The Current Heritage Conservation Policy In Hong Kong

The Current Heritage Conservation Policy In Hong Kong We can see that some valuable built heritage were destroyed in these few years; however, the public did not acknowledge the impacts of demolishing our precious built heritage and the importance of conserving them. Not only can cultural heritage enhance the uniqueness of the city, it also can contribute to the civic pride and a sense of belongings. Therefore, this study will discuss the effectiveness of the heritage conservation policies in Hong Kong. The current systems are the Three-tier system and Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Data were gathered by secondary research, such as governmental reports, academic theses and private sector reports. After reviewing the two policies, we found that the strategies lack statutory power to protect built heritage and the preservation of privately owned historical buildings done by the Hong Kong government is ineffective. To further establishing a comprehensive heritage conservation system, the heritage preservation experiences of Macau can provide some insights and directions to the local government. By referencing its experience, we recommend that Hong Kong can improve the current systems and the scope of protection can be extended to private historical monuments. Background In the past hundreds of year, Hong Kong has grown from a small rural community into one of the most influencing and renowned cosmopolis. By undergoing a long period of history, plenty of valuable heritage legacies can be found in every district in Hong Kong. In fact, cultural heritage can sustain peoples values and allow them to share a collective memory. Therefore, it should be considered as essential and invaluable public assets that are worthy to preserve. In 1976, in a light of protecting historical monuments and promoting the heritage value, Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was established by the British colonial government. Some related departments have subsequently set up to protect historical buildings, such as Home Affairs Bureau (HAB), Urban Renewal Authority (URA) and so on. Unfortunately, due to prompt economic development and large population growth, there are great demands for intense urban development and some significant historical landmarks have been demolished, such as the Queens Pier and the Star Ferry Pier. As a result, despite historical significance, old buildings occupying potential sites of commercial development are regarded as barriers and cannot be protected properly by legal frameworks. Introduction It is obvious to see that the heritage conservation in Hong Kong is yielded to the economic growth and urban development. The Hong Kong government has neglected the importance of conserving heritage and some monuments cannot be maintained for the future generation under the existing heritage preservation policies. Therefore, I find it essential to look into the efficacy of the current policies. This paper aims at examining the effectiveness of present heritage conservation policies and reviewing the experience of Macau. Procedure Data for the policy paper gathered are mainly secondary data which was obtained by extensive reading of relevant journal articles, theses and reports. Moreover, I accessed some governmental departments websites in order to obtain more official and factual information which are persuasive enough to support my view points. Existing measures and effectiveness Three-Tier Grading System of Historical Buildings The Grading System, which is adapted to record heritage buildings with significant historical and architectural value, is an administrative measure without any statutory power. Therefore, the record is only kept for internal reference for the government. The Grading System comprises three grades, including Grade I, Grade II and Grade III  [1]  . Since the System lacks statuary status and is only regarded as a reference list to keep record of the historical buildings, the graded buildings cannot be protected legally. Under the System, the information provided by the Grading System will just be sent to other relevant government departments such as the Planning Department which can determine whether protect the graded historical buildings or not. We can, therefore, understand that the System is not powerful enough to inhibit the monumental architectures from destroying. For example, the Murray House, which was built in 1846 with classical British style, was classified as Grade I building owing to its valuable Victorian architectural design. This historical landmark was originally located in Central; however, it was dismantled in 1982 and relocated to the Stanley in attempt to make way for the Bank of China Tower. Regrettably, due to the lost of parts of the building, this relocation failed to reflect the remarkable historical development and architectural significance of 18th Century. As a result, the AAB decided to remove the grade of the Murray House after visiting the place. We can clearly see that even the graded buildings which declared as monuments cannot be protected properly under the current system. Thus, it is critical for the government to offer legal authority to the Grade System so that the graded buildings will not be demolished easily. Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (AMO) is enacted in 1976 in an attempt to protect Hong Kong historical buildings. The AMO, which is implemented by the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AM Office), provides secretarial services for Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB). In the section three of the Ordinance, after consultation with the AAB and with the approval of the Chief Executive, the Office may declare buildings, places and sites, where the Office considers to be public interest by reason of its historical and archaeological value  [2]  . Therefore, under the Ordinance, the Office is responsible for declaring antiquities and historical buildings into monuments or proposed monuments, which can prohibit them from demolishing. However, the AMO does not possess effective and comprehensive statutory power to protect privately owned historical buildings. In fact, private owners have their own right to reject the monumental buildings declaring as monuments on the grounds that they consider the land market and the profit of selling the buildings more than the value of historical value. Meanwhile, the developmental potential of the buildings and the profit may decrease after declaration, which causes them be reluctant to declare the buildings into monuments. Thus, few privately owned heritage assets can be protected and kept as declared monuments. For instance, Tiger Balm Gardens, which was constructed in 1935 by a wealthy Chinese philanthropist Aw Boon-haw, built in Chinese Renaissance Style with a unique mixture of Chinese and Western styles of artistic decoration. The owners of the Gardens submitted a proposal required the demolition of the whole heritage buildings in 1999; however when the AM Office acknowledged and approached the matter, the real estate developers had bought the land and dismantled part of the buildings for the redevelopment. Therefore, it is important for the AMO to promote private sector participation in heritage conservation and a comprehensive mechanism of compensation can be established. The Macaus experience In order to enhance the effectiveness of the heritage conservation policies in Hong Kong, related experiences of other countries will be studied. In fact, comparing the conservation policies between different places is definitely an effective way to achieve better approach to the preservation of the built cultural heritage in developed countries. In this part, the heritage conservation policies of Macau will be explored; therefore, I hope that their experiences can give Hong Kong an insight into saving heritage. The reason why I take the examples of Macau is that there are lots of similarities between Hong Kong and Macau, including the high population density and rapid economic growth. More importantly, they both colonized by Britain and Portugal, which may result in both countries possessing great historical and cultural value. Thus, it will be easier for Hong Kong to seek advice from Macau. In Macau, Cultural Institute (CI) and Cultural Heritage Department (CHD) are the core statutory departments of heritage conservation. The legal classification system of built heritage, which is under control by these two departments, is consisted of four categories, namely The Monument, The Complex, The Sites and Building of Architectural Interest. Under the classification system, authorization from the government is needed before any repairs, damages and demolition; therefore, most historical buildings in Macau are conserved well. To date, 128 built heritages are preserved and classified as cultural properties in Macau, including 52 are The Monument, 11 are The Complexes, 22 are The Sites and 44 are Building of Architectural Interest. Comparing with Hong Kong, the classification system in Macau is granted with legal force and therefore the classified historical buildings will not be demolished by any parties of society. Apart from the classification system, the Macau Government has set up a Cultural Fund in a bid to cover the cost of repairing and restoring the historical buildings. As a result, owners of privately owned heritage are willing to give consent to declare the historical buildings as monuments. Moreover, the Macau government has tried their best to invest on revitalizing the historical buildings. Ruins of St. Paulo, Sao Domingos Square and Leal Senado Square, for example, are conserved and reused for social and commercial purposes. By combining the ideas of conservation and economic development, the cultural heritage can be reversed properly and have become famous tourist attractions. We can clearly see the determination and sincerity of the Macau government in conserving the heritage. Conclusion The findings clearly indicate that the heritage conservation policies are not extensive and effective enough to protect local historical monuments. Some of the policies cannot protect privately owned heritage while other cannot access their legal force to protect monuments. It can be concluded that to encourage public involvement in heritage preservation, Hong Kong have to consult other countries opinions so that we can develop a clearer heritage conservation system to protect valuable monumental buildings. Recommendation Improvement of the grading system Since some historical buildings may not be preserved appropriately under the existing grading system, I propose that the criteria of grading buildings be more objective and transparent. Therefore, it is important for the government and relevant departments to reform the grading system. Incentives to private owners of historical buildings. Given a lack of incentives and no clear regulations regarding the compensation for conserving privately owned historical buildings, I recommend that a reasonable and comprehensive compensation be provided to encourage private owners repair and maintain the buildings. Besides, tax relief which is a financial tool to help private owners to restore and maintain the privately owned historical buildings can be offered as conservation incentives. As a result, a wide range of Hong Kongs monuments can be protected for future generation. Establishment of funding In view of inadequate support and determination of local government in heritage conservation, it is highly recommend that the government provide funding to support preserving built heritage. It may be useful and effective for the government to cooperate with private organizations and non-profit organizations. Both donations and contributions can be collected as a source of funding so that the maintenance cost of historical buildings can be covered and reduced.

