James Lewis

It is the birth of a city that places great civilizations on the historical map. When a society had progressed to the point of establishing specific jobs, social hierarchies and a method to expand their productivity and protect their resources, they made cities. From the Roman Empire to the Classic Greeks, from the Chinese Dynasty to the Aztec civilization, having a city was central to progress, development and culture and it was always in these metropolises that people migrated to in hopes of gaining knowledge or contributing their talent. For those who have lived in the city all their life, there really is nothing that compares. Modern cities of today are marked by their bright lights, the diversity of people, the infinite possibilities of things to do and the constant hum of change, progress and traffic. Although living in the city can have its drawbacks, it is still the best place one can live.
Cities offer endless possibilities on every front. Whether you are looking for a new place to eat, a new job to try or a fresh face to meet, everything can be found in the city because one of the benefits of living in the city is the excitement of knowing it is always changing, never stagnant and continually moving forward. It is a place that will change into what you need it to be.If you are looking for a place to make close friends who share your passions, there is no better place than the city and if it’s career opportunities you seek, no other place will give you so many options to further your aspirations. There is never a shortage of innovation or creativity and this allows the city to adapt to everyone’s taste. They are transit places and because people are constantly coming in and moving out, so too does the city. Indeed Plato said that the “city is what it is because [the] citizens are what they are.” The artists, politicians, philosophers, economists and musicians that live in the city shape the spirit of the city and make city-living an experience that never gets boring and ensures that there is always a wealth of opportunity to achieve one’s dreams.
However those who prefer small towns and rural suburb have many criticisms for city-living. They complain that cities are too crowded and unnecessarily polluted, that they are breed feelings of inadequacy because they are too competitive. These critics see the change that takes place in the city as instability, they view the vibrancy as noise and see the concentration of knowledge as over-population. These people do not understand the heart of the city and fail to see that without cities, there would be no hope for their small towns to survive. Because of their small-mindedness and limited aspirations, they become annoyed at city-dwellers who have large dreams and the courage to follow them.

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Racism is a vice which dates back many years ago. It has been in existence with people who have used it wrongly to sideline, favor, intimidate and discriminate other people just because they feel that they are superior to others. Racism can be defined as an unfair treatment or dislike of somebody because they are of different race or colour of the skin. It can be administered through speaking unfair and demeaning racist remarks against other race, beatings or job discrimination because of one’s race. After the election of United States of America, racism has taken a different dimension. With the endorsement and election of Senator Barrack Obama as the president of America, the black Americans who have for a long time been victims of racism since independence by the whites had a reason to smile because they felt that now they will not be discriminated anymore.
The impact of racism is very traumatic and those who have been victims have sad stories to tell. They could better not remember about it instead continue with their lives in a more positive way. Racism in America is on its way to death with the election of black American as the president. During the campaigning period, both the presidential contenders assured the Americans that they fight hard to end racism in America, and this was evidenced by the an overwhelming support which Barrack Obama got from the whites and the black Americans. Racism is going to dwindle slowly from the Americans’ minds though there are some who feel that their race is superior to others. I t has created a lot hatred amongst Americans who see each other as worst enemies.
With the change of guard at Whitehouse, and the elect president at one time was a victim of racism, he will strive to encourage the Americans to unite and work together and put their racial differences aside. When Senator John McCain conceded defeat by Obama, he urged all the Americans to support him fully as their president, a clear indication that the Americans were now ready to work together with each other as one people. With the appointment of John Biden (a white) as his running mate and ultimately as the vice president shows that the blacks are ready to work with whites. This set a good example which should be embraced by all Americans.
The kind of celebration and jubilation which was displayed and witnessed by Americans when Obama was duely elected as the president of United States is a clear indication that they had put aside their personal and racial differences. From this point of view, racism is going to fade away with time and with the kind of enthusiasm amongst the whites and the blacks, there is hope that things will never be the same again. It is the hope of many Americans to end racism which had been rampant amongst some few unreasonable Americans for many years.

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The traditional Japanese house and what modern architecture can learn from it
In the following essay I am going to explain the extend of standardization of the Japanese house, their underlying principles and its manifestations in the construction of these houses.Body:
When examining the exterior of a traditional Japanese house one is immediately drawn to the predominantly horizontal orientation of the house, a striking feature of Japanese architecture. The roof itself seems to hover over the ground as if it is a separate entity, detached from the walls and the rest of the structure. Making your way inside, it is the modular rooms that are now redefined, borders between inner and outer spaces are broken as translucent paper panels open up and inner space is extended outward. A mere continuation of the room, landscape sets the scene for the residential space, providing a source of tranquillity and relaxation, both spaces in harmony with one another, they become the same space. Here there is no distinction between house and garden as in the West, Japanese architecture is mainly described through the exclusion of axis and symmetry. A characteristic of this is the addition of individual spaces without particular spatial accentuation. Space units are not graded into minor/ major or interior/ exterior.

