Is it better to use GDP per Essay Example for Free

Is it better to use GDP per Essay Many numbers could be calculated to make a judgment on an economy. But we need a general number that measures the total economys strength, but is it better to use the cruel GDP number to measure the level of growth of a particular economy, or calculate the GDP per head number to get a better judgment? On March 13th under the title of Grossly distorted picture in the Journal The Economist an article talked about that issue and compared between the two measures with evidences and examples. The writers opinion The writer tries to grab our attention to the fact that maybe using the total GDP does not show the real state of the economy, but a better way to measure the economy is the GDP per head which the writer is considering it a rough guide to average living standards. (GDP, 2008). So, according to the writer (2008) opinion the amount of total GDP doesnt necessarily indicates to the real growth of the economy, even sometimes the level of economic growth in a particular country could be higher than another country that has a higher GDP number because of the lower level of growth in population. The writer (2008) in this article demonstrates two obvious examples which they are America and Japan, while the US economy made a growth of 2. 9% Japans economy made a growth of 2. 1%, so most people would say immediately that the US economy scored better but we must consider also the level of population growth, while the GDP per head growth in US was 1. 9% it scored 2. 1% in Japan, higher domestic increase in population and a very high level of new people come from abroad cause a 1% growth in population, but in Japan the GDP per head growth reached the level of 2. 1% because Japans population has been decreasing. (GDP, 2008). Shortcomings Anonymous (2008) also gives other example of how using GDP per head tells a completely different story than using the GDP, as using the GDP growth doesnt necessarily provide the right image of a countrys welfare, but population growth must be regarded too. The writer (2008) provides examples like Brazil which has been in a fast growing economy, but for the last fast year the GDP per head increase by only 2. 3% because of the high growth of population, and the writers (2008) gives the opposite example which is Russia who has a GDP growth near the level of Brazil, but yet still the GDP per head tripled for Russia because population rapidly decrease. In general, the GDP is a tricky measure but GDP per head provides a clearer image according to what the writer (2008) say. Should recession be redefined? the standard definition of a recession—a decline in real GDP over some period . (GDP, 2008). But, should this definition still be used? The writer (2008) disagrees with that as recession doesnt necessarily mean an actual decrease in GDP but simply a decrease in GDP per head, and for example he imagines that in Japan where the population is decreasing if the GDP growth was 0% the GDP per head will increase, but in America the GDP per head growth will be considered dropping over the past couple of months because the population growth exceeded the GDP growth, so the writer (2008) suggests that the right definition of recession should be a fall in average income per Person. Conclusion The writer (2008) suggests GDP per head not just for the fact the GDP per head considers the growth of population, but he thinks that using GDP per head can boost up economies. By giving Japan as an example the writer (2008) recommends that government announces GDP per head which is increasing because of decreasing population instead of disappointing GDP number, this will make people optimistic and make them consume more and economy gains. References Grossly distorted picture. (2008, March 13). Retrieved April 6, 2008, from http://media. economist. com/finance/displaystory. cfm? story_id=10852462

Female Genital Mutilation in Islam Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive T

