Introduction to British civilization

Studies of "civilization" have an increasingly important role in higher education.Today, in our "globalized" Europe, speaking English has become a necessity for those who want to make contact with people abroad or to venture outside its own borders.
But behind every language there is a culture, a civilization; and despite the increasing role of English as the lingua franca world - even in part because of the growing role of the English language - understand society, attitudes and institutions of the country that gave the world this language is increasingly important. Every society has its landmarks, its institutions, its traditions, which are different from one country to another, and partly condition the mentality of its people. An Englishman thinks differently, prioritizes differently, argues differently a French or Belgian or Switzerland; and he does it because his way of thinking was conditioned in a British style, different from other national frameworks.
For example, when we begin to realize that the values attached to the words "state", "freedom" and "equality" in England are very different from those they are given in France, we made a step toward understanding what it is that intercultural. Understanding British civilization, it is much more than knowing that in England drive on the left (true) and that the preferred drink of all English is tea (false), or that the English are cold (usually wrong ) ;dropoff window is to understand the structures and institutions of the country, the way the country is organized, its social, its collective memory, the expectations of its people.
It is said that British civilization is a civilization that is largely "bottom up": the people and institutions who hold power do so only because the people give them this role. Parliament is supreme so, because the people grant him this right. The Prime Minister has all the powers; it must rely in parliament, which may not approve the project, as it happened in late August 2013, when Parliament has not authorized military involvement in Syria, strongly demanded by David Cameron. The Queen is sovereign; it has all authority, but no individual power because it rules on behalf of the people. Despite some major differences, a constant evolution, and periods, or the system has been violated, the system continues since the Middle Ages, for it was the Norman William the Conqueror, there are nearly a millennium, which gave the countries the basic architecture of governance, adapting the feudal system to the local power system of the Anglo-Saxons. All that is history, but a country is what it is today, that because of its history.
     The British civilization pages on Angleterre.org.uk (see index above) address or discuss the essential aspects of British civilization nowadays, often with a historical wink to understand how we have arrived there. They will cover the country's governance, institutions, social systems, education, and other aspects of British life today. They are supplemented by other pages in chapters Tourism and Travel, on practical or anecdotal aspects of life in England.

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Arab spring: an economic disaster

In Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, revolutions have not only created political chaos, but an economic and social disaster.
"It's worse than before." From Cairo to Tunis or Tripoli in comfortable houses or slums, the phrase returns as a nagging litany. The Arab Spring has not only led to a great political chaos. The poor are poorer, the middle classes rolled the encalminées savings. Misery progresses.

In Tunisia, the adoption of an enlightened constitution is good news. Muslim brothers were forced to accept what they now refused yesterday. But this democratic progress can not hide the real state of the country. The middle class, which represents half of the population has an average income of 800 dinars per month, about 350 euros. Unemployment is at least 16%. At least 100,000 jobs will be created each year to absorb the number of young people entering the labor market. We are very far away. Tourism is severely affected, the industry, including textiles, is penalized by the disorders and hit by the crisis in Europe. The 2014 budget, which overestimates the growth and debt capacity is considered unrealistic by experts.
In Egypt, it's worse. Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and the army control the power after overthrowing Mohamed Morsi and crushed the Muslim Brotherhood. But the economy is going to rack and ruin. It is estimated that the revolution has already cost $ 7.5 billion to the country. Wages have fallen by 11%, prices of basic foodstuffs have them, increased by 10%. A quarter of Egyptians live on less than two dollars a day. Foreign exchange reserves have shrunk by two thirds. Tourism, which provides 12% of GDP is at half mast. Under Mohamed Morsi, the Qatar, sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood, which provided for the month of Egypt. Saudi Arabia, protector of the military, took over and opened her purse: five billion dollars in aid. Billion in cash, two billion of petroleum products, two billion in bank deposit. Only the revenues of the Suez Canal remained at approximately $ 400 million per year. The toll is always a safe bet ... As for foreign investment, they are three times lower than during the decade 2000-2010.

