implementation of advanced technology helps Coca Cola to reduce the usage of energy in the business operation. Application of PDA service in the inventory management system helped the organization to keep the track of stocks in appropriate way. Some of the products of Coca Cola were facing various health and quality related issues. The government of several countries banned the manufacturing and marketing of these products. It affected the business performance and brand image of Coca Cola. In order to overcome these critical issues, the organization tried to improve the quality of cold drink products by reducing the carbon footprint. The organization is trying to focus on the corporate social responsibility. They are trying to maintain zero solid waste by recycling the products. Moreover, effective water recycle strategy reduced the water consumption and energy consumption level of Coca Cola. Coca Cola o rganizes various environment awareness programmes in order to reduce the emission level (Epstein and Birchard, 2007, p.127). Sustainable packaging strategy will help Coca Cola to practice effective and sustainable business operation in global market place. Operations Strategy The organization uses almost 300 billion litres of water in a year. It helps them to enable their supply chain resource for its different products. Effective and sustainable use of water helps the organization to increase its core competency in global market place. Climate change is one of the most potential environmental threats that can affect the future generation. Therefore, in order to reduce this critical environmental threat the organization is trying to minimize the usage of energy (Hill and Jones, 2009,

Marriage and Psychological Well Being Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage and Psychological Well Being - Essay Example A substantial survey carried out by Stack and Eshelman measuring marital status and happiness across 17 nations using a sample of 18,000 adults concluded that married couples were more likely to report being happy than those who cohabited.(Less,2007;Stack and Eshelman, "Marital Status and Happiness: A17-Nation Study.") There are many resons offered for the claim of being more happiness between married couples compared to other couples. One of them claims that married people are generally healthier than unmarried people and those who are healthier are likely to be happier.(Wu et al,2003) Other explanations include greater commitment levels within marriage, which in turn have an effect on people's perception that the relationship will last. Another consequence of the perception of greater commitment is that there tends to be lower levels of stress and higher levels of security among married couples, and, therefore,better psychological well-being.(Less,2007;Marcussen) A further explanation is that the greater financial stabil... A further explanation is that the greater financial stability within marriage, associated with the higher income of married men, leads to lower levels of stress, and higher levels of well-being and relationship quality.(Lees,2007; S. Korenman and D. Neumark,1991) Increased sexual satisfaction has also been offered as an explanation because studies show that married couples rate their sex lives more satisfying, on average, than do those involved in cohabiting relationships.(Less,2007;Ower and Oswald,2006) Role of marriage in youths mental health Marriage is a natural, ocular and inevitable need for human beings and as the above researches shows, it is the most safe and healthy method for males and females to live together. Refusal of this need causes a lot of physical and mental problems and perhaps, one of the reasons of huge part of stress and neural pressures in human life nowadays is the latency in time of the marriage. Boys and girls, on the ascent and descent of their life, are in need for a safe environment and a sentimental base and the best person that can secure this base is a consort/helpmate. They can have safety, security and mental health together. Around 1400 years ago, muslims prophet (prophet Muhammad ) also said : " Help unmarried people marry because God makes their comportment better in that case" and today, after alot of research by psychologists and sociologists, the same result has came through. They say that marriage is in a positive relation to mental health. Researches shows that married people are in much better mental health situation than other people. Less neurotic signs has been seen among

Musical Concert Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Musical Concert Summary - Essay Example My preference for music 'intelligent' music was the other but not minor factor. The concert took place at the Campus Center lobby, on Sunday, November 11 and was scheduled to start at 3:15pm. The Trombone Ensemble and Jazz band under the direction of Ronald Stitt presented a total of twelve pieces, with the Trombone Ensemble presenting three and the lively Jazz band the other nine. I arrived to find an almost packed Campus Center Lobby and was soon convinced that this concert was going to be good. The Trombone Ensemble comprising of retired Professor Emeritus of History, Jonathan Helmreich along with some students opened the evening with J.S Bach's "Chorale". As the soul stirring piece filled my being, I took in the intense yet relaxing ambience the melody had created. Clad in their black and white tuxedos, the Ensemble displayed great artistry and mastery of their instruments. The night reached a crescendo for me with the second piece, Mozart's' famous "Ave Verum Corpus". This was already my favorite Mozart work and the performance of the Ensemble was most breathtaking. They rounded up the first half of the concert with another good performance, the Hooper and Magliocco piece "So, You Wanna Play Trombone," After an interlude, the Allegheny College Jazz band opened with Carl Strommen's "The Opener", this lively start ensued for the rest of the performance as the Jazz Band continued with "I remember Clifford" by the soloist Mike Faix, Christina Dastolfo's "In the Wee Small Hours". The concert closed with a standing ovation after the performance of "Superstition", a Mike Tomaro piece. An encore performance of Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" was given by the Trombone Ensemble. Concert 2: Recital IV with Pianist Alec Chien My experience with Jazz band and the Trombone experience was rivaled by an earlier episode at Pianist Alec Chien's performance of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. The concert which took place at Allegheny College's Shafer Auditorium, was a sixth in a seven-concert series featuring, Chien who was Artist in Residence at Allegheny College. Professor Chien's demonstration of his mastery of Beethoven's work started a little after the pre-announced 7 pm, because the turnout had be underestimated and provisions had to be made to accommodate the eager guests. The last in the series of events is scheduled to be concluded with another free concert in the spring of 2008 at the same venue. The program started with Sonata Number 5 in C Minor, Opus 10 Number1; Chien standing briefly under the lights, bowed briefly before he sat, his delicate touch running through the keys as he concluded this number reminded me of my very first reaction to Beethoven's work; listening, hardly breathing and startled. Chien progressed with the Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Opus 10, No 2 and the Sonata No 7 in D Major, Opus 10, No 3. He delivered with pomp and a nostalgic finality Beethoven's last piano sonata, the Sonata No 32 in C Minor, Opus 111. Chien's performance was greeted by three standing ovations. The concert which was to celebrate Allegheny College family week, left me motivated, spirited and saddened. For me, Beethoven's Sonata's seemed to indicate a familiar despair prevalent in today's world. Chien himself seemed completely taken over by mixed emotions as he took a bow before the applauding audience. Overview The

