11 Facts You Should Know about Halloween

11 Facts You Should Know about Halloween The U.S. is a society of consumers, and an economy based primarily on consumer spending, so its no surprise that Halloween is celebrated in  consumerist ways. Lets take a look at some interesting facts about Halloween consumption, with data from  National Retail Federations Halloween Headquarters, and consider what they mean from a sociological perspective. 171 million Americans- more than half the entire national population- will celebrate Halloween in 2016.Halloween is the nations third favorite holiday, but second favorite for those between the ages of 18-34. It is  less popular with older folks, and more popular among women than men,   according to a 2011 Harris Interactive poll.Not just for kids,  Halloween is an important holiday for adults too. Nearly half the adult population will dress in costume for the occasion.Total U.S. spending for Halloween 2016 is expected to reach 8.4 billion dollarsan increase of more than 3 billion dollars since 2007. That includes $3.1 billion spent on costumes, $2.5 billion on candy, and  $2.4 billion on decorations.The average person will spend about $83 celebrating Halloween.About a third of all adults will throw or attend a Halloween party.One in five adults will visit a haunted house.Sixteen percent will dress their pets in costume.In 2016 costume choices among adults differ by age brack et. Among Millennials, Batman characters take the number one spot, followed by witch, animal, Marvel or DC superhero, and vampire. The number one costume among older adults is a witch, followed by pirate, political costume, vampire, and then Batman character. Action and superhero characters are the top choice for children in 2016, followed by princess, animal, Batman character, and Star Wars character.Pumpkin wins the top spot for pets, followed by hot dog, bumble bee, lion, Star Wars character, and devil. So, what does all this mean, sociologically speaking? Halloween is clearly a very important holiday in the U.S. We can see this in not only the patterns in participation and spending  but in what people do to celebrate the holiday. Early sociologist Émile Durkheim observed that rituals are occasions upon which people in a culture or society come together to reaffirm their values, beliefs, and morals. By participating in rituals together, we activate and reaffirm our collective consciencethe sum of those beliefs and ideas we share in common,  that take on a life and force of their own due to their collective nature. In celebration of Halloween, those rituals include dressing in costume, trick-or-treating, throwing and attending costume parties, decorating homes,  and going to haunted houses. This raises the question of what values, beliefs, and morals are reaffirmed through our mass participation in these rituals. Halloween costumes in the U.S. have evolved away from the holidays social origins as taunts and mocking of death, and toward popular culture. Sure, witch is a popular costume for women, and zombies and vampires are also in the top ten, but the variations of them trend more toward sexy than scary or evocative of death. So, it would be false to conclude that the rituals affirm values and beliefs of Christianity and Paganism. They point instead to  the importance placed on having fun and being  sexy in our society. But, what also stands out to this sociologist is the consumerist nature of the holiday and the rituals. The primary thing we do to celebrate Halloween is buy stuff. Yes, we go out and get together and have fun, but none of that happens without first shopping and spending moneya collective 8.4 billion dollars. Halloween, like other consumerist holidays (Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, Fathers Day and Mothers Day), is an occasion upon which we reaffirm the importance of consuming in order to fit in with the norms of society. Thinking back to Mikhail Bakhtins description of medieval carnivale in Europe as a release valve for the tensions that arise in a highly stratified society, we could also surmise that Halloween serves a similar function in the U.S. today. Currently economic inequality and poverty are at their greatest in the nations history. We are faced with an incessant onslaught of terrible news about global climate change, war, violence, discrimination and injustice,  and disease. In the midst of this, Halloween presents an attractive opportunity to take off our own identity, put on another, shake off our cares and concerns, and exist as someone else for an evening or two. Ironically, we may be further exacerbating the problems we face in the process, by perpetuating the hypersexualization of women and racism via costume, and  by handing our hard-earned money over to already wealthy corporations that exploit laborers and the environment to bring all the Halloween goods to us. But we sure have fun doing it.

