Social Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Contracts - Essay Example As the discussion outlines Curwin and Mendler include six specific elements namely flag rules, negotiable rules, consequences, rules for the teacher, student-developed rules for students and a vote to determine which rules to enforce. Flag rules are minimum behavior requirements for efficient classroom management which are developed by the teacher and unquestioningly accepted by students even without their input. Examples of such logical rules are â€Å"No fighting and hurting anyone†. Negotiable rules are decided upon together by both teacher and students whether or not to adopt such rules. Democratic teachers allow some limits to be stretched without compromising order in the classroom. Consequences are teacher-determined without student input. Teachers need to be fair in setting down consequences for each rule depending on the severity of behavior. Positive consequences should also be included to reward students of good behavior. Consequences need to be instructional instea d of punitive and students regard them as natural and logical extensions of the rules. Rules for the teacher are determined by the students to give them the opportunity to set standards for the teacher. This is a way for them to feel a sense of commitment to all rules and consequences, thus make them more inclined to follow them. Examples are â€Å"the teacher will not yell at students in front of their classmates†.  

Musical Cabaret Overview And Analysis Theatre Essay

Musical Cabaret Overview And Analysis Theatre Essay I choose the musical Cabaret as it is a very powerful story, set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis were rising to power; it focuses on different controversial issues of its time period. A number of issues are explored throughout the unfolding story of the cabaret such as sexual freedom, politics and anti-semitism I feel audiences will be attracted to this Musical because of its powerful lyrics and storyline, in particular, the two love stories: Cliff Bradshaw and Sally Bowles; Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, and the way the different characters are portrayed in the musical. 2. Text: What are the ideas the playwright/ librettist is trying to express? What is the relevance of the musical to contemporary Australian audiences? The romantic love stories of two couples and the impact society has on their relationships: the story of a young English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw; and the other story of a German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Both relationships are doomed to failure. The musical is very relevant to contemporary Australian audiences Audience will want to see this production, not only does it have excellent music but it portrays some very strong controversial issue of the time period. These issues are still present in our time. It is also important that we as Australians are reminded of the historical past and what we can learn to fight intolerance. 3. Costume, Sets and Props: What requirements are there in each of these areas? Costume Emcee wearing a long black leather coat and boots, eyes highlighted with blue eye shadow, lips coloured blood red, bowtie attached to parachute harness Each cabaret girl to portray a distinct personality need to sing, dance, act and play musical instrument, they do not have to look spectacular, look like scanky low class girls. Cabaret girls wear scant lacy undergarments with holes and ladders in the stockings. The figures onstage look ghoulish. Sally Bowles various refer to photograph images below: Ernst Ludwig dressed in trench coat in Act 1, Scene 2, and brown suite, etc. Cliff Bradshaw dressed in woollen suit and vest + tie. Herr Schultz -see photograph images below Fraulein Schneider -see photograph images below Fraulein Kost -see photograph images below Sets Act 1 Scene 1: Cabaret Scene Broken light bulbs surrounding stage see model. Act 1 Scene 2: Train Carriage Front of stage Act 1 Scene 3: Fraulein Schneider Boarding House Backdrop of 3 doors with light fixture dropped from ceiling, see model. Act 1 Scene 4: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub full stage Act 1 Scene 5: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub near spiral staircase Sallys dressing room Act 1 Scene 6: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 1 Scene 7: Cabaret Scene full stage again, focus on kit kat klub Act 1 Scene 8: Living Room of Fraulein Schneiders boarding house right side of stage Act 1 Scene 9: Front of Stage Act 1 Scene 10: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 1 Scene 11: Living Room of Fraulein Schneiders boarding house right side of stage Act 1 Scene 12: The Fruit Shop window suspended Act 2 Scene 1: Cabaret Scene Act 2 Scene 2: The Fruit Shop Act 2 Scene 3: Front of Stage Act 2 Scene 4: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 2 Scene 5: Cabaret Scene Kit Kat Klub Act 2 Scene 6: Cliffs room -backdrop of 3 doors left side of stage Act 2 Scene 7: Railway Station / Cabaret Scene Props Optional 6 tables with telephones in cabaret scene Train carriage bench seat or 3 chairs Brown suitcase x 2 Black briefcase Typewriter and case