PEREZ - Surname Meaning, Origin and Genealogy

A patronymic name derived from Pero, Pedro, Petrus, Petros, etc. - meaning son of Pero. The suffix ez means descendant of in Spanish. It is also believed that PEREZ comes from the apostle Simon, whom Jesus called rock (Pedro in Spanish means rock) in tribute to his designation as the rock or foundation of the church. 2) The surname Perez may possibly be derived from the name of the pear tree, peral. 3) Perez may be a variation of the Sephardic Jewish surname, Peretz. Perez is the  29th most popular surname in the United States based on data from the 2000 census and the 7th most common surname in Argentina. Its also the 7th most common Hispanic last name. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  PERES, PERET, PERETZ, PERETS, PHAREZ, PAREZ, PERIS Famous People with the Surname PEREZ: Rosie Perez - American actressGeorge Perez - comic book artistSelena Quintanilla-Perez - American queen of tejano music Genealogy Resources for the Surname PEREZ:   100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Common Hispanic Surnames Their MeaningsLearn about the origins of Hispanic last names, and the meanings of many of the most common Spanish surnames. Perez Family Tree DNAThis Surname Project traces members of the Perez family through Y-DNA testing. Perez Name Meaning Family HistoryAn overview of the Perez surname meaning, plus subscription-based access to genealogical records on Perez families around the world from Ancestry.com. Perez Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Perez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Perez query. FamilySearch - PEREZ GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Perez surname and its variations. PEREZ Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Perez surname. DistantCousin.com - PEREZ Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Perez. -- Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings -- Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. ----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Essay about Struggles in Post Civil War America - 1020 Words

The Civil War split the nation in half. It tore apart families, and Union soldiers against Confederate soldiers for four miserable years. From the first shots fired at Fort Sumter 1861, and ending with a unanimous Confederate victory in 1865. All in all 630,000 people died and many thousands wounded. The deaths in the Civil War totally surpassed the death totals from any other war (1). For those managed to survive the up hill battle just began, they faced many unknowns in a world moving in an uncertain direction. With the north beating the succeeded south in the war, politicians faced a hard task of reuniting the divided country. With reconstruction now in affect, both northern workers, and southern farmers now face many new obstacles and†¦show more content†¦Farmers needed strong animals such as oxen and horses to pull the plows on the ground to make the land farmable. As a result to the wet and dry temperatures, grasshoppers would feast on the limited amount of crops grown on the farms. â€Å"This year we had another very dry season resulting in the light crops on which the grasshoppers came down by multiplied millions†¦the grasshoppers came I such swarms that they looked in the distance like fast-gathering rain clouds flying through the air... the grain was completely hid from sight†¦ the grasshoppers would take meat, bread and other things from the table† (13). The houses on the farms that were made of sod were not very stable and attracted bugs. The bugs lived in the sod walls and roof. â€Å"In moving into all kinds of houses we find that all kinds of insects that prey upon human blood. One house we found†¦ the bugs sailed out upon us by the hundreds†¦ we killed more the two hundred besides the many we had deprived of life before beginning to count† (13). The living conditions of the newly relocated families were unimaginable. The limited food they were able to grow due to the inclement weather was eaten by gras shoppers, and the unstable sod houses were infested with bugs. The farmer’s lives were made easier by the extreme investment by the United States government in the railroad industry. This way their crops could be shipped to different parts of theShow MoreRelatedAmerican Literature : An American Literary Time Period987 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican literary time period that began in 1865 and ended in 1914. This time period was flourished by three distinct features and the first of these features is: The Aftermath of the Civil War. It is estimated that a total of 620,000 Americans were killed in the Civil War, and for what? At the time, we were an America that was divided by one huge issue that ran supreme and it was slavery and the unequal treatment of African Americans. At this time the nation needed to figure a way to unite the NorthRead MoreThe Second American Revolution891 Words   |  4 PagesThe Second American Revolution Thesis Statement â€Å"The Civil War may also be termed as the second American Revolution in terms of the political, social and economic changes that occurred during the war† Introduction American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865. The war began because President Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was very persistent on preserving the Union, which was