Sunday, January 26, 2020

Cold War Causes and Effects

Cold War Causes and Effects The timing of the Cold War was crucial and one of the most diverse in the recent world history. Not only was it a war of diversity, but a war of great length that lasted about fifty years. What made this time so significant was that the whole world was involved in this war in some way. The world was split into two opposite teams and one minor mistake could have easily resulted in another world war. The Cold War is different from most wars for the simple reason of it was a war that was never actually fought. The Cold War started because Europe lost power at the end of World War II. This left the Soviet Union and the United States competing for economic and military rule. Both countries believed their policies were the best and ultimately wanted all others to follow. George Kennan coined the term containment to describe the appropriate American response to dealing with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Ojserkis, 2003: 53). Containment was a way for the United States to stall the spread of communism and they used this as their main strategy. The United States used both economic and military tactics to ensure their security and influence policies against communism. The Cold War had relatively calm periods but also had periods of high tension. Despite many conflicts, there was never any military force directly between the Socialist and Capitalist. U.S. President Harry S. Truman developed the Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947. The policy stated that the U.S. would support Turkey and Gr eece to prevent their fall to communism. Several circumstances produced this unexpected presidential success in foreign affairs: the appointment of a new Secretary of State; Trumans own leadership-often erratic, but tough in responding to the large issues of foreign policy and national security; and an economic crisis in Europe (Hammond, 1969: 19). The Marshall Plan was a program developed by the United States to help aid European Countries after World War II. George C. Marshall was the man with the plan and his efforts for world peace would later be honored by the Nobel Peace Prize. The Marshall plan was also offered to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but they did not accept it. The United Nations had the role of stopping wars between different countries. The Marshall Plan helped better the lives of many people. As soon as Congress had authorized the Marshall Plan expenditures for the first year, the Administration, with the cooperation of the Republic leadership in the House and Senate foreign relations committees, began to lay the legislative groundwork for the North Atlantic Treaty (Hammond, 1969: 26). The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, was created as a result of the Cold War and was designed as a defense mechanism against communism. Doubtless the Warsaw Pact, multilateral military alliance with a combin ed command structure, was largely what it appeared to be-a mirror image of NATO (Hammond, 1969: 57). Russia formed the Warsaw Pact as a comeback to the establishment of NATO. Our membership in NATO today is still necessary for peace among the nations. After World War II, the Soviet Union strengthened its military power enough that it felt able to challenge the United States in Europe. One major crisis of the Cold War involved the Soviet Union blocking grounds to Berlin in attempt to allow Communist to start supplying fuel and food. The Soviet Union wanted control over the city of Berlin and they thought by cutting off all ground supplies they could do so. Little did they know, the United Kingdom and United States would respond with the Berlin Airlift to reach the people of West Berlin with the supplies they needed. Flights were continued daily for about a year and then the block finally ended. How the United States and their allies overcame the block and helped the people of Berlin would determine their destinies for many years to come. Although the Berlin blockade undoubtedly increased Cold War tensions and helped foster the environment in which the American arms build-up would later develop, it did not, in itself, lead to any la rge and long-term strengthening of the U.S. military (Ojserkis, 2003: 23). The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. As a result of the collapse of the Communist, the Cold War ended. This is what finally gave the United States major military powers. A war without a fight is difficult to explain. That is what makes the Cold War so unique. This was an expensive war; both sides took hard hits financially and it lasted over four decades. The Cold War probably could not have been avoided since there were too many differences between the United States and Russia. With so many controversies between the leaders it is hard to believe that anything could have been done to have made them see eye to eye.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Concert Report