Religious participation and religious organisations Essay Example for Free

Religious participation and religious organisations Essay While it is difficult to know precisely whether or not religious beliefs differ in relation to males and females, it is evident that religious practice and participation does show relatively clear gender differences. This is true across all forms of religious organisation. Almost two-thirds of churchgoers are women. However, as with social factors like class and age, it is clear that there is no overall pattern of male / female religious attendance, since there are evident differences between denominations. For example: For the Anglican Church, the male to female ratio is approximately half and half. For all Christian churches the male female ratio is approximately twenty to eighty percent. While women are more likely than men to be involved in religious organisations, it is relatively clear that, in hierarchical terms, men tend to dominate the most significant positions in any religious organisation. This tends to hold true across the majority of the worlds major religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. In most religions, women tend to be portrayed in terms of their traditional social characteristics. The Virgin Mary in Christian religion is a good example here. Although a powerful figure as the Mother of Christ, her power, is ideological rather than political, the virtues of purity, chastity, motherhood and so forth are personified through her as ideals for womanhood. In relation to non-Christian religions, Giddens Sociology notes: Females appear as important figures in the teachings of some Buddhist ordersbut on the whole Buddhism, like Christianity, is an overwhelmingly male-created institution dominated by a patriarchal power structure in which the feminine is most closely associated with the secular, powerless, profane and imperfect.. An obvious example drawn from Christianity might be Mankinds expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the result of female duplicity. According to the book of Genesis, God first created man. Woman was not only  an afterthought, but an amenity. For close on two thousand years this Holy Scripture was believed to justify her subordination and explain her inferiority for even as a copy she was not a very good copy, there were differences. She was not one of his best efforts. While women, as has been noted above, feature strongly in both religious participation and, to a certain extent, imagery, it is evident that there has tended to be a very marked inequality between males and females in terms of positions of power and authority within religious organisations. Although some sects have allowed women to preach and teach, the majority of the worlds major religions have tended to relegate women to relatively minor roles in their organisation. In relation to Christianity, the decision, in November 1992 by the Church of England to ordain women as priests is a significant development to note. This decision was not taken lightly and has lead to a great deal of conflict within the Church. While the Church of England has traditionally been more liberal regarding the position of women within its organisation, the Roman Catholic Church has resisted pressure to ordain women, tending to fall back upon the argument that to do so would be blasphemous. Christ ordained twelve disciples, none of whom were women, therefore, women should not be allowed to be ordained. Once again, within a wide variety of sects, women tend, in the main, not to feature in the highly at the top of organisational hierarchies, although there are exceptions to this general rule. The diversity of sects perhaps makes it difficult to generalise about participation along gender lines. However, given that women tend to become involved in all types of religious activity with greater frequency than men, there is little reason to suppose that, in broad terms, sect membership does not conform to this norm. If it is difficult to estimate the numbers involved with New Age cults, it is doubly difficult to estimate with any degree of certainty the ration of male to female involvement. The private sphere of cult activity relates to traditional forms of gender roles for women, motherhood, the home, and child  rearing. New Age philosophy contrasts the concept of Nature unfavourably with a modern technological world, which tends to be characterised as masculine. Historically, where concepts of Nature have been employed, the role of women has tended to be seen in terms of their essential femininity; that is, as naturally different creatures to males, more attuned to the supposed natural rhythms of life and so forth. Thus, within New Age cults, women tend to be afforded a much higher status than men in terms of the various philosophies on which these cults are based, which is one reason that explains higher female involvement.