Newspaper Table or large trunk and 2 chairs Optional dressing table, mirror to one side near stage left spiral staircase front of stage Suitcase (Sally) + 3 more Sally wearing fur coat 6 chairs. Girls dance on them for caberet scene Brown paper bag containing pineapple Small wind-up gramophone Table and 2 chairs Bottle of Gin + 2 glass Large gift-wrapped package Envelope with money Box containing fruit bowl Suitcase (Schultz) 4. Briefly outline how lighting and sound will contribute to your production. Prepare a list of the sound and light effects you would like and indicate when they occur in the production. Lighting Design A single normal house bayonet light hanging down in the centre of stage, this would be used for a symbolism of inside a room and the lighting which would normally illuminate the room. For this musical, the lighting design will have to be very carefully planned, in terms of position such as, angles and thrust distance. As well as fixture selection taking into consideration the physical characteristics such as beam size, wattage, luminosity, fixture type, etc. To light this stage effectively the stage will be broken up into a grid and each part of the stage will be illuminated I would like to use intelligent fixtures with conventional fixtures. The intelligent fixtures would be great for scenes like the Kit Kat Club as this scene depends on colours and shadows to give the audience the right illusion of a seedy night club. Also, the beam of an intelligent fixture is quite sharp and doesnt really produce much spill on stage so it would be fantastic for solo spots. I would incorporate the use of follow spots, as I would like to keep the show in its traditional form and in keeping with the historical context. Follow spots are good for things like the Emcee as he moves around the stage. For the cabaret scenes, use of deep blues, purples and pinks colours silhouetting the Kit Kat Club girls on stage. Lightings surrounding the stage and suspended window, door arches (e.g. I have included photos from previous shows I have designed to illustrate my ideas see at the end of this report), and the second stage level floor will be bordered with festoon lights. These lights can then be chased. I want to portray a very dingy, run down club where some of the globes will be broken or missing, at the same time as the girls on stage will look sexy, as well as giving the set a very seedy appearance. There are three main different sets common in this production: train scene, inside Fraulein Schneiders boarding house, and inside the Kit Kat Klub. Each one of these different sets has a different appearance where the lighting is used to highlight and mark the difference to the set. For the train scenes, the lighting on stage will be focused mainly in front of the proscenium line with the rest of the stage in darkness. The colours used for this particular scene will consist of open white, fixtures will not be at full intensity as I want to achieve a dull Tuscan amber appearance. Lighting in the train carriage is not really bright and the majority of the light source will be coming from windows letting in the outside light from outside lights. The second set scene is inside Fraulein Schneiders boarding house the lighting will be very much the same as in the first scene inside the train carriage. However, more of the stage will be lit, up to the back walls revealing three doors. Top level of the set remains in darkness as it is for the cabaret scenes for the Kit Kat Klub. There will be at least 3 hot spots for the boarding house scene where both Cliff and Fraulein Schneider move in most of the scenes. These hot spots will be located along the front proscenium line along the edge of the stage, and 3 lighting hotspots along in front of each door. Colours used will remain dim; most of the light on stage will look like its coming from the one hanging lighting batten as a light fixture which is incorporated into the set. The lighting will aim to show an old run-down boarding house where maintenance has been neglected. The final set is inside the Kit Kat Klub, the entire stage will be washed in purples, pinks, reds, blues and a bit of white thrusters to illuminate faces. The scene is set in a seedy and dirty-looking night club. For the lighting of this scene I want the lighting to cast a silhouette effect on the girls dancing for the cabaret numbers. As the music changes and different scenes are set in different parts of the Kit Kat Klub the lighting changes with the mood. The majority of the lighting for these scenes will be coming from sources side, top, and behind of stage. The lighting creates a powerful perspective illustrating the emotions portrayed on stage. An effect only seen when we are inside the Kit Kat Klub is the festoon lights surrounding the edges of the stage and the suspended mirror in the backdrop of the set. When inside the Kit Kat Klub these lights are just on still, but when during song numbers these lights will be chasing forward, the classic Broadway lighting effect. Main actors will be lit with use of the follow spot, the rest will remain in silhouette. Sound Design All the music for the songs would be performed live by the band/orchestra which I intend to incorporate into the production by having them seen by the audience and positioned in acting blocked areas framed upstairs in the suspended picture frame. Various sound effects will be used to help portray to the audience realism. For Act 1 Scene 2 Cliff is on a train to Berlin a screeching sound effect of a steam train travelling is used as background sound as if they are actually in a train carriage. To mark the opening of scene 2, a train whistle sound effect is used. Another effect used is of a crashing symbol to mark the change of scene. A sound effect used for act one scene 9, is of a voice of a young boy singing beautifully and the sound of a steam train in the background. Another sound effect is of a window shattering to mark the end of Act 2 scene 2. 