Looking at Japanese architecture from a broader perspective, the main features of the Japanese house are:
– the potential of its floor mats (tatami)
– its modular order of system and form
– its flexibility of space and functionality
– and its diversity within standardization.

The first feature of Japanese houses is the tatami. The tatami is a distinctive feature of the Japanese house, although the mat itself is not very distinctive. The tatami mat can be described as a floor covering which has been woven from straw and is used for walking, sitting and sleeping on. It is used until today and every Japanese home will have at least one tatami room. Its standard thickness is 45- 60mm and its size is approx. 3x 6 feet ( 910x 1820 mm). The word tatami comes from the Japanese word tatamu (meaning fold or to pile up). In the beginning the tatami was a moveable floor mat, which could be laid out anywhere in the house, however in the 15th century it became a permanent covering and since the 18th century it started to be used commonly among the lower classes and entire floor areas were then covered. During that time the fixation of size took place. The reason behind the regulation of the size of the mat is that when people would move to a new residence they would take their tatamis along with them and because these mats had to fit into their new residence it was thought that to simplify the process, a standard size would be needed.

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Whеthеr іt іs pоеtry, prоsе, оr nоn-fісtіоn, wrіtеrs nоt оnly wrеstlе wіth thеіr оwn thоughts, tryіng tо fіnd thе prесіsе wоrds thаt еxprеss thеіr mеаnіng mоst сlеаrly, but thеy аlsо dо sо hоpіng, соnsсіоusly оr nоt, thаt thеіr еffоrt wіll nоt hаvе bееn іn vаіn. Thеy wrіtе fоr оthеrs, аnd thе rоаd оur wоrds tаkе tо thе mіnds оf оur rеаdеrs іs unсеrtаіn, rеplеtе wіth оbstасlеs, dеtоurs, аnd dеаd еnds. (Bеnsоn, 34-36)
Muсh саn gеt lоst аlоng thе wаy. Thіs іs pаrtісulаrly truе оf pоеtry, thаt mоst pеrsоnаl оf lіtеrаry mоdеs, аnd nоwhеrе mоrе sо thаn іn trаnslаtіоn. Аll thе dіffісultіеs оf vеrbаl еxprеssіоn аrе mаgnіfіеd іn thе асt оf trаnslаtіng, fоr еvеn сulturеs whісh shаrе thе sаmе lаnguаgе dоn’t аutоmаtісаlly sее thе wоrld іn thе sаmе wаy; е.g., thе dіffісultіеs Brіtіsh аudіеnсеs hаvе wіth Аmеrісаn humоr, аnd vісе-vеrsа. (Buіtеnhuіs, 2-7)
Аn оld Іtаlіаn prоvеrb sаys, “Trаdіtоrе trаdutоrе,” whісh mеаns “tо trаnslаtе іs tо bеtrаy.” Аnd whіlе thаt іs аlwаys truе іn аn еxасt sеnsе, іt оbsсurеs whаt іs undоubtеdly truе fоr аll suсh trаnsсulturаl mоvеmеnts – sоmе mеаnіngs dо саrry асrоss. Sо іt іs аll thе mоrе rеmаrkаblе whеn оnе fіnds а соllесtіоn оf pоеms thаt mаnаgеs tо brіdgе thеsе mаny dіvіdеs. Аnd thаt іs whаt соnсеrns us іn thіs slіm yеt mаrvеlоus vоlumе оf pоеtry by а grоup оf Kоrеаn еx-pаtrіаtеs іn thе grеаtеr Wаshіngtоn аrеа. (Buss, 54-57)
“Frаgrаnсе оf Pоеtry,” trаnslаtеd by Еunhwа Сhое аnd Yеаrn Hоng Сhоі, іs thе fіrst іn whаt оnе hоpеs wіll bе а sеrіеs оf аnthоlоgіеs by Kоrеаn pоеts lіvіng іn thе Unіtеd Stаtеs. Mr. Сhоі, prеsіdеnt оf thе Kоrеаn-Аmеrісаn Pоеts’ Grоup, hаs shоwn grеаt fаіth іn shеphеrdіng thе wоrk оf 15 Kоrеаn pоеts, іnсludіng hіs оwn, tо publісаtіоn.
Whаt dоеs оnе fіnd hеrе? Thеsе аrе fіrst-gеnеrаtіоn Kоrеаn Аmеrісаns. Аnd thеy spеаk tо us оf thе іmmіgrаnt lіfе – thе jоy оf dіsсоvеry іn thеіr nеw hоmеlаnd, thе frustrаtіng еffоrt tо brіdgе gаps оf lаnguаgе аnd сulturе, аnd thе sоrrоw аnd pаіn оf thе lоss оf сulturаl grоundіng. Hоwеvеr rеmоvеd thіs іmmіgrаnt еxpеrіеnсе mаy bе frоm thе nаtіvе bоrn, thе соmmоnаlіty оf humаn еxpеrіеnсе іs frеsh аnd іmmеdіаtе. (Саllаnаn,12-19)
Іn mаny pоеms, thе rеаdеr іs rеwаrdеd wіth glіmpsеs іntо Kоrеаn сulturе – thе wаy thеy vаluе соurаgе аnd rеsіlіеnсy іn thе fасе оf grеаt hаrdshіp, hоw thеy sееk sоlасе іn nаturе, thе wаy thеy саlmly, yеt wіth grеаt fееlіng, ассеpt thеіr fаtе.
Іn аddіtіоn tо thеsе іnsіghts, wе соmе аwаy wіth а lаrgеr sеnsе оf оur kіnshіp аs humаn bеіngs, hоw wе аll fасе thе fundаmеntаl сhаllеngеs оf lіfе – fіndіng аnd gіvіng lоvе, prеsеrvіng оur mеmоrіеs, fасіng оur mоrtаlіty. Аs Е. Еthеlbеrt Mіllеr, Dіrесtоr оf thе Аfrісаn-Аmеrісаn Rеsоurсе Сеntеr аt Hоwаrd Unіvеrsіty, sаіd іn hіs fоrеwоrd, “Іt’s sаd thаt wе dоn’t knоw mоrе аbоut Kоrеа аnd Kоrеаn сulturе.”
Thеsе pоеms hеlp tо сhаngе thаt. Іn а wоrld оf аlmоst іnstаnt glоbаl соmmunісаtіоn, оf grоwіng іntеrdеpеndеnсy, іt’s іrоnіс thаt wе rеmаіn sо іgnоrаnt оf оnе аnоthеr. Thаt іgnоrаnсе mаіntаіns оur іsоlаtіоn.

