Lifes Greatest Miracle Essay Sample

Lifes Greatest Miracle Essay Sample For centuries people have been trying to unravel a conundrum of life. We know how a person is born, what biological processes are involved in life and how life ends. However, there are so many mysteries in life that remain uncovered. Is there a universal law that governs our life just like gravity pulls us down, and the same way that the laws of thermodynamics, mechanics and other established fundamental laws? Some people believe that life is hard. Others find it joyful and exuberant. It can be pathetic and unproductive or extremely prolific for some people. I personally find life’s greatest miracle that it can be anything and, what is more, it becomes what you think it is, and that our future is projected by our today’s thoughts. The teachings of Buddhism say that people suffer in life because they get a wrong perspective of the world, other people in it and of themselves. They tend to get attached to material things, people and health which are all temporary. Loss of material welfare, the stress created by people themselves causes frustration, more stress and dissatisfaction with life. By learning to meditate a person acquires knowledge of how to see the undistorted reality. Buddhists claim that once a person’s mind is peaceful, a person learns what true happiness is, irrespective whether or not person owns something. This means that everyone who masters the practice of mediation and learns to appreciate the present moment will experience happiness in life. The modern western theory of quantum physics emphasizes the importance of the so called law of attraction. Scientists claim that our thoughts represent a stream of energy that attracts things with the same vibration. So if we think positively, we draw good things in life and the opposite. Gloomy thoughts, fears and insecurity cause bad events in life. A new science is appearing â€" it is a science of happiness. There are many motivational speakers, coaches, mentors and psychologists that are confident that they can teach people how to improve their standard of life by simply thinking positively. People are encouraged to concentrate on positive things and meditate. Another constituent of future happiness is identifying your purpose in life and setting specific goals that can be put down on special mind maps. I find it interesting that although different in nature, both the ancient Buddhist tradition and the modern tendency have one thing in common â€" they aim at control of a restless human mind. Once a person learns how to control their thoughts and attention, their quality of life is expected to improve. A lot of renowned authors write in their books about how their life has transformed after they changed their way of thinking. It is a comforting thought to tell myself that my destiny is in my hands. But because thinking precedes action, it is important to change the way we think first. It is of crucial importance to remember that no one is perfect. We all make wrong choices in life and consequently fall down to the ground. But as the result of that, one has a choice to become impaired or summon up the courage and live on happily. If one changes their angle of view, bad experiences can become useful lessons, disappointments â€" beginning of a new life stage and failures â€" a solid ground for new opportunities. And that’s what I find to be the greatest miracle of life.

