Geography Pedestrian Survey Free Essays

For this survey, the whole class worked as a group. We started by being given a grided map of Halifax’s Central Business District and a small area surrounding it. Our teacher kept a copy of this as the master map. We will write a custom essay sample on Geography Pedestrian Survey or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each square on the map could be identified like the one below. This made identification of points easy. On this map there were (number) points marked by dots (see above) in the Central Business District and beyond. These were then grouped together into groups of approximately seven. The class was then split into pairs, and each pair was then allocated one of the groups of dots. The reason for working in pairs is so that one person could time and one could count the people passing. It was also for safety reasons. Before we started the count, we worked out some rules or guidelines for the whole class to follow. These were to * To count all people that passed, including babies in prams. * To not count pets/ animals * To count everyone on ONE side of the road only, except in precinct locations where everyone in the precinct was counted. A time limit of 5 minutes per point was decided. Each pair then went to their separate points to start counting/ timing. My pair had 6 points to count, so for 3 points person A timed and person B counted, and for the other 3 points, person A counted and B timed. The timer was started at the same time as the other half of the pair began counting. Every person was recorded as a tally on a table like the one below. Each point was named as the grid reference of the square it was in. After 5 minutes the timer was stopped, and the tally totalled. This was repeated for all 6 points. After they had all been done, we reported back and recorded our results on the master map along with the rest of the groups’ results. We were all given a copy of this map so we had records for all the points surveyed. We used a tally to count al the pedestrians as it is easy to put a dash for every person and the results could be totalled quickly. This was especially useful in busy locations, where large groups of people were passing at once. We set the time limit because then the whole groups’ results would be done over that amount of time. The time limit was set as 5 minutes because this would give us a reasonable time to count for, and the results would not be too high or too low. Problems/ Anomalies Our particular pair did not encounter many problems, but many of the other groups did. The only problem we had that could have affected the results was that the point nearest the bus station could have been affected by buses coming in and out. At the time we counted there weren’t many buses, so the tally could have been higher at a different time of day. Here is a list of the problems encountered, as well as some other things that could have affected the survey in any way, and how I overcame them. * The weather, day of the week, date and time were recorded because any of these may have affected the survey. For example, the weather could affect the survey as if it was dry then there would be people outside than if it were raining. The day of the week could affect the survey because there would be a different number of people in town on weekdays than at weekends. The date was important, as there may be more people who would come into town at certain times of the year, for example at Christmas or at holiday seasons. The time of day could affect numbers of people if it was half day for example. Also the closing and opening times of shops must be taken into consideration. * In Halifax’s Central Business District there are changes being made, and new buildings being built which occasionally meant that all pedestrians had to walk on one side of the road. This would have affected the results. * A very similar problem was that where roads were being resurfaced or dug up, pedestrians also had to walk around these, creating a disruption in pedestrian flow. * One pair found that they were standing outside the entrance to an office at lunch- time, so large groups of workers created an unusually high pedestrian density. This was because the survey was conducted around lunch- time. If it had been carried out at a different time of day then this would not have been a problem. * There were often a lot of people on streets that were important routes (to the bus station for example) this could mean that high pedestrian densities were found in areas where the other predictions of Central Business District properties weren’t necessarily true. For example there may be poor shopping quality and a high pedestrian count if the road led to the Station. In this aspect the survey is flawed, but not many surveys are perfect. As so many points were done, one or two anomalies shouldn’t matter too much. * The master map that was used to share out the points and on which all our results were recorded hadn’t been photocopied very well. This meant that four points were presumed to be marks on the map and weren’t given to anyone to survey. These were F5, F7, F8 and F10. No results were got for these points, but a reasonable estimate can be made using the results form previous surveys carried out at similar times on the same day of the week by another class. I also looked at the points in neighbouring grid squares to try and make a reasonable estimate. When these were compared with the results from the other group, they were found to be very similar. Anomalies * At F5, there were 147 pedestrians counted. This is a very high number for an area not really close to the centre of Halifax’s Central Business District, or an area without department stores. This could have been because it is near Netto’s and a busy newsagents and crossroads. Other Possible Problems * Groups of school children or any other unusually large groups of people in quiet areas could be a problem. * If a pair were counting outside the theatre and a film had just finished or was just starting, then more people would be around and also on the streets leading to it, especially if it was a new or popular film. * Large sales at big shops (e.g. the ‘Next’ sale) often draw large crowds, and people will often queue to get in. This would also create pedestrian anomalies. Was The Survey Successful? These problems prove that the survey was not flawless but the results I got will give me an idea of pedestrian density in Halifax and where the busiest and most quiet areas are. I have covered everywhere in Halifax, but I don’t feel that this would be very reasonable. There are gaps in the survey, but it would take a very long time and a lot of people to