In Libya, it is even more apocalyptic. Since July 2013, the militias block three oil ports in the East. Production of crude, which provides 96% of export earnings of the country increased from 1.5 million barrels per day to 250 000. Shortfall in six months: nine billion dollars. Tuesday, February 4, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said he had ordered the army to regain control of the situation. Time will tell whether these martial declarations are implemented. The heavily armed groups that block ports are demanding greater autonomy for Cyrenaica. And, of course, a sharing of oil wealth. To this must be added the jihadist groups marauding in the Fezzan in the south, and swarm throughout the area.

The Arab Spring has become very moody.

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Music and sports performance.

Scientific studies confirm that music has positive effects on our body.
While it is recognized that soothes the savage, the music would be many other virtues. Some music and sounds have a relaxing power regenerator and can help concentration, improving performance and physical abilities. Music, distracting the athlete can do to forget the fatigue and pain.
Always recognized for its therapeutic effects, considered by some cultures as a sacred science, music conceals mysteries that scientists have been trying for years to reveal through multiple studies.
It is the Chinese who were pioneers in the field from the 5th century BC to discover that each internal organ of our body vibrates at a rhythm of its own and therefore it is sensitive to the same frequency sounds. So the music affects our whole body and not just on our auditory system.
In the twentieth century, in the sixties, a new therapy appeared in the United States and Canada: music therapy. Music therapy uses music and its characteristics (melody, rhythm, harmony, sound) to communicate with a person and act beneficially on the mental, physical and emotional health.
Experiments around the world confirm that music acts favorably on our body. In sports especially, music can improve performance, increase physical capacity, help to better bear the pain.
Music and sports performance
Several scientific studies show that music can have a positive impact on performance. Music reduces unpleasant feelings that result from physical activity, it increases exercise tolerance, it helps concentration and mental preparation.
This is particularly interesting in anaerobic endurance sports where this music considerable positive effects in the average level of the athlete. This effect is less visible in against the top athlete.
In a study conducted at Brunel University in England on 20 men 20 years running the 400 meters sprint (The effects of music on synchronous 400-m sprint performance, D. Stuart Simpson, I. Costas Karageorghis 2006 ), researchers have demonstrated the beneficial effect of music on the performance of the riders. The results are much the same as the music is synchronized, ie repetitive and at the same pace as the effort or not (in this case, the sports listening background music during exercise without special effort to stay in the rhythm).
In the context of long-term efforts, other studies support the same assumption that music improves performance. The pace seems to be a more critical factor than other components of music, such as knowing the present program. Karageorghis et al motivating music characterized as having a high tempo (120 beats per minute at least), a strong rhythm and encourages moving.
Slow music improves endurance capacity
Copland and Franks, two Americans researchers, in a study conducted in 1991 (The effects of kinds and intensities of background music on treadmill endurance, Copland, Frank, 1991), reinforcing the hypothesis that soft, slow music reduces arousal physiological and psychological appearing during submaximal power efforts (ie close to the anaerobic threshold) and improves endurance performance.
In another test by Anshel and Marisi Americans (1978) on ergonomic bicycle, synchronized music would allow for more endurance than non-synchronized music. These results should be taken with caution insofar as the musical preferences of those tested were not taken into account.
Fast music makes you forget fatigue and increases physical ability
A study by Nottingham Trent University in England (The effects of SLOW- fast rhythm and classical music is progressive cycling to voluntary exhaustion, A. Szabo, A. Small, Leigh, 1999) shows the positive effects of fast music on the sport. During an intensive effort, the athlete is able to provide more effort if listening to fast music.
The experiment was conducted on 24 candidates, men and women, subjected to a stress test on ergonomic bicycle in sessions with slow music (ML), fast music (MR), a change fast slow music (MLR) and fast to slow (MRL). In the last two conditions, the musical rhythm is changed when participants reach 70% of their heart rate reserve. Applicants must provide a working increasingly consequently to exhaustion. The results show a significantly higher capacity workload term in the MLR requirements and improved effectiveness of this work (the athlete is able to provide more work for the same heart rate).
The researchers speculate that fast music distracts from the fatigue caused by exercise. More sportsman is "distracted" by the music, he will feel less fatigue and more it will be able to supply efforts.
Less stress in music
The music, by acting on the nervous system, helps to relax and reduce stress. Indeed it lowers cortisol, a steroid hormone secreted by the cortex of the adrenal gland, responsible among other stress.
According to his research, the researcher English Karageorghis advance that music improves mood (joy, force, for example) and tempers bad mood (tension, depression, nervousness, for example).
Take advantage of all opportunities relaxing to listen to your favorite tracks: Shower, transportation, breaks, before going to sleep at night.
Music therapy
The therapeutic properties of music are recognized for centuries. Music therapy is used as a communication tool to cure many ailments. Music helps to improve mood, reduce stress, anxiety, relieve pain, cure insomnia. The list is long and not exhaustive.
Music helps reduce pain
Relaxing music releases endorphins, substances painkiller role secreted by the brain and have analgesic, sedative and euphoric.
Furthermore, an exciting and pleasant music distracts and defocuses it pain.
Music and concentration
Music stimulates creativity and improves cognitive skills (attention, memory). By barrier surrounding noise, it can promote concentration. However, attention to musical choice known songs can induce hum the melody, the rhythm and beat and divert attention.
For athletes, music can be an effective aid for mental preparation that precedes a trial.