Native Americans vs. European Colonists Essay - 2172 Words

The European colonists and the Native Americans of North America had very different views on nearly everything they encountered in their lives. Living in vastly different cultures lead both groups to have two extremely different outlooks on four main topics; religious beliefs, the environment, social relations, and slavery, differences which the colonists used to their advantage when conquering the peoples of the New World. The colonists, by saying that the Native Americans were primitive and savage because of their differing and seemingly illogical attitudes, were able to do things that they could never have done to people they believed to be equals. Whether this was a conscious or subconscious method on the part of the†¦show more content†¦Religion was a fervently discussed topic; people were looked down upon and often killed for the wrong religious affiliation. It makes sense that these first colonists and the many that came after would deem the Native American religions as an inferior, crude religion that was inherently â€Å"wrong† by their own religious standards. Most colonists that came in the early 1600’s were Christians, a religion that has very specific rules and rigid regulations that must be followed to be a â€Å"saved† person destined for a paradisiacal after life. Within these restrictions were the directions to â€Å"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature† (Mark 16:15). It seems clear that from the first the Christian religion was telling the colonists to â€Å"help† the natives by making them conform to the culture of the colonists and destroying their own. This was always done with a sense of Native American natural inferiority. In most cases, the Native Americans were not told the entire nature of their conversion. A Jesuit described the tactics used in converting Native Americans, â€Å"The outward splendor with which we endeavor to surround the Ceremonies of the Church†¦with a magnificence surpassing anything that the eyes of our savages have ever beheld – all these things produce an impression on their minds† (Le pays reneverse by denys delage 168). For those truly religious souls, coming to the New World meant a chance to bring salvation and Christianity to newShow MoreRelatedNative Americans And The American Indians1196 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Indians have lived in the United States since the beginning of this nation. Divided in small groups called tribes, they lived in harmony. With a great sense of spirituality, the Native Americans worshiped nature, the moon, sun, rain, earth, etc. Without exploitation, they learned how to use the natural resources to survive, having as their principal occupation hunting, fishing, and farming. 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Though not each impact was one that was positive, it was an impact nonetheless, and so I believe that he was able to have a profound impact on the dreams. The first tenet of the American dream outlines that any individual is able to pursue it, and Columbus proves this notion through his upbringings. He was the some of a merchant and was self-educated, and through all of this, he isRead MoreChanges in the Land Essay1072 Words   |  5 PagesEssay In William Cronon’s book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, he discuses the ecological history of New England from the late sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century. He demonstrates how the New Englanders changed the land by illustrating the process of the change in the landscape and the environment. 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This melting pot of different ideas, goals, and outlooks is what made pre-Revolutionary War America so volatile. These three factions seem easy to identify, Patriots wanted freedom from the crown all together, Loyalists want to stay British, and fence-sitters want to stay out of the political battle all together. However, itRead More Race and Intercultural Relations in the United States Essay2237 Words   |  9 Pagesthe first footfalls of Europeans upon the American continent’s shores. Each group of settlers and immigrants have brought their own unique perspectives and underlying values to the table. Many of these perspectives have been incorporated into the mainstream way of life, many others however, have been dismissed and discarded as either foreign or outright dangerous. The patterns that have emerged from this interaction of cultures and peoples define who we are today as Americans, not a homogenous amalgamRead MoreColonial School vs Modern Era1506 Words   |  7 Pages1. Colonial School vs. Modern Era The impact of schools has been ever changing. From their New England traditions, to civilizing of western settlers, and finally the requirement of educated individuals what schools and education have to do in society is constantly being molded and remolded. New models, ideas, ideals, and requirements for schools are constantly being established and have come a long way from the colonial period to the modern era. During colonial times school and education was usedRead MoreEssay on Causes and Effects of the American Revolution1557 Words   |  7 PagesBritish and the American colonists contributed to causing the American Revolution. The war grew out of contempt: England’s contempt for the colonies and colonial contempt for British policies. A series of actions by the British eventually pushed the colonists over the edge and towards independence. The results of the war gave many citizens a new role in society while others, like slaves, felt no change at all. This paper will examine the specific causes and effects of the American Revolution. IdeologyRead More Racism: a Short History Essay example1347 Words   |  6 Pagesracializers and the racialized can coexist in the same society (9). The genocide of Native American peoples initiated by the Spanish in the Caribbean and ultimately propelled and most fiercely executed by English colonials in North America, has fallen victim to a collective amnesia that Fredrickson seems to suggest is only a natural consequence of the religious indoctrination that is inherently vital to the American identity. Though not the main thrust of his work, there are several passages that aptly