do a more accurate survey, and I don’t think that the results I have would be further improved to make this worthwhile. I have enough data to be able to display in different ways and investigate further. In the next chapter I will start to evaluate these results and look for patterns and relationships. How Could the Survey Be Improved? The survey could have been improved by any of the following methods- * Counting at more points to get a more accurate result. * Repeating the survey at different times on different days, or at the same time on the same day a week later and comparing the results. If this was done, a more accurate picture could be seen, and anomalies more easily spotted. Land Use Survey To carry out this survey, I got a map of Halifax that was on a large enough scale to have every building in it’s Central Business District on it. I then thought of all the possible land uses of the buildings in the Central Business District and put them into groups of similar uses e.g. chain stores/ department stores. I then assigned a letter and colour to each of these groups. I gave each group a letter because this could be written onto the map when I was in Halifax and was easier than taking a lot of coloured pencils. I gave each a colour so that I could colour each shop when I got home to make the results clearer. I then went into Halifax to carry out the survey. To carry out this survey I took the map of Halifax ‘s Central Business District, the key and a pencil to mark the letter on each building. I started in one corner of Halifax and walked along every street, marking the buildings as I went. To do the whole of Halifax would have been unreasonable, so I decided to mark groups of similar buildings, even if there may have been the odd one which wasn’t in that category. I also went into the Tourist Information to find some more maps and information on Halifax. These helped me fill in any buildings that I had missed. Problems Here is a list of some of the problems that I encountered whilst carrying out the survey. * Some buildings had more than one use on different floors. In this case I recorded the most important use. In cases such as the Piece Hall, they were both classed as one type of shop, because most of the shops there are selling craft item or food. * The main problem I had was that Halifax is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment and a new set of shops was under construction in Woolshops. As the changes are very recent, none of the maps that I have show the new shops, and I had to either draw them in or colour the area as ‘under- construction’. By the time I have finished this project, the shops are likely to be finished, so it is possible that I can update the results then. * Some of the shops were so small that I couldn’t fit a letter on them. To overcome this problem, I grouped shops of similar types. Possible Problems * If the town had been any bigger, then survey would have been much more difficult to do, as it would take hours to do every single shop. Was the Survey Successful? I think that the methods I used worked well and using a map and finishing the survey at home saved time. As the point of the survey is to get a general pattern of where the different types of land use that occur in Halifax’s Central Business District, I don’t think that colouring every single building would have been necessary. Colouring in blocks of similar shops saved time, and though some areas may not have been strictly accurate, the general pattern will not be affected. The survey will help show patterns and groups of similar shops as well as where the main shopping areas are, and where the main business areas are. It should also be related to the Peak Land Value Intersection, but I will investigate this in the next chapter. How Could the Survey Be Improved? The survey could have been improved by any of the following measures- * I could have looked at every single shop- this would have been possible if lots of people did the survey together and put their results together. * A newer map would have created a more up-to-date result. * An even bigger scale map would let me write the names of the shops on, but this isn’t really necessary. Model Central Business District To start this survey, I firstly formulated some question to compare Halifax to a model Central Business District. I then got a map of Halifax and worked out where its centre was (See finding the centre of Halifax’s Central Business District) and then used a compass to draw concentric circles moving outwards from the centre of Halifax. I drew 6 circles at equal intervals to represent the zones of Halifax’s Central Business District and took this map into Halifax. Once in Halifax, I walked through each of the zones and answered the questions while I was there. I also used a map if I was unsure of any of the answers and this helped me when I was back at home. Every question was either a yes or no answer, so most of the time this wasn’t a problem. I started in the innermost zone and answered all the questions while I was there, before moving outwards and answering all the questions for the next zone and so on until I had covered most of the areas on my map. Problems There were some problems that I encountered whilst doing this survey. These were- * It was often quite difficult to tell exactly where the zones started and finished, and some zones included a lot of road and some didn’t contain any. * Some questions, like the one about building height, are affected by the fact that Halifax’s Central Business District buildings are protected. This is because they are of historical value and may mean that they aren’t very tall. This would not normally be the case in a Central Business District. * Parking is actually allowed in Halifax’s Central Business District but a lot of it is voucher parking. * Some questions were hard to answer; like ‘Wide range of shops?’ and ‘high pedestrian counts?’ because it was hard to tell where to put the boundaries between high and low pedestrian counts or high and low range of shops. * There are new shops being built at the moment, and it is likely that these will have a high shopping quality, but I can’t be sure unless I see them. * It was hard to define the centre of Halifax in the first place, so if it were moved, I would possibly get very different results. * The zones were hard to define in the first place- I was unsure whether to have them as circles, or try to define them by looking at the properties of the different areas and drawing on zones to suit them. Was the Survey Successful? I think that the survey was successful and that using a questionnaire was a good idea. It gave me enough information to be able to make a reasonable comparison in the next chapter. The zones are very hard to define, but I chose to put them at regular intervals, leading out from the centre of the Central Business District. The survey will also help me find patterns, like the land- use survey, and give me a good all round view of the properties of Halifax’s Central Business District. In the next chapter I will compare them to the properties of a model Central Business District and see how they relate to each other. How Could the Survey be Improved? The survey could possibly be improved by carrying out a more in-depth study of the position of the centre of the Central Business District. This would ensure that I got the positioning exactly right and zoning correct. This is the only way that I can think of to improve the survey. How to cite Geography Pedestrian Survey, Papers

