ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Marxist Geography is critical in nature, and it utilizes philosophy and theories of Marxism to look at the spatial relations of human Geography. Marxist Geography attempts to change the world as well as explaining it. Marxism perceives human beings as gradually transforming or changing themselves in stages until social perfection is reached (Peet, 1977). This transformation is viewed as an aim towards which society should be moving. The change is brought forth by dialectical systems bringing about a new process which is again contradicted and the process is replicated (Richard 1985). To effectively be able to comprehend geographical relations, it is important that the social-structure be observed. Marxism Geography tries to change the society by changing its basic structure. The forces behind the changing society are seen as entities which are the modes of production. They include capital, labour, class, capitalism, the market, the state and society. Marxist geography looks at the conflicting forces between social processes and the natural relations together with the spatial relations. It revolves around the modes of production which mold the social structure, remold it continuously to form the superstructure of the society. This paper will critically look at Marxism geography of development (Kitchen and Thrift, 2009). Marxism in Development Geography David Harvey (1973) is the primary developer of the Marxist movement in human geography. According to Marxist geography, social formations of capitalism give birth to environmental and spatial problems, for example, destructions of habitats and uneven employment. It studies the inherent capitalism contradictions as they appear in landscape and relate with each other (Yeung, 2005). This theory will explore the geographical paradigms brought out in Marxism geography, detailing the principles of Marxist geography with reference to the concepts of space and place. Kuhn (1962) came with the idea of paradigms and argued that periods dominated by one research mode, in science, are separated by periods of rapid change (Haggett 1990). Paradigms are described by Harvey (1973: 120) as a set of accepted relationships, categories, concepts and methods, throughout a community at given time. Anomalies occur over time that cannot be explained by the existing paradigms. These accumulations continue to a point where it calls for investigation (Hagget 1990). Revolution and creation of new paradigms may result when problems created by the anomalies are attempted to be solved (Harvey 1973). Marxism perceives human beings as gradually transforming or changing themselves in stages until social perfection is reached. The Marxist geographers heavily depend on Marxist economic and social theories to show how the means of production in capitalist structures,
The history of the Japanese in California is characterized by adversity, handwork, community initiative, heartache, triumphs, indomitable spirits and hope. In the United States, people of color have been depicted as victims of discriminatory practices and legislation with no appreciation in their strengths, struggle and how they established and defined themselves in all aspects of their lives. The Japanese Americans have created a big impact in California both economically, educationally, socially, religiously, politically, artistically and agriculturally. The Japanese Americans have been among the three largest Asian American Communities. Recently, they became the sixth largest. A recent survey shows they are roughly estimated at 1, 204, 205. These Japanese Americans are largely in the state of California. They total to 394, 896 in California according to the census done in the year 2000. Immigration The Japanese American Immigrants began migrating to the United States from 1868. This was caused by the political, cultural and social changes that arose from the 1868 Meiji restoration. After the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, Japanese Immigration started to move to the United States because they were sought for to replace the Chinese Immigration. In 1907 the gentlemen’s agreement was signed between the United States and Japan. This agreement permitted the Immigration to spouses of Japanese Immigrants to the United States. It is understood that out of the 1907 agreement, many women moved to the United States as picture brides. One of the first groups of settlers that came from Japan to the United States was Wakamatsu Tea and Silk farm colony led by John Schnell. They arrived at cold Hill, Eldora do in June 1969. These Immigrants came with some plants i.e. mulberry trees, silk cocoons, tea plants, bamboo roots e.t.c. According to 1870 census there were only 55 Japanese in the United States with only 33 in California. In 1900 census indicated that only 410 of 24, 326 Japanese were female. From 1908 – 24 Japanese women immigrated to the United States as picture brides. In traditional Japan, arranged marriages were the order of the day. Go between and arranged marriages between male and female was done based on Social – economic status personality and family background. Due to the shortage of female in the United States, those Males who were able traveled back to Japan to marry. Those who were unable to travel back to Japanese had to undergo arranged marriage or long distance marriage. Some people thought that signing Gentlemen’s Agreement could assist California to get rid of surging population of Japanese Americans. Instead the population of Japanese Americans increased, both through immigration and childbirth. There were groups of people who objected to the entry of picture brides to the United States. They argued that the Gentlemen’s Agreement had been violated. W
