The Chapters of my Grandmothers Life Essay Example for Free

The Chapters of my Grandmothers Life Essay An amazing, talented completely young at heart woman who has aged with complete grace and honesty; this is my grandmother, Gloria Whelan. I have dozens of perfectly clear memories from my childhood that would not be the same without her. I have always respected, admired, and attempted to pursue the astonishing way she has woven her faith and love into every aspect of her life. My grandmother recently had her eightieth birthday and is currently living in Northern Michigan with her husband Joseph. She has enjoyed a rewarding and successful career as a childrens author, and is well respected by her husband, friends, peers, and family. Her life, like many of her books, can be divided into chapters and the occasional picture that combine to paint the portrait of a truly remarkable woman. As we open the book of my grandmothers life, we see it began with a comfortable lifestyle, growing up as an only child. This was quickly catapulted into a much more meager living along with all families of America as the Great Depression struck. Her father lost everything he had, and her family was forced to move into apartment housing owned by her uncle. Everyone in her extended family had experienced a similar horrible loss and my grandmother found herself living amongst all her aunts and uncles. As an only child, she unconsciously seemed to fall into the roles of hero and lost child, diving into books in her spare time by always aiming high to reach her goals. Her relatives took on the mascot roles where holes had been left by the lack of siblings and she recalls many of their quirks or family humor from parties. The reality and difficulty of their loss was an incredible burden to her parents, and my grandmother felt that this affected her greatly. It caused to her always appreciate what she had, not only in terms of monetary value but also in terms of strong faith, hope for the future, family support, and good relationships. She always regretted not having a sibling, especially during these rough times where she found herself surrounded mostly by adults. During grade school, she pretended she had an older brother, and even named him Lancelot Reginald Bartholomew which obviously displays her creativity and love for imagination at an early age. Another thing that my grandmother regrets deeply was her parents being so overprotective. As an only child, it can be expected that parents are more defensive; however, my grandmothers parents did not allow her to participate in any physical activities, by herself or with other children. She was not allowed to bike, skate, or swim, and as a result never learned to how to do these seemingly universal activities. She feels that sports and exercise are important to social development and confidence as well as a sense of belonging with peers. At the young age of eight my grandmother came down with rheumatic fever which had her bedridden for a full year. Obviously, for an eight-year-old this is a very traumatic feat, which my grandmother found herself overcoming by diving into books. It was the beginning of a love that led to her career far before she could have guessed. It also allowed for introspective, personal time, which likely led to her great understanding of herself and others.

Milo Yiannopoulos and Freedom of Speech

Milo Yiannopoulos and Freedom of Speech On the first of February, Milo Yiannopoulos was supposed to be giving a planned speech at the University of California. This speech was cancelled, due to the protesters setting fires, throwing objects, and becoming violent. Milo is known for his extreme expression of his views, stating that feminism is a cancer, and also uses racially backed up language. Many are debating whether the cancellation was the right thing to do or not, considering our country is protesting freedom of speech right now, and that is exactly what they revoked from Milo. Like I said before, people are really debating whether cancelling his speech was the right thing to do or not. Although he is a very extreme person, he should have gotten the chance to express his opinion at the campus. He has had past offenses, like when he was banned from twitter for harassing Leslie Jones. He doesnt have a good track record, and his voice of opinion can get very hostile at times. Although he hasnt had a good track record for his actions, I dont believe that the actions by the college were ethical. Milo was not trying to make them believe him, or even tell them thats the way it was. Milo was simply just going to talk about his speech and then leave, but the college did not want to accept that, and got violent. I have said this before, but yes, Milos rights to free speech are indeed being violated. He has expressed his voice a little too freely in the past, but at that college all he was going to do was talk. He has been called a racist before, and a lot of people dont accept his views. That being said, he is a citizen just like all of us, and for him to be denied of a speech by a violent and vicious crowd is absurd. He should have been able to present his speech, and if people didnt like it, then they shouldnt have been there to listen to him give it. Trump had sent a tweet about the incident and basically stated that Milos freedom of speech was being violated. No matter what Milo did in the past or has been doing, he still has the right to a freedom of speech and that shouldnt be revoked because of an angry crowd. I do believe a school or business should be allowed to say who can present or give a speech at their business or campus. It was their choice to let Milo present himself there, and the school should take responsibility for what had happened at the protest. It had said that there were rocks being thrown at the police, windows being smashed, and fire being lit; all resulting in damage of $100,000. Milo was welcomed at that campus, and had no control of the type of people or happenings that would begin there. It was the campus responsibility to control the crowd, in which didnt happen; Milos speech just got cancelled which wasnt fair because it wasnt his fault. People didnt like what he had to say, but the protesters there was completely unnecessary, especially to have broken down the police barricades. If people didnt like Milo or what he was going to say; which they actually had no idea what his topic of speech would be about; they didnt have to show themselves at least not in that man ner. In conclusion, I think that Milo Yiannopoulos was extremely revoked of his freedom of speech. He wasnt doing anything wrong in my opinion, and what the college kids at the campus did was wrong in my eyes. It wasnt fair that he didnt even get to present his speech; and even though a lot of people strongly disagree with his viewpoints on touchy subjects, he should have had the chance to at least present his speech. In my opinion, I do not like the type of person that Milo is showing to everyone. He has been very disrespectful and people do have the right to freedom of expression; which is in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, BUT they didnt have to take it as extreme as they did. Doing this report has just made me realize that there are a lot of horrible people in the world, and not everyone can be happy. The people at the campus were mostly protesters, and I agree that they do have the right to be upset at Milo. That being said, everyone has the right to freedom of speech, eve n the worst of people. Milo Yiannopoulos did state that he would be coming back to the campus, but he should have had the right to present his speech at that campus on the day he wanted; in my opinion.

