What is popular is not necessarily right Essay Example for Free

What is popular is not necessarily right Essay We are fortunate enough to live in the best democracy in the world. Our society is fantastically tolerant of the enormous diversity of cultures within it. Democracy is fundamentally about protecting minorities. It is not about enforcing the will of the majority on a law abiding, tax-paying minority: at its best that is bullying, at its worst fascism. The huntsmen are undoubtedly a minority. They are becoming persecuted by people who harbour the same sentiments as racists do about coloured people and homophobics about gays. The root cause of these feelings is simple- IGNORANCE. Tolerance and understanding come from education. Education must overcome the knee-jerk hatred exhibited by many anti-hunt lobbyists. The ignorance of most hunt protestors shines through their weak arguments. I do not hunt, it does not appeal to me enough to warrant the expense- both time and money. I can however see the attraction; comradeship, shared excitement, danger, tradition and a deep love of the countryside and animals. I know people who hunt. You only have to see them with their hounds and horses to know the real affection they have for animals. These are decent people, with families and not the faceless, Range Rover driving snobbish elite that the League Against Cruel Sports would have you believe. Hunting with hounds began because it is an effective way of controlling the population of a pest. It remains the most effective way of doing this. Those who advocate other methods are again showing their ignorance, Im afraid. Shooting. This is not as easy as it sounds. Foxes, we all know, are cunning. They have incredible senses of smell, hearing and sight. Their habits are largely unpredictable. This makes getting into a stable firing position without scaring the fox off very, very difficult. The fox is a small animal, making the humane target area (i. e. that which will kill it instantly) very small indeed. On a Stag its small enough, a fox is almost impossible to shoot cleanly. Trapping. Well it doesnt take much brainwork to see how cruel, indiscriminate and dangerous this is. Poison. Again, indiscriminate and painful for the animal affected. If you still do not approve- thats fine and healthy for society. Please think about the point I made at the start of this, unintentionally long, opinion: lets not persecute a small minority, who do not affect the majority of citizens, just because we dont like what they do. I do not like football, or the hooligans that follow it but I do not rant about banning it because at the end of the day it does not really affect me. By making a ban on fox hunting a manifesto pledge the Labour Party is seeking to deny a large minority their liberty and to destroy a proud community in return for short term political gains. I wonder how much influence the i 1 million, given to Labour by the Animal Political Lobby pressure group, bought? Quite a bit, I bet. Education and Tolerance are what I think is needed here.

Ben-hur Essay -- essays research papers

Ben-Hur was transformed from bible scripture to a movie because it is the most read scripture in the Bible. The scripture tells the story of a man, Judah Ben-Hur, who trades his life as the prince of Jerusalem with the life of a slave. The story tells of his journeys and triumphs as a slave. The story starts with the five wise men as their journey to find Jesus. When they arrive in Bethlehem they come bearing gifts for the newborn king. After the birth of Jesus the movie changes to two Roman soldiers who are in a meeting. One of the soldiers, Tribune Musala, is an old friend of Judah. Judah comes in and meets with Musala and invites him to his home for dinner and to see his family. Musala tells Judah how the Romans will conquer his people and if he wants to save his family he can turn in the Rebels who plan to revolt. Judah is enraged that his friend would ask him to turn in his own people, and storms out of the meeting. After the meeting Judah returns home to find an old friend/slave of his there waiting for him. The slave asks permission that his daughter be allowed to marry. Judah gladly grants his wish and meets the young woman, Esther. The two have a private talk in which Judah grants Esther her freedom and says that he will wear her slavery ring until he finds his true love. The Romans enter Jerusalem and the entire city watched from rooftops. As Judah and Esther watched Esther accidentally knocks a shingle loose and scares a horse causing it to kick and buck a general from the horse killing the general. The Romans enter the city and arrest Judah, his sister, and mother. His friend Musala orders Judah to be sent to the galleys. Judah escapes from confines to find Musala and asks him why he would do this to a friend. Musala says, "People will fear me for persecuting my own friend." A chain gang of slaves traveling through the desert stop so the Romans can get a drink of water. The guards allow the slaves very little water, but allow their horses to drink a plentiful amount. The guards say "No water for him" referring to Judah. A man gives Judah water and the guard gets angry and yells at the man. The guard and the man look at each other and the guard cowards. The man is portrayed as Jesus. At the end of the desert travels Judah finds himself in the galleys of a boat as a num... ...ate Musala’s legs, however he wants to wait to see Judah first. Judah arrives and Musala tells him that his family is not dead and that they are in fact in the valley of the lepers. Musala then died in front of Judah. When Judah goes to the valley of the lepers he sees Esther, he gets angry with her for lying to him. She explains their plea to her. Judah then returns to the valley again the next day, this time to see his mother and sister. When he sees his mother she tells him that his sister, Tirza is dying. They go to see Tirza and take her to Rome. When they arrive they find out that a man is being tried. They find that the man being tried was actually Jesus being crucified. As Jesus is carrying his cross up the hill he falls down and is whipped. Judah gave him some water as he did for Judah in the past. One of the guards kicks the water away from Jesus. The four watch as Jesus is crucified. Later that night the three women are sitting in a cave when a bad storm rolls in. At the peak of the storm Jesus died. After the death of Jesus Marium and Tirza are cured of their Leprosy. They then see Judah the next day and everyone was happy that they were cured.