 Oedipus Complex in Sons and Lovers

Sigmund Freud introduced two theories, one is Oedipus complex and other is Electra complex. Sigmund Freud's theory, the Oedipus complex takes its name from the Greek play Oedipus Rex. In the play Oedipus is prophesied to murder his father, marry his mother and have sex with her and he does this unwittingly. The strong attraction of a child to the parent of the opposite sex and envy or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved. This attraction in a boy for mother is called Oedipus complex and The female version is called the Electra complex.D. H Lawrence was well aware of Freud's theory. In Sons and Lovers, D. H Lawrence uses the Oedipus complex as its base for exploring Paul's relationship with his mother. Paul is too much attracted to his mother and their love often borders on romantic desire. D. H Lawrence writes many times in the novel about their relation and they go beyond the bounds of conventional moth er son love. Paul hates his father and often fantasizes about his death and loves her mother and in this way he completes the Oedipus equation in the novel. D. H.Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers is the most reliable and remarkable example of Freud’s Oedipus complex in modern literature. Hu Junjie, a Freudian psychologist writes that Lawrence is one of the most original, realist and controversial English writers of the modern literature and twentieth century. The main theme of his writing was relationship between man and woman. His work Lady Chatterley’s Lover was rejected by his contemporary English society and it was based on theme if pornographic nature. However, in D. H Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers Oedipus complex is the dominant theme.The complex here chiefly moves around protagonist Paul and his mother’s dealings or relation. The Oedipus complex begins to appear in William and Paul is examplified in the relationship between their parents. The boys wit ness an unsuccessful & abusive marriage in which Walter Morel often comes home drunk after wasting the family’s income on gambling. He does not like meals in the presence of family. He abuses his Mrs. Boys notice all this and they begin to hate their father and be sympathetic and protective towards their mother. The children see their mother good and pure.She keeps her sons all to herself and sheltered from their father. In this way Gertrude Morel is unconsciously molding her sons into her desires, so with the passage of time they can take the place of her husband. No doubt their marriage was their own choice but now she is clearly unhappy in her marriage and now she tries to live vicariously through her sons. This is the basic motivation that allows the oedipal attachment to form in the two boys. William is the oldest and the mother’s favorite son. He does everything for her mother’s pleasure. He buys two egg cups from the fair for his mother.Sibling rivalry ex ists in the two brothers, William and Paul, as they compete for their mother’s love. Mrs. Morel does not like his female companions and becomes jealous and he finally moves to London. William’s this action of moving to London was his unconscious way of trying to break free from the oedipal attachment to his mother. In London, Mr. William meets a beautiful girl named Lily. They become closer friends but Mr. William is not happy and he has a misogynistic attitude towards her. It is very clear that Lily does not have the good qualities he sees in his mother and it angers and frustrates him.William shows classic symptoms of dissatisfaction. When Mr. William voices his dissatisfaction with Lily and his mother asks him to reconsider marrying her. He replies, †Oh well, I’ve gone too far to break it off now†. All these conflicted moments and feelings that William is experiencing are a sign of his apparent struggle to get rid himself of the oedipal complex th en William eventually gets sick and dies. After William’s death, Paul takes his place and becomes mother’s favorite. This action compels to think a person that she may thought of him as a suitor.This is proved when she accepts a bottle of perfume from him. She said â€Å"Pretty! † in an odd tone or in a curios way, Lawrence says, â€Å"Of a woman accepting a love-token†. When Paul reaches at the age of sixteen to twenty (adulthood), it is clear the Oedipus complex has taken him over (chapter 3). His relationship with his father is deformed and he becomes jealous of him. He hates his father too much and He even asks his mother not to sleep with the father anymore. Young Paul meets Miriam Leivers, he likes her and he is repeating the same misogynistic behavior like his brother William did with Lily.He thinks that he would be betraying his mother by loving her. But the idea that Paul is interested in someone other than his mother shows an attempt to break th e oedipal complex he has. But the mother foils this attempt by making him feel guilty for wanting to be with miss Miriam. She says, â€Å"I cannot bear it, I could let another woman, but not her. She’d leave me no room, not a bit of room. And I’ve never you know Paul, I’ve never had a husband, not really. † The mother exhibited the same behavior with William by being jealous of his female companions and is now being imposed on Paul.Gertrude Morel reinforces the Oedipus complex within Paul by suffocating him and in a elusive way asking him to replace her husband. Paul and Mariam’s relation now reduced to friendship. Paul has to repress his romantic feelings that he might have for her, so she will not replace his mother’s place. Later in the novel we come across that Paul does become physically intimate with Miriam but it is short-lived