The mass media is the most influential way to affect the public’s vision of the definite problem or situation because all the important global and local events are framed and discussed by the mass media according to the journalists’ visions. Thus, people learn that these issues and events are important because the mass media pay attention to them. As a result, the public is inclined to form its opinion in relation to the information and viewpoints presented by the media. The mass communication’s function of forming the public’s opinion and drawing the people’s attention to the definite issues is known as agenda-setting. The role of agenda-setting becomes really significant in the situation of the presidential elections when voters focus on the issues which are not only important for them personally but also promoted as significant by the mass media. Thus, it is important to discuss the effects of the mass media agenda-setting on the voters’ opinion basing on the example of the US presidential elections in 2012. Citizens always know what social, economic or political issues are important for them and what issues require their further discussion. However, it is important to note that priorities in relation to this or that issue are often determined not by the public but by the mass media (Baran, 2013). The accentuation of the certain issues in the candidates’ campaigns with the help of the mass media can affect the voters’ attitude to the definite problems significantly. Thus, during the candidates’ campaigns in 2012, it was important to balance between the most controversial issues of the foreign policy and the role of the USA in regulating the conflicts over the globe or participating in them and the economic question which was more important for the public according to their own visions ( Presidential debates , 2012). From this point, the coverage of these issues in the mass media varied in relation to the public’s moods toward the candidates. However, the process was interdependent because definite provocative issues associated with the economic life or foreign policy accentuated according to the mass communication’s visions. Thus, it was almost impossible to ignore the emphasis made by the media on these two issues which became even more obvious during the candidates’ debates. The mass media is the effective tool to portray candidates and their positions in the definite light. The approaches used by the mass media to discuss th
Introduction The last few decades have witnessed a sharp rise in the number of motor vehicles and the urbanization process, occasioning serious issues related to social and environmental changes. The concept of immense use of automobiles, which goes hand in hand with increase in the number and size of cities, is well known as urban sprawl and motorization. It is pertinent to note that there are numerous strategies that can be used to solve the social and environmental concerns resulting from urban sprawl and urbanization. To this end, the focus of this essay is to explore three concerns raised by urban sprawl and motorization, before discussing two approaches that can be used to address these concerns. The three problems to be analyzed in this essay include the challenge of climate change, destruction of agricultural lands, and harm on human health. Climate change A lot of emissions have been released into the environment due to urbanization and increase in use of automobiles. This has contributed to climate change. While there exists numerous ways of addressing climate change, this paper will consider the concept of raising energy costs and managing lands in an environmentally sensitive manner. Raising energy costs is bound to negatively affect sprawling of cities and use of automobiles. To be specific, increase in energy costs would promote proliferation of crowded communities since construction of spacious housing facilities in the peri-urban areas would hardly take place. The resultant crowded and small housing units would spur the need for cheap public transportation means to serve the high population. Regarding proper management of environmentally important land, this is an effective method of addressing environmental degradation; if environmentally sensitive lands were to be managed well, it would be possible to adopt modernization without compromising the environment. To be specific, sprawled areas would have residential and working areas close to each other. This would eliminate the need to use automobiles to commute to and from work, and instead adopt environmental friendlier transport modes such as cycling and walking. Depletion of agricultural land
Barrack Obama’s campaign is a position of a nationalist. His campaigns are based on national issues that affect all Americans regardless of whether they are whites or blacks. In as much as he is taking the advantage of his family origin as he conducts his campaigns, he is advocating for equal opportunities in both the white and the black communities (Baldson, pp 12). His manifesto addresses issues affecting all Americans like health, education, employment, security, and natural calamities such as global warming effects among other issues. In America today, there are two kinds of nationalism that seem to catch the ears of most of the campaigners. There is the issue of civic and racial nationalism. Civic nationalism is the belief that to become a truly American one must believe and adhere to specific ideological tenets. For example, men are created equal and the country is about freedom. Racial nationalism is taken as a belief that only a certain group of people are capable, perhaps because of certain ascribed qualities that other groups are excluded not because they cannot do better than other groups but because of who they are (Larson,11-45). To me, it seems that the two strains of nationalism are present in Obama’s presidential campaigns. This can be justified by the recent speech Obama made concerning the race in America and his candidacy in general (Baldson, pp 12). Many are the people who are ascribing his characteristics as, black, he