5. Characters and actors: what kind of people are the characters of the musical? In what kind of world do they exist? If you had complete freedom of choice, what actors would you cast in your production? Emcee Sally Bowles Cliff Bradshaw Fraulein Schneider Herr Schultz Fraulein Kost Ernst Ludwig is a member of the Nazi Party and befriends Cliff Cabaret Girls Cabaret Boys are homosexual and work at the Kit Kat Klub 6. How many production crew/ staff are required to stage this production (during the season ignore pre-production)? Draw up a running crew list, with a description of what each person will be responsible for. Title Quantity Description of responsibility S7tage manager 1 Production week ensure all set building, lighting equipment, props, costumes, furniture and equipment ready. Do cue sheets, prop settings and running order Prepare assistant stage managers running plot Do lighting and sound synopsis Organise time fro technical rehearsal and dress rehearsal At technical rehearsal, make all final checks and discuss all effects with Director Time cues and calls in prompt book Finalize all elements of prompt book Attend dress rehearsal and note any problems. First night and performance run Check everything Remain calm Reset play after performances Give calls and check all actors and crew present Liaise with front of house staff Note any alterations or repairs necessary. Lighting Designer 1 Rehearsal: Go though the musical scene-by-scene with the Director to plan precise lighting details. Work out presets and cues and help stage manager to mark the prompt book Buy or hire equipment as needed Work out a lighting synopsis with the stage manager Production week: Rig and focus lighting fixtures Attend technical rehearsal and test lighting and solve problems Make final adjustments and prepare controls Lighting Operator 1 Program lighting cues as discussed during rehearsals with stage manager and director. Attend technical and dress rehearsals. Fix any problems with lighting designer. Assist with lighting designer with making final adjustments. Makes sure has all cues written in script Operate the lighting console for the session Sound Engineer/ operator 2 Attend Production meetings and rehearsals Research, planning and purchasing sound effects recordings, equipment, supplies Met with Director Hire and rig sound equipment Sound plot, mark in script with Director Attend final dress and technical rehearsals Operate the sound console for the session Orchestra 8 12 Rehearsal all music parts from the score with all members of the orchestra Conductor meets with director, stage manager and sound engineer to discuss cues for lead in and out. Organise the running of the show Attend all shows of the session, Stage Hands 4-6 Assist the stage manager. Move props and set pieces around the stage for each scene change. Organise the actors and escort and cues actors to when to come onto stage and off. Director 1 Is to organise and meet with every department to ensure that everyone is ready for the upcoming session week leading up to the opening night Polish final rehearsals. Make sure all problems have been solved before show commences. Attend light and sound plotting sessions Attend all rehearsal leading up to the show discuss notes. Set Designer 2 Attend Dress And Technical Rehearsals Make minor alterations Load in the set and help with the construction Supervise the Set Builders. Organise props Make notes of any problems in the last rehearsals leading up to opening night Make sure all props and sets have been finished been built and ready to be put in place on stage Transport set from work shop to theatre venue Costume Designer And makeup artist 6 Check all costumes are finished Make sure any last minute orders have arrived ready in time for opening night, eg wigs Attend all rehearsals leading up to show opening Have all actors in costume for the dress rehearsals Check make up, and add suggestions to individual makeup artist, check how all actors look on stage. Administration 10-12 Organise the box office Sell tickets Work in FOH; sales, bar, ushering Organise and arrange FOH displays, Print Programs Look after the audience. Organise the theatre ready for the audience members Attend final rehearsals Set Builder 6 Install the set Repair any wear and tear damagers Fix all the minor details and finishing touches to the set. Paint the set Assist the set designer 7. Design: How would you describe the imaginative world of the musical? What is its Location? What