Article on artist Nina Valetova Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On artist Nina Valetova - Article Example cinatory effect which is conspicuous in several paintings is the result of the perfect blend of oil colors, very few artists in the whole wide world can create such a fine impact. The theme of surrealism which means something unimaginable has been very well presented in the works, this only goes to show how talented and creative the artist really is, Nina deserves to be extolled for her exceptional creativity. The works also reveal several tales but the viewers must put their heads to good use because she does not present the whole tale, most works need to be deciphered, only smart viewers would be able to do so. Her works are very enigmatic, at times the viewers feel that the works are frozen in time, the next second they feel that the same works are brimming with life, it becomes very incomprehensible for the viewers to understand the enigma surrounding the paintings. This again goes to show the ability of the artist to keep the viewers on tenterhooks. Each canvas is unique and presents new stories reveled by the artist, such uniqueness is hard to find elsewhere. The artist has put in a conscious effort to actively experiment with dimension and composition which has given an edge to her works over others, the paradoxical nature of the works has made them much more intriguing than it originally would have been. A viewer who is short of philosophical depth would not be able to comprehend the theme of the different canvases. The artist has dug deep to find irrationality of the modern society and several paintings portray the same. The unpredictability of the modern day society has also been presented in several painting. To conclude it is very fair to say that Nina is certainly unique from other artists’ she dares to experiment and think out of the box, her experimentation with different oil colors has always paid off, her experimentation with structure and dimension has also been very successful. Lastly, one needs to have philosophical depth to be able to

Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Value - Essay Example Secondly, highlighting the excellence of the product or its use or attribute that could be of use to the customer can increase the value of the specific product/service in customers’ perception. Thirdly, by providing the best quality product at reasonable price and by providing greater variety or product differentiation can attract more customers. Innovative products are of great value to marketing activity as they provide more opportunities for advertisement and sales. In relation to this, branding and advertising, marketing can enhance customers’ perceptions related to a specific products of a company and eventually increase their sales. The marketing function can play a central role in identifying customers’ needs and changing preferences; the marketing function can communicate these aspects to the research and development department. The R&D can then design products as per customers’ preferences and also increase variety of products thereby widening th e product lines. . The role of marketing in creating shareholder value is a strategic function and depends upon the operational efficiency of the firm which uses shareholders’ funds.