Geography Pedestrian Survey Free Essays

For this survey, the whole class worked as a group. We started by being given a grided map of Halifax’s Central Business District and a small area surrounding it. Our teacher kept a copy of this as the master map. We will write a custom essay sample on Geography Pedestrian Survey or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each square on the map could be identified like the one below. This made identification of points easy. On this map there were (number) points marked by dots (see above) in the Central Business District and beyond. These were then grouped together into groups of approximately seven. The class was then split into pairs, and each pair was then allocated one of the groups of dots. The reason for working in pairs is so that one person could time and one could count the people passing. It was also for safety reasons. Before we started the count, we worked out some rules or guidelines for the whole class to follow. These were to * To count all people that passed, including babies in prams. * To not count pets/ animals * To count everyone on ONE side of the road only, except in precinct locations where everyone in the precinct was counted. A time limit of 5 minutes per point was decided. Each pair then went to their separate points to start counting/ timing. My pair had 6 points to count, so for 3 points person A timed and person B counted, and for the other 3 points, person A counted and B timed. The timer was started at the same time as the other half of the pair began counting. Every person was recorded as a tally on a table like the one below. Each point was named as the grid reference of the square it was in. After 5 minutes the timer was stopped, and the tally totalled. This was repeated for all 6 points. After they had all been done, we reported back and recorded our results on the master map along with the rest of the groups’ results. We were all given a copy of this map so we had records for all the points surveyed. We used a tally to count al the pedestrians as it is easy to put a dash for every person and the results could be totalled quickly. This was especially useful in busy locations, where large groups of people were passing at once. We set the time limit because then the whole groups’ results would be done over that amount of time. The time limit was set as 5 minutes because this would give us a reasonable time to count for, and the results would not be too high or too low. Problems/ Anomalies Our particular pair did not encounter many problems, but many of the other groups did. The only problem we had that could have affected the results was that the point nearest the bus station could have been affected by buses coming in and out. At the time we counted there weren’t many buses, so the tally could have been higher at a different time of day. Here is a list of the problems encountered, as well as some other things that could have affected the survey in any way, and how I overcame them. * The weather, day of the week, date and time were recorded because any of these may have affected the survey. For example, the weather could affect the survey as if it was dry then there would be people outside than if it were raining. The day of the week could affect the survey because there would be a different number of people in town on weekdays than at weekends. The date was important, as there may be more people who would come into town at certain times of the year, for example at Christmas or at holiday seasons. The time of day could affect numbers of people if it was half day for example. Also the closing and opening times of shops must be taken into consideration. * In Halifax’s Central Business District there are changes being made, and new buildings being built which occasionally meant that all pedestrians had to walk on one side of the road. This would have affected the results. * A very similar problem was that where roads were being resurfaced or dug up, pedestrians also had to walk around these, creating a disruption in pedestrian flow. * One pair found that they were standing outside the entrance to an office at lunch- time, so large groups of workers created an unusually high pedestrian density. This was because the survey was conducted around lunch- time. If it had been carried out at a different time of day then this would not have been a problem. * There were often a lot of people on streets that were important routes (to the bus station for example) this could mean that high pedestrian densities were found in areas where the other predictions of Central Business District properties weren’t necessarily true. For example there may be poor shopping quality and a high pedestrian count if the road led to the Station. In this aspect the survey is flawed, but not many surveys are perfect. As so many points were done, one or two anomalies shouldn’t matter too much. * The master map that was used to share out the points and on which all our results were recorded hadn’t been photocopied very well. This meant that four points were presumed to be marks on the map and weren’t given to anyone to survey. These were F5, F7, F8 and F10. No results were got for these points, but a reasonable estimate can be made using the results form previous surveys carried out at similar times on the same day of the week by another class. I also looked at the points in neighbouring grid squares to try and make a reasonable estimate. When these were compared with the results from the other group, they were found to be very similar. Anomalies * At F5, there were 147 pedestrians counted. This is a very high number for an area not really close to the centre of Halifax’s Central Business District, or an area without department stores. This could have been because it is near Netto’s and a busy newsagents and crossroads. Other Possible Problems * Groups of school children or any