Concept Of Collaborative Working Social Work Essay

Concept Of Collaborative Working Social Work Essay Social Work is at an important stage in its development as a profession not only in the United Kingdom but around the world. All professions must be responsive and proactive to changing social and economic climates and conditions if they are to meet the needs of the people they are serving. It is essential for Social Workers to be able to practise in accordance with social work values and to retain a clear professional identity, and at the same time to be able to work effectively with other professional groups and agencies. Although there are many terms used to describe working together with other professions such as joint working, inter-professional working, multi-disciplinary working and inter-agency working the term currently used by the Department of Health publications is collaborative practice (Whittington 2003b). New ways of working that crossed professional boundaries had to be created, in order to allow a more flexible approach to care delivery (Malin et al, 2002). Collaboration in health and social care is a relatively new field of study, with the first major studies being undertaken in the 1980s (Roy, 2001). In health and social care collaborative working is often referred to as Inter-professional working, as it is not just about professionals working together. The patients, clients or service users are a central part of the team. At its simplest the concept of collaboration infers that people from different professional and academic backgrounds form a working relationship for the purpose of enhanced service provision. However, the exact nature of the partnership is likely to be contested, whilst fully integrated joined-up collaborative practice has so far proved elusive. Effective communication is an essential component of the traditional social work roles and responsibilities. It is therefore equally necessary for social workers to also have effective communication skills if they are to promote self-help and empowerment to those whom they are providing a service for. Lishman (1994) reminds us that care managers and providers will have to use a range of communication and interpersonal skills if community care is really to mean care, choice and empowerment of others. Collaborative working implies: conscious interaction between the parties to achieve a common goal (Meads Ashcroft, 2005). It recognises both difference similarity. Collaboration is a process by which members of different disciplines share their skills and expertise to provide a better quality service to patients, clients or service users (Hughes, Hemingway Smith, 2005). The sharing of information means both getting information and giving it. The act of gaining information in Social Work is an essential task the information gained can be used for numerous purposes such as: Making an assessment of need or risk Writing a report Planning an intervention To justify obtaining resource The something or benefit is sometimes called collaborative advantage, and it can be seen as the fuel of collaborative working the greater the potential or actual advantage gained by all parties, the greater the levels of energy fuelling the collaboration. According to Wilson (2008) and Hughes, Hemmingway Smith (2005) inter-professional and collaborative working means considering the service user in a holistic way, and it benefits the service user when different organisations, such as Social Workers, District Nurses, Occupational Therapists and other health professionals come together to provide a better service. These definitions describe collaborative working as the act of people working together toward common goals. Integrated working involves putting the service user at the center of decision making to meet their needs and improve their lives (Dept. Health, 2009). Effective collaboration and interaction will have positive outcomes within a working environment for both the teams working together and the service user. Agencies should be encouraged to share information to ensure that all needs of the service users are met but also to ensure the safety of the service user and the other teams involved. Caring for People (Dept. Health, 1989) stated that successful collaboration required a clear, mutual understanding by every agency of each others responsibilities and powers, in order to make plain how and with whom collaboration should be secured. The government has been promoting inter-agency and collaborative working since the late 80s which also saw a change in the policies set forth by the governments and a legislative backdrop was created to promote self-collaboration between companies. The stated aim has been to create high quality, needs-led, co-ordinated services that maximised choice for the service user. (Payne, 1995). Recent events and media outcries have focused collaborative working solely on Social Work as stated in Pollard, Sellman Senior (2005) and when viewed as a good thing, it is worthwhile to critically examine its benefits and drawbacks. (Leathard, 2003). The old government set forth plans to modernize the Social Services as well as update the NHS. A clear indication of this can be found in NHS Plan (Dept. Health, 2000) and Modernizing the Social Services (Dept. Health, 1998a). This was not in fact a new plan it was part of a growing emphasis stemming from the 1970s. The death of Maria Coldwell in 1974 meant there were questions asked why professionals were not able to protect children who they had identified as most at risk. The Cleveland Inquiry 1988 resulted in the direct opposite of 1974 when the methods of the Social Services were deemed too strict and over powering, it was deemed that children were removed from their families when there was little concrete evidence of harm or abuse (Butler-Sloss, 1988), with too much emphasis put on the medical opinion. The old government set forth plans to modernize the Social Services as well as update the NHS. A clear indication of this can be found in NHS Plan (Dept. Health, 2000) and Modernizing the Social Services (Dept. Health, 1998a). This was not in fact a new plan it was part of a growing emphasis stemming from the 1970s. The death of Maria Coldwell in 1974 meant there were questions asked why professionals were not able to protect children who they had identified as most at risk. The Cleveland Inquiry 1988 resulted in the direct opposite of 1974 when the methods of the Social Services were deemed too strict and over powering, it was deemed that children were removed from their families when there was little concrete evidence of harm or abuse (Butler-Sloss, 1988), with too much emphasis put on the medical opinion. The Munro Report (2010) stated that other service agencies cannot and should not replace Social Workers, but there is a requirement for agencies to engage professionally about children, young people and families on their caseloads. The Childrens Act 2004 was introduced after the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbià © in 2000; the same public inquiry also resulted in the Every Child Matters movement. The failure to collaborate effectively was highlighted as one of many missed opportunities by the inquiry into the tragic death of Victoria Climbià © (Laming, 2003) and Baby Peter (Munro, 2010). Expressing what you all want to achieve in clear, outcomes-oriented language, and being able to continually recheck those outcomes as your work together proceeds, is the single most important key to successful collaboration. However, it is actually quite difficult to express outcomes in ways that are unambiguous and clearly understood by all of the potential or actual collaborators. The quality of communication is vital. Poor communication is often behind many of the disputes that threaten to stall collaborative working relationships. Clear lines of communication need to be established across the institutions that make up a consortium to ensure everyone is aware of and is able to carry out the accepted policies and procedures. Accountabilities, in particular, should be well defined. Participation and involvement of service user is also critical in the Social Work field. This after all is the main beneficiary of the collaborative working scheme and your goal as a Social Worker is to meet their needs and goals. If you show the service user respect they too will give you a mutual respect which will allow the Social Workers and other elements of the collaborative team to achieve their common goals. However beneficiaries do not have to be aware that an activity is being delivered in partnership for the partnership to be successful. Regular reviews and users feedback can help measure its impact. Collaborative advantage will be achieved when something unusually creative is produced perhaps an objective is met that no organisation could have produced on its own and when each organisation, through collaboration, is able to achieve its own objectives better than it could alone. (Huxham, 1996). Huxham was showing that collaboration will work when it is done properly, and when we as Social Workers put aside any prejudices that are under lying in our working mentality and also our personal mentality, we will work well with other fields and practices to form a more efficient and organised service. By learning with, from and about one another practitioners can understand respective roles and responsibilities, generate mutual trust, strengthen relationships and improve collaborative practice (Barr et al 2005). To summarise and conclude the development of collaborative working will undoubtedly require a change in culture and values amongst health and social care professionals; however it is working and developing quickly and for the better of not just the collaborating agencies but also for the service users.

The Journey :: essays research papers

Journey’s come in many different forms, some being lengthy in duration while others may be just hours long. On occasion, one’s path to self-knowledge may be found in doing the same things as one used to do in a whole new environment and finding that the ways of the past are inadequate for the ways of the present. This concept is shown in the untitled narrative by Sara Chase, where the discovery is that her study habits from high school no longer correlate with what she will need to do to be successful in college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Failure is a common fear for almost everyone. It is something that we try to avoid as much as possible. In the narrative, the author panics when thoughts of failure flood into her head. The author states â€Å"†¦the confidence that I acquired early slipping away and fear filling its place.† â€Å"All this over one little question?† we ask ourselves. This made me wonder: Is what we strive for as the vision of self-knowledge actually perfection or is self-knowledge realized when we finally accept the fact that perfection is unattainable?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The crucial element, in my opinion, was not a paragraph or a single sentence; it was one word that was repeated numerous times throughout the narrative: confidence. Is confidence what leads us to self-knowledge—the confidence to continue on, to try new ways when old ways fail? Is confidence a pre-indicator of a successful journey or can you claim self-knowledge without possessing confidence?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The past serves as a useful reference for the present and the future. In this case, the past could not compete at the same level as the present. But this fact was only realized after failure, disappointment, and self-pity, as the author states. The past, in someway, develops who you are and what experiences and life lessons we take from the past and use in the present create a future that brings us closer to self-knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This narrative is like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in some ways. Sir Gawain reacts to the fear of death when he takes the green sash from the Lady. He also fears for his life and flinches when he thinks the Green Knight is going to swing at his neck.

A Comparison of the Divine in Gilgamesh, the Old Testament of the Bible

The Divine in Gilgamesh, The Old Testament, and Metamorphoses       Along with different languages, customs and traditions, ancient Hebrews, Middle-easterners and Romans had very different beliefs about the divine. For example, Hebrews are monotheistic, while Middle-easterners and Greco-Romans of early time periods believe in many gods. Writings from the ancient time period sketch these differences, as well as the many similarities between religious beliefs. The Old Testament is an excellent reference depicting Hebrew beliefs, while Gilgamesh outlines many Middle-eastern beliefs, and The Metamorphoses shows readers many ancient Greco-Roman beliefs about the divine.    The Hebrew God as depicted in the Old Testament is omnipotent and omniscient. He creates perfect and harmonious order in the universe, as depicted in Genesis 1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," (51) which was created by Him in six days (47), "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made" (52).    Though the Hebrew God is all-powerful, He creates human kind to have free will (47). This free will can be seen in the story of Adam and Eve. Gods warns both Adam and Eve that they can eat anywhere they want, except from the Tree of Knowledge, and they do anyway (53). Along with free will came disobedience (47). The story of Jonah shows this disobedience when the Lord told Jonah to go to Ninevah to tell its inhabitants that they would be punished for their wickedness. Instead, Jonah decides to flee from th... ...rough inspection, because there are also many differences in the religions, such as how many gods citizens may believe in and what their powers are. However similar or different, these texts provide readers with insight into the different cultures throughout the world and offer a basis for the religions that are popular throughout the world today.       Works Cited    The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.    Gilgamesh. Trans. N.K. Sandars. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 16-47.    Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. J.P. Sullivan. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 895-943.   