threatened by the issue of slavery. The North was growing rapidly in wealth and population, and it was clear toRead MoreThe Second American Revolution901 Words   |  4 PagesThe Second American Revolution Thesis Statement â€Å"The Civil War may also be termed as the second American Revolution in terms of the political, social and economic changes that occurred during the war† Introduction American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865. The war began because President Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was very persistent on preserving the Union, which was threatened by the issue of slavery. The North was growing rapidly in wealth and population, and it was clearRead MoreRelationship Between The Cold War And Global White Supremacy853 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between the Cold War and global white supremacy is clear from Borstelmann’s writing. He demonstrates how the improvement of race relations both domestic and foreign were a necessity. If the U.S. did not fix how potential allies (specifically all post colonial countries) viewed the U.S., communism was sure to spread. Although Latham does not identify race as a reason for modernization both Latham and Borstelmann show that Aligning with these posts countries was necessary to preventRead MoreSocial Problems: Is the United States Post-Racial?1237 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Is the United Stat es Post-Racial? The election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States has generated a lot of discussions and debate on the current racial affairs in the United States. Many assume that Obamas presidency ushers a new era post-racial America. So, I decided to read a few recent articles on the topic. The first was by Time Wise where he reflects on denial and reality in response to the question what is post-racial? (Wise, 2012). Wises article is depressing becauseRead MoreThe Fourteenth Ammendment and the Fight for Equal Rights Essay1117 Words   |  5 PagesStates of America emerged from one struggle directly into another. After years of tension over state rights and slavery, the nation had exploded into a civil war, only to emerge bloodied but still intact. The question now was how to keep the nation intact, while protecting the freedmen and ensuring that the same powers that had ignited the war could come back to power. To Garrett Epps argues in his book Democracy Reborn: The Fourteen th amendment and the Fight for Equal Rights in Post-Civil War AmericaRead MoreHow Did The Radical Republican s Rise For The Failure Of The Post Civil War Reconstruction?1619 Words   |  7 Pagescontribute to the failure of the post-civil war reconstruction? The time between 1863, when Lincoln passed the ten percent act, until the year 1877, when reconstruction was officially ended, will be evaluated with information provided by the sources. The investigation will specifically look to how the Lincoln assassination allowed for the rise in the Radical Republican Party from 1866 to 1868 and the party’s effect on reconstruction acts leading to the failure of the post-civil war reconstruction era. EricRead MoreReconstruction : The Misadventures Of Post Civil War1116 Words   |  5 PagesReconstruction (The Misadventures of Post-Civil War America) America: â€Å"The land of the free, and the home of the brave† (Key 7-8). When our forefathers overcame the colonial reign of the British Empire, they formed the United States of America based on the premise of enlightened ideals promoting life, ownership of land, and liberty. But after the revolution, the country’s problems were far from solved. The country’s post-revolution issues sparked a Civil War, which was followed by a reconstructionRead MoreReconstruction and Industrialization1446 Words   |  6 PagesAssignment 1: â€Å"America’s Post-Civil War Growing Pains† Reconstruction and Industrialization 1865-1900 Four years after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter the Civil War ended with the Union’s Victory over the Confederacy. Though the war was over, there were still many problems that needed to be resolved in order to reunite the states as a nation. The time period in which steps were taken to rebuild the nation is known as reconstruction. Reconstruction lasted from 1865 until 1877. TheRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement By Charles W. Eagles780 Words   |  4 Pagesanother author continues the discussion of historians and their attempt to analysis the civil rights movement. Charles W. Eagles’ article â€Å"Toward New Histories of the Civil Rights Era† provides further supporting evidence that scholars fail to analyze the movement to its fullest potential. Eagles utilizes diplomatic historian John Lewis Gaddis analogy of historians studying the cold car. According to Gaddis, cold war scholars â€Å"reflected the contemporaneous debates rather than vie wing them with the detachment

 The Philippine Mtual Fund Industry Swot Analysis free essay sample