is the period of your production? The period of this production is set in Pre-World War Two 1930s in Berlin, the capital city of Germany. This should be a minimum of 300 words, and rather than giving a synopsis of the productions. Should give an understanding of what you liked about it why it inspired you. It should be a personal response to the production, and should at least touch on how the technical elements of the production supported the narrative. Wicked My experience in theatre has been with amateur productions it was exciting to see a professional show of the magnitude of Wicked. The stage for Wicked was imaginative and impressive. The lighting in Wicked was particularly inspiring and I could easily make connections to my past lighting experience such as in Wizard of Oz, an amateur production I was involved in with a similar storyline. I can see how aspects of Wicked could be incorporated into the Wizard of Oz production to make it more professional. Special effects were projected throughout the production to add to the set and properties, to portray illusions into the audience. The image of Glinda opening entrance when she descended in a bubble onto the stage was fabulous. Another example was seen in the creating of rain. I was awed by the lighting effects produced by the projectors to create the backdrop of the magical green sparkle on the backdrop of the map of Oz which was seen as the opening and closing of the production. In the final scene in Act one during the song Defining Gravity, Glinda is singing about her feelings of being scared, after she was tricked by the wizard to use her magical powers to turn the talking monkey into an evil flying monkey unable to talk. She uses her flying broom stick to escape, I was inspired by the lighting as it was used in a dramatic way as she rises into the air, use of prism scattered gobos in all 5 intelligent fixtures focuses on her as she ascended into the sky, creating a powerful silhouette of colour and rays of light in all directions, ending in a quick blackout to end the song a very powerful ending using the lighting. The use of lighting elements such as colours to create mood, gobos to add patterns and shapes allows the audience to move from reality to the imaginary world of Oz. In Wicked the attention to detail was very obvious. The use of fairy lights built into the set and the use of tracks to move sets on and off stage was amazing and resulted in an impressive production. My goal is to produce theatre as amazing and as professional as what I saw in this production especially in lighting and sound.

Sports, Athletes, and Weight Loss: Health Concerns Essay -- Health Nut

Weight Loss by Athletes and Health Concerns Waking up, sophomore Mike Fumagalli would peel off the garbage bags and layers of clothing he had worn to bed the night before hoping to "sweat away" some extra weight. Throughout the day, he would ask teachers to use their trashcans and would spit constantly. Sometimes, he would even cut his hair or sit in a sauna, all to lose a couple more pounds. Many people may wonder why someone would go to such extreme measures just to lose a few pounds. For Fumagalli, the answer was simply: "Everyone likes to win. That's why you cut weight." "Cutting weight" is a term that refers to a wrestler's attempt to lose a certain amount of weight in order to compete in a particular weight category in wrestling competitions. Some wrestlers choose to lose weight so they can find a spot on the team, said Keith Healy, varsity wrestling coach of the nationally ranked team at Smallville High School. Since only a certain number of slots are open per weight class, a wrestler may be beat out of a spot at one weight but perhaps can drop down to a lower weight where more openings are available. Junior Sean Randich said that cutting weight also could be important because as one moves down in weight classes it is easier to win. A common weight-loss method among the athletes is to wrap their body in garbage bags during exercise to maximize sweat loss, said Randich. He added that while the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) prohibits this method, it is still commonly practiced. JT wrestling coach "Mac" McLaughlin said that although he could not control what athletes did at home, at practice, garbage bags are not allowed. He added that most of his wrestlers, in fact, wear onl... ... children's bodies," said Haas. McLaughlin said that he tells parents, "If your kid looks like he's getting tired, souped out, stop." Healy also consults parents about their child's weight loss and said that before any wrestler on his team makes the decision to cut a large amount of weight, he first consults the parents. "Because of cutting weight, my mom doesn't like the whole sport," said Fumagalli. He said that while his mom was supportive in helping him cut weight by doing such things as making salads, she drew the line when he began to get sick. Fumagalli, who said he frequently cut weight in junior high, said he lost 12 pounds before this season but stopped when he started to get light-headed and dizzy. "There is a fine line between determination of sport and health," said Fumagalli. "Strength is more important than losing two pounds."