War of the Rats Essays -- David L. Robbins Literature Essays

War of the Rats War of the Rats, written by David L. Robbins, and the movie Stalingrad, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, are two excellent sources to be used in furthering one’s understanding of the second world war and specifically the battle of Stalingrad. Both of these sources cover generally the same material. They both are dramas about the battle of Stalingrad, yet each has their own unique perspective upon the war. These two sources can be used together to increase one’s knowledge on the subject at hand. War of the Rats, a book that has been recently published is basically a war inside of a war. It focuses more on a personal battle of two men then it does on the battle of Stalingrad on a whole. The book has four main characters and is mostly based on these people. Robbins seems more content on telling his drama he is revealing to the reader then giving actual historical accounts on the battle of Stalingrad. Robbins story starts out about the Russians skilled assassin, Army Chief Master Sergeant Visily Zaitsev. Zaitsev is a famed sniper, known for killing the opposing Germans with ease. The Germans realize how dangerous of a weapon Zaitsev is, and counter with their own master sniper, S.S. Colonel Heinz Throvald. Throvald is sent with one mission; kill Zaitsev. Also included in the plot of Robbins’ book are Tania Chernova, Zaitsev’s assistant, and Corporal Nikki Mood, a composite German soldier. Tanis Chernova and Vasily Zaitsev eventually fall in love. The novel eventually ends with the two master snipers, Throvald and Zaitsev, crossing each other’s paths. In somewhat of a cliffhanger, the book finishes off with both Throvald and Zaitsev putting crosshairs on each other’s head. Although it is very entert... ...ery educational. Both are based on factual events. War of the Rats is more about two individual people than the actual war, but still gives a brief overview about the battle of Stalingrad. Stalingrad focuses on the suffering of the German soldiers and probably is more useful than the War of the Rats in the sense that it covers the actual war more. However, both are highly recommended and go hand in hand. One would probably understand the importance of the Second World War on the Eastern Front in world history most if he or she looked into both sources. Works Cited Beschner, M. George, and Alfred S. Friedman. Youth Drug Abuse. Toronto: D.C. Heath, 1980. Dogan, Shamed. â€Å"Legal Drinking Age Should Drop to 18.† High Ground.com. 1997 February 14, 1997 Group Survey of 100 people. â€Å"Should the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered to Eighteen?† May 25, 2000

Reaction paper to malampaya fund

When I'm reading articles, facts, and history about this, I was surprised with 137. 8 billion pesos estimated fund collected annually with this project. In reality with this capital, we can build another oil industry and various projects to manipulate this asset which primarily based on research that Philippines are rich in natural resources. When we overcome this proper usage, manipulation, development and strengthening the force of our country that we may be not able to bully by other states and get this place which are capable to make our country powerful than them.If this so, Philippines have the capabilities to pace with other countries also focuses on producing oil and other natural resources found in their area. But what happen? It goes to the pockets of the corrupt government officials instead it is for the development of the country. But there's nothing new about it. What was the road were taking in? Is this the track that they promised with their sweet words? Or if will und erstand this at present, promises are really made to be broken.We lack of ability of manipulation of the things that we really owned. When I'm writing this reaction paper, I feel so bad not only to those public officials but also to those who have the right to suffrage, still we choose who are popular, good-looking without dedication and accountability. As a public administration student, starting now I will think what's good for the country than filling my own pocket coming from the taxes earned through hard work of every citizen. Our country needs us.

How Did 9/11 Bring People Together

How did the 9/11 bring people together? Or Did the 9/11 bring people together? The 9/11 was a very significant event and brought many people together in many different ways. In circumstances of extreme stress we hear moving accounts of people going out of their way to help each other. Studies show that acute stress can lead to greater cooperative, social and friendly behaviour, even in men. This more positive reaction can help the human connections that occurred during the time of crisis associated with the 9/11.Social connections are particularly important under stress because stress naturally leads so a sense of vulnerability and loss of control, this is an example of why the people of not only America, but the world came together through this tormenting time to support one another. The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched upon the United States in New York and Washington D. C area by an Islamic terrorist group, al-Qaeda. On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets.American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre as suicide attacks. Both towers collapsed and debris led to the partial collapse of all other buildings in the New York World Trade Centre. The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon, which was the headquarters of the United States Department of Defence. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. , but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its passengers fought back against the al-Qaeda terrorists. Almost 3000 people died in the 9/11 attacks. An example of the 9/11 bringing people together is the cooperation of different religious groups. Churches that typically held services only on Sundays opened their doors on the Tuesday of the attacks and held them open for some followi ng days and for a short time attendance in churches and other houses of worship skyrocketed.Members of religious groups met together and tried to understand each other’s beliefs to help one another. A decade later, a group of religious leaders representing the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths met to plan a special interfaith service for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11. The service included prayers, music, Scripture and short messages from participants. The organisers went to great lengths to celebrate religious diversity and to make sure readings and prayers are as universal as possible.Deidre Gordon, a member of the Islamic centre reinforced the idea of the 9/11 bringing people together. â€Å"It’s a chance to recognize beneath all this diversity, we have a lot we share. † We hear often hear moving stories of strangers coming together to help save each other from the burning buildings, one of which I came across was this; â€Å"Today, after a 72 hour shif t at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognise her.She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and said, â€Å"On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Centre. † As you can see the 9/11 did bring people together, 12 years ago, President George W. Bush proclaimed, â€Å"America is united. † The production of American flags surged and the flags soared, and America really was united. America mourned together, raged together and resolved together. They reached out to others in a way most didn’t do previously.