A financial adviser will be hired the investment company to help choose where to place your money. In relation with his you’ll be having an access a boarder range of investment instruments such as equities, fixed income and real estate. Another, thing mutual fund has a low tolerance on risk through diversification. Finally, an investor whose considering to put his money in mutual fund would be delighted because of its lower transaction costs and minimum capital requirement of Php. 5,000 only. There are a lot of disadvantages that Philippine mutual funds industry is facing. First on the list is that the industry remains small after 41 years. Since the incorporation of the first mutual fund in the country which was Filipinas Mutual Fund at the end of 1998 there were only 15 investment companies participating in the industry with total assets of only 3.   billion. In addition to this there only 14 open-ended companies and only are closed-ended company each having 6000 and 8000 investors respectively. We will write a custom essay sample on   The Philippine Mtual Fund Industry Swot Analysis   or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There were less than 200 SEC-licensed mutual fund salesmen. Obviously this will affect the operation of the investment companies engaging in mutual funds because the promotional activities is very minimal and so it generate lower income thus affecting the return of the investor. Secondly, the level of accountability reliability of the industry was not that good because out of 222 companies only 50 are generally considered to be truly investment rade companies. Environmental analysis There a lot of external factors that the mutual funds industry of the Philippines had. There may be a number of weaknesses the industry has but still many opportunities can be a tool to help revive the sector. The promulgations of the rules regulation Governing Investment companies under Republic Act 2629 with the support of SEC helped revive the industry after its downfall because of negative things that happen under the leadership of then President Ferdinand Marcos. That’s the point where in th eir investment companies emerged. Republic act 2629 can be redeveloped to help attract more investors in the industry because we need to adapt to the charging pattern of the market. Another thing also to consider is the challenge of ICAP to BSP’s position against alliances between the mutual fund industry and universal banks. It is the right time for the industry to take the risk of having strong relationship with banks and encourage the BSP to support them with its endeavour. It may create a great venue for the both sectors to shape the Philippine financial system. Finally, Personal Equity Retirement Account (PERA) as pattern on Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAS) is seen by the industry to help boost the mutual fund industry in the country. Through PERA accounts, a substantial part of Filipino saving is to be open among financial institutions including mutual fund companies. Aside from that, PERA offers tax incentives so it will be attractive to investors. There were lots of concerns that the industry can’t avoid. First, people were not familiar about mutual funds. One factor that may contribute to this is the fact that funds have very few retail outlets. The distribution channels consist primarily of the offices of the funds themselves. Another thing to consider was that the industry fell victim to a number of scams by some unscrupulous individuals. There came a time that mutual fund industry would become synonymous with the word â€Å"scam†. In addition to that, people preferred bank time deposit s as the most investment tools as they offer a safe guaranteed return compared to mutual funds that do not offer a guaranteed rate of return and more prove to risks. Pre-need plan also dominate the investment sector in the country. Pre-need plan is way better than mutual fund. There are 88 pre-need plan companies with total assets amounting to 78. 8million compared to 15 mutual fund companies with 12million in assets. Aside from that SEC has a minimum eye on preneed plan compared to mutual fund. Finally, the mutual fund industry of the country when compared to other countries is obviously uncompetitive. One factor that may contribute to this is   Philippines has one of the lowest saving rate in Asia of 17% is compared to Malaysia, Hongkong ,India and Thailand with 34%, 30%, 24% and 37% respectively. Strategic Issues and Recommendation Considering the fact that the mutual fund industry in the Philippines is small with only 15 companies and insignificant because people would prefer to invest in other financial instrument like preneed plan and common trust funds and time deposits on banks due to lack of familiarity and negative image it is very obvious that the Philippine mutual fund industry is undeveloped and growing very slowly. In order to help gain the popularity of mutual funds to investor, investment companies should hire more salesman reliable and advertising campaign to help promote their products. Revision of republic Act 2629 should also be implemented. This action should be actively supported by the Investment Company Association of the Philippines (ICAP) and not mutual fund companies alone.   Mutual funds industry should also seek for support of other financial institutions like banks, insurance companies and the like to create alliances and good relationship with each other. One strategy that a company can be used to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage against its rival is to provide a distinctive product or service. PERA accounts may be a great help for the industry to attract more customers. The industry should pursue this bill because it is a possible source of large inflows of capital into the industry.