is half white, he is not white enough, he is not black enough and he can straddle the racial divide. His candidacy too mere often gets to racial matter. Obama has also opened up possibilities for his campaigns based on primarily civic nationalism. He argues that he has the capability of bridging the differences in that he will put the race on the table and to have the hardest conversations will be the best demonstration of commitment especially to the belief that unites all the Americans (Larson,11-45). Bill Richardson appealed for this in his endorsement of Barrack Obama. Obama’s campaigns are based on the idea that he is seen to understand the American as it is currently, majority of the Americans see him as intelligent, compassionate, a visionary leader for the future, and a leader with the ability to unite all Americans regardless of their skin color. It is quite ironic, and sarcastic that arrack Obama a presidential candidate who vows to end racism in his campaigns owes his majority support among the blacks as a continued strength and power of African-American nationalism. For more than a century now, black nationalism has provided the main ideological challenge more so to the social and liberal democratic sensibilities that have continued dominating in black politics (Baldson, pp 12). To many, it is believed that if were it not for black nationalism’s ideological impact, Senator Obama’s support among the black Americans would have remained divided between him and Hillary Clinton. Black liberalism is seen as a political ideology that usually emphasizes support and backing up of individuals rights is generally pro-capitalist (Larson,11-45). As Obama falls under this liberal ideological camp,
Steered by Randall Wallace, We Were Soldiers is a must-watch informative piece that tables the story of the Americans involvement in the Vietnam War of 1965. The movie acted by Mel Gibson as the starring, takes the audience into the vast Ia Drang valley based in southern Vietnam’s central highlands. In the movie, American soldiers get into the battlefield under the captainship of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson). On arriving in Vietnam, Gibson comes into recognition that an American base had been attached. As result, an order had been issued for him to seize the enemies and eliminate them in spite of his intelligence inadequate information on the number of troops that constituted his enemies, with his troop of 400 soldiers. No matter the magnitude of the challenge, he led the air Calvary unit to Ia Drang valley that had 4000 to 6000 enormously equipped Vietnam soldiers. On landing in “the “Valley of Death”, the soldiers capture a North Vietnamese army lookout who informs them that the location they were sent is actually the Base camp of an entire North Vietnamese Army division of over 4,000 men” (Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Lawson, Hartmann 11). The Vietnam commander toward the end acquires information that all his lines had been broken. Consequently, “Nguyen Huu An, accompanied by the remaining soldiers collects their fallen men’s bodies remains an Moore on the other hand, having accomplished his missions, goes back to L.Z” (Roark et al 93). awaiting to be picked up while all the other American soldiers are removed from the battle field gets to a helicopter and flies out. At the end of the movie, it becomes evident that “Landing Zone immediately reverted to North Vietnamese hands after the American troops were airlifted out” (Roark et al 97). Back home, “Moore’s superiors congratulated him for having killed over 1800 Viet Cong and NVA soldiers” (Roark et al 75). Personal Reactions For the first one and half hours, watching the movie We Were Soldiers looks like something more close to Platoon by Oliver stone in Charlie Sheen together with his friends finds themselves overrun by NVA militants towards the end. Certainly, the battles in the We Were Soldiers are not very new: they have been experienced in other Hollywood movies. However, in this particular case, they have been done a bit better, giving a more relevant and accurate record of the incidences of the Vietnam War. We Were Soldiers , however diverges a little from Stone’s Platoon in that it tend to be more of like yucky Sam Pechinpah where people get shot in slow-motion actions with a consequence of blood spattering all over with provision of opportunities for the audience to count the number of bullet holes in the bodies. I see the movie tending to draw lessons on the world war saga while drawing very narrow line and allowing the audience to learn more about the enemy humanity. Through the movie, the viewer comes into acquaintance with the soldiers who manage to keep diary and capable of putting down all their entire sensitive stuff a little time before, similar to a maniac dashes into the battle field to engage with the Americans. However, the movie does n
Professional fields of communication, namely, journalism, film, television, advertising and public relations play a significant role in present-day society. They have managed to become influential, and produce either a positive or negative impact on various events and situations. This paper aims to reflect on how the professional fields of communication contributed to the nation’s recovery from the economic crises of 2008. Role of Journalism In their professional practice, journalists are expected to comprehend the real state of affairs and be aware of their role in search of adequate replies to any questions which might arise (Graber & Dunaway, 2014). In the course of the economic crisis of 2008, journalists were expected to elucidate events, changes, and ideas. They were supposed to monitor the development of the crisis and make their investigations. Besides, we provided both factual and analytical information and explained to the public what was happening and how it could be tackled (Usher, 2014). Alongside with