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum

Discipline-Based Art Education Curriculum The discipline-based art education program relies on several different curriculum theories. At times, the theories overlap and contradict each other, which is a reason why the DBAE has endured much criticism, as well as praise since its inception. The focus of this paper is to connect the theories to the four disciplines of DBAE by using the readings from EDU-707, Curriculum Theory, and Research. Introduction The aims of the discipline-based art education are to provide art educators with a curriculum that is equal in vigor as the core curriculum subjects. Noddings (2003) would conclude that the DBAE curriculum, which parallels with core subjects, is rationalized through planned objectives and goals. Constructing a school curriculum, or a set of courses, must begin with a purpose or at least knowing the answer to why is this important to teach and learn? Eisner (1967) states, if one is to build curriculum in a rational way, the clarity of premise, end or starting point, would appear paramount (p. 250). In the early 1900s, school curriculum was questioned and mainly because of the changes that were taking place in society. There was a tremendous growth in popular journalism, the rapid advancement of railroads, and the migration of people from a predominately rural base moving into more urban locations (Kliebard, 2004). The industrial revolution was replacing the farm-based way of life and students needed a different type of education to help society in the future. The purpose of education is summed up neatly by Bobbitt who states, [Education is] the function of training every citizen, man or woman, not for knowledge about citizenship, but for proficiency in citizenship (Flinders Thornton, 2004a, p. 11). Additionally, Eisner (2001), DBAE founder and Stanford University Professor of Education and Art, offers, the function of schooling is not to enable students to do better in school. The function of schooling is to enable students to do better in life (p. 369). The DBAE curriculum is shaped by connecting different and at times conflicting beliefs. Few can argue that the main purpose of DBAE is to offer teachers a theoretical framework for learning and teaching the arts (Patchen, 1996). However, the foundations of DBAE have been under constant scrutiny since its inception. The criticism focused around being too prescriptive, eliminating individual creativity, and not representing all cultures. The differing analysis from academic experts is likely because the arts require a novel or creative response. Therefore, developing the particular behaviors needed for students to be successful it is hard to identify (Eisner). Another factor in the construction of the DBAE is how the world viewed art education in the 1960s. During prior decades art was influenced by national and political issues reflecting on post-war thinking. The approach was a belief of independence and democratic personality, which shaped art activities (Freedman, 1987). Therefore, the DBAE creators found a necessity for a disciplined approach. By definition, the term discipline means a field of study, as well as gaining control by enforcing the order. Both descriptions of discipline imply a set of parameters. Setting restrictions on instruction is designed to help teachers uniformly teach art education, which includes a responsibility of providing foundational knowledge. Art teaching in DBAE focuses on four disciplines: art production, art history, art criticism, and art aesthetics. Art Production Art production is students learning skills and techniques to produce personal, original artwork. This change signifies a different model from one of creative self-expression which had controlled art education throughout the previous decades and one in which Greene (1995) would contend that to be yourself is to be in process of creating a self, an identity (p. 20). Greene is certainly an advocate for individualism, creativity, and an awareness of oneself. However, the creators of the DBAE saw creativity through the lens of an essentialist. The orientation of an essentialist classroom should revolve around the teacher. The teacher should also be the model to which students should try to emulate. If the teacher is the focus of an essentialist classroom, Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) believes that they should take the next step and reach for the power and help construct the curriculum. The DBAE founders value the art product by using known exemplary works of art and treat art as a p rocess moving from the outside inward. The founders contend that students view aspects of the exemplary as a process of discovery about responding, understanding, and thus creating. There is a flaw in this methodology because which of the many different societies have excellent pieces of art for students to follow? Kliebard (2004) suggests that what a society values and incorporates it into the curriculum is tough because it cannot take into account the different segments of society and what they feel is worthy of study. The emphasis of DBAE art production is for students to create art physically. The problem for teachers lies with assessing students levels of achievement in their art creation. Eisner (2001) proposes that creating standards and the measures of performance help teachers and school administrators to be accountable. Dweck (2000) offers that there are two