Japanese Music Essay

There are two forms of music recognized to be the oldest forms of traditional Japanese music. They are shÃ… myÃ…  (Ã¥ £ °Ã¦ËœÅ½ or è  ²Ã¦ËœÅ½?), or Buddhist chanting, and gagaku (é›…æ ¥ ½?) or orchestral court music, both of which date to the Nara and Heian periods.[citation needed] Gagaku is a type of classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court since the Heian period[citation needed]. Kagura-uta (ç ¥Å¾Ã¦ ¥ ½Ã¦ ­Å'), Azuma-asobi(æ  ±Ã© Å ) and Yamato-uta (Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥â€™Å'æ ­Å') are indigenous repertories. TÃ… gaku (å” Ã¦ ¥ ½) and komagaku originated from the Chinese Tang dynasty via the Korean peninsula[citation needed]. In addition, gagaku is divided into kangen (ç ® ¡Ã¥ ¼ ¦) (instrumental music) and bugaku (舞æ ¥ ½) (dance accompanied by gagaku). Originating as early as the 13th century are honkyoku (æÅ" ¬Ã¦â€º ² â€Å"original pieces†). These are single (solo) shakuhachi (Ã¥ ° ºÃ¥â€¦ «) pieces played by mendicant Fuke sect priests o f Zen buddhism[citation needed]. These priests, called komusÃ…  (â€Å"emptiness monk†), played honkyoku for alms and enlightenment. The Fuke sect ceased to exist in the 19th century, but a verbal and written lineage of many honkyoku continues today, though this music is now often practiced in a concert or performance setting.[citation needed] The samurai often listened to and performed in these music activities, in their practices of enriching their lives and understanding[citation needed]. Traditional music[edit source | editbeta] Biwa hÃ… shi, Heike biwa, mÃ… sÃ… , and goze[edit source | editbeta] The biwa (ç  µÃ§  ¶ – Chinese: pipa), a form of short-necked lute, was played by a group of itinerant performers (biwa hÃ… shi) (ç  µÃ§  ¶Ã¦ ³â€¢Ã¥ ¸ «) who used it to accompany stories.[citation needed] The most famous of these stories is The Tale of the Heike, a 12th-century history of the triumph of the Minamoto clan over the Taira[citation needed]. Biwa hÃ… shi began organizing themselves into a guild-like association (tÃ… dÃ… ) for visually impaired men as early as the thirteenth century. This guild eventually controlled a large portion of the musical culture of Japan.[citation needed] In addition, numerous smaller groups of itinerant blind musicians were formed especially in the Kyushu area[citation needed]. These musicians, known as mÃ… sÃ…  (ç› ²Ã¥Æ' § blind monk) toured their local areas and performed a variety of religious and semi-religious texts to purify households and bring about good health and good luck. They also maintained a repertory of secular genres. The biwa that they played was considerably smaller than the Heike biwa (Ã¥ ¹ ³Ã¥ ® ¶Ã§  µÃ§  ¶) played by the biwa hÃ… shi.[citation needed] Lafcadio Hearn related in his book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things â€Å"Mimi-nashi Hoichi† (Hoichi the Earless), a Japanese ghost story about a blind biwa hÃ… shi who performs â€Å"The Tale of the Heike† Blind women, known as goze (çž ½Ã¥ ¥ ³), also toured the land since the medieval era, singing songs and playing accompanying music on a lap drum.[citation needed] From the seventee nth century they often played the koto or the shamisen. Goze organizations sprung up throughout the land, and existed until recently in what is today Niigata prefecture.[citation needed] Taiko[edit source | editbeta] Taiko performing The taiko is a Japanese drum that comes in various sizes and is used to play a variety of musical genres.[citation needed] It has become particularly popular in recent years as the central instrument of percussion ensembles whose repertory is based on a variety of folk and festival music of the past. Such taiko music is played by large drum ensembles called kumi-daiko. Its origins are uncertain, but can be stretched out as far back as the 7th centuries, when a clay figure of a drummer indicates its existence. China influences followed, but the instrument and its music remained uniquely Japanese.[5] Taiko drums during this period were used during battle to intimidate the enemy and to communicate commands. Taiko continue to be used in the religious music of Buddhism and ShintÃ… . In the past players were holy men, who played only at special occasions and in small groups, but in time secular men (rarely women) also played the taiko in semi-religious festivals such as the bon dance. Mod ern ensemble taiko is said to have been invented by Daihachi Oguchi in 1951[citation needed]. A jazz drummer, Oguchi incorporated his musical background into large ensembles, which he had also designed. His energetic style made his group popular throughout Japan, and made the Hokuriku region a center for taiko music. Musicians to arise from this wave of popularity included Sukeroku Daiko and his bandmate Seido Kobayashi. 1969 saw a group called Za Ondekoza founded by Tagayasu Den; Za Ondekoza gathered together young performers who innovated a new roots revival version of taiko, which was used as a way of life in communal lifestyles. During the 1970s, the Japanese government allocated funds to preserve Japanese culture, and many community taiko groups were formed. Later in the century, taiko groups spread across the world, especially to the United States. The video game Taiko Drum Master is based around taiko. One example of a modern Taiko band is Gocoo. Min’yÃ…  folk music[edit source | editbeta] A Japanese folkswoman with hershamisen, 1904 Main article: Min’yÃ…  Japanese folk songs (min’yÃ… ) can be grouped and classified in many ways but it is often convenient to think of four main categories: work songs, religious songs (such as sato kagura, a form of Shintoist music), songs used for gatherings such as weddings, funerals, and festivals (matsuri, especially Obon), and children’s songs (warabe uta). In min’yÃ… , singers are typically accompanied by the three-stringed lute known as the shamisen, taiko drums, and a bamboo flute called shakuhachi. Other instruments that could accompany are a transverse flute known as the shinobue, a bell known as kane, a hand drum called the tsuzumi, and/or a 13-stringed zither known as the koto. In Okinawa, the main instrument is the sanshin. These are traditional Japanese instruments, but modern instrumentation, such as electric guitars and synthesizers, is also used in this day and age, when enka singers cover traditional min’yÃ…  songs (Enkabeing a Japanese music genre all its own).[6] (For a detailed English-language study of all aspects of min’yÃ… , see the 395-page book by David Hughes.)[6] Terms often heard when speaking about min’yÃ…  are ondo, bushi, bon uta, and komori uta. An ondo generally describes any folk song with a distinctive swing that may be heard as 2/4 time rhythm (though performers usually do not group beats). The typical folk song heard at Obon festival dances will most likely be an ondo. A fushi is a song with a distinctive melody. Its very name, which is pronounced â€Å"bushi† in compounds, means â€Å"melody† or â€Å"rhythm.† The word is rarely used on its own, but is usually prefixed by a term referring to occupation, location, personal name or the like. Bon uta, as the name describes, are songs for Obon, the lantern festival of the dead. Komori uta are children’s lullabies. The names of min’yo songs often include descriptive term, usually at the end. For example: Tokyo Ondo, Kushimoto Bushi, Hokkai Bon Uta, and Itsuki no Komoriuta. Many of these songs include extra stress on certain syllables as well as pitched shouts (kakegoe). Kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer but inmin’yÃ… , they are often included as parts of choruses. There are many kakegoe, though they vary from region to region. In Okinawa Min’yÃ… , for example, one will hear the common â€Å"ha iya sasa!† In mainland Japan, however, one will be more likely to hear â€Å"a yoisho!,† â€Å"sate!,† or â€Å"a sore!† Others ar e â€Å"a donto koi!,† and â€Å"dokoisho!† Recently a guild-based system known as the iemoto system has been applied to some forms of min’yÃ… ; it is called. This system was originally developed for transmitting classical genres such as nagauta, shakuhachi, or koto music, but since it proved profitable to teachers and was supported by students who wished to obtain certificates of proficiency and artist’s names continues to spread to genres such as min’yÃ… , Tsugaru-jamisen and other forms of music that were traditionally transmitted more informally. Today some min’yÃ…  are passed on in such pseudo-family organizations and long apprenticeships are common. See also Ainu music of north Japan. Okinawan folk music[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Ryukyuan music Umui, religious songs, shima uta, dance songs, and, especially kachÄ shÄ «, lively celebratory music, were all popular. Okinawan folk music varies from mainland Japanese folk music in several ways. First, Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by the sanshin whereas in mainland Japan, the shamisen accompanies instead. Other Okinawan instruments include the sanba (which produce a clicking sound similar to that of castanets), taiko and a sharp finger whistling called yubi-bue (æÅ'‡ç ¬â€º?). Second, tonality. A pentatonic scale, which coincides with the major pentatonic scale of Western musical disciplines, is often heard in min’yÃ…  from the main islands of Japan, see minyÃ…  scale. In this pentatonic scale the subdominant and leading tone (scale degrees 4 and 7 of the Western major scale) are omitted, resulting in a musical scale with no half-steps between each note. (Do, Re, Mi, So, La in solfeggio, or scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) Okinawan min’yÃ… , however, is characterized by scales that include the half-steps omitted in the aforementioned pentatonic scale, when analyzed in the Western discipline of music. In fact, the most common scale used in Okinawan min’yÃ…  includes scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Traditional instruments[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Traditional Japanese musical instruments * Biwa (ç  µÃ§  ¶) * Fue (ç ¬â€º) * Hichiriki (ç ¯ ³Ã§ ¯ ¥) * Hocchiku (æ ³â€¢Ã§ « ¹) * HyÃ… shigi (æ‹ Ã¥ ­ Ã¦Å" ¨) * Kane (é Ëœ) * Kakko (éž ¨Ã© ¼â€œ) * KokyÃ… « (èÆ' ¡Ã¥ ¼â€œ) * Koto (ç  ´) * Niko (ä ºÅ'èÆ' ¡) * Okawa (AKA Ã…Å'tsuzumi) (Ã¥ ¤ §Ã© ¼â€œ) * RyÃ… «teki (ç «Å"ç ¬â€º) * Sanshin (ä ¸â€°Ã§ ·Å¡) * Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) (Ã¥ ° ºÃ¥â€¦ «) * Shamisen　 (ä ¸â€°Ã¥â€˜ ³Ã§ ·Å¡) * Shime-Daiko (ç ·  Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ© ¼â€œ) * Shinobue (ç ¯  Ã§ ¬â€º) * ShÃ…  (ç ¬â„¢) * Suikinkutsu (water zither) (æ ° ´Ã§  ´Ã§ ªÅ¸) * Taiko (i.e. Wadaiko)Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ© ¼â€œÃ¯ ½Å¾Ã¥â€™Å'Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ© ¼â€œ * Tsuzumi (é ¼â€œ) (AKA Kotsuzumi) ————————————————- Arrival of Western music[edit source | editbeta] Traditional pop music[edit source | editbeta] Main articles: RyÃ… «kÃ… ka, KayÃ… kyoku, and Enka After the Meiji Restoration introduced Western musical instruction, a bureaucrat named Izawa Shuji compiled songs like â€Å"Auld Lang Syne† and commissioned songs using a pentatonicmelody.[citation needed] Western music, especially military marches, soon became popular in Japan.[citation needed] Two major forms of music that developed during this period were shoka, which was composed to bring western music to schools, and gunka, which are military marches with some Japanese elements..[citation needed] As Japan moved towards representative democracy in the late 19th century, leaders hired singers to sell copies of songs that aired their messages, since the leaders themselves were usually prohibited from speaking in public. The street performers were called enka-shi.[citation needed] Also at the end of the 19th century, an Osakan form of streetcorner singing became popular; this was called rÃ… kyoku. This included the first two Japanese stars, Yoshida Naramaru and Tochuken Kum oemon..[citation needed] Ichiro Fujiyama, influentialryÃ… «kÃ… ka singer Westernized pop music is called kayÃ… kyoku, which is said to have and first appeared in a dramatization of Resurrection by Tolstoy. The song â€Å"KachÃ… «sha no Uta†, composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was sung by Sumako Matsui in 1914. The song became a hit among enka-shi, and was one of the first major best-selling records in Japan.[citation needed] . RyÃ… «kÃ… ka, which adopted Western classical music, made waves across the country in the prewar period..[citation needed] Ichiro Fujiyamabecame popular in the prewar period, but war songs later became popular when the World War II occurred..[citation needed] KayÃ… kyoku became a major industry, especially after the arrival of superstar Misora Hibari.[citation needed] In the 1950s, tango and other kinds of Latin music, especially Cuban music, became very popular in Japan.[citation needed] A distinctively Japanese form of tango called dodompa also developed. KayÃ… kyoku became associated entirely with traditional Japanese struc tures, while more Western-style music was called Japanese pop ( or simply ‘JPop’).[citation needed] Enka music, adopting Japanese traditional structures, became quite popular in the postwar period, though its popularity has waned since the 1970s and enjoys little favour with contemporary youth.