Ways of the World Essay Example for Free

Ways of the World Essay The Reemergence of a Unified China 1. What are some of the causes that allowed Buddhism and Daoism to creep into China? 2. In what way did the Sui Dynasty unify China from 589-618? 3. Discuss the ways in which the Tang and Song Dynasties were regarded as the â€Å"Golden Age of Chinese Achievement.† Culturally— Politically— Economically— 4. In what ways did women’s lives change during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties? China and the Northern Nomads: A Chinese World Order in the Making 5. Why did the Chinese interact with their nomadic neighbors to the north? 6. Even though China saw itself as â€Å"the center of the world,† why did it allow itself to deal with the â€Å"barbarians?† 7. Why did the Chinese government often give other states gifts that were in fact worth more than the tribute those states paid to China? 8. Who were the Xiongnu, the Uighurs, the Khitan, and the Jurchen in relation to the Chinese ? Xiongnu Uighurs Khitan and Jurchen— 9. Did the Chinese convert large numbers of the northern nomads to Chinese cultural ways? Why or Why not? Coping with China: Comparing Korea, Vietnam, and Japan 10. In what political, economic, and social ways did Korea, Vietnam, and Japan experience and respond to Chinese influence? 11. What’s the significance of the Trung Sisters in Vietnam? 12. In what different ways did Japanese and Korean women experience the pressures of Confucian orthodoxy (practices, beliefs)? 13. Why didn’t the Japanese succeed in creating an effective centralized and bureaucratic state to match that of China? China and the Eurasian World Economy 14. What techniques or technologies did China export to other regions of Eurasia? China and Buddhism 15. Between 300 and 800 C.E., what helped to facilitate the acceptance of Buddhism in China? 16. What were the major sources of opposition to Buddhism in China?

a piece of her mind :: essays research papers

Often our choices are based upon our basic needs and what makes us feel safe. Yet, there is always that minute doubt tangled within our gut, wondering what would have happened if we took the dangerous, the hesitant, and the more thrilling path. One of the most universal experiences human beings face as we begin to age is we start to look back upon our lives and wonder if we made the right choices. For some people, they experience a â€Å"mid life crisis† and choose to start all over again, desperately yearning for a different result. Others dwell in a sense of melancholy, saddened by their fantasies of what life could have been had they chosen â€Å"the other path.† What if I had married differently? What if I had chosen a different career? These â€Å"what ifs† begin to pile on top on one another, creating a disappointing mountain of uncertainty and speculation. Within Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf portrays Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway as a woman who is exploring the se questions in a single afternoon of her life. If Mrs. Dalloway were to have kept a diary during this one day in her life, the following is an excerpt of what I think she would have written in it. Dear Diary,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"As a cloud crossed the sun, silence falls on London: and falls on the mind. Effort ceases. Time flaps on the mast. There we stop; there we stand. Rigid, the skeleton of habit upholds the human frames.†(49) Earlier today, he just stood there in front of me, his failure figure seeming more daunting than ever before. As my eyes met his, drapes of memory began to unravel within my mind, uncovering the ancient sheds of abandoned feelings. It was too difficult to ignore the pulsating pain I felt when my eyes met hit. My eyes frantically searched for an escape outlet. As I passed through the gigantic wooden doors towards the small room, I was forced to confront the amber-stillness of a surprisingly placeless place. I scanned the room I had just finished cleaning nearly an hour earlier. While it all appeared to be in order and cleansed of any dust or untidiness, any slight disorder popped out at me. The tired shelves leaned to one side under the weight of abs ent books, now pushed to the floor perhaps by the wind. Faces were covering the wall, trapped in black and white cruelty of photographs and the muted murmur of faded laughter.