Female Genital Mutilation in Islam      Ã‚   Female circumcision is a practice not uncommon in Muslim society.   Although this practice does not only occur within Muslim society, this paper will focus on the practices that do occur within Islamic society.   The Islamic countries with the most prevalence in practicing this form of genital mutilation are Sudan (98%), Somalia (98%), and Egypt (75%) (El Saadawi 34).   Other Islamic countries that practice this are Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India, which practice this under the name of sunnah circumcision.   Sunnah refers to the Muslim religion, although it is not clearly defined within the religion. There are three major types of female circumcision that are commonly practiced within Islamic society.   These types are:   sunnah; clitoridectomy or excision; infibulation or pharaonic circumcision.   Sunnah is performed according to the tradition of Mohammed.   Religious circles who favor this method of circumcision usually do not give details as to what the act actually entails.   Some circles say that is the complete removal of the clitoris and labia minora, whereas others tend to say that it is just the cutting of the kernel-shaped external skin above the genitals (Falk).   A cliteridectomy consists of ablation of the clitoris as well as the labia minora.   Infibulation involves complete removal of the clitoris, labia minora, and part of the labia majora.   Then the two sides of the vulva are sewn together with silk, thorns, or slivers of wood in order to close the vulva, except for a passage of urine and menstrual flow (Falk).   Even with minimal excisions, th is experience undoubtedly traumatizes the female.   "To some extent all excisions involve some degree of irreparable loss.   A... ...Facts.   In Global Problems [On-line].   4 paragraphs.   Available HTTP: www.earlham.edu/earlhamcollege/polisci/globalprobs/fgm/Biology.html Brownlee, Shannon, and Jennifer Seter.   "In the Name of Ritual."   U.S. News and World Report 7 Feb 1994:   56-58. Cloudsley, Anne.   Women of Omdurman.   London:   Ethnographica, 1983.   105-125. El Saadawi, Nawal.   The Hidden Face of Eve, Women in the Arab World.   tr. & ed. Sherif Hetata.   London:   Zed Press, 1980.   30-44. Falk, Geoffrey.   11 August 1995.   Circumcision Information and Resource Pages [On-line]. Available:   halt.culture.Internet.Netscape.html Gaudio, Attilio, and Renee Pelletier.   Femmes.   Paris:   Donoel/Gonthier Press, 1980.   52-54. Mire, Soraya.   "A Wrongful Rite."   Essnece June 1994:   42. Sanderson, Lilisan P.   Against Mutilation of Women.   London:   Ithaca Press, 1981.   25.

Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan is an apt representation of the theory of epic theater

Brecht’s Epic Theatre is a theatre of destroyed illusions and a wide awake audience which took birth from the theory of Korschian Marxism which saw ideology as a material force that served as an important tool of dominance. It is a theatre of instruction and hence is also termed Didactic theatre and because of the binary opposition present in its themes it is also known as Dialectical Theatre. The biggest aim of Brechtian plays is to alienate the audience to bring about an understanding which can affect change, Brecht terms this phenomenon as the Verfremdung’s Effekt (Alienation Effect or the A-effect), which comes from the Chinese play tradition. The audience is never one with the actor, they are always aware that the play is not real and that whatever is being presented on stage is not reality but a depiction of a certain reality. The ‘A-Effect’ is also known as the technique of defamiliarization wherein the familiar is made strange through alienation tropes such as addressing the audience directly, changing clothes in front of the audience, use of songs etc, which ensures that the audience is at all times rational, intellectual, and act as scientific observers so that they are able to question the industrial world and its authoritarian structures. As Walter Benjamin while summarizing Brecht’s theatre said â€Å"for its public the stage is no longer ‘the planks which signify the world’ (in other words, a magic circle), but a convenient public exhibition area. For its stage, the public is no longer a collection of hypnotized test subjects, but an assembly of interested persons whose demands it must satisfy. For its text, the performance is no longer a virtuoso interpretation, but its rigorous control. For its performance, the text is no longer a basis of that performance, but a grid on which, in the form of new formulations, the gains of that performance are marked†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 1 and so Bertolt Brecht’s theory of Epic Theatre transforms into its praxis in his play The Good Person of Szechwan. The Good Person of Szechwan is a purely Marxist play that deals with the social conditions of its milieu and how the people who are put in those situations react to it and towards one another. The major theme being that of survival in a world that is ruled not by goodness of character but by the evil and corruption of the society. The juxtaposition of poverty with plentitude is a leit motif in the play. Wang’s ‘The Water Seller’s Song In The Rain’ brigns forth this juxtaposition beautifully when he laments, â€Å"I sell water. Who will taste it? -Who would want to in