Differences Between Countries And Developing Countries

Geographers like to differentiate countries by grouping them into developed and developing countries. A developed country is a country that has progressed relatively far during time and has a highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure. Some examples of developed countries are the U.S.A, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands and many others. They are normally the more profound countries that we hear about more often than developing countries. A developing country is a country that is at an early stage in economic development and has a less developed industrial base, and a low Human Development Index (HDI). The Human Development Index is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income per capita indicators and is used to rank countries into tiers of human development. Having a low HDI means the country has a low life expectancy, a shorter length of education and the income per capita is lower. Some examples of developing countries are Br azil, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, India, Afghanistan, and many others. I plan to bring you into an in depth explanation about the many differences in population studies between Japan and Brazil. First off, we’ll start with a little bit of background information on both countries. Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands in East Asia with a population of 126,919,659 (July 2015). It has a land area of about 140,728 square miles and a total area of about 145,913 square miles. It’s area canShow MoreRelatedDifferences Between A Developed Country And A Developing Country Essay2326 Words   |  10 PagesThis paper examines the similarities and differences of a culture between a developed country and a developing country. This paper explores the comparison of culture to our country, Belize’s and the culture of the United States. 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Developing countries such as China and India have therefore, become appealing markets to foreign investors. It is anticipated that China and India will soon be the world’s biggest economies. Presently, eighty percent of the electronic goods globally are manufactured in china. This has resulted to more western companies wanting to invest in china as opposed to other countries. Unfortunately, there is intercultural management problem with the unprecedented increase in cooperation between the developingRea d MoreTypes Of Collateral Used For Business Lending1474 Words   |  6 Pagesbank guarantees. When banks across developed and developing countries are compared, it was observed that developed countries rank real estate as the most important type of collateral more frequently than the developing countries. About 56% of the developed country banks rank real estate as the most important collateral type for business lending to small firms compared to only 37 % of the developing country banks. 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They allowed the trade between different countries and within the same country to a certain degree of liberalization where several new business practices can be implementedRead More The Role of Ethnicity and Race in the Way Audiences Interpret Media Messages1598 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of Ethnicity and Race in the Way Audiences Interpret Media Messages According to the sociological definition of race and ethnicity, there is a close interrelation between race and ethnicity. Race has not been defined by the biological difference that it is stood on the social construct. Race does not discriminate the skin color from others which is related to the ethnicity. Race is defined on the social construct which based on physical and cultural features (Fulcher Scott, 2007). 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It can be clearly seen from the table that countries with the lowest HDI below 0.3 are considered to be the economically

Fools Crow Free Essays

The tribal status of White Man’s Dog, as it were in the beginning of Fools Crow, was certainly not as he desired it to be. Due to the position of wealth his father had risen to, it seems the tribe expected much from him. Welch does not go into great detail concerning the views of the tribes people on White Man’s Dog, but Yellow Kidney describes him on page 7 as having â€Å"much heart but (being) unlucky†[1]. We will write a custom essay sample on Fools Crow or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is true, being eight-teen without a wife and having only three horses, none of which being block horn runners; White Man’s Dog does in fact appear unlucky. However, Yellow Kidney plays a major role in the reversal of this luck. White Man’s Dog has a complete turn in tribal status, earning a wife and horses as well as a new identity with in the tribe. Dreams are a constant theme in Fools Crow. Many different characters have dreams, and each responds differently to them. During the journey to the Crow Raid, White Man’s Dog has a dream about naked women desiring him, but fears danger if he goes. He wants to inform Yellow Kidney of this dream put hesitates due to advice he had received from his father. In the end this was a costly decision, as the dream comes to fruition during the raid, not White Man’s Dog, but for Yellow Kidney. Turns-out the alarm for risk was valid, as Yellow Kidney gets very sick from his encounter with the Crow Women. When news of White Mans Dog feels responsible[2] for this outcome. During this same raid, Fast Horse also has a dream. Fast Horse is prideful and boasts of his dream, which turned out to not come true. Fast Horse was greatly humiliated by this and seemed to have his future driven by it. The most consequential dream was had by Mik-api. In this dream, Mik-api spoke to Raven about Wolverine who was trapped, and needed White Man’s Dog to help him. This dream did in fact come to realization and resulted in White Man’s Dog gaining confidence and his ‘medicine’. As a result of White Man’s Dog realizing his new inner strength, he was able to take part in war against the Crows. This battle would prove life changing for White Man’s Dog as it would be where he earned his new name; Fools Crow. His great modesty made acceptance of his new name very difficult. The meaning behind it had been stretched greatly out of its real context. During battle, White Man’s Dog played dead, fooling the Crow Chief, Bull Shield. Because Bull Shield assumed White Man’s Dog was indeed dead, it was possible for him to spring up and kill the chief. This account was, as I said, greatly inflated and reported that, with use of medicine, White Man’s Dog was able to fool all the crows, thus earning his new name Fools Crow. As I have read through all the tales and recounts contained in the many great pieces of Native American Literature, one theme has stood out to me more than anything else. Maybe it is due to my admiration for nature, but it seems all tribes made great attempts to both explain natural events and create an association of these events with human life. Welch clearly depicts the Blackfoot people as being of this same mind frame. The names and life given to the wind, the sun and various animals’ reports on their own view of the world they live in. The relationship a male Blackfoot has with â€Å"his animal† shows this relationship between humans and nature. This disposition, of a human and nature link, shows the worldview of this tribe clearly as an all-encompassing outlook. They undoubtedly see the world as one big union, everything being linked to one another. The walk I took with White Man’s Dog, growing and changing into Fools Crow was an intense one to say the least. James Welch has the uncanny ability to connect reader to character and I feel as if Fools Crow and I have a bond, as if he and his story have been made alive with in the many nights I’ve spent with him. How to cite Fools Crow, Essay examples