[citation needed] Famous enka singers include Hibari Misora, Saburo Kitajima, Ikuzo Yoshi and Kiyoshi Hikawa. Art music[edit source | editbeta] Western classical music[edit source | editbeta] Western classical music has a strong presence in Japan and the country is one of the most important markets for this music tradition.[citation needed], with Toru Takemitsu (famous as well for his avant-garde works and movie scoring) being the best known.[citation needed] Also famous is the conductor Seiji Ozawa. Since 1999 the pianist Fujiko Hemming, who plays Liszt and Chopin, has been famous and her CDs have sold millions of copies.[citation needed] Japan is also home to the world’s leading wind band.[citation needed], the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and the largest music competition of any kind, the All-Japan Band Association national contest.[citation needed] Western classical music does not represent Japan’s original culture. The Japanese were first exposed to it in the second half of the 19th century, after more than 200 years of national isolation during the Edo Period.[citation needed] But after that, Japanese studied classical music earnestly to make it a part of their own artistic culture. Orchestras * Gunma Symphony Orchestra * Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra * Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra * Japan Philharmonic Orchestra * Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra * Kyoto Symphony Orchestra * Kyushu Symphony Orchestra * Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra * New Japan Philharmonic * NHK Symphony Orchestra * Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa * Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra * Sapporo Symphony Orchestra * Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra * Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra * Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra * Tokyo Symphony Orchestra * Yamagata Symphony Orchestra * Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra Composers * RentarÃ…  Taki (1879–1903) * Kosaku Yamada (1886–1965) * Kiyoshi Nobutokiï ¼Ë†1887-1965ï ¼â€° * Yasuji Kiyose (1900–1981) * Masao Ohki (1901–1971) * SaburÃ…  Moroi (1903–1977) * Kunihiko Hashimoto (1904–1949) * TomojirÃ…  Ikenouchi (1906–1991) * Yoritsune Matsudaira (1907–2001) * Hisato Ohzawa (1907–1953) * ShirÃ…  Fukai (1907–1959) * Hisatada Otaka (1911–1951) * Akira Ifukube (1914–2006) * Fumio Hayasaka (1914–1955) * Minao Shibata (1916-1996) * YoshirÃ…  Irino (1921-1980) * Sadao Bekku (1922–2012) * Ikuma Dan (1924–2001) * Yasushi Akutagawa (1925–1989) * Roh Ogura (1926–1990) * Joji Yuasa (born 1929) * Toshiro Mayuzumi (1929–1997) * Akio Yashiro (1929–1976) * Teizo Matsumura (1929–2007) * Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996) * Makoto Moroi (born 1930) * Hikaru Hayashi (1931–2012) * Yuzo Toyama (born 1931) * Akira Miyoshi (born 1933) * Toshi Ichiyanagi (born 1933) * Maki Ishii (1936–2003) * Shigeaki Saegusa (born 1942) * Shin-ichiro Ikebe (born 1943) * Takashi Yoshimatsu (born 1953) * Akira Nishimura (born 1953) * Toshio Hosokawa (born 1955) Jazz[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Japanese jazz From the 1930s on (except during World War II, when it was repressed as music of the enemy)[citation needed] jazz has had a strong presence in Japan.[citation needed] The country is an important market for the music, and it is common that recordings unavailable in the United States or Europe are available there. A number of Japanese jazz musicians have achieved popularity abroad as well as at home.[citation needed] Musicians such as June (born in Japan) and Dan (third generation American born, of Hiroshima fame), and Sadao Watanabe have a large fan base outside their native country. Lately, club jazz or nu-jazz has become popular with a growing number of young Japanese.[citation needed] Native DJs such as Ryota Nozaki (Jazztronik), the two brothers Okino Shuya andOkino Yoshihiro of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Toshio Matsuura (former member of the United Future Organization) and DJ Shundai Matsuo creator of the popular monthly DJ event, Creole inBeppu, Japan as well as nu-jazz artists, Sleepw alker, GrooveLine, and Soil & â€Å"Pimp† Sessions have brought great change to the traditional notions of jazz in Japan. Some of the newer bands include Ego-Wrappin’ and Sakerock along with more experimental musicians such as Otomo Yoshihide and Keiji Haino. ————————————————- Popular music[edit source | editbeta] J-Pop[edit source | editbeta] Main article: J-pop J-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s pop and rock music, such as The Beatles, which led to bands such as Happy End fusing rock with Japanese music.[7] J-pop was further defined by Japanese New Wave bands such as Yellow Magic Orchestra andSouthern All Stars in the late 1970s.[8] Eventually, J-pop replaced kayÃ… kyoku (â€Å"Lyric Singing Music†, a term for Japanese pop music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene.[9]The term was coined by the Japanese media to distinguish Japanese music from foreign music. Dance and disco music[edit source | editbeta] Further information: Eurobeat and Para Para Momoiro Clover Z is known for its innovative dance performances.[10] In 1984, American musician Michael Jackson’s album Thriller became the first album by a Western artist to sell over one million copies in Japanese Oricon charts history.[11] His style is cited as one of the models for Japanese dance music, leading the popularity of Avex Group andJohnny & Associates.[12] In 1990, Avex Trax began to release the Super Eurobeat series in Japan. Eurobeat in Japan led the popularity of group dance form Para Para. While Avex’s artists such as Every Little Thing and Ayumi Hamasaki became popular in 1990s, new names in the late 90s included Hikaru Utadaand Morning Musume. Hikaru Utada’s debut album, First Love, went on to be the highest-selling album in Japan with over 7 million copies sold, whereas Ayumi Hamasaki became Japan’s top selling female and solo artist, and Morning Musume remains one of the most well-known girl groups in the Japanese pop music industry. Momoiro Clover Z is known for its energetic dance performances. They are heavily choreographed and feature acrobatic stunts.[13] The energetic performances also incorporate elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies.[14] Although the girls’ voices are not very stable when coupled with an intense dance, they never lipsynch.[15] A 2013 survey shows that Momoiro Clover Z attracts the highest level of interest of all the femaleidol groups in Japan.[16] Rock[edit source | editbeta] In the 1960s, Japanese rock music bands imitated Western rock musicians such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones, along with other Appalachian folk music, psychedelic rock,mod and similar genres; this was called Group Sounds (G.S.). John Lennon of The Beatles later became one of most popular Western musicians in Japan.[17] Group Sounds is a genre of Japanese rock music that was popular in the mid to late 1960s.[citation needed] After the boom of Group Sounds, there were several influential singer-songwriters. Nobuyasu Okabayashi was the first who became widely recognized.[citation needed] Wataru Takada, inspired by Woody Guthrie, also became popular.[citation needed]. They both were influenced by American folk music but wrote Japanese lyrics. Takada used modern Japanese poetry as lyrics, while Kazuki Tomokawa made an album using Chuya Nakahara’s poems. Tomobe Masato, inspired by Bob Dylan, wrote critically acclaimed lyrics.[citation needed] The Tigers was the most popular Group Sounds band in the era. Later, some of the members of The Tigers, The Tempters and The Spiders formed the first Japanese supergroup Pyg. Homegrown Japanese folk rock had developed by the late 1960s.[citation needed] Artists like Happy End are considered to have virtually developed the genre. During the 1970s, it grew more popular.[citation needed] The Okinawan band Champloose, along with Carol (led by Eikichi Yazawa), RC Succession and Shinji Harada were especially famous and helped defin e the genre’s sound. Sometimes also beginning in the late sixties, but mostly active in the seventies, are musicians mixing rock music with American-style folk and pop elements, usually labelled â€Å"folk† by the Japanese because of their regular use of the acoustic guitar. This includes bands like Off Course, Tulip, Alice (led by Shinji Tanimura), Kaguyahime, Banban, and Garo. Solo artists of the same movement include Yosui Inoue, Yuming, and Iruka. Later groups, like Kai Band (led by Yoshihiro Kai) and early Southern All Stars, are often attached to the same movement. Yellow Magic Orchestra in 2008 Several Japanese musicians began experimenting with electronic rock in the early 1970s. The most notable was the internationally renowned Isao Tomita, whose 1972 album Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock featured electronic synthesizer renditions of contemporary rock and pop songs.[18] Other early examples of electronic rock records include Inoue Yousui’s folk rock and pop rock album Ice World (1973) and Osamu Kitajima’s progressive psychedelic rockalbum Benzaiten (1974), both of which involved contributions from Haruomi Hosono,[19][20] who later started the electronic music group â€Å"Yellow Magic Band† (later known as Yellow Magic Orchestra) in 1977.[21] Most influentially, the 1970s spawned the electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, led by Haruomi Hosono. In the 1980s, Boà ¸wy inspired alternative rock bands like Shonen Knife, Boredoms, The Pillows and Tama & Little Creatures as well as more mainstream bands as Glay. In 1980, Huruoma and Ry Cooder, an American musician, collaborated on a rock album with Shoukichi Kina, driving force behind the aforementioned Okinawan band Champloose. They were followed by Sandii & the Sunsetz, who further mixed Japanese and Okinawan influences. Also during the 80s, Japanese metal and rock bands gave birth to the movement known as visual kei, represented during its history by bands like X Japan, Buck-Tick, Luna Sea,Malice Mizer and many others, some of which experienced national, and international success in the latest years. In the 1990s, Japanese rock musicians such as B’z, Mr. Children, Glay, Southern All Stars, L’Arc-en-Ciel, Tube, Spitz, Wands, T-Bolan, Judy and Mary, Asian Kung–Fu Generation, Field of View, Deen, Ulfuls, Lindberg, Sharam Q, The Yellow Monkey, The Brilliant Green an d Dragon Ash achieved great commercial success.[citation needed] B’z is the #1 best selling act in Japanese music since Oricon started to count.[citation needed], followed by Mr. Children.[citation needed] In the ’90s, pop songs were often used in films, anime, television advertisement and dramatic programming, becoming some of the best-selling forms of music in Japan.[citation needed] The rise of disposable pop has been linked with the popularity of karaoke, leading to criticism that it is consumerist: Kazufumi Miyazawa of The Boom said â€Å"I hate that buy, listen, and throw away and sing at a karaoke bar mentality.† Of the visual kei bands Luna Sea, whose members toned down their on-stage attire with on-going success, was either very successful, while Malice Mizer, La’cryma Christi, Shazna, Janne Da Arc, and Fanatic Crisis also achieved commercial success in the late ’90s.[citation needed] Green Stage of the Fuji Rock Festival The first Fuji Rock Festival opened in 1997. Rising Sun Rock Festival opened in 1999. Summer Sonic Festival and Rock in Japan Festival opened in 2000. Though the rock scene in the 2000s is not as strong, newer bands such as Bump of Chicken, Sambomaster, Flow, Orange Range, Remioromen,Uverworld, Radwimps and Aqua Timez, which are considered rock bands, have achieved success. Orange Range also adopts[clarification needed] hip hop. Established bands as B’z, Mr. Children, Glay, and L’Arc-en-Ciel also continue to top charts, though B’z and Mr. Children are the only bands to maintain a high standards of their sales along the years. Japanese rock has a vibrant underground rock scene,[citation needed] best known internationally for noise rock bands such as Boredoms and Melt Banana, as well as stoner rock bands such as Boris and alternative acts such as Shonen Knife (who were championed in the West by Kurt Cobain),Pizzicato Five and The Pillows (who gained international attention in 1999 for the FLCL soundtrack). More conventional indie rock artists such asEastern Youth, The Band Apart and Number Girl have found some success in Japan[citation needed], but little recognition outside of their home country. Other notable international touring indie rock acts are Mono and Nisennenmondai. Punk rock / alternative[edit source | editbeta] Further information: Japanese hardcore Early examples of punk rock in Japan include SS, The Star Club, The Stalin, Inu, Gaseneta, Bomb Factory, Lizard (who were produced by the Stranglers) and Friction (whose guitarist Reck had previously played with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks before returning to Tokyo) and The Blue Hearts. The early punk scene was immortalized on film by Sogo Ishii, who directed the 1982 film Burst City featuring a cast of punk bands/musicians and also filmed videos for The Stalin. In the 80s, hardcore bands such as GISM, Gauze, Confuse, Lip Cream and Systematic Death began appearing, some incorporating crossover elements.