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Music, an effective weapon against youth depression

Music, antidepressant for young people? Even more than you think! A team from Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland has shown that music therapy treatment added to antidepressant treatment significantly improves depressive symptoms compared to a single treatment in children and adolescents aged 8-16 years. This effect has already been observed in some patients but no evidence scientifically valid not dispositive on the real benefit of this therapeutic approach in this population. That's done with this new study to evaluate the effect of music therapy in 251 children aged 8 to 16 years with severe mental disorders such emotional, behavioral and / or social, a third had a depression.
In practice, these young people had to continue their current treatment whatsoever, but half of them, chosen at random, in addition to participating in a music therapy program facilitated by an expert: free improvisation individual workshops thirty minutes weekly for twelve weeks. Professional playing or doing play by the child's wishes and had several instruments. The authors used several rating scales to test the quality and quantity of oral and social exchanges, self-esteem, depression or family functioning before and after the program and three months after.

A program based on communication and creativity

At the end of twelve weeks, the researchers found a significant reduction in depressive symptoms in children who have taken the music program. They also noted a marked improvement in self-esteem in this group in general, as well as significant progress in oral communication, especially for 13-16 years. "This is the first study provides robust results. In addition, the three-month follow-up, still in progress, seems to show that these improvements are maintained over time. They are certainly related to the choice of program based on trade, communication and creativity, explained Professor Sam Porter, responsible for the work at Queen's University of Belfast and its associated Dr Valerie Holmes. The idea is not to replace the treatments but to offer a complementary therapeutic approach for these children whose care is difficult, sometimes with random results. And long-term follow-up will tell if it reduces antidepressant doses. "

It is impossible at this stage to explain why music produced these effects. "What we know is that music is a vector that brain plasticity induced rearrangements between very large neural networks, including new connections. This benefits many areas near these networks: the fact of playing the piano, for example, can improve motor skills in people with a brain injury, singing or musical creation can facilitate language in aphasic individuals, shows Emmanuel Bigand, professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Burgundy (Dijon) and member of the Institut Universitaire de France. We also know that music promotes the release of dopamine and therefore is likely to alter brain chemistry with perhaps prolonged effects in a few days or weeks. "But not yet clear whether these mechanisms can reduce depressive symptoms. Also note that it is not enough to listen to music to heal. "The benefits are observed according to particular patterns of music therapy and music styles to suit disorder and targets," he recalls.

In France, between 2-3% of children and 14% of teenagers suffer from depression.