Ming Dynasty Trade

Andrew Paul Stokes June 5, 2011 Ming Dynasty Economy It’s growth and it’s decline. By Andrew Paul Stokes Beijing Union University 1|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes June 5, 2011 Ming Dynasty Economy The Ming Dynasty The economy of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) of China was the largest in the world at the time. It is regarded as one of China's three golden ages (the other two being the Han and Tang dynasties), the Ming is also the dynasty where the first sprouts of Chinese capitalism can be seen.The economic growth so evident under the Ming Dynasty continued under the Qing Dynasty, up until the time of the Opium War in the 1840s. During this time, China’s domestic economy was a dynamic, commercialising economy, and in some ways, even an industrialising economy. The Ming Dynasty, â€Å"one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history† 1, was the last native imperial dynasty in Chinese history, sandwiched between the two dynasties of foreign origin, Yuan and Qing. The Ming stand as the last attempt to hold Chinese government in native hands and the last dynasty run by ethnic Hans.As China was humiliated and oppressed by the rule of the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty rose up out of a peasant rebellion led by Zhu Yuanzhang to preside over the greatest economic and social revolution in China before the modern period. Trade was allowed between China and nations in the west, cash crops were more frequently grown, specialised industries were founded, and the economic growth caused by the privatisation of state industries resulted in a prosperous period that exceeded that of the earlier Song Dynasty.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, shortly before the Manchus overthrew the Ming and established the Qing Dynasty, China’s economy was a period of expansion. New markets were being founded, and merchants were extending their businesses across provincial lines and even into the South China Sea. Establishment of the Ming un der the Hongwu Emperor It had become very apparent that the Yuan Dynasty’s ability to govern, to maintain order in society, to administer principal and local government, and to collect taxes – was eroding well before the middle of the fourteenth century. Agriculture and the economy were in a shambles and rebellion broke out among the hundreds of Reischauer, Edwin Oldfather; Fairbank, John King; Craig, Albert M. (1960) A History of East Asian Civilisation, Vol 1. East Asia: The Great Tradition, George Allen & Unwin Ltd. 2 Mote, Frederick W. (1988) The Rise of the Ming Dynasty 1330 – 1367 in Twitchett, Denis; Fairbank, John K. (eds. ) The Cambridge History of China, Vol 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368 – 1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press, p. 11 1 2|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes thousands of peasants called upon to work on repairing the dykes of the Yellow River.In the 1350s, several rebel leaders, almost all of whom came from the merchant or lower classes, seiz ed cities and set themselves up as kings or even, with just a small amount of territory, proclaimed themselves to be Emperor. The Yuan Emperor no longer seemed to be in control of the situation, and indeed the country, it had been carved up into pieces by rebel warlords. The Ming Dynasty was an age of breakdown in which throughout most of the country the conduct of daily life depended on and ended up on direct recourse to violence.It provides a classic example of the gradual militarisation of Chinese society and, because of that, the struggle among potent rivals to succeed the Mongol (Yuan) regime by imposing, through military force, a successor regime that could claim the Mandate of Heaven. 3 Zhu Yuanzhang, who would later become the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was a peasant. He was the only person from such poor and humble origins ever to found a ruling Chinese dynasty. It is said that a scholar told him he would succeed if he followed three simple rules: a. build strong city wal ls; b. ) gather as much grain in storage as possible; c. ) be slow to assume titles. Zhu followed these rules assiduously. With his army, Zhu slowly conquered the territories of all the warlords whilst carefully watching the government’s armies. By 1368, he has conquered all of southern China; this is the date at which the Ming Dynasty officially begins. He had control of all of China by 1369. June 5, 2011 Ming Emperor Hongwu (1368 – 1398) Emperor Hongwu made an immediate effort to rebuild state infrastructure.He built a long wall around Nanjing, which then became the official capital of the Ming empire (the Yuan had their capital located in Beijing), as well as new palaces and government halls. 4 He enacted a series of policies designed to favour agriculture at the expense of other industries. Aid was given by the state to farmers, also providing them with land and agricultural equipment, as well as a full revision of the ibid. â€Å"Mandate of Heaven† is a tra ditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers.It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimise rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of Heaven is predicated on the conduct of the ruler in question. The Mandate of Heaven postulates that heaven (Tian) would bless the authority of a just ruler, as defined by the Five Confucian Relationships, but would be displeased with a despotic ruler and would withdraw its mandate, leading to the overthrow of that ruler. The Mandate of Heaven would then transfer to those who would rule best.The mere fact of a leader having been overthrown is itself indication that he has lost the Mandate of Heaven. 4 Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; (1999) The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press. pp. 190-1. 3 3|P a ge taxation system. 5 The Ming government abolished the mandatory forced labour by peasants that was used in early dynasties and replaced it with wage labour. A new class of wage labourers sprung up where none had existed before. In Jingde alone, it was reported that there were no less than 300 pottery factories, all operated by wage labourers. According to historian Timothy Brook, the Hongwu Emperor attempted to immobilise society by creating rigid, state-regulated boundaries between villages and larger towns, discouraging trade and travel in society not permitted by the government. 7 He also forcibly moved thousands of wealthy families from the southeast and resettled them around Nanjing, forbidding them to move once they were settled. 8 , In order to better administer the state, the emperor ordered surveys and censuses to be taken and the data gathered in government registers and records. This enabled the central government to regulate taxation.In addition, he made all occupations hereditary in order to further prevent social mobility; he understood, as a former peasant himself, the danger of social mobility. All members of Chinese society were grouped into three large hereditary classes: peasants, craftspeople, and soldiers. To keep track of merchants’ activities, he forced them to register all their goods once a month. 9 It seems his main goals were to attempt to curb the influence of the merchants and landlords, but it turned out that several of his policies would eventually encourage them to amass more wealth.Hongwu’s system of massive relocation was seen as being too oppressive and encouraged people’s desire to escape the harsh taxes that were imposed on the wealthy by becoming itinerant retailers, peddlers, and migrant workers finding tenant landowners who would rent them space to farm and labour upon. 10 By the middle of the Ming era, subsequent emperors had abandoned Hongwu’s unpopular relocation system and instead entrusted local officials to document the numbers of migrant workers and their earnings in order to bring in mor e revenue. 