[citation needed] The independent scene also included a diverse number of alternative/post-punk/new wave artists such as Aburadako, P-Model,Uchoten, Auto-Mod, Buck-Tick, Guernica and Yapoos (both of which featured Jun Togawa), G-Schmitt, Totsuzen Danball and Jagatara, along with noise/industrial bands such as Hijokaidan andHanatarashi. Ska-punk bands of the late nineties extending in t he years 2000 include Shakalabbits and 175R (pronounced â€Å"inago rider†). Heavy metal[edit source | editbeta] Japan is known for being a successful area for metal bands touring around the world and many live albums are recorded in Japan. Notable examples are Judas Priest’s Unleashed in the East, Iron Maiden’s Maiden Japan, Deep Purple’s Made in Japan and Dream Theater’s Live at Budokan. From the international bands, such as Angra, Sonata Arctica and Skylark especially with their singerKiara Laetitia have had major success in Japan.[citation needed] Japanese heavy metal bands started emerging in the late 1970s, pioneered by bands like Bow Wow, formed in 1975 by guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto, and Loudness, formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki. Although there existed other contemporary bands, like Earthshaker, Anthem and 44 Magnum, their debut albums were released only around the mid eighties when metal bands started getting a major exposure. First oversease live performances were by Bow Wow in 1978 in Hong Kong and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as well played at the Reading Festival inEngland in 1982.[22] In 1983, Loudness toured United States and Europe, and started focusing more on an international career. In 1985, the first Japanese metal act was signed to a major label in th e United States. Their albums Thunder in the East and Lightning Strikes, released in 1985 and 1986, peaked at number 74 (while number 4 in homeland Oricon chart), and number 64 in theBillboard 200 charts respectively.[23][24] Till the end of the eightes only two other bands, Ezo and Dead End, got their albums released in the United States. In the eighties few bands had a female members, like all-female band Show-Ya fronted by Keiko Terada, and Terra Rosa with Kazue Akao on vocals. In September 1989, Show-Ya’s album Outerlimits was released, it reached number 3 in the Oricon album chart.[25] Heavy metal bands reached their peak in the late ’80s and many disbanded until the mid-1990s. Concert of pioneer of visual kei, X Japan atHong Kong in 2009 after their 2007 reunion. In 1982, some of the first Japanese glam metal bands were formed, like Seikima-II with Kabuki-inspired makeup, and X Japan who pioneered the Japanese movement known as visual kei, and became the best-selling metal band.[26] In 1985, Seikima-IIs album Seikima-II – Akuma ga Kitarite Heavy Metal was released and although reached number 48 on the Oricon album chart exceeded 100,000 in sales, first time for any Japanese metal band. Their albums charted regularly in the top ten until mid ’90s. In April 1989, X Japans second album Blue Blood was released and went to number 6, and after 108 weeks on charts sold 712,000 copies.[27] Their third and best-selling album Jelaousy was released in July 1991; it topped the charts and sold 1.11 million copies.[27] There were released more two number one studio albums, Art of Life and Dahlia, a singles compilation X Singles, all selling more than half a million,[28] and since the formation had thirteenth top five singles, disbanding in 1997.[29] Extreme metal[edit source | editbeta] Japanese extreme metal bands formed in the wake of American and European wave, but didn’t get any bigger exposure until the ‘90s, and like overseas the genre is usually treated as an underground form of music in Japan.[citation needed] First thrash metal bands formed in the early ’80s, like United, whose music also incorporates death metal elements, and Outrage. United’s first international performance took place in Los Angeles at the metal festival â€Å"Foundations Forum† in September 1995 and had few albums released in North America. Formed in the mid ‘80s, Doom played a gig in the United States in October 1988 at CBGB, and was active until 2000 when disbanded. The first bands to play black metal music were Sabbat, who is still active, and Bellzlleb, who was active until early ‘90s. Another notable act is Sigh. Doom metal has also gained an audience in Japan. The two best-known Japanese doom metal acts are Church of Misery and Boris, b oth of whom have gained considerable popularity outside the country. Hip-Hop[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Japanese hip-hop Hip-hop is a newer form of music on the Japanese music scene. Many felt it was a trend that would immediately pass. However, the genre has lasted for many years and is still thriving. In fact, rappers in Japan did not achieve the success of hip-hop artists in other countries until the late 1980s. This was mainly due to the music world’s belief that â€Å"Japanese sentences were not capable of forming the rhyming effect that was contained in American rappers’ songs.†[30] There is a certain, well-defined structure to the music industry called â€Å"The Pyramid Structure of a Music Scene†. As Ian Condry notes, â€Å"viewing a music scene in terms of a pyramid provides a more nuanced understanding of how to interpret the significance of different levels and kinds of success.†[31] The levels are as follows (from lowest to highest): fans and potential artists, performing artists, recording artists (indies), major label artists, and mega-hit stars. These different levels can be clearly seen at a genba, or nightclub. Different â€Å"families† of rappers perform on stage. A family is essentially a collection of rap groups that are usually headed by one of the more famous Tokyo acts, which also include a number of proteges.[32] They are important because they are â€Å"the key to understanding stylistic differences between groups.†[33] Hip-hop fans in the audience are the ones in control of the night club. They are the judges who determine the winners in rap battles on stage. An example of this can be seen with the battle between rap artists Dabo (a major label artist) andKan (an indie artist). Kan challenged Dabo to a battle on stage while Dabo was mid-performance. Another important part of night clubs was displayed at this time. It showed â€Å"the openness of the scene and the fluidity of boundaries in clubs.†[34] Electropop and club music[edit source | edi tbeta] See also: Electronic music, Synthpop, and Electro music Electronic pop music in Japan became a successful commodity with the â€Å"Technopop† craze of the late 70s and 80s.[citation needed], beginning with Yellow Magic Orchestra and solo albums ofRyuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono in 1978 before hitting popularity in 1979 and 1980. Influenced by disco, impressionistic and 20th century classical composition, jazz/fusion pop, new wave and technopop artists such as Kraftwerk and Telex, these artists were commercial yet uncompromising.[citation needed] Ryuichi Sakamoto claims that â€Å"to me, making pop music is not a compromise because I enjoy doing it†. The artists that fall under the banner of technopop in Japan are as loose as those that do so in the West, thus new wave bands such as P-Model and The Plastics fall under the category alongside the symphonic techno arrangements of Yellow Magic Orchestra. The popularity of this music meant that many popular artists of the 70s that previously were known for acoustic music turne d to techno production, such as Taeko Onuki and Akiko Yano, and idol producers began employing electronic arrangements for new singers in the 80s.[citation needed] Today, newer artists such as Polysics pay explicit homage to this era of Japanese popular (and in some cases underground or difficult to obtain) music.[citation needed] And the all trio girls band Perfume,who debuted with Tokuma Japan in 2005,are also a techno-pop band, taking on electronic, dance and pop music taking on Auto-Tune, vocoders, and electrohouse upon their signing to a major label. They are currently considered as one of the most popular bands in Japan. Roots music[edit source | editbeta] In the late 1980s, roots bands like Shang Shang Typhoon and The Boom became popular. Okinawan roots bands like Nenes and Kina were also commercially and critically successful. This led to the second wave of Okinawan music, led by the sudden success of Rinkenband. A new wave of bands followed, including the comebacks of Champluse and Kina, as led by Kikusuimaru Kawachiya; very similar to kawachi ondo is Tadamaru Sakuragawa’s goshu ondo. Latin, reggae and ska music[edit source | editbeta] Further information: Japanese reggae and Japanese ska Other forms of music from Indonesia, Jamaica and elsewhere were assimilated. African soukous and Latin music, like Orquesta de la Luz (ã‚ ªÃ£Æ' «Ã£â€š ±Ã£â€š ¹Ã£â€š ¿Ã£Æ' »Ã£Æ'‡ãÆ' »Ã£Æ' ©Ã£Æ' »Ã£Æ' «Ã£â€š ¹), was popular as was Jamaicanreggae and ska, exemplified by Mice Teeth, Mute Beat, La-ppisch, Home Grown and Ska Flames, Determinations, and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Noise music[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Japanoise Another recognized music form from Japan is noise music. The noise from this country is called Japanoise. Its most prominent representative is Masami Akita with his project Merzbow. Theme music[edit source | editbeta] Theme music composed for films, anime, Tokusatsu, and Japanese television dramas are considered a separate music genre. Several prominent musical artists and groups have spent most of their musical careers performing theme songs and composing soundtracks for visual media. Such artists include Masato Shimon (current holder of the world record for most successful single in Japan for â€Å"Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun†),[35] Ichirou Mizuki, all of the members of JAM Project, Akira Kushida, Isao Sasaki, and Mitsuko Horie. Notable composers of Japanese theme music include Joe Hisaishi, Michiru Oshima, Yoko Kanno, Toshihiko Sahashi, Yuki Kajiura, KÃ… tarÃ…  Nakagawa and Yuuki Hayashi. Game music[edit source | editbeta] See also: Video game music, Chiptune, and Bitpop When the first electronic games were sold, they only had rudimentary sound chips with which to produce music. As the technology advanced, the quality of sound and music these game machines could produce increased dramatically. The first game to take credit for its music was Xevious, also noteworthy for its deeply (at that time) constructed stories. Though many games have had beautiful music to accompany their gameplay, one of the most important games in the history of the video game music is Dragon Quest. Koichi Sugiyama, a composer who was known for his music for various anime and TV shows, including Cyborg 009 and a feature film of Godzilla vs. Biollante, got involved in the project out of the pure curiosity and proved that games can have serious soundtracks. Until his involvement, music and sounds were often neglected in the development of video games and programmers with little musical knowledge were forced to write the soundtracks as well. Undaunted by technological limits, Sugi yama worked with only 8 part polyphony to create a soundtrack that would not tire the player despite hours and hours of gameplay. Another well-known author of video game music is Nobuo Uematsu. Even Uematsu’s earlier compositions for the game series, Final Fantasy, on Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System in America) are being arranged for full orchestral score. In 2003, he even took his rock-based tunes from their original MIDI format and created The Black Mages. Yasunori Mitsuda is a highly known composer of such games as Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode I, Chrono Cross, and Chrono Trigger. Koji Kondo, the main composer for Nintendo, is also prominent on the Japanese game music scene. He is best known for the Zelda and Mario themes. Motoi Sakuraba is also another well-known video game composer. He is known for composing the Tales Series, Dark Souls, Eternal Sonata, Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, Golden Sun, and theBaten Kaitos games, as well as numerous Mario Sports games. Yuzo Koshiro is also noted for his work with games, having composed electronic music-influenced soundtracks for games like Revenge of Shinobi and the Streets of Rage series. The techno/trance music production group I’ve Sound has made a name for themselves first by making themes for eroge computer games, and then by breaking into the anime scene by composing themes for them. Unlike others, this group was able to find fans in other parts of the world through their eroge and anime themes. Today, game soundtracks are sold on CD. Famous singers like Hikaru Utada, Nana Mizuki and BoA sometimes sing songs for games as well, and this is also seen as a way for singers to make a names for themselves. ————————————————- See also[edit source | editbeta] * J-pop * Visual kei * All-Japan Band Association * Buddhist music * Chindonya * Enka * Group Sounds * Japanese hardcore * Japanese hip hop * Japanese ska * Japanoise * Oricon * RyÃ… «kÃ… ka * Shibuya-kei * ShintÃ…  music * Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra * List of Japanese rock bands * List of Japanese hip hop musicians * List of J-pop artists * In scale * Voice acting in Japan