Movie review of Los Mineros

Discuss some of the labor and living condition issue in this film In the film, Mexican miners were living under terrible situation. They had been treated inhumanly. Their living environments were extremely unhygienic, there was no fresh running water or appropriate place to dispose garbage. Because of the unfair treatment between Anglo miners and Mexican miners, most miners and their families were suffering from starvation. Moreover, Mexican miners ‘ working conditions were inconceivable.They were working for 12 hours a day, averagely. Due to â€Å"Duel – wage system†, Mexican miner ‘s pay rate was deducted by half of what an Anglo miner would be paid. 2. What events affected the miners (Mexican Revolution, WWI, Depression, WWII) Mexican Revolution was a changing point for the miners. Some labor organizations began collecting labor forces long before the revolution stared, such as the Obreros Libres (Free Workers), leaded by Praxedis Guerrero. The Obreros Li bres was a major labor union in southeastern Arizona (P. 106).After the revolution, in order o protect the rights of Mexican labors, Mexican government passed the constitution of 1917. Meanwhile, WW I offered another chance for the Mexican labors. Because of most American labors were fighting the war, the whole country was experiencing a productivity impairment. It provided a lot of employment opportunities for Mexicans, such as in mining and agriculture industries. They became an important labor force in the U. S. 3. What were the relationships like between the Anglo miners and Mexican miners? Mexican miners and the company 00b, segregation, ) ?Back then, Anglo communities had some serious racial discriminations on Mexicans. Compare to Mexican miners' living conditions, Anglo miners were living in â€Å"pleasant surroundings†. They received twice as much money as Mexicans. However, as Anglo miners, they did not have to work for 12 hours a day and their Jobs were less dangero us than Mexicans In addition, they had their own â€Å"county club†, where they can relax and socialize. The quality of a Mexican miner ‘s life was far below an Anglo miner's. How did WWII affect the Mexican American miners? Community?