different types of goals to assess; one is a performance goal or how well students completed the assignment and the second is a learning goal, which assesses what the student learned while creating. In an ideal setting, educators should strive to evaluate both performance and learning goals. An assessable performance goal in a DBAE classroom is the students demonstration of proper techniques used in the exemplary pieces to create a new work of art. Because art instruction uses exemplary work, teachers can assess the performance of a student who is developing intuition and reasoning behind why a piece is considered exemplary. Assessing a learning goal is more difficult because of individual experiences. Sumara and Davis (1999) suggest learning is an act of (re) cognition, meaning that people who see things for the first time helps them make meaning to what they already know. Conversely, Greene (1995) offers that students have to develop their imagination for learning to take place. Depending on a students previous experiences, an art teacher using the DBAE approach would need to create individualized rubrics to assess learning. Furthermore, a student self-reflection would be of great benefit to the assessment process. Art History Art history is studying the artistic accomplishments based on culture and history. Students educated through DBAE instruction begin with observing exemplars. The choices of exemplars have received the most criticisms because of the lack of representation in different societies, gender, and minorities. The section of curriculum devoted to art history has roots with Perennialism qualities. From a Perennialist perspective the exemplars are mainly chosen from Western European artists; predominately individuals who are white and male. The program meritoriously excluded other genres and narrowed students ability to think critically by telling them the exemplars were the only necessary or worthy pieces of work to study. Taliaferro Basziles (2008) statement regarding the lack of diversity is powerful as she writes, Cartesian rationality, which à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡attens out the role ones racial history plays in considering a rational line of thought (p. 381). What she is offering is without diver sity and representation of multiple the points of view, the consumer is knowledge is incomplete, and they forced to take the perspective provided. In effect the lack of representation oppresses, even eliminates many cultures and genders from history. bell hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reminds us of the importance of hearing each others voices, individual thoughts, and sometimes associating these voices with personal experience makes us more acutely aware of each other (p.138). Unfortunately, the designers of the DBAE rely heavily on the great works specifically within Western European art history, in essence taking the status quo route of it was good for previous generations, so it must be good for the next generation. The Perennialist teacher is supposed to focus on personal development, but it appears that the art history framers of the DBAE approach are interested in developing one point of view, one level of emotion, and providing one genre of great work. Wang (2008) would argue this narrow focus further perpetuates the social hierarchy that exists in a predominantly privileged white society. She would advocate for a teacher to use caution, but to introduce other great works by minorities, females, and other marginalized individuals to provide students with a broader intellect. Additionally, if we look at Freires idea of an educational banking system, the DBAE is in full compliance. Freire (2003) describes the banking concept as education that regards men as adaptable, manageable beings (p.73). The use of exemplars, solely based on one society, provides students with the knowledge they may or may not need or use. The teacher deposits the notion that exemplary x IS a piece of great work and the student accepts and memorizes it and later regurgitates it back to the teacher. There is a complete lack of variety and opinions given toward the exemplars. Freire (2003) believes the students have to work at storing the deposits delivered to them not to d evelop an awareness which may result in transforming the opinion. Certainly, the teacher engages students in a dialogue, but the conversation revolves around what the teacher believes is important and offers no other alternatives. The criticism of the art history strand using the DBAE approach is justified. The lack of women, people of color, and modern artists exemplars gives students a disproportionate view of art history. The heteronormative thinking of art history in DBAE, as Sumara and Davis (1999) remind us, does not broaden a viewers perception or increase their understanding of what makes a piece of work worthy of being an exemplary. Students need to be able to develop various frameworks; this could occur through the study of designated, restricted art examples. Maybe even more than the advancement of multiple lenses, students need the capability to be instinctive regarding artistic choices and develop relations among those choices to help shape his or her reality. Art Criticism The goal of art criticism is to be able to interpret and evaluate for the purpose of understanding and appreciating works of art. To be able to interpret and assess art, students must be able to experience and process the