1 Hongwu believed that agriculture was the core basis of the economy, Hongwu favoured that industry over all else, including that of merchants. However, after his death, most of his policies were reversed by his successors. By the late Ming, the state ended up losing power to the very merchants which Hongwu had wanted to restrict. Andrew Paul Stokes June 5, 2011 5 Mote, Frederick W. (1988), â€Å"Introduction†, in Twitchett, Denis; Mote, Frederick W. (eds. ), The Cambridge History of China, Vol 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368 – 1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press, p. 6 Li, Bo; Zheng, Yin. (2001) 5000 years of Chinese history. Inner Mongolian People's Publishing House. pp. 994-7 7 Brook, Timothy. (1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 19 8 ibid. pp. 28-29 9 ibid. pp. 65-67 10 ibid. pp. 27-28 11 ibid. p. 97 4|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes The Agricultural Revolution. June 5, 2011 Through s everal of China’s dynastic periods, the economy, like most pre-modern economies was agriculturally based with all other sectors either servicing it or drawing materials from it.During the Song dynasty the Chinese developed the world's most productive agricultural system. Mongol domination and the Ming dynasty's rise to power left much of China devastated and parts uninhabited. 12 The Hongwu Emperor had as one of his central tasks the rebuilding of the Chinese economy which had been devastated by the excesses of the Mongol rulers. Between 1370 and 1398, China experienced a revolution in agriculture unparalleled in history. Hongwu revived the agricultural sector to create self-sufficient communities that would not need to rely on commerce, which he assumed would only remain in urban areas. 3 The surplus created from this revival encouraged farmers to make profits by selling their goods in regional urban markets. 14 Alongside other crops, rice was grown on a large scale with the introduction of Champa Rice from Southeast Asia. Population growth and the decrease in fertile land made it necessary that farmers produce cash crops to earn a living, and as the countryside and urban areas became more connected through commerce, households in rural areas began taking on traditionally urban specialisations, such as the production of silk and cotton, as well as producing fabric dyes and growing sugar cane. 5 The Cambridge History of China states about the Ming that: â€Å"The commercialisation of Ming society within the context of expanding communications may be regarded as a distinguishing aspect of the history of this dynasty. In the matter of commodity production and circulation, the Ming marked a turning point in Chinese history, both in the scale at which goods were being Graham, James. (Unknown Date). â€Å"Quantitative Growth, Qualitative Standstill: China's Economic Situation 1368-1800†. From HistoryOrb. com website. http://www. historyorb. com/asia/ china_economy. shtml (accessed 03/06/2011). 13 Brook, Timothy. 1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 69 14 ibid. pp. 65-66 15 ibid. pp. 113-117 12 5|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes produced for the market, and in the nature of the economic relations that governed commercial exchange. † 16 June 5, 2011 The Yongle Emperor, the Second Founding†¦ Hongwu’s successor and grandson assumed the throne as the Jianwen Emperor (1398–1402) after the death of Hongwu in 1398. After a short period of civil war, he was overthrown by his uncle, Zhu Di, who assumed the throne under the title the Yongle Emperor.The reign of the Yongle Emperor is considered by many to be ‘a second founding’ of the Ming Dynasty since he had reversed many of his father’s policies. 17 Also, during his reign, China had recovered many of the territories lost during earlier dynasties, as well as those lost durin g the much earlier Five Dynasties & Ten Kingdoms era (907–960AD). One year after assuming the throne, he announced that the new capital and power base will be moved to back to Beijing and a new palatial complex to be built, and the current capital, Nanjing, was to be demoted to a secondary capital.Construction began on what is now known as The Forbidden City in 1407. Construction of the new city took place between 1406 to 1420, employing hundreds of thousands of workers daily. 18 The Yongle Emperor also Ming Emperor Yongle 1402-1424 initiated many other grand building projects, such as the restoration of the Grand canal, which had lain dilapidated for many decades. The reason this restoration was important was to solve the perennial problem of shipping grain north to the capital.Shipping the annual four million shi 19 was made difficult because the previous method of shipping through the East China Sea or by various inland canal routes that included the loading and unloading the Heijdra, Martin. (1988) â€Å"The Socio-Economic Development of Rural China During the Ming†, in Mote, Frederick W. ; Twitchett, Denis (eds. ), Cambridge History of China: The Ming Dynasty 1368-1644, Part One. Cambridge University Press. p. 580 17 Atwell, William S. (2002) â€Å"Time, Money, and the Weather: Ming China and the Great Depression of the MidFifteenth Century,† The Journal of Asian Studies (Volume 61, Number 1). p. 83-113. 18 Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Walthall, Anne; Palais, James B. (2006) East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 272 19 Ancient Chinese measurement. One shi is equal to about 107 litres. 16 6|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes grain onto several different barges was proven to be rather inefficient and time consuming. 20 June 5, 2011 To a certain extent, the Ming state itself facilitated the movement of goods to market by relocating the capital to Beijing in the far north, away from the rich and pro sperous rice growing areas of Southern China.This resulted in a natural market for the demands of goods in the north, if for no other reason than to feed the imperial household and court. This was one of the reasons why it was so important to keep the Grand Canal in working order. It was a major conduit for grain, salt, and other important commodities. Any taxes that were paid in kind were paid in grain, which was shipped along the Grand Canal. Thus, control of the Grand Canal was of critical importance to the Ming government. It was under the reign of Emperor Yongle that the Chinese first began to trade and interact with Europeans on any significant scale.The presence of Europeans would eventually prove to be the most contentious aspect of modern Chinese history, but during the Ming, European trade greatly expanded Chinese economic life, particularly in the southern regions. Through most of their history, the Chinese have concentrated largely on land, commerce, and exploration. How ever, the Yongle Emperor began to sponsor a series of naval expeditions during 1405 and the years that followed. The reasoning for these naval expeditions are varied, but the Yongle emperor wanted to expand trade with other countries and had a taste for imported and exotic goods.Merchants and Overseas Trade. From 1405 till 1433, the Chinese imperial eunuch Zheng He led seven ocean expeditions for the Yongle Emperor that are unmatched in world history. During this time, Zheng He travelled all the way from China to Southeast Asia and then on to India, all the way to major trading sites on India’s southwest coast. In his fourth voyage, he travelled to the Persian Gulf. But for the last three voyages, Zheng went even further, all the way to the east coast of Africa. These expeditions made China the world’s greatest commercial naval power in the world at the time, far superior to any European nation. 0 Early 17th century Chinese woodblock print, thought to represent Zheng H e's ships Brook, Timothy. (1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 46-7. 7|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes One purpose of these lavish expeditions was to overwhelm foreign peoples and to convince them beyond any doubt the extent and grandeur of Ming power, but more so, it was to increase China’s contacts in these areas and establishing stateregulated trade there. 