Emergency And Disaster Management Essay

There has been an increase in disasters in the world as exhibited in the recent past. Since time immemorial, disasters have been known to occur causing emergency situations in many parts of the world. As a result of disasters, there is loss of life, destruction of properties worth million of shillings, mass displacement of millions of people leading to refuge status, psychological trauma among other issues (Cuny, 1983, p. 29). However, the severity of the above results depends on a country’s disaster preparedness and mitigation measures that have been put in place. The modern world calls for quick response to disasters and various governments have formulated policies on how to deal with disasters and most importantly how to avoid them. Funds have been set aside that caters for any emergency situations that warrant a quick response by all sectors. According to Alexander (2002, p. 20), a disaster is a calamity which can be as a result of humans or can be natural and disposes a high risk to loss of life, deterioration of the health status of the affected, loss and destruction of properties and most at often causes environmental deterioration through loss of habitat and ecological imbalance. Disasters result from a failure to handle a risk factor in the vulnerable environment or people. It is unfortunate, that most disasters with tragic and greater consequences affect the so called developing countries as compared to industrialized nations. Hoffman & Smith (2002, p. 20), notes that greater than 95% of fatal cases as a result of disaster occurs in less industrialized nations. Furthermore, natural disasters account for more than 20 times the losses in developing countries as compared to the industrialized nations. Read more:Â  Role of State Government in Disaster Management Theses observations beg the question; what needs to be done in these developing nations so as to reduce the consequences of disasters. The answer can be found in developing an effective disaster management program to cater for emergencies. This essay focuses on development of a disaster management program specifically for China which is prone to disasters. It will tackle issues to do with hazard analysis, prevention, preparedness, response and the recovery plans in case of a disaster. Frequency and impact of disasters in China China as a country in the far eastern side of the Asian continent is prone to many natural and man-made disasters. In the recent past, it has topped in disaster occurrences in the world with rise in the death toll and destruction of properties. China has an occurrence of six of disasters in the world which are classified as deadly due to their severe consequences. Among this top six disasters, the leading three affected China leading to deaths calculated to be in millions of people (CRED, 2009, para. 4). Historically, the China floods of 1931 had the greatest death toll of over 2 million people followed by the Yellow River floods of 1887 which had a death toll of over 0. 9 million. Thirdly, the Shaanxi earthquake which occurred in 1556 claimed 0. 83 million lives. The frequency of occurrence of disasters in China has hindered both economic and social development of the country due to the resulting consequences. This has posed a challenge to the government of China in its effort to alleviate poverty mostly in the rural populations and in highly populated provinces. Efforts have been put in maintaining a data base for the disaster prone areas by organizations like International Disease Database (EM-DAT) and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. This data helps in identifying the most disaster prone areas so as efforts are enhanced to reduce the risks involved therefore mitigating the hazard (CRED, 2009, para. 3-6). China has had an increased risk to occurrence of disasters than any other in the continent of Asia. Recently in August of 2010, China has been affected by landslides that resulted in the death of at least 127 people while thousands were missing and many people had to be evacuated to safer grounds. In this same year hundreds of people were feared dead in the mountainous area of Qinnghai after a 6. 9 earthquake struck the area. The area is inhabited by poor people who are highly prone to this kind of disaster. In 2009, there was also earthquake that killed more than 5000 students. Also, mine blasts were recorded to have caused deaths in this same year (Poyzner, 2010, para. 5). In the year 2008, several earthquakes were reported that caused deaths that amounted to thousands of people. In the same year land slides were reported causing destruction of property and loss of lives. The year 2005 was marked by mine blasts that consumed several lives of mine workers. Virulent outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome were recorded which also consumed several lives. As observed from the above data, three major disasters affecting China are Earthquakes, landslides and floods (Ponserre & Hoyois, 2006, para. 2-7). Frequency and impacts of earthquakes, landslides and floods in China According to Young et al. (2007, p. 299), China is one of the countries that experiences very strong intra-continental seismicity that leads to the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the country. High frequency has been noted in the Northern parts of China which have resulted into deaths of many people in that area. Occurrence of earthquakes in China is always catastrophic with china topping the list of the world’s earthquakes that have caused many loss of life. Since 1976, the Sichuan earthquake tops the list of