Intercultural Communication Advantages and Disadvantages

Intercultural Communication Advantages and Disadvantages Intercultural Communication Implication Intercultural communication is defined as situated communication between individuals or groups of different linguistic and cultural origins (Millar, n.d.). Communication is the active relationship established between people through language, and intercultural means that this communicative relationship is between people of different cultures, where culture is the structured manifestation of human behavior in social life within specific national and local contexts (Millar, n.d.). Hence, in this happens, if communication does not proceed smoothly or have some misunderstanding, people may tend to make implicit judgment that the other person does not know how to act appropriately or is not a good person (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). However, people from different society, cultures, and countries interact with each other in the exchange process (Yearwood, 2012). So, internationalization became an important for higher education in the new century (Yearwood, 2012). This is because people believe incorporating an intercultural into the teaching and other functions of the institution, then the entire environment of the institution shifts to that of an international one, whereby it is aligned with international protocols, and its national as well as international standards are strengthened (Yearwood, 2012). Besides that, people willing to open to the challenge, it can help to increasing interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms (Mckeiver, 2013). Intercultural interactions provide benefits, but only if we are open to confronting the barriers that may hinder our success (Mckeiver, 2013). About this, some schools are more welcoming internationalization, because of the many benefits it of fers them such as they are able to build their reputation as a world-renowned institution and recruit international students (Yearwood, 2012). Advantages Effective intercultural communication is vital to not only the establishment, but also the maintenance of positive intergroup relations (Yearwood, 2012). Thus, people must see themselves as possibly engaged in communication and capable of giving and receiving feedback (Yearwood, 2012). For example Muslims strong sense of community, spirituality and hospitality are oft cited qualities of virtue (Payne, 2006). Similarly Muslims worldwide regularly praise the Wests technological achievements, respect for equality before the law and queuing (Payne, 2006). Apart from that, both sides also share similar principles, ideas, and other (Payne, 2006). Besides that, people are believed these factors to be critical to intercultural communication competence, it can increased cultural knowledge and awareness, communication skills, and tolerance for ambiguity (Yearwood, 2012). For example students who engage in intercultural interactions tend to experience gains in communication skills, the ability to empathize and openness to new ideas (Mckeiver, 2013). Moreover, intercultural interactions also increased individuals’ likelihood to challenge personal beliefs and embrace new perspectives and allows us opportunities to practice variations of our intercultural advising style in order to see what works is better for students (Mckeiver, 2013). Disadvantages However, intercultural communication may provide cons. Sometimes, international students experience feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about how to integrate into their host society (Yearwood, 2012). International students often question the deeds that prescribe social norms, in their host country and whether or not they are adhering to these norms (Yearwood, 2012). In regards to international students, all of these differences, between the host country and their country of origin, can result in incompatibility among students, intercultural conflicts, and social alienation (Yearwood, 2012). Furthermore, some findings suggest that some schools may express concerns about issues such as a student’s language ability, they tend to lack empathy for the life challenges students are experiencing, including their emotional and psychological well-being, but some schools did not consider their role in contributing to these behaviors, and instead blamed the students for lacking critical thinking skills and other negative things (Mckeiver, 2013). Besides that, if it is the culture of the host country or dominant society to marginalize minority groups, then the minority groups will have less successful relationships and more conflicts in their interactions (Yearwood, 2012). For example, in an experiment, some American students’ reaction to international students is willing befriend with internationals students, while others will not (Yearwood, 2012). Moreover, research also found the domestic staff and students exhibited greater prejudice against international students by thinking of them as â€Å"sad, lonely and other negative words† (Mckeiver, 2013). The level of prejudice varies depending on the student’s home country (Mckeiver, 2013). So, when students lack confidence in their communication skills, or intenational students facing the experience of negative interactions with the host culture, international students may be unwilling to seek guidance when they need it (Mckeiver, 2013). So, it will provide cons of intercultural communication in international students. Recommendation Intercultural Communication refers to communication between people of different cultural background (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). Its means people from another culture bring with own verbal language. Thus, if communication does not proceed smoothly or have some misunderstanding, people may tend to make implicit judgment that the other person does not know how to act appropriately or is not a good person (Matsumoto Juang, 2007). Moreover, Intercultural Communication may provide benefit in society. For example, if people who willing to confronting the barriers of intercultural communicaton, it can help to increasing interacting with those who may not share the same cultural and social norms (Mckeiver, 2013). Besides that, it can also increase cultural knowledge and awareness, communication skills, and tolerance for ambiguity (Yearwood, 2012). On the other hand, for international students, all of these differences, between the host country and their country of origin, can result in intercultural conflicts, and social alienation (Yearwood, 2012). Besides that, international students also more exhibited greater prejudice in the host country (Mckeiver, 2013).Therefore, improving the intercultural communication may be able to deal the cultural shock. Experience different cultures regularly can improve the intercultural communication. About this, traveling is the best way to inspire curiosity about other cultures (Mcmahon, 2011). People visiting different kinds of restaurants can also exposure to different cultures (Mcmahon, 2011). Furthermore, join the social groups for international professionals or even attend plays, or watch movies that are from another culture also will increase the variety of cultures that people encounter in the daily life (Mcmahon, 2011). Lastly, involvement of others also is one of the ways to improve the intercultural communication. People should be always ensuring that members from other cultural backgrounds are involved in daily communication in order to learn and understand each other’s cultures (Brown, 2013). For example, Working together with members of other cultures breeds an ease with them (Brown, 2013). This gives rise to a common ground to understanding each other, the way each person communicates and how they use non-verbal communication (Brown, 2013). Besides that, involvement of others helps the understanding of the context of usage of certain words and symbols and helps one to understand how different messages are interpreted by different communities (Brown, 2013).

Biblical Allusions in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essay -- Jane Eyre

Biblical Allusions in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre One Sunday evening, shortly after Jane arrives at Lowood School, she is forced to recite the sixth chapter of St. Matthew as part of the daily lesson (70; ch. 7). This chapter in Matthew states, Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? / (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. / But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (31-33) Although these words are not stated overtly in the text, they aptly fit Jane's situation. Cast off from the Reed household, Jane is entrusted to the caretakers at a charity school, where food, drink, and warm clothing are scarce. This lesson is used in Lowood to encourage the girls not to think of worldly matters. This passage also applies to Jane's life after Lowood. After Jane runs away from Thornfield, refusing to become a mistress, she has little money and few belongings. By escaping Rochester, Jane runs from sin, temptation, and safety, into the unknown, trusting in God to help her find food and shelter. She is more concerned for Rochester than she is for herself, and comes to the conclusion that "Mr. Rochester was safe; he was God's and by God would he be guarded" (319; ch. 28). Biblical allusions like this are rife in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Brought up by an Anglican minister, Bronte understood the Bible as an authoritative text upon which many members of Victorian society guided their lives. As a result of this religious training, Bronte inserted references into her stories, giving her characters a richer ... ...arrative tales. Other excuses were also found. Elliott-Binns writes that, "The Conservatives held to the literal truth, with some few and unimportant exceptions, of the Bible. All the obscurities or seeming contradictions contained in the sacred narrative they put down to man's imperfect knowledge, or possibly to corruption in the text" (277). In some ways, the criticism helped the Bible because people began to read it closer to determine its veracity. Charlotte Bronte, capitalizing on the popularity of the Bible, inserted allusions into Jane Eyre, hoping that people would find a richer story beneath her romantic tale. Works Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Boston: Bedford, 1996. Elliott-Binns, L. E. Religion in the Victorian Era. London: Lutterworth, 1936. McLeod, Hugh. Religion and Society in England, 1850-1914. London: MacMillan, 1996. Â   Â  