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The Importance of Music during Pregnancy

Beyond the use of music in the labor room, music therapy really comes in preparation for birth. It stimulates the auditory perception of the child, calm pain and stress in the mother, enables a unique and privileged communication between mother and child. At first, in the seventh week of pregnancy, the fetus can perceive the vibration sounds even before the formation of the auditory system, thanks to the bones of his skull mom's pelvis using resonator. Then, throughout pregnancy, high frequencies are filtered by the muscles and the liquid, and only the low frequencies are vibrating against the tactile corpuscles of the mouth and hands of the baby, as a string to which would boost slow and strong corrugations. Reinforced by the uterine body resonance, they caress her mouth. The emotion is so strong that his heart speeds up, it stretches, turns his head, thumb sucking or frolics.
In addition, the fetus responds not only to the stimuli that come from the outside, but also, hormonally, to the emotions of his mother.
So after the birth, the child is able to recognize a piece of music or a voice which will have been familiar during pregnancy. At his hearing, he calms or manifest an interest. Moreover, the very low frequency sounds to facilitate the child's sleep in the months following birth. The experiment was done in hospitals resulting in a good percentage of sleep toddler.
The benefit of the mother
Within the mother, the regular issuance of such sounds helps maintain a longer expiratory breath and easier than ordinary breathing, which develops respiratory capacity and oxygenation capitals at the time of delivery. Producing bass sounds can decrease the duration of the "work" of two to four hours: the uterus, better oxygenated, it disabled. The woman is relaxed, the opening of the cervix is accelerated. In addition, the expiration restrained at the time of expulsion allows better control of pain and can avoid the use of episiotomy.

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Learn music, to be stronger in language

Do individuals who have musical ear have better predisposition than others in language learning? Try asking this question to various scientists and get a range of answers: yes, certainly, some answer, no, there is no link between the two, others argue.
For several years Mireille Besson, director of research at the Institute of Physiological and Cognitive Neuroscience, CNRS, Marseille, seeks to validate this assumption. In fact, this researcher posits that the basic innate is not only involved in learning languages. Thus, it is not necessarily born talent for languages, you become one. In support of this assertion, his team conducted experiments consisting in a pregnant woman listening to a piece of music for half an hour per day. Using aircraft operated by mangnéto encephalography recordings, it appeared that the fetus perceived changes in the magnetic field acting on the mother's womb.
Besson's team has also observed differences in anatomical structure between the brains of musicians (having been such a learning before the age of 10 years) and non-music lovers. "The area of representation of the fingers of the left hand is more important for instance in violinists," reports the researchers. Differences were also observed in the auditory cortex. The temporal area of the brain that handles auditory reception developing greater sensitivity to sounds in musicians training. Hence the assumption made by the researcher, that this particular sensitivity gives them a greater ability to receive other types of sounds, such as language.
Besson's team has also observed differences in anatomical structure between the brains of musicians (having been such a learning before the age of 10 years) and non-music lovers. "The area of representation of the fingers of the left hand is more important for instance in violinists," reports the researchers. Differences were also observed in the auditory cortex. The temporal area of the brain that handles auditory reception developing greater sensitivity to sounds in musicians training. Hence the assumption made by the researcher, that this particular sensitivity gives them a greater ability to receive other types of sounds, such as language.
1. Frontal Lobe; 2. Bilingualism enhances the density of gray matter left inferior parietal cortex; 3. parietal lobe; 4. occipital lobe; 6. Cervele; 7. The sensitivity of auditory reception area has increased among musicians; 8. Temporal Lobe.
To test this hypothesis, a study was conducted on two groups of ten, the first being composed of musicians and other non-music lovers. A first experiment was contacted both groups with small musical phrases, the melody was changed in a case raising a semitone a note and in another case a fifth tone. It appears that the musicians naturally better detect small variations, while the group is able to detect the grossest violations of the melody. The same experiment was then conducted extracted from children's books, including prosody was amended at the end of sentence phrases. Same conclusion: adult musicians detect twice the lambda auditor small variations in height (one of the acoustic parameters of prosody with the intensity and duration). The real-time recording of brain activity by EEG shows that positive changes are faster in musicians than in other.
Mireille Besson wanted to know if these results were comparable in children. Experiments have been conducted last summer from French aged 7 to 9 years and having followed the Suzuki method learning music since the age of 4 years on the one hand and non-musicians on the other hand . They have shown that aspiring musicians détectaient as well as adults deviations, both in the notes phrases. This detection takes place even in the latter case, between 200 and 400 milliseconds after the beginning of the word incriminated. "This shows that musicians are able to analyze in detail the properties of sounds; not only musical sounds, but also the sounds of language, "concludes the researcher CNRS.
Yet to validate this hypothesis in foreign languages. A student of Portuguese origin working in the team of Mr. Besson has taken on this task. "It seems that French musicians subjects better detect small variations in height in a foreign language that they ignore the non-musicians. "One area of research that should widen.
The mastery of two languages before adulthood causes functional changes in the brain. It strengthens particularly the density of gray matter in the left inferior parietal cortex. As is shown by a study recently published by the journal Nature (14 October 2004). And this learning occurs, the sooner the difference is obvious between bilingual and unilingual. British and Italian researchers have conducted studies with 25 British adults monolingual, 25 bilingual from an early age (before age 5) and 33 bilinguals who learned a second language later (between the ages of 10 and 15 years) then repeated the experience with Italians controlling or not fluent in English. Which identified this difference in gray matter between these three types of populations. And scientists conclude, rather than a genetic predisposition languages, too much gray matter, a change in the structure of the brain induced by learning a second language.