casualties having caused the death of close to 70,000 people. Since then, the government of the People’s Republic of China took upon itself to come up with an earth quake administration that operated nationally. Among the duties of this institution were to conduct monitoring of occurrence of earthquakes, conduct research in areas that were recorded to be prone or vulnerable especially in the north. Additionally, they had the responsibility of coordinating all emergency efforts in case an earthquake occurred. The institution changed its name after being legally mandated by an Act in their legislative laws. In 1998, it became the China Earthquake Administration that oversees the independent earthquake administrations in the provinces and regions. The well coordinated efforts of this institution have seen quick emergency response to earthquake disasters thus minimizing the number of deaths. Earthquake occurrence in China is high compared to other nations around it. In this year alone, 300 people perished in April as a result of a 2. 9 earthquake. The year 2009 also recorded deaths from earthquakes. The year 2008 will remain remembered by many in China as in the month of May, over 50,000 people perished in southern China. The same quake caused a lot of destruction to infrastructure with 80% of buildings collapsing in one county. Earthquakes have a high occurrence in China with hardly a year passing without any reports of earthquake. Joint efforts are called for in case of emergencies. In China the army is involved in conducting evacuation of the victims, providing medical services to the ailing evacuees, they undertake construction works to open communication and provide temporary shelters to the affected. China has been said to be geologically vulnerable to occurrence of landslides mainly due its topography. Several factors come into play that influences the occurrence of landslides. This includes the climatic conditions mainly targeting on rainfall patterns, the soil type and its qualities and off course the soil covering in the said areas (Reilly, 2010, para. 5). Recently, there have been heavy rains in China which has resulted into a landslide in the hilly areas of Gansu. The landslide that occurred in the second week of August killed at least 127 people and left thousands missing. In addition, thousands of people had to be evacuated to safer grounds to reduce the casualty. In July, still several people were reported missing as a result of a landslide in the southern parts of China. In the year 2009, southern China also experienced a major landslide that caused a lot of destruction to buildings and infrastrures such as roads and bridges. The year 2008 was not left behind, with a landslide that occurred in a mine without an operating license killing 254 people. As indicated above the impacts of these disasters are many with death topping the list, loss of properties and infrastructure and movement of people thus having a percentage of people who are homeless in their own country? Nationally, theses disasters are a hindrance to economic growth and prosperity. They create disharmony in efforts to develop and are time and money consuming which would have been otherwise used somewhere else. Also, they create psychological stress and the people’s productivity is lowered. This has left many in poverty and relying on aid from well wishers and the government. The climatic conditions experienced in China exposes it to flooding. China experiences heavy rains in some seasons in the years causing breaking of river banks and the drainage system. What follows is flood waters everywhere especially in the low lying areas sometimes reaching heights of over one meter. Currently in the month of August, China has experienced heavy summer rains causing flooding and mudslides in the provinces of Gansu and Yunnan. In the recent months alone, floods and landslides have caused the death of more than 1,500 residents who were unlucky and failed to be evacuated. In the months of June and July, more than 4200 people had to be evacuated to safer grounds in a government coordinated rescue mission. A critical observation of flood data points the southern parts of China as the most vulnerable to flooding. China alone tops the world in the top six slots of the most catastrophic floods and landslides to be recorded in history. In the year 1931, the most catastrophic landslide in the world was recorded with deaths ranging from 2-4 million people. This flood also secures the first position as the top natural disaster in history having caused the highest number of loss of lives. Despite China being faced with lots of torrential rains in summer which cause floods, it produces a record grain harvest. However, the yields have been affected by the floods. Apart from deaths caused by floods, they also impact negatively on crop yield by destroying crops in the farming fields. This has led to loss of millions of yuans in the export market and also confounded poverty index in China (Watts, 2010, para. 6). Apart from this, the floods have left millions of the Chinese people who live in the low level farm lands homeless and without a source of livelihood. There have been government efforts to construct levees and also hydroelectric projects from the flood waters. The government has involved planners in developing projects that will see water being diversified into regions that receive less rainfall in the northern parts of the country. This will enable the excess water to be channeled to the arid regions. This will serve two purposes of controlling floods and trying to improve the agricultural activities in the