art; additionally, teachers need to place a high level of importance on student perception and decision making. Therefore, art criticism relies on Existentialist and Constructionist theories. An existentialist teacher encourages student responses and desires student self-awareness, and hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009) reflects these traits when she describes her classroom as a place where everyone has a voice and students continually practice self-awareness to reinforce their position on a topic. Baszile (2008) offers that literature suggests reflection is a racially neutral practice. However, she would strongly disagree because of her experiences while attending a predominately White campus for preservice teachers. Her reflection experiences demonstrate a d ismissal of race and background, which left a void in her growth process. As a DBAE teacher, it is imperative that their voice and reflection be neutral to encourage honest and open dialogue between the students. The more students review and discuss art the more they build their knowledge base to think critically about art. Largely based on interest and critical thinking, it is the DBAE teachers responsibility to foster an environment where students can question ideas and have the flexibility ability to develop competencies in areas that interest them. Doll (1993) uses the term recursion to describe developing competence through reflective practices and building upon previous knowledge, in essence, he is suggesting that students are critically thinking. Dewey is an advocate for building on prior learning which involves experiential, hands-on learning. He would appreciate students in a DBAE classroom would have ample opportunities to connect art to other subjects during their experimentation and analysis. Dewey offers that school departmentalizes subjects and nothing could be worse for students as they quickly pass from one subject to the next, often with no conscious isolation. For students t o effectively interpret and analyze art, they have to be able to draw from many experiences. The experiences must repeatedly occur, because the childs present experience is in no way self-explanatory. It is not final, but transitional (Dewey, p. 279). Greene (1995) calls the experiences bringing the unknown to consciousness, which can provide pure enjoyment for students. Students who revel in the learning process are far more likely to find success with Blooms upper levels of critical thinking skills of creating, analyzing, and evaluating art. Art Aesthetics Art aesthetics is defining, making judgments, and exploring the relationships between art and ideology and morality. The existential properties of students working toward finding personal meaning and value in art is a basic foundation of art aesthetics. Students are responsible for determining if the art is beautiful or ugly and if the art is an accurate or poor example of the period it was intended to represent. Doll (1993) proposes that thoughts on thoughts is the way we make meaning. He continues by suggesting for one to have a sense of self they must interact with the environment, with others, and with culture. Addams (Flinders Thornton, 2004b) defines culture as things that are passed through generations and have value and meaning. For a student to appreciate and be able to provide an appropriate aesthetic point of view they have to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their culture. Students who have not developed the skills can often base their opinions on preconcep tions and biases when they are engaging in objective criticism of art. According to hooks (Darder, Baltodano, Torres, 2009), biases shape the way knowledge is given and received. An incorrect belief on a piece of art does not help a student achieve an understanding of a culture or how that culture fits within the world. Furthermore, ideas based on falsehoods often transfer to next generations that further perpetuate the bias and the need for future correction. The preservation of untruths can be dangerous because as Baszile (2008) offers the false self-system works from within and often convinces people that it is normal or fact. In the world of art, DBAE teachers have a responsibility to their students to help them understand falsehoods and how to break the cycle of biases and ignorance. In essence, DBAE teachers are Social Reconstructionists in that they are contributing to reshaping society by providing students with necessary skills to make qualified judgments and finding relationships between the art world and real world. Counts (Flinders Thornton, 2004c) states that if teachers could locate the courage, intelligence, and vision, they could become societal change-makers. At the very least, teachers touch the future each day and have the ability to help students view culture and society in different ways. Counts is adamant about teachers making a stand, making a difference. His statement, If the schools are to be really effective, they must become centers for the building, and not merely for the contemplation (Flinders Thornton, p. 32) should resonate with DBAE teachers. As their students find new relat ionships between art and society, and art and their thinking, they are also building a capacity for intellect and appreciation of different cultures. Freire (2003) saw teaching and learning as a method of examination in which the child conceives and reinvents the world. Furthermore, he stresses