Saturday, February 29, 2020

Bayaning 3rd World

The most common thing or if I may say the only thing that people answer when you ask them about Jose Rizal is that he is our national hero— idol and he is found in our 1-peso coin— icon. Sad to say that, in our modern times today, people have very limited knowledge about our national hero. The facts above are the only two things most of us know about Jose Rizal but for historians and experts; they have so much adjectives to connect with our national hero. Bayaning Third World, a â€Å"detective† story about Rizal being Philippine’s National Hero. Commenting on the movie per se, at first I thought it was some boring documentary about Rizal but understanding the facts exposed made me interested. The film was in black and white but it didn’t hindered my amusement because of the funny way they presented the most serious facts about Rizal. The movie was easy to understand if you were able to read about his life story or if you have tackled his life in your Filipino or Rizal subject but if not, you may get confused. Good thing, I have read and we have tackled his life in our lecture— that helped me follow through the film. This film also highlighted Rizal being a â€Å"Pilosopo† which reflected the Filipino attitude both in a good and not so good way. They also showed Rizal’s letters and documents which was commonly taken for granted to unveil the truth about his controversies. The movie made it â€Å"viewer-friendly† by face to face interviews with the persons involved and that is why I appreciated Rizal’s significant others behind their names. The main point stressed in this film was Rizal’s Retraction, which involved his marriage to Josephine Bracken and the rumors about her being a spy for the friars. There were many possibilities and speculations brought about in this film, which also made me, think. First point, they said that Rizal died a catholic despite of him being a mason through his signed letter, others said that the letter was real but the signature was forged given the fact that Rizal’s signature was easy to copy. On the other hand, some said that the letter was completely invalid and was just made by the insecure and threatened friars to destroy Rizal’s reputation. Second point, if you would ask me if he really retracted or not, for me, it doesn’t matter because as long as his death gave credence to what he believed, fought for our democracy and his convictions, Retraction really doesn’t make him less of a hero. I believe that Rizal only became a mason because he was against the government, which happened to be the church and vice-versa. He isn’t against about God and Catholicism per se but in the â€Å"supposedly† instruments of God’s love and greatness which were the priests who were ruthless to the Filipino people. Also, he was against the people who sold their religion for wealth and for people who exchanged their religion for power . At the part where in Rizal almost burn the manuscript of Noli Me Tangere made me think that it was a symbol of him letting go of what he strongly believed in connection to him not involved with â€Å"Himagsikan†. He became hopeless and I think he became afraid of death, probably, However, since he continued the publishing of Noli Me Tangere, I believe, he gained back his strong convictions regarding our democracy and showed his nationalism and patriotism. I thought what I know about Rizal was enough to understand his life, works and writing but having finished this independent film widened my understanding not only for Rizal’s positive sides but also for his flaws. Jose Rizal being a national hero considering his great influence not only in the Philippines but to other countries he had gone also with his works, the great impact he left with our history as a country and culture as its citizen, his weight to some indigenous religions also has his own flaws and faults because he is also a human being capable of doing those things. Less people know Rizal’s â€Å"dark side†Ã¢â‚¬â€ controversies, I myself was one of those before I watched this film. We were focused on his good side, his achievements and contributions for the betterment of our country but having the chance to know his flaws which until now haunts him, we must understand him and not condone the fact that he was still a human being. Rizal really don’t want to be a hero, he just wanted to prove his great passion and love for our country. Indeed, Rizal chose to die because it was one way to give weight to his beliefs and philosophy. We all have our own Rizal. We have different perceptions and understanding regarding his life, works and writings. As for me, though he is not as â€Å"perfect† as a national hero should be, I still salute and look up to him for his immense contributions and grand legacy which is applicable until now. Despite his imperfection, it didn’t lessen his heroism. In fact, his controversies made his life more interesting and it only made him more famous not only during his time but now and in the future generations. I didn’t get surprised that many critiqued his life but for me he is still the 3rd world hero of all time. How can we become Rizal in our own little ways? By following simple rules and regulations and by paying the right tax. There are a lot more and it is up to you to think of whatever way it suites you. Let us be a modern-day Rizal to continue his legacy for the future generation. Bayaning Third World is a film of substance. It is very appealing and is highly recommended for other students studying Rizal. It is effective for my learning. Even if our 1-peso coin is in constant devaluing, Rizal still remain number one in our hearts.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Jury Decision-making Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jury Decision-making - Case Study Example After the authenticity of DNA evidence had been proved, many judgements have been overturned and one such famous case is The Case of the Winchester Three, (1990) where three Irish people were sentenced for 25 years of imprisonment for the murder of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Tom King. Eye witnesses had spotted them in the crime scene and they had money, a second hand car, a radio, a woolly hat, a list of prominent British people and also had false name driving licences. Jury relied on eye witness evidence and any reasonable jury could do so and in this case it eventually proved to be a miscarriage of justice. Even though it was not Actus reus, it was easy to convince the jury. "An eyewitness who has no motive to lie is a powerful form of evidence for jurors, especially if the eyewitness appears to be highly confident about his or her recollection. In the absence of definitive proof to the contrary, the eyewitness's account is generally accepted by police, prosecutors, j udges, and juries" says Wells (2006). Wells and Loftus (1984, p. 1), mention the bewildering case of Robert Dillen, a freelance photographer, who was charged with indecent exposure for relieving himself in the park bushes, after ascertaining that the public lavatory was locked. Unfortunately, his photo was published and identified by many eye witnesses as the man who conducted rape, armed robbery, kidnapping etc. in various cases. Fortunately, his strong alibis and the weakness of eye witnesses convinced the jury otherwise, and he was released every time. This shows that people can feel convinced that they saw the accused and they are absolutely sure that even a lie test fails to point out. Psychological studies have proved that it is possible to convince a person that he has witnessed something that had never happened. A confluence of memory combined with complexly operating socially influential alternatives could be responsible in eye witnessing errors and courts should consider them from every angle. "The eight factors that have been shown to affect identification accuracy, disguise of robber, weapon focus, violence of robbery, retention interval, exposure, to mug shots, biased line-up instructions, line-up size, and fairness of the line-up, had trivial effects on probability ratings and on verdicts" Culter et al (1988). Sometimes eyewitness confidence and accuracy are very poorly related and the memory of the face that could go through changes in the mind of the witness, and this shows that vibrant psychological effects are behind eyewitness evidence. Cultler concludes one of his researches: "This research provides some justification for admitting expert psychological testimony on eyewitness identification. The juror apparently does not evaluate eyewitness memory in a manner consistent with psychological theory and findings." Cutler (1990). In one of his researches, Kassin concludes: "Clearly, participants distinguished between a voluntary and coerced confession. Yet at the same time, the presence of any confession powerfully increased the conviction rate-even when it was seen as coerced, even when