Andrew Griffin Roberta Gregg Music Appreciation 10-17-11 Concert Report 1 Initial Response:My initial response to the concert was of much surprise. First, when I walked in I didn’t expect to see such a formal event. Thank goodness I showed up in my work clothes! My initial reaction to the music however was one of great surprise. I didn’t really know what to expect from the Lee’s Summit Symphony because honestly I didn’t even know they existed. Once the symphony began to play â€Å"Don Giovanni† my mood instantly changed. The symphony was incredible, and the music was not what I had expected at all.I was surprised by how much of the music I had actually heard before and just not realized it. First Half: Instrumentation and Technology: The instrumentation in the symphony was incredible. The symphony included multiple violins as well as numerous other sting instruments, but also instruments from the percussion, and woodwind groups. One instrument that really helped set the undertone of the music was the timpani. The timpani also really help to keep the rhythm. The drums are membranophones which are instruments that are played by being struck, plucked, or rubbed. Another instrument that really stuck out to me was the harp.The harp was played quite a bit and created a beautiful tone for the music. Technological wise, there wasn’t a lot in the symphony. There was one electrical piano that was located in the back of the symphony, but I wasn’t able to really hear it. The piano however would be an idiophone which is an instrument that produces sound by striking itself. Harmony: The harmony of the Overture was mostly consonant but showed some dissonance to reflect the overall mood of the music. The consonance and dissonance led to the harmonic progression which established a clear sense of key.The harmony in â€Å"Don Giovanni† was very stern. In Classical music most if not all pieces had a privileged harmony which is one harmony that is more important than the others. This was evident in the overture. The harmony seemed to be most evident during the instruments noisiest parts. Mozart was known for these daring types of harmonic innovations. Musical Time Period: As far as the musical time period we haven’t covered the Classical era yet in class. However, new developments such as Mozart’s daring harmonies and the rise of opera music were characteristics new to the classical era.Second Half: Melody: â€Å"Titan† in the beginning had a very gentle melody. As it opened the music was calm and peaceful. The shape started out very contour or a small wave, but as the music progressed the shape began to show ascending and descending patterns. The movement of the music was both conjunct and disjunct. A climax was present in the 4th section. There are a couple of times when the music builds up as if it were about to reach the climax but then descends and doesn’t reach the clim ax until nearly the end.Tempo/Dynamics: The tempo of â€Å"Titan† was pretty upbeat and sprightly. As far as instrumentation wise, the strings were very fast similar to those of the baroque era. It had a dance style speed like the baroque era as well. The third movement is the slowest of the four, and fourth is the most involved. The drums really become a part of the fourth section and they make it seem as if the tempo changes drastically because they play in between the beats. The dynamics are very similar to the tempo in this piece. The introduction is slow but steadily picks up.The piece appears as if it were written to build up to the climax which is pretty cool. Throughout the third and fourth parts the music builds up to the climax but doesn’t actually reach the climax until the very end. Musical Time Period: This piece of music took place in the Romantical time period. We haven’t covered this time period yet in class but one of the biggest things I took o ut of this music was the climax build up. The climax was built up multiple times but descended and then the climax was finally reached at the end. This was very unique.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Gender discrimination in society and the workplace Essay

In recent years women have been making gains toward equality in the workplace, but still there is a pay gap that separates men and women. It is interesting to note that women are consistently compensated less than men who fill similar positions. Discrimination is blamed for the salary disparities. My guess is as long as there are differences between people, there will be discrimination in one form or another. That may be only a general thought about discrimination, but men and women are always going to be different. How are we affected by such forms of gender discrimination? Well obviously those who are directly impacted negatively can feel the effects, but undoubtedly society and the economy are impacted as well. It may be difficult to determine in what ways they may be affected however. It seems that through the years, there has never been a time where women have been as well compensated as men. Just because its something we may be used to, does that mean it’s right? Some people would argue that women shouldn’t even be working as it is. Many people think that a woman’s place is in the home. Perhaps that is the ideal in many societies. It would seem beneficial to have at least one parent in the home caring for children rather than placing them into a daycare facility. Traditionally the husband has been the breadwinner of the household, but with inflation rates skyrocketing, it is increasingly necessary to send the wife off to work as well. Of course women should be treated as equals and be paid the same that a man would be if he were filling the position. One way or another this problem should take care of itself or it could be speculated that there will be an increasing amount of animosity among members of society. Long-term effects of gender discrimination are not clear, but why should we continue to place barriers between different people? The government has seemed to be cracking down on equal opportunity and anti-discrimination laws, as they should be. The United States is a place of equality and equal opportunity, and while we may be huge steps ahead of other countries, gender discrimination is still a factor that must be dealt with.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Analysis Of Morality In Madame Bovary - 1075 Words