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The use of the term “imperialism” to refer to the United States and how she conducts her foreign policies made its first appearance in the early 1800s by the “American Anti-Imperialist League” as part of its mission of condemning post-war American military excesses and brutalities abroad. It then begs the question as to what constitutes imperialism; where does it start and where does it end? In the context of our contemporary politically-charged international terrain, can the American role of a “global police force” be likened to imperialistic tendencies? If not, who then polices the police? What is the legitimacy of America’s claim to empire status? Is the radical infiltration of American military might and democratic values across the global corridors in tune with contemporary political normative standards? It is in the light of the foregoing questions that the central premise of this essay will be hinged on the relevance or otherwise of the so-called American imperialistic tendencies packaged in an ongoing conservative policy of aggressive militarism across the global frontier.
Nonetheless, another school of thought is of the strong opinion that the persistent abuse of the term “imperialism” has rendered it an ineffective tool for conducting insightful analysis of American role in the international political arena. According to Miller (1982), the United States’ claim of blamelessness amidst the raging debate of its imperialism has rather heated the fracases of the debate. In his view, all the contending issues of the debate cannot be treated in isolation with the historical genesis of the presumed label placed on Uncle Sam. The Spanish-American War of 1898, is a case in point, was fought on the motivation of an insatiable desire for territorial integrity and an extreme motive of territorial annexation. America eventually emerged as the victor of this bitter squabble that witnessed the usage of both diplomatic maneuverings and military might. Without going into the specific details of this war, it can still be strongly established that this war set the right stage for all subsequent developments in American foreign and security policies. It is even interesting to note that some historians argue that early manifestations of American traditional imperialist inclinations predates the period of the American-Spanish War into the forefronts of the early displacement of native Indians.
Domestically, public opinion as to whether America is pursuing a policy of radical isolationism and militarism is sharply fragmented, thus making it difficult to arrive at a conclusion. What is thus observed is summarized below
• Extremely critical Americans are inclined to overstate the nation’s flaws, without placing them in the appropriate historical and global framework.
• The second group represents Americans who are of the opinion that imperialism is akin to aberration.

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