Relating Alcohol To Aggressive Behavior Essays - Drinking Culture

Relating Alcohol to Aggressive Behavior From the beginning of recorded history, alcohol has been a part of human culture. However, it appears that the correlation between alcohol and violent aggression is a trait solely to the American culture. So the question that must be answered is 'Is it the alcohol, or is it the individual's expectancies while under the influence of alcohol?'. There has been piles of research done in an effort to answer this question and still the relationship between alcohol and aggression remains a mystery. In examining some of this research, there are some recurring themes and theories. The Expectancy Theory states that its is not the alcohol that causes aggressive behavior, but a person's expectations of what the alcohol does to oneself. A similar theory, but one worth mentioning, is the Attention Based Theory. It states that when using alcohol, a person's cognitive resources are reduced. This causes a person to concentrate on only a few things, including emotion at the time, and pretty much block everything else out. This could lead to a person focusing in on anger and one having a heightened level of aggressive behavior. The final theory that has emerged is the Pharmacological Theory. This theory attributes alcohol's effects on aggression solely to alcohol and how it interacts with the human body. There are other theories to sort through but, as I have found, these listed are of the more prevalent and plausible. The Expectancy Theory is based on the idea that it is the person consuming alcohol, not the alcohol itself, that causes the increase in aggression. Magnified a little more, the theory is about how a society perceives someone's actions sober and under the influence of alcohol. In reviewing Social and Behavioral Consequences of Alcohol Consumption and Expectancy: A Meta-Analysis (Bond, Hull 1986) it is plain to see the contradicting research in looking at this theory. However, the article's primary focus is on how expectancy affects deviant social behaviors by providing an excuse to engage in otherwise inappropriate acts. The analysis took a sample of studies to examine. To be considered the study had to be published before Sept. 1985, used that used balanced-placebo design (used a randomized factorial design in which an alcohol-placebo beverage manipulation was crossed with an alcohol-placebo expectancy manipulation). There ended up being thirty-six total experiments found that fit th ese requirements. The results of the experiments were combined to summarize the alcohol and expectancy effects. Dependent measures identified were: aggression, alcohol consumption, physical sensations, mood, attentional focus, locus of control, helping, motor performance, information processing, physiology, and sexual arousal. In order for the expectancy theory to hold true, the belief that one is drinking alcohol should have the same effects as alcohol consumption. The studies analyzed yielded interesting results. Internal sensations and mood seemed to be effected by the actual consumption of alcohol and relatively immune to the effects of alcohol expectancy. The results found inconsistencies in the moods aroused when alcohol was consumed and a significantly high amount of heterogeneity of expectancy effects. This might indicate that expectancy has a more beneficial effect on mood in a humorous setting than in neutral setting (a humorous setting is hard to replicate in a research lab which accounts for this aspect missing in the data). The numbers show that physiological responses were not reliably susceptible to the effects of alcohol or expectancy. A sex difference is found, however, in the expectancy model of this aspect. Though not statistically significant, women showed a slight increase in aro**************************************************************************************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************y does not increase aggressive tendencies, it may even lower aggressive behavior in some cases. On the flip-side of the coin, expectancy does have significant effects on sexual arousal and alcohol consumption (loss of drinking control) while alcohol consumption does not effect these aspects. The article concludes with the notion that both alcohol consumption and expectancy have effects on behavior. However, it is hard to say from the studies examined which data is comparable to other data due to the heterogeneous experiments and results. This analysis was honest with its findings and pointed out the confounds in the studies they evaluated. The researchers did not find exactly what they were looking for but they also did not find,