this weather? All my labour has been wasted Fetching these few pints together. I stand shouting by my Water! And nobody thinks it Worth stopping and buying Or greedily drinks it. †2 Since its rainy season and there is plenty of water no one bothers buying the water from Wang and this plentitude becomes poverty for Wang. We start to pity Wang’s character when we realize that he is a proletariat and is burdened by poverty, but Brecht alienates us from Wang’s character by showing us his cheating and swindling side so that we rationalize his character and see him as the representative of the proletariat ideology of swindling and cheating. There is no Bourgeois enemy present in the play. The problem is within the proletariat and not amongst the proletariat and bourgeois. The problems that Shen Teh or the other characters face are due to their social conditions. The province of Szechwan can be seen as a microcosm of what is happening all over the world. Throughout the play there is constant reference to â€Å"hunger. † Hunger is seen as annihilating honor. Shen Teh’s hesitancy to take the God’s in is because she has an empty stomach. She says â€Å"†¦I’m afraid that a rumbling stomach is no respecter of persons. 3 The motif of hunger and poverty can also be seen in Brecht’s other play The Life of Galileo. The play starts with Galileo saying â€Å"Put the milk on table†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 4 and Andrea replying â€Å"Mother says we must pay the milkman, if we don’t he’ll be describing a circle round us, Signor Galilei†5 and later on when Galileo says â€Å"†¦an d I like to eat decently. It’s when I’m eating I get most inspiration. A rotten age. They haven’t paid me as much as the man who drives their wine-carts. †6 We are always reminded of the juxtaposition of plentitude with poverty. The play is dialectical in its split between Shen Teh’s self fulfillment and Shui Ta’s self preservation. It is the â€Å"inevitable clash between desire and fact and as the paradox of ends and means. These are two sides of the same coin. Shen Teh’s wish to be generous must employ Shui Ta’s profiteering meanness, or else she would be deprived of her charitable self. †7 Prosperity is associated with lack of goodness and â€Å"social conditions twist the natural goodness of human beings into opposites†8 and hence if Shen Teh wants to prosper then she needs to give into Shui Ta’s calculating nature. In The Good Person of Szechwan we have constant interruptions that are brought about by the musical interludes and all these songs work to alienate the audience from the play and to make them question the situation being presented in front of them. They are made to question the worth of Shen Teh’s goodness as it leaves her not ennobled but economically emaciated. Walter Benjamin says that, â€Å"the interrupting of action is one of the principle concerns of epic theatre. Therein lies the formal achievements of Brecht’s songs with their crude, heart rendering refrains. 9 and hence ‘The Water Seller’s Song In The Rain’ comes just after the love scene between Shen Teh and Yang Sun, disrupting the audience from getting involved in the play and again bringing their attention to the dialectics between poverty and plentitude. Brecht says that â€Å"in the epic theatre moral arguments only took second place. Its aim was less to moralize than to observe. â € 10 So we see that Shen Teh’s goodness is constantly thwarted by the social circumstances and harsh necessities of survival in a competitive world but no moralizing comments are made. The play begins on a note of despair and ends with one. For Shen Teh to survive it is necessary that Shui Ta also survives. The God’s in the play are ignorant, humanized and a satire on the hegemony in Christianity, questioning the absolutism of Christianity in the early twentieth Century. Instead of one god head we are presented with three Gods and none of them can do anything to lift Shen Teh out of the drudgery that she is a part of even though she is good. In the trial scene the gods are seen as nothing but impostors, their omniscience and all powerful stature is questioned. The idea of justice is questioned, deconstructed and done away with. Neither is virtue rewarded nor vice punished, instead vice is seen as a means to an end. Shui Ta is not punished for any of the crimes and Shen Teh is not rewarded for her goodness. Brecht here blends divine justice with legal justice by making the Gods don on the attire of the magistrate to mock at divine justice. It is a Marxist onslaught on the institutionalization of religion. In his other play The Caucasian Chalk Circle we have the character of Azdak whose method of delineating legal