north. Differences in frequencies and impacts of disasters The northern part of China has a diffuse zone which is prone to seismic activities as compared to other parts of China or even other countries. The plate tectonics theory as is known by geologists helps in understanding seismic actions in China. There are tectonic movements due to the influence of the Indo-Asian collision due to motions in the crust in the continental China. There is gravitational movement leading to spreading of the tectonic plates which has a major influence in the deformation of the crust in much of Asia. The northern China block experiences higher seismicity than the southern parts due to high stress forces in the northern plates. The south China lacks this stress forces and moves together as one block hence reduced or no seismic activity. Research has also shown that, as a result of previous seismic activity, an area is left prone to occurrences of similar stresses and seismic activity (Yang, 2007, p. 3). This explains the frequency of occurrence of tectonic earthquakes in the northern parts unlike in other areas of the continental Asia. China as indicated above has been faced by many catastrophic floods that have resulted into many losses. There are many causes of floods which lead to China being more vulnerable to them in comparison to other nations. First and foremost, China experiences heavy torrential rains in summer most in the southern parts of the country. The rains come in flashes which often supersedes the holding capacity of China’s drainage system. Most of the rivers in the affected areas break their banks leading to water spreading in the low lying areas which are mainly inhabited by the farmers. This causes havoc to their crops and their dwellings. In its efforts to industrialization, China has many factories and motor vehicles in their roads (Hilhorst, Dijkzeul & Herman, 2010, p. 122) This has led to pollution of the air and hence the ozone layer is destroyed. As a result global warming is accelerated and this has led to snowmelt in spring and the water going into the sea. The rise in sea level consequently causes a rise in the river levels which then breaks and cause flooding. The relief of China also hastens flooding. In the lowlands, the rivers will flow much slowly and any change in the water volume will cause flooding in the low lying areas. China borders the ocean in a very large area unlike other countries. The coastal areas experiences high tides and heavy storms that leads to rise in the sea level. If the level surpasses the level of the low lands at the coast, flooding occurs in these areas. In addition, the high population in China also may exacerbate the problem of flooding. The high population needs life necessities like food and shelter. As a result, they cultivate and inhabit the low lying areas which are prone to flooding. Their uncontrolled cultivation of the land will lead to soil erosion and the land cover is destroyed. The land is therefore left bare and with increased risks of floods during heavy rains. Many forces do interplay to hold the land surfaces together. The force of critical importance is friction which holds the various layers of the soil in a compact nature. Any interruption to this force of friction causes a slippery motion and results in landslides. Gravity plays the key factor in causation of landslides. If at any time the force of gravity supersedes the force of friction, a landslide will occur. Water is the common trigger of landslide since the sippage of water into the ground causes reduction of friction that exists between the bedrock and the upper sediment layers of soil. When this happens, debris of soil is sent downhill. Due to the torrential rainfall in China, landslides are imminent especially in the sloppy areas. China experiences a high frequency of earthquakes as compared to any other country. Consequently, the seismic waves cause vibration in the earth’s surface which upsets the existing frictional forces and causes landslides (Helmer & Hilhorst, 2006, p. 106). Landslides are therefore common in earthquake regions as well as areas prone to flooding. Volcanic eruptions have also been shown to result in landslides in areas that have recently experienced volcanic activity. In addition, human activities like blasting during mining process and vibrations as a result of heavy traffic also cause earthquakes. China has had its citizens lose their lives as a result of mine blasting activities as the mines collapse burying the miners alive. China has had its exceptional share of these disasters as a result of these predisposing factors. Conclusion In conclusion, disasters have continued affecting many parts of this world. Despite the preparations that are put in place a lot deserves to be enhanced to minimize the tendency of occurrence of disasters. While some natural disasters are inevitable as they are beyond human control, mitigational measures should be enhanced to take care of the rise in these cases. China tops the list of most fatal disasters that have been recorded in historical times. The top three have been the frequent earthquakes in the northern parts, deadly floods in the low lying areas which have brought havoc to the people inhabiting these areas and finally the landslides which also have caused destruction of property. With these disasters occurring frequently in china, the government has had to come up with an authority that is concerned with disaster management. It has a well established system of disaster mitigation which tends to prevent the disposing hazards turning into disasters. Secondly, they have preparedness measures that involve enhancing their capabilities to fight disasters. They also do have a well developed disaster response system (Harrald, 2006, p. 256). Finally, recovery measures are enhanced to return into normalcy. Whatever they do all efforts must be directed towards saving lives. References Alexander, D. (2002). Principles of Emergency planning and Management. Harpended: Terra publishing. CRED (2009). The International Disaster Database: EM-DAT. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. unisdr. org/disaster-statistics/impact-killed. htm Cuny, F. (1983). Disasters and Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harrald, J. (2006). Agility and Discipline: Critical Success Factors for Disaster Response. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 604, 256. Helmer, M. & Hilhorst, D. (2006). Natural Disasters and Climate Change. Disasters, 30 (3), 100- 107 Hilhorst, D, Dijkzeul, D. & Herman, J. (2010). Social Dynamics of Humanitarian Action. Disasters, 34 (3), 120-125. Hoffman. S. & Smith, A. (2002). Catastrophe and Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster. Santa Fe NM: School of American Research Press. Ponserre, S. & Hoyois, P. (2006). Disaster statistics 1991-2005. Internationa; Strategy for Disaster Reduction. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. unisdr. org/disaster-statistics/introduction. htm Poyzner, M. (2010). China, Disasters Timeline. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. mapreport. com/subtopics/d/countries/china. html Reilly, M. (2010). China’s Giant Landslide: Natural or Man-made Disaster? Discovery News. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://news. discovery. com/earth/chinas-giant-landslide-natural-or-man-made-disaster. html Watts, J. (2010). China Devastated by Floods. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 18/08/2010 from: http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2010/jun/20/china-devastated-floods Yang, M. et al. (2007), Active Tectonics and Intracontinental Earthquakes in China: The Kinematics and Geodynamics. The Geology Society of America, 20 (5), 299-306.

The New Testament Times

The Jewish religious world is considered to be one of the major themes during the New Testament times. In order to fully understand the New Testament, one must have a clearer understanding of what are the possible similarities or possible differences between the Jewish religious world and non-Jewish religious world during the time of Christ. The core focus during the instant of the Old Testament was the law and the covenant, but during the time of the New Testament, it was Jesus Christ. Let us first consider the non-Jewish religious world as the Christian world. The main similarity between the Jews and the non-Jew, particularly the Christians, is that they believed in the same God and both groups have acknowledged the authority of the Old Testament. However, one of the main differences between the Jews and the Christians lies in each cluster’s perception of the â€Å"messiah†. It has been said that long before the time of Jesus Christ, most Jews have already hoped for the coming of the â€Å"messiah†, a powerful, successful conquering king from the blood lineage of King David. This king is said to be the one who would lead Israel to the peak of glory, with peace and victory all over the state. However, during Christ’s time, his disciples had already acclaimed Him as the â€Å"Messiah†. Consequently, Christians regarded the â€Å"messiah† as their means of spiritual salvation because of Christ’s nature as Son of God. Contrasting to what the Jews have believed, Christ had not lived to be a great political figure but a sacrificing, crucified individual who made radical statements, some of which is contradictory with the Jewish religious world. These radical statements lead to the acceptance of Gentiles or non-Jews into the community. Jesus taught that the basis for God’s acceptance is faith. The church embraces Jews and non-Jews alike. Conflicting with the idea, the Pharisees believed that God is particular with obedience of the law from the Old Testament. They supposed that the practice of high moral ideas will make them rightfully religious. Thus, they considered themselves as holier than non-Pharisees. During the New Testament times, Christianity spread to Asia Minor and Greece. The Jews also spread and had large populations in cities around the world. With the Christians and the Jews compared and contrasted, let us now consider the non-Jewish religious world as the Greco-Roman religious world, also during the same period. One great difference between the Jewish religious world and the Greco-Roman religious world is the number of gods in which each religious world recognizes. The Jews believed in only one God, the same God of the Christians. However, the Greek and the Romans have venerated a number of deities. The Greek and Roman religion is said to have merged during the time of the New Testament. This resulted to different cults with one god or goddess being patronized. Contradictory with the high moral standards of the Jewish religious world, these cults are said to conduct festivals in honor of their god or goddess in which they engage in â€Å"immoral† activities. The Cult of Attis, as an example, involves many orgies. Another example is the Cult of Bacchus in which its followers, during the festive days, engage in drunken frenzies to commemorate the gift of life. Reference: Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Vol. 3. USA: Grolier Incorporated. 2002. pp.102-106 Key Elements of the Background to the New Testament.   Available: May 6, 2006