21 The Ming government constantly intervened in foreign trade.Under the reigns of Emperors Hongwu, Yongle, and Jiajing, foreign trade by private merchants was completely prohibited. In reality, the bans on this trade never succeeded in anything but preventing the government from taxing private merchants. Private trade continued in secret because the coast was impossible to patrol and police adequately, and because local officials and scholar-gentry families in the coastal provinces actually colluded with merchants to build ships and trade. The smug gling was mainly with Japan and Southeast Asia, and it picked up after silver lodes were discovered in Japan in the early 1500s.Since silver was the main form of money in China, lots of people were willing to take the risk of sailing to Japan or Southeast Asia to sell products for Japanese silver, or to invite Japanese traders to come to the Chinese coast and trade in secret ports. Something that can be seen in Chinese society before the Ming dynasty is the general disgust and disapproval of merchants and foreign salesmen, but during the mid and later parts of the Ming dynasty, merchants brought along a large amount of social revolution and change. By the 15th Century, the Ming had abolished the restriction on private overseas trade and Ming merchants prospered.An extensive expansion of trade followed with only trade to nations at war with China prohibited. 22 At that time, Denis Twitchett claims that China, apart from being a lucrative market for Ming Paper Money Europeans, was the largest and wealthiest 23 nation on earth. The most important parts of all this trade was the importation of silver. The governments of both Hongwu and Zhengtong (1435-1449) attempted to cut the flow of silver into the economy in favour of paper currency, yet mining the June 5, 2011 21 22 Li, Bo; Zheng, Yin. (2001) 5000 Years of Chinese History.Inner Mongolian Peoples’ Publishing House. p. 996 ibid. p. 996 23 Huang, Ray. (1988), â€Å"The Ming Fiscal Administration†, in Twitchett, Denis; Fairbank, John K. (eds. ), The Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty 1398-1644, Part Two. Cambridge University Press. pp. 110-113. 8|P a ge precious metal simply became a lucrative illegal pursuit practiced by many. 24 Emperor Hongwu seemed unaware of the situation of economic inflation, even as he continued to hand out multitudes of paper currency as awards; by 1425, paper currency was only worth around 0. 014% its original value.Eventually, the state stopped issuing paper currency because the population had lost faith in it. 25 Andrew Paul Stokes June 5, 2011 By the late sixteenth century, China was intimately a part of the growing global economy. The Chinese were trading actively with the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the Japanese, who all traded silver for Chinese silks and porcelain. The Ming shipped silks to Manila in the Philippines and there traded with the Spanish for silver, firearms, and American goods such as sugar, potatoes, and tobacco. Chinese Ming blue and white porcelain became all the rage in Europe and was highly prized.The Dutch East India Company alone handled the trade of 6 million porcelain items from China to Europe between the years 1602 to 1682. 26 Patricia Buckley Ebrey writes of the considerable size of commercial transactions on the silk goods traded to Europe: â€Å"In one case a galleon to the Spanish territories in the New World carried over 50’000 pairs of silk stockings. In return China imported mostly silv er from Peruvian and Mexican mines transported via Manila. Chinese merchants were active in these trading ventures, and many emigrated to such places as the Philippines and Borneo to take advantage of the new commercial opportunities. 27 In 1435, however, court scholars wrongly convinced the Hongwu emperor that the decline of the dynasty would be signalled by a taste in foreign wares, so China greatly contracted its commercial and maritime expansion it had begun so auspiciously. They would later be renewed under the rule of the Yongle Emperor, but again they were curtailed after the death of Zheng He. The situations of missions coming to an end resulted in the eviction of Ming troops from Vietnam which brought significant costs to the Ming treasury. 8 The lavish expense of the sailing fleets with high eunuch power at court was another big factor (Zheng He himself was also a eunuch as were many other naval commanders), so the halting of funding for these ventures was seen as a means to curtail further eunuch influence and power at court and in high positions. 29 There was also the great threat of a revival of Mongol power in the north which drew much of the attention away from other matters; to face this threat, a massive amount of funds and manpower was Brook, Timothy. (1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China.Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 68-69 25 Fairbank, John K. ; Goldman, Merle. (2006) China: A New History. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 134. 26 ibid. p. 206 27 Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; (1999) The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press. p. 211. 28 Fairbank, John K. ; Goldman, Merle. (2006) China: A New History. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 138 29 ibid. pp. 138-139 24 9|P a ge Andrew Paul Stokes used to restore, rebuild, and extend the Great Wall. 0 Many scholars and historians believe that Yongle’s move of the capital from Nanjing to Beiji ng in the north was largely in response of the need to keep a closer eye on the Mongols in the north and to better prepare to defend. June 5, 2011 Economic and Dynastic Collapse. There were numerous causes for the decline and fall of the Ming despite the auspicious start of the dynasty under the Hongwu emperor. The most immediate and direct cause of the fall was the rebellions in the seventeenth century and the aggressive military expansion of the Manchu armies.The decline of the dynasty, however, began much sooner, perhaps even as early as the initial establishment of the dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, what is now referred to as the ‘Little Ice Age’ 31 severely curtailed Chinese agriculture in the Northern provinces, famine, drought, and other disaster befell Northern China, bringing peasant revolts. The inability to collect taxes resulted in armies not being paid. Many of these troops joined the rebels making the situation worse.During the last years of Empe ror Wanli’s reign, and those of his two successors, an economic crisis developed that was centred on a sudden widespread lack of the empire’s chief medium of exchange: silver. Through acts of piracy staged by the Protestant Dutch and the English against the Catholic empires of Spain and Portugal in order to weaken their global economic power, the flow of silver into China slowed. 32 The only flow of silver into China came from the illegal smuggling from Mexico and Peru across the Pacific in favour of shipping directly from Spain o Manila. In 1639, the new Tokugawa regime of Japan shut down most of its foreign trade with Europe, causing a further halt of silver coming into China†¦ though the Japanese silver still flowed in small amounts. 33 The occurrence of these events at the same time caused a dramatic spike in the value of silver and made the payment of taxes nearly impossible in most provinces. For peasants this was an economic disaster, since they paid taxes in silver while conducting local trade and selling their crops with copper coins. 4 Famine, as well as tax increases, widespread military desertions, flooding, the inability of the government to properly manage irrigation ibid. p. 139 Little Ice Age – was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period. While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into scientific literature by Francois E. Matthes in 1939. It is conventionally defined as a period extending from the 16th to the 19th centuries. 32 Spence, Jonathan D. (1999) The Search for Modern China: Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 19 33 Brook, Timothy. 1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 208 34 Spence, Jonathan D. (1999) The Search for Modern China: Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 20-21. 31 30 10 | P a g e and flood control projects, caused the widespread loss of life and suffering. 