education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information (p. 79), which is precisely what DBAE art aesthetics strand aims to achieve. Conclusion Viewing discipline-based art education from the perspective of different curriculum theories offers the reader a chance to make connections to what and why the founding writers of the DBAE saw to be important. The origins of the DBAE stem from previous decades of art instruction being a break for regular classroom teachers, and an arts and craft slice of the students educational day. By creating an art curriculum that includes rigorous standards, art education benefits art instructors by focusing their efforts, and more importantly all students because of the critical thinking. While there are still flaws within the DBAE approach, the successes require schools to provide the necessary, valuable time for art instruction and learning in mainstream education. References Baszile, D. T. (2008). The oppressor within: A counterstory of race, repression, and teacher reflection. Urban Rev, 40, 371-385. doi:10.1007/s11256-008-0090-1 Darder, A., Baltodano, M., Torres, R. (2009). 7 Confronting Class in the Classroom. In The critical pedagogy reader bell hooks (2nd ed.). New York and London: Routledge. Dewey, J. (1976). The Middle Works, 1899-1924. In The child and the curriculum. London and Amsterdam: Southern Illinois University Press. Doll, W. E. (1993). A post-modern perspective on curriculum. New York and London: Teachers College, Columbia University. Dweck, C. S. (2000). 3 Achievement Goals: Looking Smart Versus Learning. In Self-theories and goals: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. New York and London: Psychology Press. Eisner, E. W. (1967). Help or hindrance? The School Review, 75(3), 250-260. Eisner, E. W. (2001). What does it mean to say a school is doing well? The Phi Delta Kappan, 82(5), 367-372. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004a). 1 Scientific Method in Curriculum-Making by Franklin Bobbitt. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004b). 3 The Public School and the Child Immigrant by Jane Addams. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Flinders, D. J., Thornton, S. J. (2004c). 4 Dare the School Build a New Social Order by George S. Counts. In The curriculum studies reader (2nd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Freedman, K. (1987). Art education and changing political agendas: An analysis of curriculum concerns of the 1940s and 1950s. Studies in Art Education, 29(1), 17-29. Freire, P. (2003). 2. In Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th Anniversary ed.). New York and London: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. Greene, M. (1995). 2 Imagination, Breakthroughs, and the Unexpected. In Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kliebard, H. M. (2004). 1 Curriculum Ferment in the 1890s. In The struggle for the American curriculum, 1893-1958 (3rd ed.). New York and London: RoutledgeFalmer. Noddings, N. (2003). 4 The Aims of Education. In Happiness and education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Patchen, J. (1996). Overview of discipline based music education. Music Educators Journal, 83(2), 19-27. Sumara, D., Davis, B. (1999). Interrupting heteronormativity: Toward a queer curriculum theory. Curriculum Theory, 29(2), 191-208. Wang, H. (2008). Red eyes: Engaging emotions in multicultural education. Multicultural Perspectives, 10(1), 10-16. doi:10.1080/15210960701869330

The South China Tiger Essay -- Endangered Species Wildlife China Essay

The South China Tiger As a result of â€Å"the South China Tiger [being] one of the most endangered tiger subspecies in the world† (State Forestry Administration, 2000) China implemented the China Action Plan For Saving the South China Tiger. China’s State Forestry Administration developed the plan because it was necessary to minimize the threat of extinction posed by humans to these tigers. Without intervention, the South China Tiger would go extinct. Historically, â€Å"The South China Tiger was widely distributed, [its range area was about] 2000 kilometers from east to west and 1500 kilometers from north to south† (State Forestry Administration, 2000). What lead to the South China Tiger being classified as extinct was the ignorance of people about the tiger’s ecological and reproductive fragility. According to the China Action Plan, â€Å"During the thirty years before 1980 the wild population of the South China Tiger suffered from continuous large-scale hunting, deforestation of their habitats for timbers, reclaiming of agricultural lands, and pollution from chemical fertilizers†. A combination of human encroachment and habitat destruction resulted in both a decrease in the numbers of South China tigers in the wild as well as a decrease in the habitat in which they were able to live. The Ministry of Forest of the Peoples Republic of China combined its efforts with the World Wildlife Federation to conduct a study of the South China Tiger from 1990-1992. â€Å"The outcome of the survey revealed that there were about 20 to 30 South China Tigers living in the wild at that time. Therefore, the South China Tiger [was] on the brink of extinction† (State Forestry Administration, 2000). There are two different types of South C... ...te Forestry Administration, 2000). The South China Tiger is only one of several species that is endangered due to human activities. It is important for both governments and individuals to become aware of the threats that they pose to species in order to prevent extinction in the future. Without knowledge and awareness many species will meet that same fate as those of the Dodo bird and the Passenger Pigeon. However with appropriate awareness, monitoring and preservation programs it is possible for humans to prevent the complete extinction of the so many vital species and organisms that share this planet with mankind. References 1- China Action Plan for Saving the South China Tiger, Draft Outline. State Forestry Administration, P.R. China. Oct. 2000 2- http://www.5tigers.org/Research/Schina.htm. 3- http://www.home.aol.com/tigertrail/china.htm