Man in a Corner Essay

Augustus Cain is a good person, despite his background and upbringing he was able to emerge through the narrative. Cain is a man in the corner; his conditions determine his values and morals. He lost himself to himself and his own society. Although, he has lost himself he evolves and turns into a â€Å"soul catcher† throughout this novel many times, one of the souls he’s caught was even his own. He evolved as a person through breaking the four guiding principles constantly that his father said for him to follow. The four guiding principles were that â€Å"one should always respect one’s property: that it was necessary to care for protect it, to never misuse it, as it will someday be called upon to care for and protect you† (White 31); â€Å"That a Negro was in many ways like a child and it was the moral duty of the white man to look after and guide them† (White 31); † That his very whiteness not only set him apart from and above them – morally, intellectually, physically – but that it also linked him in a blood bond with every other white man† (White 32); † Whites and Negroes were created by the Almighty to be separate† (White 32). Cain engages in a forbidden relationship with a black woman named Rosetta. This relationship tests Cain’s character, will, care and decisions. She tests Cain’s will during her bathing in the river. While Rosetta is bathing, Cain is half turned away; â€Å"he felt this to be some sort of test of will, a temptation he felt bound to renounce in order to prove to himself, that he wasn’t common, that he wasn’t like Preacher or Strofes. That he was different† (White 206). He is also attracted to her in this scene. Post Rosetta exiting the river and him glancing at her and having a hard time averting this stare. He says that â€Å"he felt shamed as a rumbling commenced down between his own legs† (White 207) as he looked between hers. When Preacher tries to rape Rosetta, Cain almost kills him out of protection for her. When Rosetta is kidnapped Cain goes and asks around for her, and says  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m trying to help her† (White 287) and pushes onward out of his determination to save her. After saving her Cain is captured by John Brown and says that he doesn’t plan to send Rosetta back to Eberly, and Brown believes him and sends him away to a settlement in Ohio called Gist. Cain and Rosetta are laying together in a cabin and Rosetta kisses him, they continue to kiss and begin to remove their clothes. Cain then thought â€Å"He knew that he was crossing a line that he could never cross back over again† (White 377) and they made love. Cain is different from the other men that are portrayed in this novel, that are to be thought of as of brothers to him because of the blood bond that they share. Cain is more sympathetic to blacks then the rest. When Preacher is beating Joseph, Cain hates preacher for his mindless cruelty and didn’t believe on harming anyone in his â€Å"profession† unless it was absolutely necessary. â€Å"He preferred using his wits rather than violence or force† (White 55). He also feels bad for Joseph, so much that he couldn’t ignore Preacher slashing cuts in his body. He says to him â€Å"Alright, that’ll be enough† (White 56) and kicks him. He also tells him to stop acting like a cur if he doesn’t want to be treated like one. He degrades him to a dog in this scene. He also tells Joseph that if he didn’t comply with them that Preacher would hurt him and that Cain himself â€Å"didn’t want that† (White 58). Post Preacher suggesting they sell the boy and Cain disagreeing and calling it common thievery. Preacher also says that he shouldn’t act so high and mighty and that â€Å"Slave catcher, blackbirder. They’re all the same in my book† (White 60). Cain responds that â€Å"No, we’re not all the same. I’m carrying out the law† (White 60). This was a point in the novel where Cain again separates himself from his â€Å"brothers† and explains that he’s only doing this because he has to survive and pay off his debt not out of the malicious intent like a blackbirder or most slave catchers. At the end of all this Cain gives the boy a dollar coin to pay him back for his eggs. Cain is compared metaphorically throughout the novel to the people that his whiteness is supposed to set himself apart from. Cain is a runaway. He ran away from the life of a farmer and slave-owner. â€Å"Cain had decided early on that he wasn’t cut out for the life of a farmer† (White 32). He instead  joins the military to basically escape this inheritance from his father. When he tells Rosetta this she says to him â€Å"that makes you a runaway, too, Cain.† (White 245). He also â€Å"runs away† from the problems in his world by drowning himself in the vices, which are also the very things that metaphorically â€Å"enslaves† him. He is an alcoholic who constantly drinks laudanum. He has a gambling problem and has sex constantly with prostitutes. He also was tired for working for people like Eberly. These kind of people were white slave owners â€Å"that thought their money made him their nigger† (White 11). Also Cain explains to Rosetta that he has to bring her back to Eberly although he doesn’t want to because of his honor. She says that â€Å"Honor. He done bought and paid for you just like me†; Cain responds â€Å"No one owns me†; Rosetta says â€Å"Oh, he own you, all right. The only difference between them was that she knows it and he doesn’t† (White 210). Cain is overall a different person at the end of this novel. He has involved in interracial affairs with a black woman. He hasn’t respected the technically â€Å"property† of another man which would be Rosetta to Eberly, by not returning her to him, which ofcourse was the right thing to do. He is also acknowledged by Rosetta and other people in the novel even John Brown, as a â€Å"good man†.

Conclusion Families Essay

Families are viewed differently by various people in the world. Some individuals have cherished this institution. And others have not. Origins of the family article try as much to discuss what a family is and its origins. The traffic in women is an article that describes who is a woman and for many centuries what treatment women have gone through socially and mentally. This paper will give a detailed account of each of the article and lastly it will compare and contrast the contents of the two articles. Origins of the family Different views are expressed about a family around the world whereby it has been discovered that people share common backgrounds even though extremely far apart. The most primitive people in the world including the original American Indians have their way to describe what a family is. The American Indians were the first group that was studied so that an overview or a general idea about a family was created even though the studies have been extended to many other regions around the world, there where many other observations that were carried out or taken into consideration. One of the main issues that passively describe a family is the system of name calling or relations in the extended family. For instance, cousins never called each other cousins but brothers and sisters. Young people who grow in that setting have no questions to ask but the join the system and that kind of trend has been very natural with and for them. This kind of phenomenon was first noticed in the New York state among the few remaining Indian American tribe Iroquois by name and the Seneca tribesmen and women adopted it. Wonders did not cease there, some indigenous tribes in India where also practicing the same. This kind of naming and relating is known as consanguinity. Families are not only found to exist in man but animals and birds as well. This is the reason why animals are found in herds or groups. Animals exhibit a unique behavior that exhibited by man or birds. For instance during the mating period of these animals is the most tempting moments that may destroy or temporarily relinquish the family relations. The males fight to retain supremacy over one another and during this period it is rare to notice animals walking or doing things in a group as usual. This behavior has been related to the living animals that are close to human i. e. primates which now have human like characteristics. Apes also fight while mating whereby males seriously engage in fights to gain and maintain supremacy over the others; this is the time group work or family relating ties temporarily wane. What does this tell us about human family? The human family is different from any kind of animals or birds or primates because members of a family do anything out of reasoning and nothing else. But it is the great quest for knowledge that leads to many discoveries. For example birds practice monogamy form of families and while observing them these birds fly in pairs. People also practice monogamy but some practice polyandry and polygamy. Polyandry is a practice where a woman is married to many husbands and it is not done secretly but it is well known and polygamy is when a man is having many women, it is not a secret. This switches the topic to sexuality and family. Sex life is a must do thing to sustain and ensure continuity of any family lineages. All peoples in the world this fact and even the most primitive people know that for the continuity of the family system sex has to be practiced. Nevertheless, it is interesting that many of these people in the world where research has been conducted, they in a way respected the institution of marriage and more so sex whereby they never treated women as commodities of sex even though polygamy was practiced. They had special times of the month or year when they practiced sex and theirs was not for pleasure but procreation. People like the Savages were believed to be very harsh and took women as tools for and of sexual intercourse to give birth to as many children as possible but this was not the case. Marriage was a respected institution where a man and a woman possessed one another. There was no jealousy and instances of men sharing women and women sharing men unless otherwise in some primitive communities where some sexual related activities occurred. Like in some communities it was a taboo to engage in sex with someone outside with members who were perceived to enemies and it could be rather better with a close family member that that perceived enemy. However in some communities it was not a taboo for brothers and sisters to have sexual intercourse. In some communities or family groups of the ancient Greece, sexual intercourse was not prohibited among brothers and sisters because this was one an assured way of multiplying quickly and another reason was not to endanger the security of fellow countrymen by marrying from outside but with time this practice came to a halt. One interesting trend of families that have been found in t world is where men marry many wives and naturally if a visitor comes by and he takes a night in that homestead, the visitor will be offered one of the wives to entertain for the long he will stay around no matter the visitor is known or not known to the family and this means even any strangers enjoyed that right. In a research that was conducted in Australia, there is a sub-tribe that practices a peculiar tradition that all women in another sub tribe known to them are naturally wives to men in their tribe and it does not matter whether you have married one woman from that sub tribe but all the others by default they are wives. Sex among sub tribe members is strictly forbidden. The trend of a man being entertained sexually far away while sojourning is or was a practice by the aborigines in Australia. In the world today the family trends are still intriguing for example some indigenous tribes are taking deliberate measures to sustain or maintain their people who are being swallowed up by wider communities especially the settlers until they resort to conducting marriages among themselves that are among sisters and brothers. It is not their fault because since time immemorial the practices took place even in ancient Biblical times. Through a man God trusted in the town called Sodom and Gomorrah that was Lot, slept with her daughters after their mum had perished in the inferno and their was no righteous man who could have married them by then. Regardless it was their father they managed to bore children and the family of the generation continuity was established. Who know these things may be going on without the knowledge of other people or the