Motorcylces and sweetgrass free essay sample

Reaching Compromise of Cultures by Manifestation of Contact Zone through the Character John From the start of the novel, it is not difficult to see that Maggie, the chief and mother of Virgil, is having trouble with her life. She is busy and has many identities. When she is talking to her mother Lillian, she has her own thoughts and opinions about how to live her life. Her way is doing as much work and taking care of every matter because she is the chief, and also worrying about her son because she is the mother. This always crashes with what Lillian thinks. Lillian says that her work is â€Å"too much† (Taylor, 44) and that she â€Å"should be the chief of [her] own home, not Otter Lake. † (Taylor, 44) Maggie does not even have time to have lunch with her son, let alone talk and spend some time with him. When she came home after what happened with her tire, she cooked a decent dinner â€Å"for the first time in a week. We will write a custom essay sample on Motorcylces and sweetgrass or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † (Taylor, 93) Virgil, of course, knows this and feels the lack of his mother in his life in some way. He might be skipping classes because he is not getting his mother’s attention and care. Lillian suggested this many times before she died and Virgil’s teacher asked Maggie for special care for Virgil. She is letting down her family. When John came for lunch to her office, her answer is â€Å"but sorry, can’t do it. Priorities. † (Taylor, 226) Her tone is very determined and dry. She cannot sleep well at night. This proves that she is rushing herself too much with her work and schedule. Meanwhile, she thinks that she will manage all of this and be responsible. This way of thinking is very much the influence of western culture, Canadian culture in this book. Although she cares for the Anishnawbe society and knows the language and culture, her life is more of a Canadian life than an Anishnawbe life. John enters her life suddenly with his charming looks and approaches her without hesitation, intriguing Maggie’s curiosity and interest. She goes on a date with John and in such a long time, she feels romantic For Maggie, John appealed his sexual attraction because that would work the best since she lost her husband and there has been no space for ‘man’ in her life. She learns slowly how to chill out and have some break. Through John she also experiences some real Anishnawbe culture such as the carvings in front of Sammy’s house and an inukshuk that John made. The first time she encounters John and on their first date, she was definitely feeling confused. In the end, she managed to balance her life with â€Å"a more Zen approach† (Taylor, 340). She does not waste her time worrying too much and spend more time with family. She learned how to compromise between the two cultures somehow. She chose â€Å"what gets absorbed into† (Pratt, 36) her life from the Canadian culture and moved closer to her Anishnawbe culture. This is how John worked as a comfort zone as for Maggie. He approached her to show her a new perspective just like Guaman Poma did to â€Å"construct new picture of the world† (Pratt, 34). There are two more important characters that went through similar process with Maggie’s and found the way to negotiation: Virgil and Uncle Wayne. To begin with Virgil, he was just an adolescent boy who is going through puberty before his encounter with John and little chat with him on the rock that he visits often. He skipped class in school and went near the train station, sitting on his rock thinking. He doesn’t have many friends. Even Maggie was relieved to see that Virgil talking with Dakota before they were all together in Lillian’s house. Most importantly, Virgil does not receive his mother’s attention and care that he deserves that age. This is shown throughout the story. He feels jealous when Maggie cooks fancy dinner for John. He thought â€Å"the effort his mom was putting into† (Taylor, 110) the dinner was â€Å"upsetting† (Taylor, 110). Maggie never did this for â€Å"him† (Taylor, 110). His encounter with John was not that pleasant, but it was shocking enough to haunt him every day until he finally disappears from Otter Lake society. He saw John kissing Lillian and John’s motorcycle was surely a piece of work to a teenage boy. I think what John did to Virgil was not that much and not direct. John clearly influenced Maggie directly but what he did to Virgil is a little bit of threatening before they meet near the rock. Following John and being obsessed by his presence make him look for what Nanabush is and about Anishnawbe culture. Until the last moment of John, Virgil keeps on thinking about his life and his identity and at the same time about John who is so mysterious and seems to be dangerous to his mom. After him gone, he got much closer with his uncle and Dakota thanks to John because it is the mystery of him that bonded them in the first place. Similarly, Uncle Wayne comes out to the real, social world where he belongs to his family and mingles with people. His life was closed before John’s arrival and he faces John only one time when they fight. In a roundabout way, he could come out from the island and try living a social life outside of the island. His presence gave him the chance and helped in an indirect way to strengthen the bond of family between him, Maggie and Virgil. From these changes, Wayne seems to be learning his way of adjusting to society by understanding and taking in some of Canadian culture. He let some of it â€Å"get absorbed† (Pratt, 36) in his life. He adapted to the mixed society where it is inevitable to live with two different cultures. He certainly gained a whole new perspective towards life and First Nations society. John, although he mainly focused on Maggie during the whole story, had given Virgil and Wayne the opportunity to think about