Students With Auditory Challenges and Mainstream Schools Essay

Students With Auditory Challenges and Mainstream Schools Hearing-impaired and deaf students can better succeed in life when educated in mainstream schools than being segregated in special schools because though they have special needs, they learn to communicate better with hearing individuals and can still attend special programs where teachers with special training can help them in their educational journey. Heather Whitestone, a deaf ballet dancer from Alabama, became the first Miss America with a disability, and Marlee Matlin fulfilled her dream of becoming a famous actress, despite her hearing disability. While many may look at these women in awe, by today’s standards, they are not handicapped. While they may be auditory challenged, the stereotypic disability label has been removed in lieu of a more descriptive, less demeaning alternative. Further, the way they view themselves and the way the public sees them weighs heavily upon their ability to live in a vociferous world. For deaf and seriously hearing-impaired children, many issues surface, particularly when considering educational. For many disabled children proper curriculum is not implemented in their education. Johnson has documented that deaf education largely fails, suggesting a lack of linguistic access to curricular content as well as low expectations. He proposes a new model, which encourages the early use of American Sign Language (ASL). Johnson, and other researchers at the Gallaudet Research Institute, insist that ASL will encourage both the ability to develop cognitive skills and improve the child’s chances to learn English (Johnson 45-7). The proposal includes teaching sign language as the child’s first language and encou... ... Markova, Dawna, PhD. How Your Child is Smart. Berkley: Conari Press, 1992. Marschark, Marc. Raising and Educating a Deaf Child. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Sawyer, Richard J. and McLaughlin, Margaret J., et al. â€Å"Is Integration of Students with Disabilities Happening?† Remedial & Special Education, 1 July 1994: 204. Schmetzke, Axel. â€Å"Disability-related Resources on the Internet.† Intervention in School& Clinic, 1 Nov. 1996: 69. Schwartz, Sue, PhD. Choices in Deafness: A Parents Guide. New York: Woodbine House, 1987. Vaughn, Sharon-Elbaum and Batya, E., et al. â€Å"The Effects of Inclusion on the Social Functioning of Students with Learning Disabilities.† Journal of Learning Disabilities 1 Dec. 1996: 598. Wilcox, Daryl J. and Wigle, Stanley E. â€Å"Mainstreaming Revisited: 20 Years Later.† Education 22 March 1997: 371-81.

Basque and Kosovo: A quest for freedom

In the latter part of the 1990’s, the region of Kosovo gained international media attention when the armies of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic were deployed with the purpose of crushing the desire of the majority Albanian initiative for independence (BBC News 4, 2006).In the chronology of the 20th century, the two opposing sides in the country, Serbs and the native Albanians, had launched attempts to wrest control of the volatile region (BBC, 2006). Yugoslavia was then known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes before the onset of the First World War (BBC 3, 2008).In 1929, the state was reconstituted to the name Yugoslavia (BBC 3, 2008). Though an ethnically diverse autonomous state, tribal irritation was still very prevalent (BBC 3, 2008). During the leadership of Josip Broz Tito, the province of Kosovo and Vojodina was accorded autonomy by the government (BBC 3, 2008). But after Tito’s demise, the country began to disintegrate (BBC 3, 2008). It should be noted that the Serbians constituted only a small fraction of the entire population, the province of Kosovo was held in high reverence by the Serbs (BBC 4, 2006).To the Serbs, Kosovo was the bassinet of the heritage, erudition and their identity (BBC 4, 2006). In the constitution of the former Yugoslavia, the fundamental law set the parameters of the state of Kosovo as a semi-independent province of Serbia (BBC 4, 2006). The movement for independence began to gain stem in the 1980’s with the demise of then Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito (BBC 4, 2006). The portents of trouble in the Kosovo province started in the powder keg town of Mitrovica (BBC 1, 2008).Two hand grenades were lobbed at the two world bodies’ buildings (BBC 1, 2008). The first grenade exploded in the vicinity of a United Nations edifice, the other failing to explode at the new offices of the European Union delegation (BBC 1, 2008). In the former Yugoslav capital city of Belgrade, protestors hurled roc ks and destroyed windows in the United States embassy office as crowd control forces attempted to defend against an estimated 1,000 protestors (BBC 1, 