The Xia Dynasty of Ancient China

The Xia Dynasty is said to have been the first true Chinese dynasty, described in the ancient Bamboo Annals called the Ji Tomb Annals, dated to the late third century BCE; and in the Records of the Historian Sima Qian (called the Shi Ji and written about 145 BCE). There is a long-standing debate as to whether the Xia Dynasty was myth or reality; until the mid-20th century, no direct evidence was available to support stories of this long-vanished era. Some scholars still believe that it was invented in order to validate the leadership of the Shang Dynasty, for which there is abundant archaeological and written evidence. The Shang Dynasty was founded in about 1760 BCE, and many of the attributes ascribed to the Xia are different from those ascribed to the Xia. Legends of the Xia Dynasty According to the historical records, the Xia dynasty is thought to have lasted between about 2070–1600 BCE, and it was said to have been founded by a man known as Yu the Grea a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and born about 2069. His capital was at Yang City. Yu is a semi-mythical figure who spent 13 years stopping a great flood and bringing irrigation to the Yellow River Valley. Yu was the ideal hero and ruler, said to have been assisted in his work by a yellow dragon and a black turtle. Many of the tales about him are cast in mythology, which doesnt necessarily rule out the possible reality of a sophisticated society predating the Shang. The Xia dynasty is said to be the first to irrigate, produce cast bronze, and build a strong army. It used oracle bones and had a calendar. Xi Zhong is credited in legend with inventing a wheeled vehicle. He used a compass, square, and rule. King Yu was the first king to be succeeded by his son instead of a man chosen for his virtue. This made the Xia the first Chinese dynasty. The Xia under King Yu probably had about 13.5 million people. According to the Records of the Grand Historian (the Shi Ji, started around the second century BCE (over a millennium after the end of the Xia Dynasty), there were 17 Xia Dynasty Kings. They included: Yu the Great: 2205–2197 BCEEmperor Qi: 2146–2117 BCETai Kang: 2117–2088 BCEZhong Kang: 2088–2075 BCEXiang: 2075–2008 BCEShao Kang: 2007–1985 BCEZhu: 1985–1968 BCEHuai: 1968–1924 BCEMang: 1924–1906 BCEXie: 1906–1890 BCEBu Jiang: 1890–1831 BCEJiong: 1831–1810 BCEJin: 1810–1789 BCEKong Jia: 1789–1758 BCEGao: 1758–1747 BCEFa: 1747–1728 BCEJie: 1728–1675 BCE The fall of the Xia is blamed on its last king, Jie, who is said to have fallen in love with an evil, beautiful woman and become a tyrant. The people rose up in rebellion under the leadership of Zi Là ¼, the Tang Emperor and founder of the Shang Dynasty. Possible Xia Dynasty Sites While there is still debate over how much the texts can be relied on, there is recent evidence has increased the likelihood that there really was dynasty predating the Shang. Late Neolithic sites which hold some elements suggesting Xia dynasty remains include Taosi, Erlitou, Wangchenggang, and Xinzhai in central Henan province. Not all researchers in China agree to the connection of archaeological sites with prehistoric semi-mythical polities, although scholars have noted that Erlitou in particular had a high degree of cultural-political sophistication at an early period. Erlitou  in Henan Province is a massive site, covering at least 745 acres, and occupations between 3500–1250 BCE; at its heyday about 1800, it was the primary center in the region, with eight palaces and a large cemetery precinct.  Ã‚  Taosi, in southern Shanxi, (2600–2000 BCE) was a regional center, and had an urban center surrounded by large rammed-earth walls, a craft production center for pottery and other artifacts, and a semicircular rammed-earth structure which has been identified as an astronomical observatory.  Wangchenggang in Dengfeng province (2200–1835 BCE) was a settlement center for at least 22 other sites in the upper Ying River valley. It had two connected small rammed-earth enclosures built about 2200 BCE, a craftproduction center, and many ash pits some containing human burials.  Xinzhai, in Henan Province (2200–1900 BCE) is an urban center with at least fifteen associated sites surrounding it, with a large semi-subterranean stru cture interpreted as a ritual structure.   In 2016, an international group of archaeologists reported evidence of a great flood in the Yellow River at a site called Lajia, dated about 1920 BCE, which they claimed provided support to the great flood in the Xia Dynasty legends. The Laija townsite in particular was found with several residences with skeletons buried within the deposits. Wu Qinglong and colleagues admitted that the date was several centuries later than the historical records state. The article appeared in Science magazine in August of 2016, and three comments were quickly received disagreeing with the dating and interpretation of the geological and archaeological data, so the site remains an open question like the others. Sources Dai, L. L., et al. An Isotopic Perspective on Animal Husbandry at the Xinzhai Site During the Initial Stage of the Legendary Xia Dynasty (2070–1600 BC). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 26.5 (2016): 885–96. Print.Han, Jian-Chiu. Comment on Outburst Flood at 1920 BCE Supports Historicity of China’s Great Flood and the Xia Dynasty. Science 355.6332 (2017): 1382–82. Print.Huang, Chun Chang, et al. Comment on Outburst Flood at 1920 BCE Supports Historicity of China’s Great Flood and the Xia Dynasty. Science 355.6332 (2017): 1382–82. Print.Liu, Li. State Emergence in Early China. Annual Review of Anthropology 38 (2009): 217–32. Print.Wu, Qinglong, et al. Outburst Flood at 1920 Bce Supports Historicity of China’s Great Flood and the Xia Dynasty. Science 353.6299 (2016): 579–382. Print.Wu, Qinglong, et al. Response to Comments on Outburst Flood at 1920 BCE Supports Historicity of China’s Great Flood and the Xia D ynasty. Science 355.6332 (2017): 1382–82. Print.Wu, Wenxiang, et al. Comment on â€Å"Outburst Flood at 1920 Bce Supports Historicity of China’s Great Flood and the Xia Dynasty†. Science 355.6332 (2017): 1382-82. Print.