other unusually large groups of people in quiet areas could be a problem. * If a pair were counting outside the theatre and a film had just finished or was just starting, then more people would be around and also on the streets leading to it, especially if it was a new or popular film. * Large sales at big shops (e.g. the ‘Next’ sale) often draw large crowds, and people will often queue to get in. This would also create pedestrian anomalies. Was The Survey Successful? These problems prove that the survey was not flawless but the results I got will give me an idea of pedestrian density in Halifax and where the busiest and most quiet areas are. I have covered everywhere in Halifax, but I don’t feel that this would be very reasonable. There are gaps in the survey, but it would take a very long time and a lot of people to do a more accurate survey, and I don’t think that the results I have would be further improved to make this worthwhile. I have enough data to be able to display in different ways and investigate further. In the next chapter I will start to evaluate these results and look for patterns and relationships. How Could the Survey Be Improved? The survey could have been improved by any of the following methods- * Counting at more points to get a more accurate result. * Repeating the survey at different times on different days, or at the same time on the same day a week later and comparing the results. If this was done, a more accurate picture could be seen, and anomalies more easily spotted. Land Use Survey To carry out this survey, I got a map of Halifax that was on a large enough scale to have every building in it’s Central Business District on it. I then thought of all the possible land uses of the buildings in the Central Business District and put them into groups of similar uses e.g. chain stores/ department stores. I then assigned a letter and colour to each of these groups. I gave each group a letter because this could be written onto the map when I was in Halifax and was easier than taking a lot of coloured pencils. I gave each a colour so that I could colour each shop when I got home to make the results clearer. I then went into Halifax to carry out the survey. To carry out this survey I took the map of Halifax ‘s Central Business District, the key and a pencil to mark the letter on each building. I started in one corner of Halifax and walked along every street, marking the buildings as I went. To do the whole of Halifax would have been unreasonable, so I decided to mark groups of similar buildings, even if there may have been the odd one which wasn’t in that category. I also went into the Tourist Information to find some more maps and information on Halifax. These helped me fill in any buildings that I had missed. Problems Here is a list of some of the problems that I encountered whilst carrying out the survey. * Some buildings had more than one use on different floors. In this case I recorded the most important use. In cases such as the Piece Hall, they were both classed as one type of shop, because most of the shops there are selling craft item or food. * The main problem I had was that Halifax is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment and a new set of shops was under construction in Woolshops. As the changes are very recent, none of the maps that I have show the new shops, and I had to either draw them in or colour the area as ‘under- construction’. By the time I have finished this project, the shops are likely to be finished, so it is possible that I can update the results then. * Some of the shops were so small that I couldn’t fit a letter on them. To overcome this problem, I grouped shops of similar types. Possible Problems * If the town had been any bigger, then survey would have been much more difficult to do, as it would take hours to do every single shop. Was the Survey Successful? I think that the methods I used worked well and using a map and finishing the survey at home saved time. As the point of the survey is to get a general pattern of where the different types of land use that occur in Halifax’s Central Business District, I don’t think that colouring every single building would have been necessary. Colouring in blocks of similar shops saved time, and though some areas may not have been strictly accurate, the general pattern will not be affected. The survey will help show patterns and groups of similar shops as well as where the main shopping areas are, and where the main business areas are. It should also be related to the Peak Land Value Intersection, but I will investigate this in the next chapter. How Could the Survey Be Improved? The survey could have been improved by any of the following measures- * I could have looked at every single shop- this would have been possible if lots of people did the survey together and put their results together. * A newer map would have created a more up-to-date result. * An even bigger scale map would let me write the names of the shops on, but this isn’t really necessary. Model Central Business District To start this survey, I firstly formulated some question to compare Halifax to a model Central Business District. I then got a map of Halifax and worked out where its centre was (See finding the centre of Halifax’s Central Business District) and then used a compass to draw concentric circles moving outwards from the centre of Halifax. I drew 6 circles at equal intervals to represent the zones of Halifax’s Central Business District and took this map into Halifax. Once in Halifax, I walked through each of the zones and answered the questions while I was there. I also used a map if I was unsure of any of the answers and this helped me when I was back at home. Every question was either a yes or no answer, so most of the time this wasn’t a problem. I started in the innermost zone and answered all the questions while I was there, before moving outwards and answering all the questions for the next zone and so on until I had covered most of the areas on my map. Problems There were some problems that I encountered whilst doing this survey. These were- * It was often quite difficult to tell exactly where the zones started and finished, and some zones included a lot of road and some didn’t contain any. * Some questions, like the one about building height, are affected by the fact that Halifax’s Central Business District buildings are protected. This is because they are of historical value and may mean that they aren’t very tall. This would not normally be the case in a Central Business District. * Parking is actually allowed in Halifax’s Central Business District but a lot of it is voucher parking. * Some questions were hard to answer; like ‘Wide range of shops?’ and ‘high pedestrian counts?’ because it was hard to tell where to put the boundaries between high and low pedestrian counts or high and low range of shops. * There are new shops being built at the moment, and it is likely that these will have a high shopping quality, but I can’t be sure unless I see them. * It was hard to define the centre of Halifax in the first place, so if it were moved, I would possibly get very different results. * The zones were hard to define in the first place- I was unsure whether to have them as circles, or try to define them by looking at the properties of the different areas and drawing on zones to suit them. Was the Survey Successful? I think that the survey was successful and that using a questionnaire was a good idea. It gave me enough information to be able to make a reasonable comparison in the next chapter. The zones are very hard to define, but I chose to put them at regular intervals, leading out from the centre of the Central Business District. The survey will also help me find patterns, like the land- use survey, and give me a good all round view of the properties of Halifax’s Central Business District. In the next chapter I will compare them to the properties of a model Central Business District and see how they relate to each other. How Could the Survey be Improved? The survey could possibly be improved by carrying out a more in-depth study of the position of the centre of the Central Business District. This would ensure that I got the positioning exactly right and zoning correct. This is the only way that I can think of to improve the survey. How to cite Geography Pedestrian Survey, Papers

Jonathan Swift Essay Example For Students

Jonathan Swift Essay Satire on a Nation Jonathan Swifts, Gullivers Travels satirically relatesbodily functions and physical attributes to social issues during Englandspowerful rule of Europe. Through out the story we find many relations betweenbodily features and British and European society. Swift uses this tone ofmockery to explain to his reader the importance of many different topics duringthis time of European rule. Swift feels that the body and their functions relateto political as well as the ration of a society. Swifts fascination with thebody comes from its unproblematic undertone which gives his audiencerecognizable parallelism to many issues such as political change and scientificinnovation. Gullivers first adventure takes place in Lilliput. Gulliver swimsto a foreign shore after his boat and rowboat capsize due to a fierce storm. Washed upon the shore, Gulliver finds himself tied to the grass surrounded bylittle bodied people called the Lilliputians. The Lilliputians stood no morethan six inches high. During this time Swift recognized that England was also akind of six inch being that had great influence in Europe. Swift wroteGullivers Travels during a time when Europe was the worlds most dominantand influential force. England, despite its small size, had the potential todefeat any nation that might try to conquer them. Swift relates this phenomenonto the small stature of the Lilliputians. They stood a mere six inches high buthad the power to siege the mammoth Gulliver. The capability of a nationconsisting of miniature people, who are able to capture someone ten-times theirsize can be seen as reinforcing the capability of a small nation, such asEngland, becoming and remaining a great power. Even though this is true, Swiftentices a condescending tone to Gullivers portrayal of the smallLilliputians, who easily fit into the hands of Gulliver, yet still manage tothreaten his life. Even though the Lilliputians are piteously small inGullivers eyes, they do not see themselves the same way. To themselves, theLilliputians feel they are normal and Gulliver remains the outlandish giant. Theunexpected infringement of giant Gulliver into the Lilliputians well-developedsociety reminds the European society, that size and strength are alwaysrelative, and there is no way for Europe to be certain that a Gulliver-likegiant, might not arrive and conquer them at any moment. This encounter, betweenGulliver and the Lilliputians would put Europes confidence in its power injeopardy. Swift made sure that this message got across to humble the society ofEngland. In chapter three we see the advance of Gulliver in the Lilliputianssociety. During the process of integrating Gulliver finds that their culture isbased around trivial issues. These trivial issues can be looked at as subsequentto their small stature. Gulliv er finds that their government officials arechosen by rope dancing. To Gulliver and the reader these practices areridiculous and arbitrary, but to the Lilliputians who do not need extravagantthings because of their size, see these practices as normal. Swift uses thisscene to satire the British government at this time. The British government alsoelected their ministers in a trivial manner. In order to receive freedom fromthe Lilliputians, Gulliver must help them in battle. Gulliver s agreement tothe terms provided in his contract to stay on the island for his freedom camenot from exceeding force from the Lilliputians, for Gulliver could crush theirentire city with his colossus body size and weight compared to the Lilliputians. The Lilliputians were so secure in their laws and rules, where they felt theirlaws could even rule this great bodily giant with them. Noticeably the audiencesees that Gulliver can easily crush the tiny Lilliputians, but he decides out ofthe kindness of his heart not to forcefully become free. Once this great bodyinquires his freedom, there will be no way for these small humans to thrusttheir laws upon him. Trying to control outside forces were also flaws thatEurope processed at this time. We again see how Gulliver feels that land iscontrol by people and not land controlling itself. When the audience sees thatEurope remains controlled by human bodily egos, this makes his satire even moreconvincing and critical. In the next chapters, the Lilliputians let Gulliverreceive his freedom, at the same time they realize what kind of political powerthey can gain from the body size of Gulliver. Gulliver goes into battle with theLilliputians and destroys most of the Blefescan naval fleets, but no t all ofthem. Gulliver

The Da Vinci Code