Future earth-climate of earth (around the equator) 250 million years later

The story about the climate at the equator 250 million years ago is both interesting and frightening. Interesting, because it puts all the things we concern ourselves with right now in perspective, and they seem very insignificant, and frightening, because of what it suggests is in store for us. It is believed that 250 million years from now, by a process of ‘subduction’, a giant continent called ‘Pangea Ultima’ will be formed, which will consist of North America and Africa married to one another with South America rounding off the bottom of the supercontinent. A miniscule ocean basin will remain at the bottom of the two continents.This marriage and other changes will cause a big effect on temperature. The huge landmass will mean that winds reaching the land will be denuded of their moisture. Much of what is now southern North America will fall on the Equator. Because it will be robbed of any moisture bearing winds, it will probably become barren, and may ev en form into a desert. The beaches of Miami will probably be replaced by an Arizona like landscape. In addition to the geosphere, the water bodies (the hydrosphere) will also make a big impact on the temperature and climate around the equator.What is today the Indian Ocean will be trapped, creating a giant lake like body the size of modern Australia. Being trapped like a lake, the Indian Ocean will not be able to circulate air currents and therefore affect temperature. Parts of the Indian subcontinent that will then (and even today to) fall on the equator will likely not benefit from the South Western and North Eastern monsoons that bring rain and influence temperature. The atmosphere will not be left behind in this giant drama. The atmosphere acts a conduit in the transfer of heat and water from the oceans and seas to the land.The formation of a new giant ocean and a supercontinent will make the transmission of this heat energy from the sea to the land and water vapour (which is de posited on land as rain) more difficult. Instead of carrying moisture laden winds, large parts of the giant landmasses, particularly around the equator will be affected by hot, dry winds, which will increase temperature on the surface as well. In the same vein, the atmosphere may serve to radiate hot air outwards from the centre of these giant continents to the peripheries, which could increase the temperature in other regions, and also affect the surface temperature.As a consequence, the temperature overall might rise, exacerbating the effect of climate change induced by human factors. The outlook is not all grim however. Higher temperatures, coupled with a giant lake like Indian Ocean (providing an abundant supply of water) could result in the proliferation of plant life in much of equatorial Africa, South America and Asia. The proliferation of plant life would bring down temperatures and reduce levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, countering the effects of global warming.T he contortion of the landmass of Eurasia will bring the eastern parts of Russia, such as the port city of Vladivostok along the equator. The climate pattern in Russia in particular will therefore completely change, becoming much less severe and a lot more temperate and even equatorial. Finally, California and large parts of then equatorial North America will have very heavy, even torrential rainfall. Them being the first landmasses after several thousand miles of ocean, huge amounts of water will be deposited as rain in these parts. This could have a cooling effect on the temperature there.