When a Comma Means And

When a Comma Means And When a Comma Means â€Å"And† When a Comma Means â€Å"And† By Maeve Maddox Although â€Å"blessed† by Fowler and the Chicago Manual of Style, the serial comma is readily dropped by a growing number of writers who prefer the advice given in the AP Style Guide: Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and egg for breakfast. In the Penguin Guide to Punctuation, R.L Trask likewise recommends omitting a comma before and. As does the AP guide, he says the only excuse for placing a comma before the and is to avoid ambiguity. Trask points out another use of what he calls the â€Å"listing comma.† In a list of adjectives all describing the same noun, a comma may be used to separate them: My dog’s long, dense, rough fur requires frequent brushing. A frequent error is to place commas between adjectives that are not all describing the same noun: My first pet was a purebred, Alaskan Husky. By remembering that the listing comma is a substitute for the word and, writers can avoid error by mentally replacing each comma in a list of adjectives with the word and. Compare the following examples: My dog’s long and dense and rough fur needs frequent brushing. My first pet was a purebred and Alaskan Husky In the the first example, replacing the commas with the word and makes the expression cumbersome, but it does not alter the sense. All three adjectives describe the same noun, â€Å"fur.† In the second example, replacing the comma with and makes no sense because â€Å"purebred† does not describe â€Å"Husky†; it describes â€Å"Alaskan Husky.† It’s sufficient to write, â€Å"My first pet was a purebred Alaskan Husky.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should Avoid50 Nautical Terms in General UseLetter Writing 101