justice is more serious in purpose and intent as compared to the three Gods here who appear as mere fools. One is forced to question if justice is being delayed or if there is no concept of justice in an industrial world. The open ended-ness of the trial scene erodes the moralistic nature and it prises upon the mind of the audience and affects change. Brecht in all his plays comments on â€Å"Jetztzeit†, a term that Walter Benjamin coined for the presence of â€Å"now† in Brechtian plays. According to Walter Benjamin, â€Å"history for Brecht was an ever present arena, never as with Lukacs a thing of past† and hence we see that Mother Courage and her Children, The Good Person of Szechwan or The Life of Galileo all have topical references in the World War I and II, the failure of the Russian Revolution/Communism/Dictatorship and questioning of the viability and feasibility of science in a post Hiroshima-Nagasaki world, respectively. Also epic theatre is literarized. â€Å"The literarization of theatre by means of verbal formulas, posters, captions, is intended to, and will, make what is shown on the stage unsensational. 11 The performance is not aimed to draw the audience into the play but to make them stand at the periphery so that they question the bourgeoisie ideology and break free from it, so that the proletariat is emancipated and socialism can be constructed. Brecht believes that society can be changed through intellectual action and that is the reason t hat his plays are so highly dialectical. We see the dialectics between Good and God when Shen Teh as Shui Ta sings the ‘Song of the Defencelessness of the Good and The Gods’ â€Å"The good Cannot remain good for long in our country Where cupboards are bare, housewives start to squabble. Oh, the divine commandments Are not much use against hunger. So why can’t the god’s share out what they’ve created Come down and distribute the bounties of nature And allow us, once hunger and thirst has been sated To mix with each other in friendship and pleasure? †12 Gods here are seen as privileging the aristocrats and Christianity is seen as a perpetrator of class difference. The motif of hunger is again visible in the song. Hunger can not be satiated by following the commandments, one need to have money to buy food and that money comes not from praying but by being economically independent and well of. When the audience hears the song they realize the futility of religion in an economic world. It brings to the forefront the debate between spirituality and materialism. It makes the spectators question both the value of a bourgeoisie society and that of religion. Being but a Marxist play every theme is given a Marxist interpretation, even the idea of love and marriage. Shen Teh has to choose between Yang Sun and Mr. Shu Fu. It is as Shui Ta that she favors Mr. Shu Fu for he can provide her with a future but as Shen Teh her emotions sway her towards Yang Sun. In a direct address to the audience Shen Teh sings; â€Å"I would go with the man whom I love. I would not reckon what it costs me. I would not consider what is wiser. I would not know whether he loves me. I would go with the man that I love. †13 â€Å"As Shui Ta she knows the worthlessness of her charming but rascally lover Sun. But with her emotional feminine self, as Shen Teh, she cannot give up the physical passion and tenderness that bind her to him. In Shen Teh’s love the drive for self-fulfillment and the need for self preservation clash in hopeless combat that can never be decided. 14 Brecht in The Good Person of Szechwan presents us with a Marxist theme, a dialectical debate between poverty and plentitude, goodness and god, religion and materialism etc, all of which is made apparent to the audience by the alienation effect brought about by the musical interludes that are present through out the course of the play, Shen Teh’s changing clothes in front of the audience, direct address to the audience; in an attempt to make sure that the play raises questions in the minds of the audience and breaks their identification with the bourgeoisie ideology. In totality Brecht’s play The Good Person of Szechwan is an apt representation of his epic or intellectual theatre that is built on the concept of critical theory translating into intellectual action on stage wherein Brecht seeks to illumine historically specific features of a milieu in order to show how that milieu influenced, shaped and often battered and destroyed the individual. Instead of focusing on the universal elements of human situations and fate, Brecht on the other hand is interested in depicting the attitude that people adopted towards each other in a specific historical situation or context.