family members themselves. More other family customs are like the ones that are yet conducted by people all over the world, for instance, the American Indians of California have had festivals where tribes come together purposely for a promiscuous sexual intercourse. This kind of tradition is also in and practiced in Australia. In Australia some older men and magicians exploit wives in their community and monopolize many of the women for themselves. These kinds of practices have been witnessed in Hos, Santals, etc of India and others in many parts of Africa. In many other places like the continent of South America, some communities in India, young girls enjoy sex until the get married. Families have gone through many different stages as the issue of polygamy is a hot debate whether it should be allowed or not. Some have preferred a simple family that is monogamy. Many practices of sex are not the things that should be taken for granted as diseases are popping up that are incurable and therefore families must be protected through all means. For instance many have accepted monogamy because this is the only form of or type family that better ideals are practiced. For instance there is an assurance of save sex and true expression of love among family members more especially husband and wife. Traffic in Women Traffic in women starts with the origins of women oppression and social discrimination and the discussion of this will light to the trend of fighting for the rights of women. Further excavation of the truth may measure whether the fight for equality will bear fruit from men and among women because for a long time women have been perceived as their own enemies. After doing a round of history on women and the cause of their discrimination and yet the have comparatively done excellent work in family circles from raising children and working tirelessly to sustain their families. One main issue is the analysis of the cause of this oppression or discrimination against women, and then it will be easier to change and achieve a society of equality. There have been situations where men were degraded like the slavery debacle, this affected women even ten times more than men. They suffered double tragedy as sex slaves and plantation slaves. They suffered physically, socially and emotionally. Marxist theory argues that women are not suffering as they work, they are as a reserve force for labor and their low wages is a way capitalists get surplus. But the Marxist theory only handles matters pertaining to labor which truly is not oppression. Marxist theory is the best way to describe the usefulness of women in societies around the world, so an analysis of suffering women using Marxist theory is very wrong. Maybe his (Marx) statement was or is misinterpreted to portray a tendency that women are suffering when they earning whichever meager resources to sustain their families. Unfortunately there are societies who use this excuse to oppress women. Examples have been given that some societies portray women as sex objects and nothing else. The Amazon region and New Guinea highlands are the examples in the world where women are simply known as sex objects and they are gang raped by marauding men. On the other hand, the origin of the tendency that women are home keepers is not known but is assumed that when Marxist theory came into use men were really wanted to work, the hard labor that required the enduring energy at home hence many a times women were left at home to take care of the families. The interpretation came to be precisely referred to as historical and moral element that it is a necessity for any worker to be married or have wife. The tendency of women kept at home for child rearing and general home keeping gave birth to a belief that women can not inherit property, serve God and lead. Capitalism bred this clear cut difference of masculinity and femininity. Some quarters up to date believe that sex oppression is part of capitalism as a social form. Due to social activities and the changes that come with it, human sex and gender have also as well changed over time. Women are expected to reproduce but it wise to differentiate between economic systems and sexual systems to avoid a scenario where women are assumed to be for only reproduction and nothing else. Great changes have been noticed in many societies where women have been opportunities to lead in various activities that have been traditionally meant for men. Therefore, it is consequently wrong to use capitalism to assume that women are meant to sexually reproduce and not economically reproduce. All in all kinship plays an extremely important role in any society and therefore kinship will place us and social researchers in a point where every will understand social obligations that are directly associated with men, women and then both of them. Kinship as many anthropologists may say and believe is system of categories and statuses which contradict the actual genetic relationships. A good precedent is where women or a woman is married to another woman and the marrying takes the responsibilities of a husband by paying dowry and bringing up the children. This practice is rife in many societies almost in very continent. Thus, it is not wrong to quip that kinship defines all social activities in a given society, be it economical, sexual or social activities. Kinship enjoys the status and statutes of the principle of anthropology but there are many underlying things that should be looked into and some of which are controversial like close family intermarriages, for example a cousin marrying a cousin. But it should be born in mind that kinship systems differ from one another in culture which includes taboos and marriage. In all endeavors of kinship, marriage is one of the issues that seem to be treated with respect even though there are those primitive societies and not all of the that still use the excuse of kinship to undermine family values. These societies that treat marriage as special they call it a gift and this a very positive sign in a way that nobody will be foolish enough to destroy the gift that has been bestowed upon him. Now, this is the most important part of kinship or the positive role that kinship plays in a society. Through the exchange of the gift family ties get stronger, solidarity and trust is established, in this case the women given away in marriage is more a gift than a man. Interestingly some people have claimed that this is a commercial venture because dowry exchanges hands. The result of a gift in form of a woman is more profound and appreciated than other gift transactions because the relationship that is established is not just one of reciprocity but one of kinship. And this is a strong message of a society to other people who mistaken women to be sex slaves and child bearing machines. The exchange of partners also establishes their descendants related by blood. Two people may exchange gifts and quarrel or fight but in for intermarriage connects them in a permanent way. In some communities or societies gifts giving through marriage are not as simple as it may sound. For some people the exchange of gifts in form of women sound commercial and they term it as a transaction of giving and taking making a woman who is given away as a conduit of relationships but which is true. In such occasions, oppression of women is not expected and the rate of exploitation is minimal. The term traffic in women can be clearly defined at this point. Very apart from the normal and culturally accepted gift in form of a woman, some societies give women away for just the exchange of favors during famine, war and even some are sent away as a tribute. Then complexities start arising at this point because women are treated like commodities just given at will and at a price. In history this has happened and it differs from one cultural group or culture to another. At this very point some anthropologists argue that the issue of women trafficking came with the advent of culture meaning that culture explosion let to the exchanging and or trafficking of women. To a wider extent this was and is not true. The exchange of women in some societies it is intended for the well being of the community and for proper procreation. However some communities or greedy individuals capitalize in the venture to traffic women for economical or material gain. These women end up being mistreated and are used as sex tools to enrich the buyers or traffickers. There must be a clear cut distinction between those ones given as gifts in marriage and those other ones given away or trafficked to enrich unscrupulous individuals. That is why somewhere in this paper it is noted that some people envy the occasion when women are given as gifts and they feel it should be a commercial venture instead. But the genuine exchange of women in marriage is regarded as a fundamental principle of kinship. This ends up in an organized relationship of gender and sex. However, it does not oppress the women or degrade them. The analysis of a social system that touches sensitive issues like sex and gender generates very hot debates and this is the time when differing opinion are heard and some are very sentimental in nature. This is the time when kinship and its principles are put into temptations and negative scrutiny. Comparisons of the two topics The main objective of this paper as it was clearly stated in the introduction part of it was to compare and contrast the two issues or items i. e. the origins of the family and the traffic in women. It is of the essence to first have elaborated points in each item so that a few things are mentioned or the comparisons are done in form of a summary under this topic. First and foremost, the items have elaborated about family while the item ‘origins of family‘ concentrates on the family relationships and the close knit ties and cousins do not regard and call each other cousins but brothers. This piece of item has also highlighted the important role women play is society and the many dangers and challenges the face in their daily operations and life. The other item ‘traffic in women’ elaborates more on the treatment of family members especially women. It has highlighted the same occurrences in women of many societies around the world. This item on its part has elaborated on the trafficking of women for commercial reasons hence a disgrace to the society but in the way round, there is a good show on the value of women as they are exchanged as gifts in marriage which portray the importance of women in the society. But the item continues to analyze the repercussions of the exchanging a woman as a gift and the repercussion is some people in society have extended this to trafficking women for their personal gain. In both pieces of items the comparisons and contrasts do not adventure outside the family circles even though they both talk about communities or societies around the world. They have featured and analyzed about the indigenous societies or communities among them the native red Indians in the United States, the aborigines in Australia, some primitive tribes in New Guinea and many others. Women are given more attention by both items because of the mistreatment they faced and they are facing so that this studies that were and are conducted will offer solutions to the many demeaning or dignifying problems women face. Last but not least, sex is discussed by both stories but the first story which deals with the origins of a family deeply discusses sex which is viewed as evil and the way women have been misused, while the story or item two that deals with traffic in women depicts how women have been sold for sex purposes and it is becoming a culture. The main theme of the two pieces of stories is family values which encompasses many other sub themes that are clearly depicted here. Some of the sub themes are sex, family ties, kinship or family relationships and women responsibilities. Conclusion Families have been raised and nurtured for as many years as the age of the universe and societies have done their part in raising and teaching families their values but of all that women have played a very extremely important role. Women are the cornerstones of families and through these two items this has been strongly confirmed. Therefore the statement that they are cornerstones of families must not be controversial. However, it is sad that those women have been abused and degraded by in and by all means in our society. Society means the world in this case.