because Paul will not marry her. It also shows that Paul suffers from a fear of closeness and affair as he c ontinues to remain emotionally detached from Miriam.Paul, once again gives in to the oedipal attachment for his mother. Paul does have an affair with a married but separated woman named of Clara Dawes. In relation to Clara Paul allows himself to have this relationship because he is well aware that realistically this relationship can never go anywhere. Clara would never be divorced her husband. That’s why Clara is not a threat to Paul’s oedipal complex to his mother. There is no threat of her taking his mother’s place. Gertrude morel now becomes ill, she feels pain and Paul gives her morphine.But in the end he intentionally overdoses of morphine to her, which leads to her death and reduced her sufferings. This is a case of euthanasia, this action of killing his mother was a conscious way to reduce her sufferings but unconsciously he releases himself Oedipus complex once and for all. Paul, after her mother’s death, is devastated and alone. Much time has pas sed and Miriam still wants to be with Paul but he refuses. It means that even after his mother’s death he is still not free from his attachment to her mother because he chooses to be alone.The unpleasant relationship with his mother is still present in Paul’s life. Conclusion: No doubt in the history of psychology a large number of thinkers are influenced by Freud’s view of sexuality. to some extend Some of his followers seem to create their work behind the establishment of Freudian sex theories. But these theories have been losing their appeal along with modernization of psychology. Joseph Jastrow a follower of Freud says that Freud’s Oedipus complex is an indecent and inadequate concept. It’s impossible to find any origin or root of this claim.After constant study we are able merely to know that it is nothing but a consequence of Freud’s imaginative psychoanalysis based on his personal supposition that lacks evidence. But we cannot put it aside that it is a biographical novel. D. H Lawrence loves her mother but not his father. If we come to the conclusion of Paul’s case, we find that his Oedipus complex and its causes are already clear to us. Paul grows in a bitter environment and he has not become a normal adult by getting over some problems. That is not only because of his mother’s abnormal maternity.There are many other reason; some problems with the parents, some with himself, some with his brothers, even some from the society and the mechanical civilization, all these lead to the family tragedy and distortion of personality and devastate people’s healthy development on spirits. Now we can realize and recognize that Paul’ relation with mother is the outcome of many unusual and abnormal causes which are partial, exceptional and individual rather than universal. We can say that it is not usual or natural for the people living in a healthy family and environment to have such anomalous and complex emotional problems.

National Initiatives Essay

Many national initiatives have been developed over the years as society becomes more progressive and tolerant, the results of these legislative regulation at every level from international law all the way down to individual practice policy have an effect on anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care systems Conventions and fundamental and regulation European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 Article 14 in this convention concerns discrimination and prohibits discrimination based on many different factors such as Race, Sex, Age etc. It also can extend to protect against discrimination of different sexual orientation and legal rights of people under national law. In terms of Health and social care and anti-discriminatory practice this Article is very important as it sets the basis for a non-discriminatory Health a Social care System. This article states in essence that by and large everyone has the right to be treated without being discriminated against for any illogical reason such as a person not being treated because they mentally Ill. It should mean also that more health professionals cannot be hired based on discrimination from the employer against other applicants. E.G a dental practice picks a Caucasian applicant over an Asian Applicant based purely on their own prejudice against Asian people. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 This act dictates that men and women are protected by law from being discriminated against on the bases of their sex or marital status. This act gives men and women the rights to the same level of treatment by health professionals and to attain the same positions as one another. This makes a more diverse workforce and in health & social care which is a diverse environment, this is a good thing. Codes of Practice and Charters Codes of practice are enforced by individual practices and Healthcare Centres, These are all similar in most respects but usually are specified to the practice itself. For example a Dentist and a Hospital for the mentally infirm will have different codes of practice due to the complete difference in patient, treatment and the overall healthcare plan. But this show’s just some of the benefits and uses of practice codes in healthcare as it allows room for maximum patient care. These codes of practice however generally address what is considered to be discrimination in the practice and what sanctions follow if any of these codes are broken. This helps to ensure that all employees are aware what discriminatory practice is and this allows no excuse when discriminatory practice is carried out by and employee. Organisational Policies and