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The Classical Period of Music

Classicism is a commonly accepted term to refer to the period from the 1750s to about Beethoven's death in 1827. The classic art is characterized by the search for clarity, simplicity and balance between reason and sensibility .  Melodies are simpler; orchestrations and works are shorter and divided into several movements. Thus, this return to sobriety marks a contrast with the baroque style, which was very"loaded." Classicism knows also a profile change in the status of the musician. While the baroque musician played or composed primarily for the Court or the Church, the classical musician begins to emancipate. The rise of the bourgeoisie, the middle of the eighteenth century had a significant impact on the musical life of the time with the appearance of public concerts.
It should be noted, before going further, that the term "classical" music has little to do with its use in other forms of art and literature in particular. It is striking that the tragedies of Racine is considered the model of the French classical theater, but are not absolutely contemporary of Mozart and Gluck, let alone Beethoven.
Finally, the end of the Baroque era does not mean the beginning of the classical era; thus called "pre-classical" composers making the hinge, particularly those of the Mannheim school, and Bach son Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, "revolutionary composer" Karl Geiringer3 but Jean Chrétien Bach, who exercise particular a decisive influence on the young Mozart.
The classical language is defined by strict rules, great formal rigor, high harmonic simplicity, and a strong sense of melody. The principle of contrast within the same room is the driving force of classical language, very dramatic. In addition, the classical era saw the disappearance of the basso continuo, which turns the music then. We spend, overall, the use of "figures" (predominant in the Baroque era) structuring from "musical phrases punctuated" and the development of the whole system of "punctuation" ("rates" ), and thus, slip processes "analog" to methods relating to a "discursive logic" similar to that of the tongue.

1. Harmonic aspects 

The most striking feature of the classical harmonic language is its economy of means. While the Baroque period saw the birth of a rich and complex harmony, composers of the second half of the eighteenth century gradually simplify their range of agreements and degrees to use more than almost perfect dominant agreements, tonic and sub-dominant, sometimes also augmented sixth, and the seventh chord dominant. This depletion is offset by an increase in loans and local modulations. This is paralleled by a scarcity of steps harmonics, modulating and often shorter than in Baroque music.

    2.   Melodic aspects


The relative impoverishment of the classical harmonic language is partly explained by the predominance of melody accompanied end of the opera. The contrapuntal very horizontal and therefore is very complex composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach gives way to a music largely made of superior lyrical voice accompanied by vertical agreements language. Regular middle four or eight measures in a large majority of cases, achieved with classical melodic phrase Lebrun including degree completion unparalleled.

    3.  Rhythmic aspects 


Unlike romantic music that provide rhythmic new novel, the classic composers innovate very little on the subject. Yet it is largely there that plays mostly classical revolution, research rhythmic contrasts, wrinkles, oppositions. This difference in approach is summarized by Charles Rosen: "All those [minuets] Bach go smoothly, almost uniformly: steady flow in which Haydn is transformed into a series of articulated elements - elements of drama, which sometimes will even surprise"

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