Gustave Flaubert was notorious for his prodigious appetite for prostitutes. It may be a perverted taste, he once confessed in a private correspondence, but I love prostitution, and for itself, too, quite apart from its carnal aspects. (Gustave Flaubert, 2017) Wow! This statement says so much about this writer. As such, we could argue that Flaubert’s main character in Madame Bovary, Emma, was based on one of his prostitutes and describes how he feels about women. Therefore, I am surprised the government bought Flaubert’s answer. After reading Madame Bovary, I understand why the government brought action against the author Gustave Flaubert and charged him with immorality. The entire novel is based on adultery, blasphemy, misery, bad†¦show more content†¦Additionally, not only is her death going to leave her daughter and husband alone, but it also serves as revenge against her husband for the ways he wronged her and , finally, her death would cause her husband t o die out of sheer grief. How is any of this moral? Emma, by her own design, seems to be of a deviant nature with really nothing moral to her at all. She is manipulative, lying, cheating, uncaring and a hedonist that seeks out the pleasures of the world in an aberrant manner. Emma is not the only immoral character portrayed in the novel. Rodolphe Boulanger, we are told, has a brutal temperament and a perceptive mind (Flaubert, p. 1298), a dangerous combination. He has the casual indifference of the rich classes – a downside to wealth that Emma never considers – and treats women with the same indifference as he treats his objects. What is moral about him? Leon Dupuis starts out a bored, naà ¯ve, but pleasant, boy and turns out to be an unsavory character with no morals who gives us the feeling by the end of the novel that life has tarnished and corrupted him. We can see this when Emma says â€Å"Leon, you will do me a service?† And, shaking him by both hands that she grasped tightly, she added— â€Å"Listen, I want eight thousand francs.† His response â€Å"you must be mad† (Flaubert, p. 1298). He could not care less about her which he proves by promising to get the money and never coming through. The only moral character seems to beShow MoreRelated An Analysis of Homais as an instrument of satire in Flauberts, Madame Bovary1577 Words   |  7 Pages An analysis of Homais as an instrument of satire In Flaubert’s satiric novel, the story’s apothecary is used to convey Flaubert’s views of the bourgeois. As a vehicle for Flaubert’s satire, Homais is portrayed as opportunistic and self-serving, attributes that Flaubert associated with the middle class. Homais’ obsession with social mobility leads him to commit despicable acts. His character and values are also detestable. He is self-serving, hypocritical, opportunistic, egotistical, and crookedRead MoreAn Analysis of Homais as an Instrument of Satire in Flauberts, Madame Bovary1596 Words   |  7 PagesAn analysis of Homais as an instrument of satire In Flauberts satiric novel, the storys apothecary is used to convey Flauberts views of the bourgeois. As a vehicle for Flauberts satire, Homais is portrayed as opportunistic and self-serving, attributes that Flaubert associated with the middle class. Homais obsession with social mobility leads him to commit despicable acts. His character and values are also detestable. He is self-serving, hypocritical, opportunistic, egotistical, and crookedRead MoreEssay on Tolstoys Anna Karenina3020 Words   |  13 Pageswill repay. Originally (and somewhat narrowly) thought to refer to Annas final ostracism from the upper echelons of society that punish her for her misdeeds, the epigraph is the key to Tolstoys subtle and philosophically complex conception of morality that denies the existence of a universal and unavoidable justice and derives responsibility from the individuals freedom to create and then bind himself to laws. Three of the novels characters, Stephen Oblonsky, Constatine Levin, an d Anna KareninaRead MoreMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 PagesPhenomenology of the Narrative, 16 II Problems of Film Semiotics Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. The Cinema: Language or Language System? 31 Some Points in the Semiotics of the Cinema, 92 Problems of Denotation in the Fiction Film, 108 III Syntagmatic Analysis of the Image Track Chapter 6. Outline of the Autonomous Segments in Jacques Rozier s film Adieu Philippine, 149 Chapter 7. Syntagmatic Study of Jacques Rozier s Film Adieu Philippine, 177 vii viii CONTENTS IV The Modern Cinema: Some Theoretical