Proof reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Proof reading - Essay Example The repetition of the word anything is to prove that there are a lot of things can be done over there. The corruption in Congo allowed people to kill and to do what ever they want. Those people knew that there is no one to judge them. The more time Marlow spend in the Congo, the more darkness he discovered over there. Going more into my reading, I realized that Kurtz is a man the people were scared of. Another thing that was interesting in the second part was the Russian. I always wonder why the Russian was there till I realized that he was helping Kurtz. Chris Hedges' War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning: Katie Pearman What I understood from Chris Hedges â€Å"War is a force that Give Us meaning† that Hedges did not mean the physical force where someone get forced to do something. Here the meaning of the force is when we change the meaning of what we have done. Force is more close to our feeling. For example, if someone did a bad thing to me, I might have the feeling that I w ant to be bad to him. The feeling could be the thing that forced me to be bad. The same thing happened in war where the winner is the hero. If we look to what this hero did in this war, we would find that he killed, wounded, and destroyed his enemy. The people waiting for this hero to come back will make a celebration for this hero and he would be greeted for what he has done. However when you might ask those people about what this soldier has done, they will say that he has defeated the enemy, which is for them different from killing the enemy. Those people have been forced according to Hedge’s book. After reading Chris Hedges book I have changed the way I look at things. Candle Holocaust Museum It was my first time to visit a holocaust museum. During my life so far I have never thought about what the Jew felt during holocaust; I just knew that it happened. Visiting this museum was a new experience to me. When I entered I saw a lot of certificates on the wall. Most of those certificates were for Eva one of the survivor of the holocaust. One of those certificates that belong to Eva Kor who was the â€Å"HERO OF FORGIVNESS.† I could not believe that there is someone who will forgive the people who killed his family or fellow members. I believe that Eva deserved this certificate because she had controlled her anger. When I was going over the museum, I found a part for the Nazi that has the Nazi flag and picture of Hitler. The presence of the Nazi section implied that Eva did not forget, but forgave the misdeeds that she had faced. I believe the purpose of this Museum is to educate people on how to forgive others and even a sinner. If people did not forgive each other; fight and war will become a part of their life. Revenge will initiate revenge. Eva is educating people because she want people to know that we as human being shall help each other to have a successful life. Levi ch 1-5 One of the most interesting passage and really close to me was the question that was asked, â€Å"If you and your child were going to be killed tomorrow, would you not give him to eat today? (15). My answer to this questing is â€Å"I don’t know.† knowing that you will die tomorrow may make someone suffer more than actual death. In this passage there is a child, which mean parents would not only think about them self; they have a child for whom they care and it will make them suffer even more. Levi wants to show what really happened in those death camps. Also, he wants to transmit

David cole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

David cole - Essay Example They knew that either way, the two could die. However, Eli chooses not to wait for the Soviet troops to liberate them (Shermer and Grobman 72). His reasoning for choosing to accompany the Nazis was because he did not understand the motive of the Soviet troop in liberating them. The design of the gas chamber demonstrates that its purpose had no relation with the handling of gas. Since the gas chambers were never sealed, there was no provision for preventing the gas from condensing on the walls, ceiling or the floor. Neither was there a provision to exhaust the mixture of the gas and air from the building. This was the design of the facility according to Fred Leuchter, who examined the chamber. The free standing chimney could have served the purpose of exhausting the gases. The Donahue interview reinforces Leuchter’s findings. David Cole comes to a conclusion that the design of the chamber was not to kill any human being. In addition, he describes the facilities as life

Filmography of Matt Damon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Filmography of Matt Damon - Essay Example Apart from being the titular character, he also co-wrote the screenplay of the movie with his friend and actor, Ben Affleck. The movie released in the year 1997 and the world saw the birth of another star. Damon’s career graph rose steadily with other movies like The Departed and the Bourne series where he proved his versatility with different kinds of roles. His ability to emote with his fans and the viewers was accepted by the masses and the critics alike and he remains one of the few actors who have received both critical acclaim and commercial success almost equally. Matt Damon has also received a fair share of the awards that matter. He was nominated for the Academy Award for the best actor for essaying the role of Will Hunting in the movie Good Will Hunting. There were several other nominations that Damon received for the role. Apart from the excellent acting that he did in the movie, it is also not to be forgotten that he co-wrote the screenplay which won the award for the best screenplay at the Golden Globes Awards and the award for the best original screenplay at the Academy Awards. With these feathers in his cap, it was inevitable that Damon would go on to cement his place in the annals of Hollywood. This place that he had cemented became a permanent place in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. This reflects the tremendous achievements that he had made during the ten years that followed the movie Good Will Hunting. He had received the academy award for the best supporting actor in Invictus in 2009. Apart from this, he had gathered a tremendous following among the masses of America and other parts of the world through his portrayal of the title character in the Bourne series. Damon plays former CIA agent Jason Bourne who is shown to be suffering from a loss of memory. The series was adapted from the trilogy that was written by the writer Robert Ludlum. The series was a part of the action genre and was different from most of the movies that were created in this genre and was noted for this very reason.     