2008). The US embassy was not totally caught off guard (BBC 2, 2008).The American diplomatic building was empty at the time the rioters began their assault on the complex (BBC 2, 2008). Many foreign states had been wary that the security authorities in the country would do much of anything to try and establish control of the situation (BBC 2, 2008). The primary factor that became the trigger in the minds of the protesters was by twin events (BBC 2, 2008). First, the rioters were incensed by the promulgation of the Kosovo province of their independence (BBC 2, 2008).The other was the rapid action of the United States and many other countries to officially recognize the new nation (BBC 2, 2008). In a moment, history was made for the people of Kosovo (BBC 1, 2008). Premier Hashim Thaci declared that the new independent nation would be fo unded on respecting the rights of all native groups in the province (BBC 1, 2008). In the 1990’s various movements for the securing of independence was established on the principles of non violent aggression (BBC 4, 2008). In 1991, tribal Albanians leaders had on its won declared independence for their state (BBC 4, 2008).In the summer of 1998, many Albanians were beginning to stage protest actions against the authority of Serbia (BBC 4, 2008). As the increasing protests grew, Milosevic sent police and army contingents in the region to destroy the independence movement (BBC 4, 2008). 1999 saw the international trying to broker and finalize an accord for the restoration of order in the troubled region (BBC 4, 2008). The accord was accepted with reservations by the tribal Albanians but was turned down by Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic (BBC 4, 2008). Basque: protecting a language and a way of lifeIf the struggle in Kosovo was centered on the conflict of losing a cultural and national center, the Euskera-speaking Basques have been trying to defend their use of their language (BBC 5, 1999). For many millennia, the people of the Basque region in Spain have focused the main primer of their struggle on the preservation of their language and culture (BBC 5, 1999). But the history of the Basques as a people has been a mystery to many (BBC 5, 1999). Even their language, Euskera, is not connected with any of the Indo-European language groups spoken in the rest of European continent (BBC 5, 1999).Not only is the preservation of their native language at the core of the struggle of the Basque people, but also its defense (BBC 5, 1999). When democracy was revived in Spain after the 1975 demise of Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, the language has since began to thrive and flourish (BBC 5, 1999). Of the estimated 2. 5 million Basques, Euskera is spoken by 30 percent of the population (BBC 5, 1999). An overwhelming majority of Basque children take up the lang uage at schools teaching Eukera (BBC 5, 1999). The earliest history of the Basque people pictures them as hardy and belligerent warriors (BBC 5, 1999).They fought off many invading armies from their territories (BBC 5, 1999). This they accomplished against the mighty Roman Empire, the ferocious Vikings and the Germanic tribe of the Visigoths, as well as Muslim trespassers (BBC 5, 1999). Hence many of the invading forces chose to steer away from the region (BBC 5, 1999). Also, Basques have developed the image of fearsome fisher folk (BBC 5, 1999). They were believed to have constructed vessels that they used to travel large swaths of ocean to fish for whales and cod fish (BBC 5, 1999).It was also believed that the Basques landed on the North American continent centuries before the discovery of the continent by Christopher Columbus (BBC 5, 1999). Ironically, a great number of the crew of Columbus’ ships was comprised of Basques (BBC 5, 1999). The struggle for an independent hom eland began during the incumbency of Spanish strongman General Francisco Franco (BBC 5, 1999). In the Spanish Civil War during the 1930’s, the Basques opposed the Nationalist armies of Franco sent to crush them (BBC 5, 1999). In anger, Franco declared the regions and its provinces as renegades (BBC 5, 1999).Franco found the task of crushing the nation difficult, and this is where the armed schismatic group, the ETA, or Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, was formed (BBC 6, 2008). The ETA began as a student protest group in the 1960’s fiercely opposed to the stifling military rule (BBC 6, 2008). During the rule of General Franco, the Eureska language was interdicted, their unique culture was outlawed and members of the academe were incarcerated and persecuted (BBC 6, 2008). In the ensuing years of the struggle of the ETA, 820 people, many of them members of Spain’s police and politicians at odds with the demands of the ETA (BBC 6, 2008).Both the Basque state and the region of Catalonia have more than just their standing being components of Spain (Jason Richard Young, 2008). These two entities also want to have a greater separation from that larger political body (Young, 2008). The history for the drive of independence in the Basque region originate in the 7th century, with the Catalonia cause coming in at around the 10th and the 13th centuries (Young, 2008). How are they similar with the Yugoslav independence movement? Both of the movements in Spain and Yugoslavia were floundered nationalism (Young, 2008).Both of the movements flopped in the integration of their ethnic components to a singular common identity (Young, 2008). The nationalisms of Serbia and the Basques were conceived as political machinations (Young, 2008). These were conceptualized as programs to preserve and protect their individual erudite associations form infiltration from assimilation from other groups, as well as recognition as a distinct ethnic state (Young, 2008). The French withd rawal from the Pyrenees in 1530 has somewhat built a wall of separation among the Spanish and French Basques (Robert Clark, 1979).References BBC 1. (2008). Kosovo MP’s proclaim independence. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7249034. stm BBC 2. (2008). Serbia faces crossroads over Kosovo. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7258842. stm BBC 3. (2008). How Yugoslavia vanished from maps. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/7251376. stm BBC 4. (2006). Flashbacks to Kosovo’s war. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/5165042. stm BBC 5. (1999).Analysis: Basque pride. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/548545. stm BBC 6. (2008). Who are ETA? Retrieved January 13, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/3500728. stm Clark, R. P. (1979). The Basques, the Franco years and beyond. Nevada, U. S. A: Univ ersity of Nevada Press. Young, J. R. (2008). Nationalism and ethnicity as identity politics in Eastern Europe and the Basque country. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from https://circle. ubc. ca/bitstream/2429/2262/1/ubc_2009_spring_young_jason. pdf

Preamble: United States Constitution Essay

The Preamble was placed in the Constitution more or less as an afterthought. It was not proposed or discussed on the floor of the Constitutional Convention. Rather, Gouverneur Morris, a delegate from Pennsylvania who as a member of the Committee of Style actually drafted the near-final text of the Constitution, composed it at the last moment. It was Morris who gave the considered purposes of the Constitution coherent shape, and the Preamble was the capstone of his expository gift. The Preamble did not, in itself, have any substantive legal meaning. The understanding at the time was that preambles are merely declaratory and are not to be read as granting or limiting power—a view sustained by the Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905). Nevertheless, the Preamble has considerable potency by virtue of its specification of the purposes for which the Constitution exists. It distills the underlying values that moved the Framers during their long debates in Philadelphia. As Justice Joseph Story put it in his celebrated Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, â€Å"its true office is to expound the nature and extent and application of the powers actually conferred by the Constitution.† Alexander Hamilton, in The Federalist No. 84, went so far as to assert that the words â€Å"secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity† were â€Å"a better recognition of popular rights, than volumes of those aphorisms, which make the principal figure in several of our state bills of rights.† An appreciation of the Preamble begins with a comparison of it to its counterpart in the compact the Constitution replaced, the Articles of Confederation. There, the states joined in â€Å"a firm league of friendship, for their common defence, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare† and bound themselves to assist one another â€Å"against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever.† The agreement was among states, not people, and the military protection and the liberties to be secured were of the states as such. The very opening words of the Constitution mark a radical departure: â€Å"We the People of the United States.† That language was at striking variance with the norm, for in earlier documents, including the 1778 treaty of alliance with France, the Articles of Confederation, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris recognizing American independence, the word â€Å"People† was not used, and the phrase â€Å"the United States† was followed immediately by a listing of the states (â€Å"viz., New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,† and so on down to Georgia). The new phraseology was necessary, given the circumstances. The Constitutional Convention had provided that whenever the popularly elected ratifying conventions of nine states approved the Constitution, it would go into effect for those nine, irrespective of whether any of the remaining states ratified. In as much as no one could know which states would and which would not ratify, the Convention could not list all thirteen. Moreover, names could scarcely be added to the Preamble retroactively as they were admitted. Even so, the phrase set off howls of protest from a number of opponents of ratification, notably Patrick Henry. Henry charged that the failure to follow the usual form indicated an intention to create a â€Å"consolidated† national government instead of the system that James Madison described in The Federalist No. 39 as being â€Å"neither a national nor a federal constitution; but a composition of both.† Henry’s assertion was made in the Virginia ratifying convention and was promptly and devastatingly rebutted by Governor Edmund Randolph: â€Å"The government is for the people; and the misfortune was, that the people had no agency in the government before†¦.If the government is to be binding on the people, are not the people the proper persons to examine its merits or defects?†