Ever since Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code became a bestseller, critics never ceased coming up with a variety of different explanations as to this book’s popularity with the readers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, most of them do agree with a suggestion that the key to The Da Vinci Code’s popularity is being concerned with author’s ability to fuse religious and conspirological motifs into a one inseparable compound – thus, presenting readers within nothing less of an ‘intellectual bomb’, which sets off by being exposed to readers’ curiosity. In his book Key to the Da Vinci Code, Ferris (2005) points out to the fact that The Da Vinci Code’s very format established objective preconditions for this novel to be avidly read: â€Å"The book is a complex blend of symbolism, historical theories, secret societies and religion, which separately presented would make for some heavy reading†¦ In the context of a novel, however, a much wider audience is exposed to the ideas in the book† (Ferris 9). Nevertheless, it appears that the actual secret of Brown novel’s popularity is not being concerned with author possessing a supreme literary talent, as much as it is being concerned with the process of Western societies growing increasingly secularized, which results in these societies’ members becoming naturally inclined to think of religious dogmas from essentially desacralized perspective. As of today, a clear correlation can be seen between the quality of living in every particular country and the extent of citizens’ sense of religiosity – the higher are the standards of living, the lesser is the chance for those who enjoy these standards to be endowed with strong religious beliefs. For example, the number of practicing Christians in such cou ntries as Denmark, Sweden and Norway is estimated to account for only 1%-2% of total population. As Durkheim (1954) had rightly noticed in his famous book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life: â€Å"Religion no longer thrills us, because many of its aspects have passed into common usage to such a degree that we are no longer conscious of them, or because they do not meet our current aspirations† (Durkheim 30). At the same time, the conceptual matrix of Christianity continues to be considered by many policy-makers in the West as a source of divinely inspired morality. For example, it never even occurred to the former American President George Bush that there was anything wrong with him making references the to the ‘good book’, while explaining what had prompted him to decide in favour of attacking Iraq.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In its turn, this ex plains why many intellectually advanced citizens are being subconsciously predisposed to pay a close attention to just about any work of literature or a movie, which is being aimed at desacralizing religion – by doing it, they establish themselves as rationale-driven and therefore, responsible individuals. Thus, Brown’s novel is best referred to as the intellectual by-product of post-industrial era, the socio-political realities of which point out to people’s sense of irrational religiosity as the ultimate indication of their lessened social value. This is exactly the reason why The Da Vinci Code is being banned from bookstores in countries where citizens’ lessened biological worth has been allowing Catholic Church to enjoy an undisputed religious and political authority, throughout the course of centuries (Philippines, Mexico, Peru), while contributing to these countries’ economic and geopolitical backwardness more than any other factor. Apparentl y, intellectually inflexible individuals simply cannot handle a simple truth that just about any religion is not being divinely inspired, as self-appointed ‘servants of God’ would like us to believe, but man-made. And, once believers are being rid of their illusions, in regards to the essence of religion as nothing but simply a sublimation of people’s death-related anxieties, Church’s religious authority will get to be automatically delegitimized down to nothing. It goes without saying, of course, that the best way of undermining Catholic Church’s religious authority and revealing its true essence as nothing but one of the most lucrative and most shameless commercial enterprises that world has ever known, would be exposing ‘savior’ as a mortal individual, endowed with sexual urges, just like the rest of people. As one of novel’s most prominent characters, Sir Teabing had put it: â€Å"A child of Jesus would undermine the critica l notion of Christ’s divinity and therefore the Christian Church, which declared itself the sole vessel through which humanity could access the divine and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven† (Brown 216). Nevertheless, we cannot agree with religiously minded critics of The Da Vinci Code, who often refer to the plot of Brown’s novel as being based upon pseudo-historical speculations, and therefore – not worthy of readers’ attention.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, it never occurred to Christian critics that, while referring to novel’s affiliation with the literary genre of fiction as the foremost proof to the sheer fallaciousness of the claims, contained in it, they actually contribute to promoting Brown’s cause even further – whatever the improbable it might sound. The reason for this is simpl e – while being encouraged to analyze what accounts for fictious motifs in The Da Vinci Code, readers are being simultaneously provoked to analyze what represents fictious motifs in the Bible. In his book The God Delusion, Dawkings (2006) had made a perfectly good point, while stating: â€Å"The only difference between The Da Vinci Code and the gospels is that the gospels are ancient fiction while The Da Vinci Code is modern fiction† (Dawkings 97). Despite the format of Brown’s novel, it does operate with a variety of historically proven facts, which Christians do not like discussing, simply because these facts leave very little doubt as to the Bible being anything but the actual ‘word of God’. For example, in his dialogue with the characters of Langdon and Sophie, Sir Teabing provides readers with the insight onto the fact that, before being incorporated into Christianity’s dogma as its integral element, the divinity of Jesus was actually vo ted upon by attendees of Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.): â€Å"At this gathering (Council of Nicaea)†¦ many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon – the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and, of course, the divinity of Jesus† (Brown 199). As historical accounts indicate, during the course of the Council, its participants would never hesitate resorting to utilization of a naked force, in order to substantiate their pro and contra-divinity arguments. Here is how Grant (1975) describes the initial stages of the Council: â€Å"At the beginning, most of the bishops presented written accusations against selected colleagues. The charges could not have been theological, since the theological question had not yet been stated† (Grant 5).