procedures Organisational policies and procedures affect various things in health & social care including positive promotion of individual rights, advocacy, staff development and training, complaints procedures, confidentiality. Promoting individual rights Individual rights cover a large range of rights and good organisational policies cover the protection of these against discrimination. People’s individual rights in the health and social system must be protected against any infringement on them e.g. their personal beliefs. Advocacy An advocate is someone who stand’s in the place of and speaks for someone who is not able to represent themselves, e.g. an advocate for a mental patient or a child. This person is responsible for said person and should only act in their best interests. Advocates promote anti discriminatory practice by giving a voice to those without one, stopping discrimination based on lack of social ability. Staff development and training It is essential that staff are trained properly in anti-discriminatory practice, this allows them to develop as professional’s with a duty to uphold the rights of individuals and to work against discrimination where seen. Complaints procedures and confidentiality Complaints procedures must be followed up quickly and efficiently as any possible discrimination must be investigated and also that complaints processed properly can make for improvements in the delivery of healthcare. Patient’s confidentiality must be kept at all times as any illness is private to whomever has it. National initiatives are in place for a reason, practices are still working every day to promote anti-discriminatory practice, the idea to produce an equal, quality and efficient healthcare system that works for everyone is still not a complete reality but with more initiatives and good practice it could be.

Obedience Summary - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 564 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/09/18 Category Psychology Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Reputation Essay Did you like this example? Obedience Summary Stanley Milgrams experiments are some of the most recognized behavior experiments in psychology today. Milgrams most known experiment was ‘shocking’ to people and has also been controversial ethically. As Ian Parker stated it would â€Å"make his name and destroy his reputation. † Parkers Obedience essay talks much of Milgrams life before the experiment and how the psychology community thought about his ethics. Parker talks of Milgram struggling to place his findings in a scientific context until he put them in a place to make sense of the Holocaust. While always using the Holocaust as context for his experiments he often compared his work to Adolf Eichmann’s who was put on trial in Jerusalem in 1961. Milgram published his first obedience paper in 1963 where he placed Eichmann’s name in the first paragraph, giving the paper a place in the debate. Milgram argued that ordinary people committed acts in the Holocaust because they were given orders to. Because of this normal American people could commit the acts the Nazis did if they were told to. Once the Holocaust connection was in place the experiments took a larger than life quality,† said leading Milgram scholar Arthur G Miller. Before Milgram could publish his first book about his obedience experiment it found its way onto many medias from the New York Times, Life, ABC television, and the British Press. As the experiment became more celebrated one question continued to come up ‘had Milgram mistreated his subjects? ’ Some psychologists, including Alan Elms and Bruno Bettelheim, think so after some of Milgrams subjects talked about having heart attacks and others talked about joining group therapy after the experiment. Since those reports came about the experiment has been attacked by psychologists and many others. â€Å"In Milgrams defiance,† says Parker, â€Å"Milgram would always highlight the results of post-experime ntal studies which never showed any traumatic actions. Milgram could never win the ethics argument which ultimately damaged his career. After leaving Yale for Harvard, Milgram applied for a tenured job and couldn’t get the unanimous support of his colleagues. The American Psychological Association does include Milgrams experiment in a traveling exhibition, but is careful to call it ‘controversial. As the APA points out, â€Å"Modern ethics guidelines (which in part were inspired by Milgram) would prevent the obedience studies from being reported today. † Other than the ethics issues Milgrams experiment has also been put into the category of ‘fake’. Many of the people in the lab seemed to laugh and were ‘unable to contain themselves. ’ Daniel Goldhagen, author of Hitler’s Willing Executioners, has no confidence in the idea that Milgram was studying obedience because, â€Å"All variable’s such as trust, or allowing for the w ay decisions are made in the world—over time, after consultation,† were not controlled correctly. No matter what controversy follows the experiment social psychology is not ready to let Milgram’s experiments go. Professors Lee Ross and Richard Nisbett, from Stanford and the University of Michigan believe that perhaps â€Å"people tend to do things because of where they are, not who they are. † This thought has sparked new ideas of the influence of any situation of behavior, good or bad. Milgram wrote to a friend shortly before his experiments talking of making a bad career move (which proved correctly overtime) and because of that move many think is why he died so early in life at age 51. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Obedience Summary" essay for you Create order