How I Improved As A Writer - 892 Words

This portfolio is a great example of how I improved as a writer. This second semester of duel enrollment English has helped me improve not only on becoming a better writer but as well as becoming more mature as a person and has helped me with time management. This portfolio includes the three best pieces that I have written this whole year. I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I enjoy them. The first piece I chose to put in this portfolio was my narrative piece. The reason I chose this was because it was the first paper I wrote for this class back in early October. The piece may not be perfect, but looking back on it I can see the improvements I have made into my more recent pieces or writing. The first piece of writing also allowed me to use new vocabulary words we learned before we started the paper. For example â€Å"Calorie intake was probably the most draconian task I had to overcome.† The word â€Å"draconian† was not a part of my vocabulary until I took this class. The problems I faced writing this paper was finding enough time to write the paper. Since this was my first big assignment in the class I was eager yet nervous to start the writing process. The smarthinking reports from Germannas website made editing and revising a much easier task to accomplish. It also made it easier for me to help make improvements on my mistakes in my papers. The second piece of writing I chose is from the second semester of duel enrollment. This piece was the argumentative piece, were weShow MoreRelatedMy English 101 Experience844 Words   |  4 PagesAs I look back on my English 101 experience, I have come to the conclusion that I have learned many new things that have improved my abilities as a writer. I have learned some new techniques that have improved my ways of approaching an essay. I learned all about the rhetorical appeals and how to apply them in my writing and how to look for them in a essay written by a author. I have also learned how to argue both sides of a argument, and how to look for reliable sources and to properly quote andRead MoreWhat Is A Citation And When Is It Necessary?863 Words   |  4 Pagesan idea of someone else’s. What is logos? How does understanding logos help a writer? Logos is known as persuading through appeals through logic or reason. Understanding logos may help as a writer in learning how to keep consistently and clarity in an argument as well as the logic of evidence and reasons. What is ethos? How does understanding ethos help a writer? Ethos is a speakers credibility as perceived by the audience. Ethos is important for a writer to understand due to the importance that aRead MoreWith Most Things In Life, Practice Makes Perfect, Or At1311 Words   |  6 Pagesbefore fully understanding how to do it. This concept can be applied to various parts of my life, but most importantly, my education. In my first semester of college, I was in English Composition 101. Not having a teacher that was focused on interacting with the students and walking me through the writing process really had a negative impact on my learning. I had never been asked to write an analysis paper prior to that class and when expected to do so, you could say I fumbled the ball quite a fewRead MoreMy Writing, Peer Editing, And Analyzing Readings899 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the English 101 course, I believe I have thoroughly improved in my writing, peer editing, and analyzing readings, along with annotating my thoughts, misunderstandings, and dif ficulties. I believe I have especially improved on my thesis statements, providing the basis for my essays. My thesis statements have went from being plain and uninteresting to being more detailed, clear, and concise. This enabled me to produced better written essays that are rich in detail, rhetorical statementsRead MoreReflective Essay1409 Words   |  6 Pagesfocus on being organized when writing. The essays that I wrote in high school were just for a quick grade or to help out our grade. I did not really have that much experience in writing essays. In the past semester I have grown more as a writer than I have in the past years. My essays have been becoming more detailed and less vague. They are maturing to the standard set for my level of English. Thus far, in English 101, my writing has improved by composing different types of essays, using a varietyRead MoreI have been a student in English Composition II for one semester in which I have learned many700 Words   |  3 Page sI have been a student in English Composition II for one semester in which I have learned many things and I have grown as a writer. My writing skills have largely improved as well as my knowledge on how to make my claims depending on the type of audience and of course on what my claim is. After the culmination of five essays, three of them have caught my attention the most and in my opinion they show my improvement as a writer. The three essays, which will be forming my portfolio for this semesterRead MoreWriting As A Form Of Art882 Words   |  4 Pageswriting. When I first started this class I was very eager in learning more about writing. My attitude was very positive because the I see writing as a form of art. Similar to music and art paintings it portrays something, tells a story, and lets the viewer imagine something incredible. Working through the first paper for the class which is the essay that described about me it was easy. I was able to be creative because it was a story about me. It felt like a masterpiece but it wasn’t. As I got my paperRead MoreWriting Self-Evaluation Essays562 Words   |  3 PagesNow that I have completed the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth course Crafting the Essay, I feel I have tremendously grown as a writer. Even after submitting the first assignment, I looked back at a position paper I wrote for school that I received an A+ on, yet I saw several flaws I wished I had changed. I feel I have significantly improved on my aspects of punctuation in grammar; the progressions Leslie suggested to me on said aspects synchronized with the grammar lessons taughtRead MoreExpression Is Vital For A Society Essay1370 Words   |  6 PagesExpression is crucial in a society. Regardless of if it is clothing, or artwork, or words; how we express ourselves is how others will perceive us. If someone is a loud person with repugnant words, one may view them as obnoxious or arrogant. What someone expresses may be a form of passion. Passions create drives, goals, and long term commitments. If a boy has a passion for cars, he may dream to grow up and become a mechanic. Nevertheless, dreams and goals bring forth progress. Progress results inRead MoreI Was A Horrible Writer886 Words   |  4 PagesI was a horrible writer since I was in high school, and I ve always had hard times writing essays for writing classes. I knew I had to improve a lot on how to establish academic essays a nd learn to come up with good ideas. Every time I make up a mind to concentrate on writing a good academic essay, I always end up rushing through rest of the essay after spending few hours on it. It was easy for me to essays until I took this WR 122 taught my Professor Wood. When I compare myself today with me from