3 5 Due to lack of resources, the central government didn’t have the means to mitigate the effects of these calamities. Andrew Paul Stokes June 5, 2011 The Ming Dynasty's economy was always in disarray because of the lack of knowledge on how to run an effective treasury.Paper money removed from circulation and was replaced with coinage, which eventually lost most of their value due to counterfeiting. However, since there were not enough coins in circulation, counterfeiting became a massive problem. At this point, the provinces were required to mint their own coins; unfortunately, some of them added lead to the coins, which depleted their value. Due to the abundance of counterfeit coins, their value again declined. This coin problem was amplified by an increasing need for money due to the growth of trade, and the threat of military campaigns that proved very costly.Chongzhen, The Last Emperor. During the rule of the final Ming emperor, the Chongzhen Emperor, the situation just b egan to worsen. Chongzhen tried to rule by himself and did his best to try and salvage the dynasty, correcting all the mistakes of those who ruled previously, but it seemed it was too little too late. After years of internal corruption and an almost empty treasury, it became almost impossible to find capable ministers to fill important government posts. It also didn’t help that Chongzhen was incredibly suspicious and mistrusting of the few skilled subordinates that he did have.In 1644, the rebels under the command of Li Zicheng took Beijing, ending the Ming rule in the North. Rather than face capture, humiliation, and possible execution at the hands of the newly proclaimed Shun Dynasty 36, Chongzhen arranged Ming Emperor Chongzhen (1627-1644) a feast and gathered all the members of the imperial household, aside from his sons. Using a sword, he killed everyone there. ibid. p. 21 Shun Dynasty – was an imperial dynasty created in the brief lapse from Ming to Qing rule in China. The dynasty was founded in Xi'an on 8 February 1644, the first day of the lunar year, by Li Zicheng, the leader of a large peasant rebellion.Li, however, only went by the title of King (? ), not Emperor ( ). The capture of Beijing by the Shun forces in April 1644 marked the end of the Ming dynasty, but Li Zicheng failed to solidify his mandate: in late May 1644, he was defeated at the Battle of Shanhai Pass by the joint forces of Ming general Wu Sangui and Manchu prince Dorgon. When he fled back to Beijing in early June, Li finally proclaimed himself emperor of China and left the capital in a hurry. The Shun dynasty ended with Li's death in 1645. 36 35 11 | P a g e Andrew Paul StokesEveryone died except his daughter Princess Changping. Chongzhen then fled to Jingshan Hill and committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the garden. 37 Regimes loyal to the Ming throne continued to reign in southern China until 1662. June 5, 2011 Conclusion. So in conclusion, during the Ming Dynasty, China saw perhaps the greatest change and rebirth in their history. The Ming Empire found the perfect balance of empirical power and Confucianism, culture and technology were revolutionised, allowing the expansion of wealth trade and nationalism.Political implements and modification had contoured China into a strong and supple empire, extending its fingers south to Vietnam and north to Manchuria. Combining typical Confucian methods of governance, a strong empirical head, and an extended base of power amongst court eunuchs, Ming China successfully rehabilitated the greatness of the Tang and Han dynasties. It was the world’s largest economy of its age. It was also the most powerful and largest military power in all of Asia. Science, economy and military strength from the early Ming Dynasty onwards culminated in the greatest age of maritime exploration in Chinese History. 8 Economically, the Ming Dynasty was a period during which the feudal society began to show th e declining trend while the concept of capitalism started to originate. In agriculture, both the food output and the implements of production surpassed that of earlier dynasties. The most spectacular advancement in Ming China probably was the evolution of maritime exploration which opened China up to the world†¦ albeit briefly. The increased knowledge of the seas and the navigational tools aided the Chinese in forging an empire that could trade with places half the world away.But, inexperience and neglect by the Ming rulers contributed greatly to the downfall of the dynasty, as well as corruption of the court officials and the domination of the eunuchs inside the court. If, for instance, instead of turning to eunuchs to help check on Court officials, the emperors turned to his immediate relatives or maternal relations, it could also have led to, as history of Han and Jin dynasties had shown, factionalism that weakened the empire. Instead of eunuchs being the problem, imperial r elations would have been the problem.The government officials were cruel and extorted unreasonable taxes. The combination of natural calamity and human oppression drove the peasants to a revolt. The disasters of Ming dynasty can be allocated such: 70% human error. The officials were greedy and extorted taxes from the victims. The state increased taxes without thought of the disasters, eventually leading to peasant revolt. The Ming dynasty could have decisively chose policies to alleviate suffering after suppressing Li Zicheng’s first revolt: make necessary changes to the Spence, Jonathan D. 1999) The Search for Modern China: Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 25 38 Brook, Timothy. (1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, Berkeley: University of California Press. 37 12 | P a g e Andrew Paul Stokes government officials and taxation policies, allocate the wealth to aid the victims and to pacify the masses, then Li Zicheng’s movement would be unable to attract anyone. The fall of the capital to the peasant army (or any other army) would not have occurred. June 5, 2011 Bibliography Atwell, William S. 2002) â€Å"Time, Money, and the Weather: Ming China and the Great Depression of the Mid-Fifteenth Century†, the Journal of Asian Studies, 61 (1): 81-113, Cambridge University Press Brook, Timothy. (1998) The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China, Berkeley: University of California Press. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Walthall, Anne; Palais, James B. (2006) East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; (1999) The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press Fairbank, John K. nd Goldman, Merle. (2006) China: A New History. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press Graham, James. (Unknown Date). â€Å"Quantitative Growth, Qualitative Standstill: From www. HistoryOrb. com China's Economic Situati on 1368-1800†. website. http://www. historyorb. com/asia/china_economy. shtml (accessed 03/06/2011). Heijdra, Martin. (1988) â€Å"The Socio-Economic Development of Rural China During the Ming†, in Mote, Frederick W. and Twitchett, Denis (eds. ), Cambridge History of China: The Ming Dynasty 1368-1644, Part One, Cambridge University Press.Huang, Ray. (1988) â€Å"The Ming Fiscal Administration†, in Twitchett, Denis and Fairbank, John K. (eds. ) the Cambridge History of China, Volume 8: The Ming Dynasty 1398-1644, Part Two, Cambridge University Press. Li, Bo and Zheng, Yin. (2001) 5000 Years of Chinese History, Inner Mongolian Peoples’ Publishing House. 13 | P a g e Andrew Paul Stokes Mote, Frederick W. (1988), â€Å"Introduction†, in Twitchett, Denis and Mote, Frederick W. (eds. ) The Cambridge History of China, Vol 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368 – 1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press.Mote, Frederick W. (1988) â€Å"The Rise of the Ming Dynast y 1330 – 1367†, in Twitchett, Denis and Fairbank, John K. (eds. ) The Cambridge History of China, Vol 7, The Ming Dynasty, 1368 – 1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press. Reischauer, Edwin Oldfather; Fairbank, John King and Craig, Albert M. (1960) A History of East Asian Civilisation, Vol 1. East Asia: The Great Tradition, George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Spence, Jonathan D. (1999) The Search for Modern China: Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. June 5, 2011 14 | P a g e