Life and Art of Anni Albers, Modernist Weaver

Life and Art of Anni Albers, Modernist Weaver Born Anneliese Fleischmann in 1899 to an affluent German family, Anni Albers was expected to live the tranquil life of a housewife. Yet Anni was determined to become an artist. Known for her masterful textile work and influential ideas about design, Albers went on to establish weaving as a new medium for modern art. Fast Facts: Anni Albers Full Name: Anneliese Fleischmann AlbersBorn: June 12, 1899 in Berlin, German EmpireEducation: BauhausDied: May 9, 1994 in Orange, Connecticut, U.S.Spouses Name: Josef Albers (m. 1925)Key Accomplishments: First textile designer to receive a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art. Early Life As a teenager, Anni knocked on famed Expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka’s door and asked him if she could apprentice under him. In response to the young woman and the paintings she had brought with her, Kokoschka scoffed, barely giving  her the time of day. Undiscouraged, Anni turned to the newly founded Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany where, under the guidance of architect Walter Gropius, a new philosophy of design was being developed. Bauhaus Years Anni met her future husband Josef Albers, eleven years her senior, in 1922. According to Anni, she asked to be placed as a student in the Bauhaus glassmaking studio because she had seen a handsome-looking man at work there, and she hoped he could be her teacher. Though she was denied placement in the glass workshop, she nevertheless found a lifelong partner in the man: Josef Albers. They married in 1925 and would remain married  for more than 50 years, until Josef’s death in 1976. Though the Bauhaus preached inclusivity, women were  allowed entrance only into the bookmaking studio and the weaving workshop. And as the bookmaking workshop shuttered soon after the Bauhaus’ founding, women found that their only option was to enter as weavers. (Ironically, it was the commercial sale of the fabrics they produced that kept the Bauhaus financially secure.) Albers excelled in the program and eventually became head of the workshop.  Ã‚   At the Bauhaus, Albers exhibited a remarkable ability to innovate with a variety of materials. For her diploma project, she was charged with creating fabric to line the walls of an auditorium. Using cellophane and cotton, she made a material which could reflect light and absorb sound, and could not be stained. Black Mountain College In 1933, the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. The Bauhaus project came to an end under pressure from the regime. As Anni had Jewish roots (though her family had converted to Christianity in her youth), she and Josef believed it best to flee Germany. Rather serendipitously, Josef was offered a job at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, by way of a recommendation of Philip Johnson, a trustee at the Museum of Modern Art. Black Mountain College was an experiment in education, inspired by the writings and teachings of John Dewey. Dewey’s philosophy preached of an artistic education as the means to educating democratic citizens capable of exercising individual judgment. Josef’s pedagogical skill was soon an invaluable part of the curriculum of Black Mountain, where he taught the importance of understanding material, color, and line through the pure act of seeing. Anni Albers was an assistant instructor at Black Mountain, where she taught students in the weaving studio. Her own philosophy was derived from the importance of understanding of material. We touch things to put ourselves in close contact with reality, to remind ourselves we are in the world, not above it, she wrote.   Annie Albers, Knot (1947). Courtesy of David Zwirner As her husband spoke little English upon arrival to the United States (and in fact would never speak it fluently despite forty years in America), Anni acted as his translator, having learned English from the Irish governess with whom she grew up in Berlin. Her command of the language was remarkable, as is apparent when reading any of her extensive writings, either in numerous publications for the Black Mountain newsletter, or in her own published works. Peru, Mexico, and Yale From Black Mountain, Anni and Josef would drive to Mexico, sometimes with friends, where they would study the ancient culture through sculpture, architecture, and craft. Both had much to learn and began collecting figurines and examples of ancient cloths and ceramics. They would also bring home the memory of South America’s color and light, which both would incorporate into their practices. Josef would seek to capture the pure desert oranges and reds, while Anni would mimic the monolithic forms she discovered in the ruins of ancient civilizations, incorporating them into works like  Ancient Writing  (1936)  and  La Luz  (1958). In 1949, due to disagreements with the administration of Black Mountain, Josef and Anni Albers left Black Mountain College for New York City, and then went on to Connecticut, where Josef was offered a position at the Yale School of Art. In the same year, Albers was given the first solo show dedicated to a textile artist at the Museum of Modern Art.   Writings Anni Albers was a prolific writer, often publishing in crafts journals about weaving. She was also the author of the  Encyclopedia Brittanica’s entry on hand weaving, with which she begins her seminal text,  On Weaving, first published in 1965. (An updated, color version of this work was reissued by Princeton University Press in 2017.)  On Weaving  was only in part an instruction manual, but is more accurately described as an homage to a medium. In it, Albers extols the pleasures of the process of weaving, revels in the importance of its materiality, and explores its lengthy history. She dedicates the work to the ancient weavers of Peru, whom she calls her â€Å"teachers,† as she believed the medium reached its highest heights in that civilization. Anni Albers, Open Letter (1958). Courtesy David Zwirner Albers sold her loom by 1968 after producing her last weaving, appropriately titled  Epitaph. When accompanying her husband to a residency at a college in California, she refused to be the wife who sat idly by, so she found a means to be productive. She used the school’s art studios to produce silkscreens, which would soon dominate her practice and often mimicked the geometries she developed in her woven works. Death and Legacy Before Anni Albers’ death May 9, 1994, the German government paid Mrs. Albers reparations for the confiscation of her parents’ successful furniture business in the 1930s, which was shut down due to the family’s Jewish roots. Albers put the resulting sum into a foundation, which manages the Albers estate today. It includes the couple’s archive, as well as the papers relating to  a few of their students from Black Mountain, among them wire sculptor  Ruth Asawa. Sources Albers, A. (1965).  On Weaving.  Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.Danilowitz, B.  and  Liesbrock, H. (eds.). (2007).  Anni and Josef Albers: Latin AmericanJourneys. Berlin: Hatje Cantz.Fox  Weber, N.  and  Ã‚  Tabatabai Asbaghi, P. (1999).  Anni Albers.  Venice: Guggenheim Museum.​Smith, T. (21014).  Bauhaus Weaving Theory: From Feminine Craft to Mode of DesignBauhaus. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.