The Truth Regarding Puppy Mills

Page 2 Puppy mills have long been a problem in the United States, specifically the Midwest region. Puppy mill dogs live in cages 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The dogs’ only purpose in life is â€Å"to sit in a cage, constantly producing more puppies to make a profit for their owners† (Best Friends Network, 2007). The dogs have little to no human interaction. Puppy mills are licensed facilities, which mass-produce puppies for pet stores and/or auctions, and should be banned due to the horrible conditions in which the animals live; they are bred repeatedly, and often killed when having outlived their usefulness. According to Pet Shop Puppies (n. d. ), Congress enacted the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA was meant to protect the animals, but instead opened up the door for dog farms. This act changed the definition of dogs from pets to livestock. Today we have moved up from dog farms to puppy mills. Puppy mills breed dogs repeatedly and have turned breeding into a multi-million dollar industry. Best Friends Network states there is an estimated 6,000 licensed puppy mills breeding approximately 500,000 dogs each year with an unknown amount of unlicensed facilities (The Skinny On Puppy Mills section, final paragraph). Puppy mill owners breed dogs, sell the offspring to pet stores and auction houses. The puppies are sent to auction to be sold to the highest bidder in order for other puppy mills to be able to continue the breeding cycle. When puppy mills run out of new dogs to breed, they will begin breeding mother to son, daughter to father, etc. creating inbreeding. Inbreeding causes many genetic problems for any breed. Page 3 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires minimum standards for puppy mills, breeders, and rescues. According to Prisoners of Greed (n. ), the cages are required to be six inches longer, wider, and taller than the dog inside. The cages have to be made of coated wire. This coated wire cuts into the paws of the dogs causing severe infection, loss of limbs, and sometimes death. The USDA does not require dogs to be exercised. There is no requirement as to how clean the cages have to be kept. Often, the dog cages are stacked on top of one another to save space. The dog’s feces and urine drops through the coated wire bottom onto the dog(s) below. There are many differences between puppy mills and licensed rofessional breeders. A professional breeder only breeds to improve or sustain the breed. Puppy mills breed for purely profit. Professional breeders will only breed their dogs a maximum of once a year. Some breeders only breed their bitches every other year. Puppy mills breed their dogs repeatedly. When a person purchases a puppy from a professional breeder, the facilities, which the parent dogs live, is available for a tour. Puppy mills wholesale their puppies to stores and auction houses only. Puppy mills and private auctions are not licensed to sell directly to the public. This means the purchaser is unable to see the conditions of which the parent dogs live. Professional breeders will retire their dogs once they are too old to be used for reproduction. Retirement means these dogs get to live out their life as a family pet. Puppy mills kill the dogs, dump them on the side of the road, give them away, or send them to animal control once they are not able to reproduce. According to the USDA, animal control is not required to keep a surrendered dog for any length of time. Animal control is free to euthanize the animal when the owner brings them in. Page 4 The USDA has many responsibilities. The USDA is responsible for inspecting yearly all professional breeders, puppy mills, and rescues. When the USDA inspects the officer is required to enforce the federal AWA. The USDA does not always fine or shut down puppy mills when the officer discovers a violation. These facilities are allowed to continue to operate while the animals are kept in poor conditions. According to Prisoners of Greed (n. d. ) â€Å"there are over 4,000 federally licensed breeding kennels†. In Susan Montee’s report (2008), Missouri State Auditor, the USDA â€Å"failed to inspect 1,111 of 2,769 licensed animal care facilities in 2006. The same report states only 27% of licensed facilities were inspected in 2004. In Claire McCaskill’s report (2004), Missouri State Auditor, the USDA has received three negative reports in the last seven years. These reports inspections by the Missouri State Auditor happen every other year. The issue being the USDA is required annually to inspect every li censed animal care facility and is not even inspecting half. Puppy mills treat their dogs like livestock. The dogs live in small cages, stacked on top of each other, with a coated wire bottom cutting into their feet. The dogs breed repeatedly with no attention paid to genetic defects. Sick puppies are often produced and sold to pet stores. These pet stores in turn sell the sick puppies to the public (S. Rhoades, personal interview, June 7, 2009). There are people, which have the mindset of only buying from pet stores because they only want a purebred puppy, and do not want to pay the prices professional breeders charge. (S. Rhoades June 7, 2009) There are many pure bred dogs on death row at animal shelters all over the Midwest. (S. Rhoades, personal interview, June 7, 2009) It is important the general public knows the truth regarding where that cute puppy was born, and where its parents live. (S. Rhoades, personal interview, June 7, 2009) There are also breed specific rescues, which have Page 5 only purebred puppies and dogs for adoption. As long as we have dogs on death row do not breed or buy, adopt from the local animal shelter or rescue. (S. Rhoades, personal interview, June 7, 2009) Page 6 References Best Friends Network, The Skinny on Puppy Mills [A. Abern]. (October 20, 2007) http://network. estfriends. org/puppymillrescue/news/19928. html Pet Shop Puppies, Incorporated ( n. d. ). The Joy of a Puppy. Brochure distributed by Pet Shop Pet Shop Puppies, Incorporated [no author]. (2004-2009). The Truth Behind Pet Store Puppies. June 3, 2009, http://www. petshoppuppies. org/psppuppymills. htm Prisoners of Greed [no author]. (n. d. ). Puppymills Breed Misery. June 3, 2009, http://www. prisonersofgreed. org/Com mercial-kennel-facts. html Rhoades, S. (June 7, 2009). Personal interview with S. Rhoades, Follow Me Home Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, http://www. followmehome. org

Why Homeschooling Is The Best Education For The Modern...

There truly is no place like one’s home. Confucius said, â€Å"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.† The knowledge one gains at home, technically a child s first classroom, is the knowledge one will carry with them for the rest of their lives. This is why homeschooling is the best education for the modern generation. As the value on knowledge increases, making a decision on a child’s educational behalf, in order to give them the best possible future, continues on with complexity. There’s a variety of answers when trying to solve the problem of education, but many argue that public schooling is the correct answer. Yet one must consider is the most obvious solution best? The benefits associated with home education†¦show more content†¦Even though the option of learning to read and write was available, children learned just enough to handle basic concepts. The effectiveness of homeschooling was not in question during the e ighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Some of the most famous writers and inventors received the majority of their education at home. Thomas Edison, only attended three months of public school, and was taught mostly by his mother. Other famous homeschoolers include: Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Charles Dickens and Alexander Graham Bell. After attendance laws became effective, America began relying on public and private schools to educate children. Homeschooling soon became something practiced only by rural families, and within Amish communities. It was rare during this time for families to homeschool. Although in our modern day society, the National Center for Education Statistics, the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations estimates, â€Å"Millions of students are homeschooled in the United States† (NCES). Demonstrating that homeschooling is becoming viewed as a reasonable option for education. More i mportantly families in the United States are realizing and taking advantage of the many benefits that come with educating a child in the home. A child’s mind is like a flower, if said flower is well tended to and given enough attention it will grow,