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Chinese food in the United States( food as culture) Annotated Bibliography

Chinese food in the United States( food as culture) - Annotated Bibliography Example Furthermore, the author determines how the Chinese cuisines have shaped the American cuisines. This source utilizes both primary and secondary evidence on how Chinese food came to America. I find this source to be helpful in explaining the origin of the Chinese foods in the United States. It will help in developing a background for my topic. It will help the reader realize how this food increased in the foreign land, America. The source credibility is from the author who is a writer of different newspapers including the popular New York Times, and has experience in Chinese restaurants. In this article, Hayford explores one of the Chinese Cuisines that has become dominant in the United States. In particular, this researcher examines how â€Å"Chop Suey† went through different challenges before it was accepted in different restraints and be used by different ethnic groups. The Northerners believed that â€Å"Chop Suey† was not authentic (7). Congress laws on immigration after the World War II saw a decline in Chop Suey. As a result of education and restaurants competitiveness, this cuisine was also appreciated. Asian-Americans students use it to embrace national heritage in showing cultural fusion. However, this journal article does not provide methods used in collecting data. Fortunately, its arguments are well explained using both secondary and primary sources of data. This article will be helpful in explaining how Chinese food helps them in embracing their national heritage in the age of cultural fusion. I believe that relating Hayford integration of Chop Suey with china will help in explaining how food can identify a given nation. This article relates to Coe book, which provides history on how different Chinese foods reached the United States. The article credibility comes from the use of primary and secondary data. Also, the author is an independent scholar who has worked