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In other words, the recognition of Jesus’ divinity that had taken place during the course of the Council, was largely incidental – the number of bishops who voted in favor of recognizing Jesus’ divinity simply happened to be slightly larger than the number of bishops who voted against. In all probability, mostly illiterate bishops did not even fully realize what would be the consequence of such their decision. And yet, Catholic Church never ceased referring to the Council of Nicaea as the birthplace of a so-called ‘holy tradition’, which is still being revered by devout Catholics as something that has been passed down to them by God himself. Therefore, it is not the historical inaccuracies, contained in The Da Vinci Code, which upset Catholic clergy the most, but the fact that Brown’s novel exposes the inner workings behind the respectful faà §ade of Catholicism. As it has always been the case, throughout the course of history, Church did no t only actively try to slow down the pace of cultural and scientific progress in Europe, but it even strived to withhold the information about what Bible was all about from its own flock. Up until the time of Reformation, translating Bible from Latin into secularly spoken languages used to be considered a major sin, punishable by death. Apparently, in his novel Brown had succeeded with encouraging people to make critical inquiries about whether Catholic Church even has a right to claim any religious authority, in the first place, given its ‘glorious’ deeds in the past and also in the present. Why is it that those high-ranking Church’s officials who never get tired of preaching humility to believers, find it appropriate driving around in bulletproof limousines that often cost millions of dollars a piece? Why is it that, when they get ill, the ‘representatives of Jesus on Earth’ chose in favor of undergoing medicinal treatment in privately owned Swiss clinics, as opposed to relying on the ‘power of God’s miracle’ alone, as they expect ordinary believers to do? Why is it that the very term ‘Catholic priest’ is now being commonly perceived as synonymous to the term ‘child molester’? Why does Catholic Church continue to refer to the usage of contraceptives as ‘sinful’, hence contributing to the problem of overpopulation in the countries of Third World and ultimately, to the rise of mortality rates in this region of the world? Dan Brown can only be thankful for the fact that he does not live in time when Catholic Church was at the peak of its power (Dark Ages); because otherwise, Catholic ‘lambs of God’ would deal with the author of The Da Vinci Code rather decisively – tying him up to a pole and setting it on fire. As Nicolosi (2009) had put it in her article Just Say No to ‘The Da Vinci Code’: â€Å"You don’t debate the devil. You do not give evil the authority to question God. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ represents a debate in which the questions start with Satan’s presumptions† (BeliefNet). Just as it is the case with just about any self-righteous Christian fundamentalist, Nicolosi would do her utmost, while combating what she believe represents evil. Unfortunately, it never occurred to this person, clearly not overburdened with intelligence, that one of the sources of all evil in the world are the uncritical religious beliefs, on the part of steadfast ‘lambs of God’, like herself. Thus, it would not be much of an exaggeration to suggest that, even though Brown’s novel does contain a fair amount of historical inaccuracies, it nevertheless represents an undeniable literary, historical and above all – educational value. By reading The Da Vinci Code, people will learn to adopt a critical attitude towards just about any issue, concerning the process of religious Ã¢â‚¬Ë œwolfs in lamb’s skin’ taking an advantage of citizens’ naivety, while proceeding with the agenda that has always been the foremost trademark of those who professionally work on behalf of an organized religion – the accumulation of material riches. We can say that, by publishing The Da Vinci Code, Brown had driven yet one more nail into the coffin of Christianity, as semi-religious cult of suicidally-minded desert-dwellers, which encourages people to exterminate ‘infidels’ (a particularly godly deed), which teaches them not to marry, not to wash before eating, not to tend crops, not to bury dead (Kingdom of heaven is at hand), and which had unleashed the hell on Earth (Crusades, Inquisition), well before the coming of a hypothetical Antichrist. Given the fact that, unlike Islam, Christianity had long ago ceased being ‘alive’ religion, one should simply ignore the hysterical reactions of ‘defenders of Christian faith’ , in regards to the publishing of The Da Vinci Code – eventually, these people will learn that trying to discourage others from reading Brown’s novel is being just as futile as trying to bite their own elbows. The historically predetermined process of people coming to realization of the fact that God resides within, as opposed to residing up in clouds, simply cannot be stopped. And, the sooner particularly aggressive believers realize it, the better it will be for them. References Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Sydney: Anchor Books, 2009. Dawkings, Richard. The God Delusion. Toronto: Bantam Press, 2006. Durkheim, Emil. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: The Free Press, 1954. Ferris, Stewart. Key to the Da Vinci Code. London: Crombie Jardine, 2005. Grant, Robert â€Å"Religion and Politics at the Council at Nicaea†. The Journal of Religion, 55.1 (1975): 1-12. Nicolosi, Barbara â€Å"Just Say No to The Da Vinci Code†. (2009) BeliefNet. 19 Aug . 2009. This essay on The Da Vinci Code was written and submitted by user Raquel Ramirez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Gogatsu byou May Sickness