The Perfect Gym Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Perfect Gym - Essay Example The researcher states that the gym floor is cemented and its lighting is dim even though it is not too dim nor is it too bright and the gym is fitted with mirrors all over. Dumbbells in the gym go up to 180lbs though I have never witnessed anyone exploit them because the highest I have observed anyone use is 130lbs resting on a flat bench. During the workout, music is often played which is a combination of alternative, hard rock, rock, and heavy metal depending on the station playing the music. The gym has various payment plans that include $33 per month, $12 per week, and $5 per day depending on the preference of an individual; as well, the gym offers a three-month plan, a six-month plan as well as a one year plan without contracts. Upon paying, the management of the gym records the client as well as the date of termination of the client’s subscription. The gym is large and has the clean weight room with machines, dry towels at several points, hot towels in locker rooms, clea n locker rooms and multiple sections for showering and changing stations that enable people to shower and then dress quietly. The gym is located in an upmarket area where most local residents do not train despite the gym having plenty of gym facilities and beside them a spa. Although the gym does not have a personal training studio, the regular gym area stocked with weights, machines, elliptical, treadmills as well as a warehouse space ensures that the gym offers the best of everything. Since it offers enough space for stretching as well as floor exercises separate from other things like the weight machines; therefore, being a member of the gym makes me feel like I get what I paid for. Moreover, the gym’s staff is friendly and not imposing as well, the gym has tags users can place on machines to indicate that a machine is broken, which are then repaired within the shortest period possible.

Psychology life span develpement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychology life span develpement - Essay Example These two principals are the real and operation. Real intelligence entails things that are being defined and also inquired the true nature. On the other hand, operational intelligence is computable. There are several theories of intelligence that have been there to try and explain and measure how smart one can be. A majority of intelligence theories have been criticized over time thus causing them to either withstand this criticism or failing to work by lack of basis to substantiate their viability over time. The different types of intelligent theories that exist contradict with each other or with at least one earlier theory. This is evident in the sense that they tend to own different assumption and perspective when it comes to each thinking approach. The first theory of intelligence is the Faculty theory. This theory has been listed as the oldest in terms of its nature of intelligence. In addition, this theory flourished in the 18th and 19th century (Tugoy, 2003). This theory reaso ns that mind is made up of diverse faculties which are memory, imagination, reasoning, and discrimination. Despite the fact that this faculties are independent of each other, with vigorous training this faculties can or may develop. However this theory has been under pressure of criticism by psychologists who object that the brain has independent faculties. Another theory of intelligence is one factor or UNI factor theory. This theory moderates all abilities into a single one of either common sense or general intelligence. This theory tries to suggest how all abilities are perfectly linked and therefore not allowing for any room for the uneven individuals (Sternberg, 2000). This theory lacks credibility as it tends to go against the notion that every person has his or her own abilities that are distinct to that of another person and thus making every individual to shine differently in all aspects of life. English Psychologist Charles Spearman developed Spearman’s two-factor t heory in 1904. He suggested that two factors comprise the intellectual abilities of each person. One of these factors is the common ability or general ability, which is also known as ‘G’ factor. The second factor is a group of specific abilities also referred to as the ‘S’ factor. The ‘G’ factor is an inborn skill which leads to a fruitful life of an individual whereas, the ’S’ factor is unique factor that is developed from the surroundings. In addition, these factors are distinct from each other in an individual level. The list of theories of intelligence is long and more theories continue to emerge as time goes on. So far, two factor theory of Spearman is the best. This theory involves two factors as its name implies. These factors are general factors and the specific factors. This theory is free from much criticism because it is reasonable in its details. It is true when one says that success is earned through effort and accord ing to this theory success in any field very much depends on specific factor which is essentially learned. In addition, every individual is features are different from the other in their own unique way. This theory tries to expound on that subject and explains that every individual is distinct in his or her mental performance and one can never be perfect in all that he or she does. For example a person who excels in English might be poor in mathematics or sciences. In this context, I believe that this theory of intelli

Future Healthcare Informatics Technology Research Paper

Future Healthcare Informatics Technology - Research Paper Example Most elderly people do not want to be kept in institutions for the old and having a person constantly employed to taking care of them may prove costly in the long run. These groups of aged people are also at high risk for serious health conditions such as those mentioned above and hence their caregiver should have medical background and if not may then require also a health worker nearby. The technology in discussion will be wearable and hence not a burden to the elderly individual and will monitor the health changes in the body such as the heartbeat, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature among others which will assist in detecting the changes that may indicate onset of the serious conditions and hence immediate health care will be provided. It is an example of a preventative mechanism. The most obvious of the positive impact of this technology is the reduced cost of providing care to the elderly in the long run. In a family where there are several elderly people all requiring attention and do not wish to go to an institution, the device will prove cost effective as there will be no need of hiring helpers of nurses to monitor their health condition. By just having the device, the family can be able to monitor their changes in health and immediately a problem is detected, then help can be sought. The other positive impact is that the old people will be able to wear the sensor device anywhere and it therefore cannot hinder them from carrying out their daily routine. The advantage to this is that wherever the person is, they can be tracked and hence will also act as a monitor of movement in case of those who might have memory problems. The elderly are also able to remain in the confine of their homes even those with health conditions such as heart conditions without having to spend all their time in hospitals being monitored. This will however require self-discipline from the user of the technology not to remove

Harrison Bergeron Essay Example for Free

Harrison Bergeron Essay In the short story, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, Kurt Vonnegut portrays a society in which â€Å"everyone is equal†. Through the efforts of the Handicapper General, all persons who were endowed with anything more than moderate talents are forced to wear various devices meant to make everyone equal, intellectually and physically. Through showing his audience what a truly â€Å"equal† society could be, as well as how government could regulate equality, Kurt Vonnegut clearly makes the point that truly equality leads to a loss of true individuality within a society. Each person in society has talents that another does not, which is what creates diversity in our communities and careers. By removing this diversity from society by making every person equal, the government is inviting its own demise. The first example of how idealistic equality creates a lack of individuality is in the scene where George and Hazel Bergeron are watching ballerinas on television. George notes, â€Å"They weren’t really very good – no better than anybody else would have been, anyway†. By leveling the playing field, and forcing ballerinas to wear weights and masks to hide their talent and beauty, the Handicapper General has taken away from the dancers their unique talents for dancing and eliminating any competition between ballerinas. If all dancers must be equal, this eliminates the need for any one ballerina to spend extra time practicing, or trying to be a better ballerina. This, in turn, could create a less than desirable work ethic, as the ballerinas do not have to work as hard to be competitive. As Philip Fetzer explains, â€Å"†¦ even if it were possible to create a society based on equality of ability, it would not be desirable to do so. A society without differences of ability would generate no leaders, no great works of art or literature, no new ideas. The society would quickly stagnate†. The second instance in which Vonnegut shows his readers the impact of an equal society is when George and Hazel are talking about what society would be like without handicaps to make everyone equal. George cannot think for more than a few seconds at a time because of the handicap that he must wear in his ear, to distract him from his thoughts by blaring loud noises at random. All people who have above â€Å"average† intelligence are required to wear such a device to eliminate any unfair intellectual advantage over others. However, by scaring off the thoughts of truly intelligent people, the government is also creating a society in which nothing will ever change. Without the truly intelligent men and women in any society, there are no new inventions or new ideas that, in the past, have revolutionized a society. By making all people intellectually equal, the government and the society itself will remain unchanged and unadvanced. Ironically, George believes that without handicaps to keep everyone equal, â€Å"pretty soon we’d be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else†. However, without competition, society would revert to the dark ages, unable to compete with other societies and develop new technology and innovation. As Christopher Alexion points out, human beings must be careful with creating equality, because of the risk of taking it â€Å"to extremes that eventually destroy whatever it was we were trying to protect. Thats why our efforts toward equality need vitally to be guided by a love of liberty. Naked equality is just another name for tyranny – for if everyones going to be equal in all aspects, then no one can really be free†. The final example of the effect of a truly equal society occurs when Harrison Bergeron appears on television with all of his clanking weights and extreme handicaps. Harrison is athletic and intelligent, and has an obscene amount of handicaps because of this. Harrison attempts to overthrow the government, by declaring himself â€Å"the Emperor†, and removing all of his handicaps, as well as those of his chosen Empress. By having independent thoughts and beliefs, Harrison leads his own revolution in an attempt to change society for the better. Harrison sees that the constant equality means that people are no longer competitive, and he decides to try to change that. However, he is killed by the government in the process, and any dreams of change die with him. As Steven Saus notes, â€Å"The maximization of human potential and the potential of society can only be achieved by allowing all individuals to have the best opportunity to succeed within the limits of their primary characteristics†. Any person who has new ideas or tries to initiate change within an equal society would be met with the same fate, and consequently, nothing would ever change. By creating a society in which every person is equal, Kurt Vonnegut is able to show his readers how devastating to a society equality could be. At a time when political correctness is a must, and society strives for equality, it is easy to see how true equality could lead to a lack of diversity and competition within a society. Although Vonnegut’s society was a fictional one, a society similar to the one in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† would become a stagnant and unmotivated environment, falling behind in innovation and invention. Ultimately, the equality in this story will lead to the demise of the society.