the government and financiers, journalists worked out their solutions to the problem and shared them. They initiated discussions and disputes to listen to different opinions on the matter (Boomgaarden, Van Spanje, Vliegenthart, & Vreese, 2011). The following factors guaranteed the participation of journalism in the recovery of the economic crisis of 2008. First, the freedom of the press allowed them to carry out their professional activities. Second, the journalist’s professional position was treated as a set of purposes of implementing activities by its internal laws, as well as depending on the moral climate of the society. Finally, ethical regulators of the journalist’s creative behavior were considered as a factor of productive involvement in the resolution of important tasks. Apart from that, adequate reflection and deep comprehension of the crisis depended on the journalist’s professionalism. One of such journals appeared is The Wall Street Journal. To sum it up, it is necessary to claim that journalism’s role in the recovery of the economic crisis of 2008 was most informative and analyzing. Role of Filmin
Introduction The stay of mankind on planet earth has often witnessed moments of helplessness when natural disasters have stuck; thus, destroying many lives and disorienting mankind in the process. From our earliest ancestors to the modern man, we have not been safe from the anger of natural disasters. Ranging from volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the destructive tsunamis, we are susceptible to an array of natural disasters that is always waiting to strike. Such was the case when a tsunami hit the coastline of Sri Lanka on 26 th December, 2004. Without warning, thousands of people were killed by the 2004 tsunami. Such is the common story that is often told when catastrophic disasters like a tsunami strikes. Although we have evolved in science and thus learned many secrets of our world, we have not been able to subdue natural disasters. Since all life is precious, it is our responsibility to use the resources we have, and adopt a behaviour that can help us preserve even a few lives during catastrophic events. Generally, a tsunami can be defined as a series of wave disturbances which usually originate from a vertical displacement of a water column (Abek 1561). The word “tsunami” has an origin in the Japanese language. Here, “tsunami” can be directly translated as a series of waves that often form at bays (Hassain 51). Usually, anything with a potential of displacing, or moving a large volume of water can cause a tsunami (Vitarana 84). The most common causes of tsunamis include earthquakes, moving heavenly bodies such as meteorites and asteroids, volcanoes, and landslides (Vitarana 84). Earthquakes Most tsunamis originate from earthquakes. Once an earthquake occurs on a sea bed, a large mass of water is displaced upwards. Due to the force of gravity, the displaced volume of water will move downwards to regain its original position (Vitarana 84). A repetitive cycle where a water column moves up and down is created; hence forming a wave. Usually, a displacement of a water column will occur when part of a sea bed is displaced (UNEP 12). A fault line in the earths crust can especially create a boundary where a vertical displacement of the sea bed can easily occur (Liu 106). Earthquakes that occur on subduction trenches are the main causes of most tsunamis (Liu 106). The tsunami waves that originate from an earthquake source can then move away from the place where they originate thousands of miles (Moore 143). Knowing the magnitude of an earthquake can especially be useful in determining the scale of tsunamis that have travelled thousands of miles from their source
Introduction Advocacy refers to actions that articulate in favor of, advocate, contend for a cause, and implore on behalf of others. It is a continuous process whose objective is changing outlooks, actions, principles and laws. This is done by impacting people and corporations with power, procedures and frameworks at distinct levels for the improvement of people affected matters of poverty. Advocacy activities entail a current, actual action on the part of vigorous, nonprofit groups’ worldwide. It is used to achieve sustainable transformation. It is also used to eliminate structural sources of poverty so as to promote larger parts of the society through program pursuits. Advocacy actions are based on reinforcing and empowering unfortunate and marginalized associations or persons. Advocacy work trains communities via shared encounters, examples learnt and illustrates what actions function best. This enables the community members to carry out fantastic developmental activities in their society (Strolovitch 322). Discussion An advocacy activity that will be discussed in my situation is based on a program on the radio and television. This advocacy activity is aimed at reinforcing the comprehension of and concentration given to justifications and obligations associated with HIV/AIDS. It offers a forum for supporters and policy makers to engage into conversations and debate present issues in the community. To ensure that the community has participated in advocacy programme, they should be educated about this program, analyze their missions and objectives and then collaborate with the society. All parties entailed in this collaboration should be prepared to carry out movements and fight for change. The structure for the HIV/AIDS advocacy strategy will entail eight vital elements. This include clearly stated issues, well planned objectives, well assessed environment, recognized stakeholders, key messages, well chosen approaches and tools, execution plan and indicators for supervision and assessment (Ross 60). Formulation of objectives During this step, the objectives together with the expected outcomes will be defined. The advocacy objective, in this situation, is to decrease the spread of AI