Gogatsu byou May Sickness After Golden Week (a succession of holidays) is over, a symptom called, Gogatsu byou occurs to some Japanese people. Gogatsu means May and byou means sickness. It is a depression that affects some new students or employees during the first few months of their new life (the Japanese school year starts in April). It is not a medical term and is usually diagnosed as an adjustment disorder. It is always hard to get back to a regular routine after a nice long vacation. Japanese Translation ä ºâ€Ã¦Å"ˆçâ€"… ã‚ ´Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ' «Ã£Æ'‡ãÆ' ³Ã£â€š ¦Ã£â€š £Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£â€š ¯Ã£ Å'ç µâ€šÃ£â€š Ã£  £Ã£ Å¸Ã£ â€šÃ£  ¨Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£ â€žÃ£  «Ã£â‚¬ Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¦Å"ˆçâ€"…㠁 ¨Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€ Ã§â€"‡çŠ ¶Ã£  «Ã£ â€¹Ã£ â€¹Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã¤ º ºÃ£ Å'㠁„㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¦â€" °Ã£ â€"㠁„生æ ´ »Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥ §â€¹Ã£â€š Ã£ Å¸Ã£Æ' ¶Ã¦Å"ˆã  ®Ã©â€"“㠁 «Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦â€" °Ã¥â€¦ ¥Ã§â€Å¸Ã£â€šâ€žÃ¦â€" °Ã¥â€¦ ¥Ã§ ¤ ¾Ã¥â€œ ¡Ã£  «Ã£  ¿Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£â€šÅ'る㠁†ã  ¤Ã§â€"…㠁 ®Ã£â€šË†Ã£ â€ Ã£  ªÃ£â€šâ€šÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š(æâ€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£  ®Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ º ¦Ã£  ¯Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¦Å"ˆã  «Ã¥ §â€¹Ã£  ¾Ã£â€šÅ Ã£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š) ä ºâ€Ã¦Å"ˆçâ€"…㠁 ¯Ã¥Å' »Ã¥ ­ ¦Ã§Å¡â€žÃ£  ªÃ¥  Ã§ § °Ã£  §Ã£  ¯Ã£  ªÃ£  Ã£â‚¬ Ã©  ©Ã¥ ¿Å"éšÅ"Ã¥ ® ³Ã£  ¨Ã¨ ¨ ºÃ¦â€" ­Ã£ â€¢Ã£â€šÅ'る㠁“㠁 ¨Ã£ Å'Ã¥ ¤Å¡Ã£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¥ ¹ ¸Ã£ â€žÃ£  ªÃ£ â€œÃ£  ¨Ã£  «Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£  §Ã§ § Ã£  ¯Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¦Å"ˆçâ€"…㠁 «Ã£ â€¹Ã£ â€¹Ã£  £Ã£ Å¸Ã£ â€œÃ£  ¨Ã £  ¯Ã£ â€šÃ£â€šÅ Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€ºÃ£â€šâ€œÃ£ Å'〠Ã¦ ¥ ½Ã£ â€"㠁„é• ·Ã£ â€žÃ¤ ¼â€˜Ã£  ¿Ã£  ®Ã£ â€šÃ£  ¨Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¥ ¸ ¸Ã§â€Å¸Ã¦ ´ »Ã£  «Ã¦Ë† »Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ®Ã£  ¯Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥ ¤â€°Ã£  ªÃ£â€šâ€šÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šË†Ã£  ­Ã£â‚¬â€š Romaji Translation Gooruden wiiku ga owatta ato gurai ni, gogatsu byou to iu shoujou ni kakaru hito ga imasu. Atarashii seikatsu o hajimeta ni, san kagetsu no aida ni, shinnyuusei ya shinnyuushain ni mirareru utsubyou no youna mono desu. (Nihon no gakunendo wa shigatsu ni hajimarimasu.) Gogatsu byou wa igakutekina meishou dewa naku, tekiou shougai to shindan sareru koto ga ooi desu. Saiwaina koto ni, nihon de watashi wa gogatsu byou ni kakatta koto wa arimasen ga, tanoshii nagai yasumi no ato, nichijou seikatsu ni modoru nowa taihenna mono desu yo ne. Note: The translation is not always literal. Beginners Phrase It is always hard to get back to a regular routine after a nice long vacation. Tanoshii nagai yasumi no ato, nichijou seikatsu ni modoru nowa taihenna mono desu.㠁Ÿã  ®Ã£ â€"㠁„ 㠁 ªÃ£ Å'㠁„ や㠁™ã  ¿Ã£  ®Ã£ â€šÃ£  ¨Ã£â‚¬ Ã£  «Ã£  ¡Ã£ ËœÃ£â€šâ€¡Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€ºÃ£ â€žÃ£ â€¹Ã£  ¤Ã£  « も㠁 ©Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ®Ã£  ¯ 㠁Ÿã â€žÃ£  ¸Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ªÃ£â€šâ€šÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¦ ¥ ½Ã£ â€"㠁„é• ·Ã£ â€žÃ¤ ¼â€˜Ã£  ¿Ã£  ®Ã£ â€šÃ£  ¨Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¥ ¸ ¸Ã§â€Å¸Ã¦ ´ »Ã£  «Ã¦Ë† »Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ®Ã£  ¯Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥ ¤â€°Ã£  ªÃ£â€šâ€šÃ£  ®Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š

Political theories and ideologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political theories and ideologies - Essay Example Political ideology is an ideology whose focus is on the political arena. The political system is a way in which the existing societies make and analyze their decisions about the most important value. Political ideologies have two partial exceptions; two cases in which focuses on the importance of religious beliefs, that is those of liberation and Islam. Political philosophy, political ideology, and political theory all relate in that they focus on the different ways of thinking about all the political ideas. All political philosophies which are every political statement about how the government or the people should behave has a statement on how they behave, which is political theory This paper tackles the ideologies of nationalism, globalism, and feminism; it comprises some comparisons of the three ideologies. For nationalism, it is set of beliefs, which help produce a divergent set of the already existing nationalisms. Nationalism is important today; there are forces, however, that diminish nationalism, and these forces include internationalism, globalization, and religionalism. Nationalism also means the national awareness of oneself as part of a bigger group, identification with a group and patriotism. However contradicting the theory of nationalism is, scholars still view it as an ideology some state that nationalism is the most powerful tool in the political ideologies. They say that it is one of the least expected ideologies but still one of the most important in contemporary international politics. This results from the increased awareness about national identities through pressing for their distinctiveness and rediscovering their national history and making of demands under national self-determination. Nationalism has both the bad and the good aspects, which mean theirs and ours. The good and the bad often reflect the analysis of all the types of nationalism and the impacts associated to it. Traditionalist view nationalism

A music concert report - University of Philharmonia Orchestra Essay

A music concert report - University of Philharmonia Orchestra - Essay Example Franz Joseph Haydn, the leading composer of the classical period who is renowned as â€Å"Father of the symphony† as well as â€Å"Father of the string quartet† (Last.fm, 2008). To add to the glory of the event, the third piece which was played was Symphony No.2 other wise called Little Russian, composed by the Great Russian composer, Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. The dynamics involved in the piece Iron Diamond were Adagio-Vivace assai, Adagio, Menuetto Allegretto, Finale and Vivace whereas the second piece included Andante sostenuto-Allegro vivo, Andantino marziale quasi moderato and Scherzo. The movements in Symphony No.2 were Allegro molto vivace, Finale and Moderato assai. The concert was conducted by Nan Harrison Washburn, the music director of Plymouth Canton Symphony Society and winner of sixteen ASCAP awards for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music from American Symphony Orchestra League (Plymouth, 2008). The harmony of Flute, Piano, Violin, Bassoon, Clarinet, Horn and other wind instruments left the audience float in the thin air of music. The concert was arranged to inspire music lovers and was promoted as a research scenario for the music students as the ticket rates were discounted for them. The performance was well enjoyed by the crowd as they could be found lost in another world of dreams and passions.