Literature Review Tuberculosis Article Health And Social Care Essay

Literature Review Tuberculosis Article Health And Social Care Essay According to the World Health Organization, a third of the worlds population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (World Health Organization). New cases were estimated to number 9.4 million with 1.8 million deaths in 2008 (Thomas). Gary Maartens and Robert J. Wilkinson published a review in the December, 2007 issue of The Lancet that outlines the current condition of tuberculosis(TB) in the world today. Specifically, the authors report on the status of research, diagnostic techniques, treatment options and the epidemic of HIV-associated tuberculosis in Africa. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterial causative agent of a disease that has been a leading cause of death for much of earths history and still is for many developing countries. Maarten and Wilkinson noted recent regional changes in the incidence of TB with improvements made in many regions while incidence in sub-Saharan Africa has increased. This increase is correlated with the HIV epidemic in Africa and presents complex challenges in the task of controlling TB. In addition to HIV, multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of tuberculosis account for increasing numbers of new cases and recurrent disease in previously treated patients. The authors state that 4% of patients worldwide have a multidrug-resistant strain. Included in that percentage are patients with XDR strains. One reported study of a tuberculosis outbreak in HIV-infected individuals showed that 24% of those patients had XDR strains and this resulted in a 98% fatality rate (52 of 53 patients) . Genetic analysis of the bacterium indicated that transmission of the TB had been recent and it was noted that two-thirds of the affected patients had been hospitalized in the two years prior. The concern is that they may have acquired the XDR strain of TB while hospitalized, highlighting the need for better treatments and more precaution when treating these patients. Without improvements in rapid diagnosis and treatment, the incidence of drug-resistant strains will continue to rise. Genomic analysis has become an important tool in understanding microorganisms and Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been extensively studied and its genes have been sequenced. Analysis conducted on 875 different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from 80 countries has resulted in the discovery of six distinct lineages of TB that seem to have adaptations to specific populations of humans. As an example, the east African-Asian strain affects people of Indian origin, regardless of where they currently live. Another strain, W/Beijing, has less specificity, affecting people all over the world, but it also seems to be more virulent. Each of these strains is the result of mutations in the DNA of the bacterium. Different strains of TB have different mechanisms which allow them to modulate or suppress the immune system response. Many of these mechanisms have to do with the molecules that comprise the mycobacterial cell wall such as phenolic glycolipids. Two large studies have identified that membrane-associated proteins, molecular transporters, and ion channels play a vital role in the virulence of TB. These discoveries not only help scientists better understand the pathogenesis of tuberculosis; they also provide new targets for treatment. In addition to the genetics of the bacteria, the genetic makeup of the host is critical. Specific receptors on human macrophages recognize specific molecules of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and trigger cellular signaling cascades that can result in greater host resistance or increased susceptibility to TB. Two of the receptors involved have a role in vitamin D activation and a deficiency of this vitamin has been noted in some tuberculosis cases, leading the authors to speculate about the possibility of vitamin D supplementation for prevention. Mutations in one of these cellular signaling pathways were shown in a series of studies to predispose individuals to severe atypical mycobacterial infections. This line of inquiry, identifying the specific genetic mutations that give rise to virulence factors in the bacteria or greater susceptibility in the host, could lead to huge advancements in the understanding and eventual eradication of TB, but the authors point out that th ese studies would need to be extensive, which equates to expensive. Diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis hasnt significantly changed in decades. Microscopic analysis and bacterial culturing are the standard protocols used to detect a TB infection, but these techniques have drawbacks, the most obvious being the time and labor involved in culturing. Maarten and Wilkinson state the obvious by expressing a desire for a more sensitive test that is rapid and affordable. A few emerging candidates are discussed, including nucleic-acid amplification tests and enzyme-linked immunospot analysis (ELISpot analysis). Nucleic-acid amplification tests have not proven to be significantly better at identifying TB. They are also expensive and require specialized equipment, making them unsuitable for use in most developing countries with limited resources. The ELISpot analysis, however, has promise in that it shows greater sensitivity and specificity than the tuberculosis skin test (TST), particularly in differentiating between exposure to TB and an active infection . In addition to assessing whether a patient is dealing with a tuberculosis infection, it is critical to know whether the strain of TB is drug-resistant. Current methods of determining drug resistance require 6-8 weeks, but microscopic analysis of liquid culture growth can be done within 10 days and has the advantages of being inexpensive and easily available, even to locations with limited resources. HIV infection further complicates diagnosis of tuberculosis and a determination is frequently made based solely on clinical symptoms and x-rays. This can lead to faster treatment, but could also be a contributing factor in the creation of resistant strains. Current methods of treatment involve a cocktail of medications taken for at least six months. This protocol typically has good results, even in patients with HIV. The treatment strategy utilized internationally is called directly observed treatment short course (DOTS). This method of control has contributed to gains made in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, but still has many shortcomings. The authors advocate a combined approach and point to very high adherence rates for HIV treatments with a more patient centered approach, which empowers the patient to take care of themselves rather than reporting to a clinic to be observed taking a medication. The medications used to treat TB have changed very little and new medications are desperately needed, especially in light of the increase in drug-resistant strains. A commonly used medication, rifamycin is proving to be less effective in patients with HIV due to the development of resistance or because of some metabolic process reducing the concentration of the medication in their bodies. Fluoroquinolones have been shown to be effective but seem to be prone to rapid development of resistance and toxicity. The authors report on two new antimycobaterial drugs that have novel mechanisms of action and are in the process of testing. The complications of treating patients with HIV and TB are many. Most of the symptoms of TB are due to immune response (immunopathological), but the immune systems of HIV patients are already suppressed. The medications to treat TB can further suppress the immune response leading to an increase in viral load and the possibility of more opportunistic infections. In addition, many of these medications have proven to be hepatotoxic, which HIV patients are even less equipped to handle. Complications can also include paradoxical deterioration whereby the treatment of HIV results in a worsening of TB symptoms. The important point is that more research is required to understand the immune system functionality in concurrent infections of TB and HIV. The treatment of latent infections is aimed at preventing these infections from becoming active, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The most common strategy is a 6-12 month course of isoniazid. Although widely used, this treatment carries the same risks of medication resistance and hepatotoxicity as other TB drugs. Additional information on the physiology of latent infections could lead to better drugs and better strategies for treatment. Vaccination, which is widely available in Europe, but not used in the United States, has shown some efficacy in preventing severe TB infections in children, but the length and strength of protection is in question. Tuberculosis is still transmitted, allowing the continued spread of the bacteria. Novel vaccines are being tested and a few show promise to provide better protection. The authors reiterate the need for large, long term studies. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an epidemic of HIV-associated tuberculosis. The capacity to manage this epidemic is severely hindered by socioeconomic, medical infrastructure, and political issues. Treating with antiretrovirals has reduced the number of cases of tuberculosis, but HIV patients are still much more likely to develop tuberculosis. The best preventative measure seems to be to reduce the incidence of HIV and the best treatment strategy is to identify and treat active tuberculosis. Treating both HIV and tuberculosis concurrently poses special problems. Many of the drugs have potentially negative interactions, either reducing efficacy or increasing toxicity. In addition, there is the possibility of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. This disorder manifests as a worsening of TB symptoms in a patient that was improving, likely due to an improved immune response resulting from treatment of HIV. In essence, successful treatment of HIV results in an escalation of tub erculosis symptoms. Steroids used to treat the TB have some success, but at the risk of increased complications from HIV. There is a fine line in concurrently treating these diseases and much more to understand about it. This article serves both as a reminder of the enormity of the problems associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and as a call to arms for more research. With a third of the worlds population affected, it is extremely surprising that we dont have a symbol, a color, a celebrity backed telethon with accompanying song, or a three-day walk to raise awareness and money for research. I suppose part of the problem is that the problem is over there and so we in America are less aware. Preventing the spread of the bacteria seems to be the best option for a long term reduction in incidence, and a new vaccine would seem to be the logical next step. In reading the article, it seems the challenges in treating tuberculosis are almost overwhelming. Tuberculosis lives and multiplies in the macrophages of the human immune system, the very cells that would normally play a key role in eradication of a bacterial infection. This uncommon arrangement, in addition to the complexity of the interactions bet ween humans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is key to understanding the disease in the hope of finding better solutions. If we could find a way to induce the bodys immune systems to attack the bacteria itself without the formation of tubercles or other negative effects, that would be an ideal solution. If that is not possible, we need to find those mechanisms or characteristics that are unique to the bacterium or its pathogenesis and create a drug to act on those. The challenges are many. The authors repeatedly used the term political will and it seems that this may be the key to resolving the problem of tuberculosis. While the article serves the purposes of reminding and rallying, it seems to be written for those already familiar with the disease and is poorly organized. The authors seem to hopscotch about with very little in the way of transition, making it difficult for a novice to assimilate the information. It is a good review of the current direction, but without the foundatio nal information required to understand what it means.