George Washington And The President Of The United States

Since the start of the United States, there have been politics. Starting with those in charge of the new colonies, leaders of battles for land all the way to the leaders of the revolution, politics have played a role in American life. Once the revolution occurred and it was determined that George Washington would be the nation’s first president, a new track for politics was formed. It was from this line of presidents and official democratic government that political parties, ways of voting, and the various branches of our government were created. Since the time of the Federalists and Democratic- Republicans, many things have changed about the way that elections work, how candidates are elected, what the candidates are expected to do and how to act, and the civility of elections. However, one thing has remained the same, in order to be elected into office as the President of the United States, one must find a way to appease voters. In the most recent presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, many new election tactics were presented – especially the use of social media, reality entertainment personalities and trying to gain millennial support by relating to them in various ways. As the use of this new tactic went up, the extremities in other aspects of the campaign only increased as well. There became an almost lack of seriousness and rise in hate and bullying, especially in advertising pro their campaign and against their candidates. PoliticalShow MoreRelatedGeorge Washington : The First President Of The United States1415 Words   |  6 PagesGeorge Washington, the First President of the United States, one of the most famous people in his time and in our time, was not always the President of the United States of America. He had an interesting life as Commander in Chief of the Colonial Army, a General in the Colonial Army, a father, and a husband from when he was born in Westmorelan d County, Virginia on February 22, 1732, until he died on December 14th, 1799 at Mount Vernon where he had lived two years after he left the presidency. MostRead MoreGeorge Washington s President Of The United States961 Words   |  4 PagesGeneral George Washington, first president of the United States, was instrumental in establishing the procedures to govern an independent nation. The basic premise of Washington’s Farewell Address was to announce his decision to retire. Aside from defending his administration’s record, his message also encouraged and instructed future leaders to follow the principles necessary to successfully govern America as a unified, free nation in regards to domestic and foreign affairs. First and foremostRead MoreGeorge Washington s President Of The United States2433 Words   |  10 PagesIn 1789, George Washington became the first elected President of the United States. President George Washington stayed in office for two terms (eight years), after which he decided to â€Å"step-down† or not to run again. His friends tried to convince him to run again, but he already had his mind made up. His successor John Adams continued to follow in George Washington’s footsteps and only served two terms. This started a tradition where Presidents generally only serve as Chief of State, Chief ExecutiveRead MoreGeorge Washington s President Of The United States Essay1793 Words   |  8 Pagesthroughout its rich history. What is a president, is it not just another word for leader? George Washington was a military leader during the american revolution and later became the first president of the United States of America. He was a magnificent president and he set the bar for what the president should be like. Throughout history we have had many presidents some good some not so much. This upcoming election will decide our forty fifth president of the United States, and may be the single most importantRead MoreAnalysis Of George Washington s President Of The United States Essay2113 Words   |  9 PagesWhen George Washington was elected President in 1789 by members of the fledgling United States of America, he was setting into motion a tradition that has stood the test of over 225 years - the presidential election. Even as the United States has seen dozens of wars, made hundreds of scientific advances, and selected thousands of politicians to seats everywhere from small town councils to Congress, the principles of the election have remained the same; the people band together to determine who willRead MoreGeorge Washington was the first President of the United States. He was elected on April 30, 1789500 Words   |  2 PagesGeorge Washington was the first President of the United States. He was elected on April 30, 1789 Washington had the respect of everyone. Washington had many intriguing qualities. An example would be his quality of concern for his men. Throughout the Revolutionary War, Washington lost many of the battles, but he chose to lose them, rather than to win and risk all of his men’s lives. He made tactical retreats to save his men. George Washington, our first President, won over the hearts and earned theRead MoreWhy Was George Washington The Greatest President827 Words   |  4 Pages On September 19, 1796, George Washington presented his famous Farewell Address to the American people. One quote from that address that truly highlights Washingtons firm belief that the American people share the same, deep love of liberty is, â€Å"Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment.† (Goodreads). Georg e Washington became the first president of the United States of America on April 30, 1789Read MoreGeorge Washington Farewell Address Essay1663 Words   |  7 PagesGeorge Washington, a very famous man known as the first President of the United States of America, was born on the 22nd of February, 1732 in the colony of Bridges Creek, Virginia. (George Presidential Early Life sec.1 para.3) He was born into a wealthy, land-owning family and was a very political individual. Washington served as a Major in the Virginia militia and also fought in the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763. In addition, Washington became a representative of the Virginia legislatureRead MoreGeorge Washington765 Words   |  4 Pagesin American history as George Washington. His powerful leadership, determination, and endless patriotism was essential for winning the Revolutionary War, the creation of the United States Constitution, and the establishment of a new government. There are three defining events t hat happened to George during his life in colonial America. His proper childhood upbringing, his military leadership in the revolutionary war, and his election as the First President of the United States were the 3 most powerfulRead MoreGeorge Washington: Greatest President Essay776 Words   |  4 Pageswas the one president who really did our country justice. Who was the one president who, out of all forty-two, beats everyone and takes the gold for best president in the history of American presidents? Not everyone who agrees with these thoughts is going to agree with the answer each other gives. However, I bet many of those same people would argue that George Washington was the best president out of all of them. There are many more reasons to why George Washington is the best president to ever come