balancing between two cultures. By undergoing these processes, we can see a sign of ‘transculturation’ where â€Å"members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture† (Pratt, 36). In this book, the members would be the people of Otter Lake society and their society is obviously a marginal group including the generations of Anishnawbe such as Lillian, the generations of First Nations such as Maggie and the generations of their children leaning more towards Canadian culture. A dominant culture would be Canadian culture. From all three of the characters, we can see that a certain degree of ‘transculturation’ going on. Maggie using a Zen approach would be interpreted as selecting less from the dominant culture, the Canadian culture. In case of Virgil, the change is broader and more overall because his connection with his family such as Wayne, Dakota and most importantly Maggie has become stronger after John’s appearance. For Uncle Wayne, the fact that he is admiring the technology of the white people means in some degree that he is taking in the Canadian culture. What is more worthy to focus on is his change of attitude. By the end of the novel, Wayne asks Maggie about the nurse at the clinic. Wayne is clearly feeling the kind of natural attraction towards women. During the conversation, we can see that he has his own thought of his identity in a positive way. He says that he is â€Å"Eccentric† (Taylor, 342) and â€Å"peculiar† (Taylor, 342) rather than weird. This could indicate that he is accepting the Canadian culture a little and not be a weird person who lives in the island stuck in the Anishnawbe martial arts. This can be called Wayne’s way of ‘selecting’ from the dominant culture. As for ‘inventing’, I think that all three of the characters invented something that mostly fit to their lives. This ‘transculturation’ occurs together with the understanding of both cultures, both dominant and subordinate cultures. John came in with this understanding of cultures part, working as a contact zone himself. For Maggie he offered her the Anishnawbe way of thinking and living life while he was with her. For Virgil he offered him the opportunity to know better about his identity as a descendant of Anishnawbe people. For Wayne, he also gave him the chance to come out and see what it is like to allow some degree of ‘White man’ culture. Through the experiences with John, they all get to negotiate between the Anishnawbe culture and Canadian culture. They created their own ways of lives and this led to overall balance of the whole society including their individual lives. John crosses the boundaries of Canadian culture and Anishnawbe culture. He features some of the characteristics from this and at the same time, he features some of the characteristics from that. He is appeared to be a white man, although he later changes to his Anishnawbe appearance before he says last goodbye to Virgil. The feature he displays of himself is not just that of a white man, it is the typical of a white man. He has blond hair which is the stereotype of a white man. Although his eye colors changes a lot, it never goes black which is the eye color of Anishnawbe people. He comes to the Otter Lake village riding his motorcycle which could be classified as western culture or Canadian culture. Then, his knowledge in the history and Anishnawbe culture is so deep. He speaks perfect Anishnawbe language and he knows how to perform Anishnawbe arts such as drawing petroglyphs, carving and making an inukshuk. It is strange but these two cultures coexist in him, allowing him as a proper ‘contact zone’ figure. The title of this book is a combination of rather ironic and discording two things if you think about it. Motorcycle is something that is totally Canadian, western, and white while sweetgrass is something that is totally Anishnawbe, traditional, and aboriginal. From the title, the author is already telling the readers what the book is going to be like. As the story goes on, the readers realize that Taylor describes how the balance and concord is gained throughout the society of the First Nations from discourse. John, who is depicted as a manifestation of contact zone and perhaps the contact zone himself, enters their society. He uses magic and changed the society but the process is not that simple. He tries to control the amount of each culture the characters are accepting in their lives. The balance does not come from the numerical and mathematical balance. It is the balance within their lives and even without his realization or work, Maggie, Virgil and Wayne finds the balance themselves. He works as a negotiator, a mediator between the two cultures. The way he is described in the book is probably Taylor’s idea to explain what contact zone is since the concept is very abstract and hard to grasp. John’s features including his outer and inner characteristics play a huge role when he approaches each of the characters. He appeals to each of them very differently and very effectively when he does that and after ‘John’ happened, all of them are able to enjoy the â€Å"moments of wonder and revelation, mutual understanding, and new wisdom – the joys of the contact zone. The wonder of John’s sudden appearance and his talking to animals or changing his eye colors, the wonder of real Anishnawbe culture, the true understanding of both cultures and accepting both in lives and learning new ways of living less stressful and more leisurely lives happens. With John character, the author gives the readers how it is like to interact and negotiate between disparate cultures and to produce something valuable. Motorcylces and sweetgrass free essay sample Reaching Compromise of Cultures by Manifestation of Contact Zone through the Character John From the start of the novel, it is not difficult to see that Maggie, the chief and mother of Virgil, is having trouble with her life. She is busy and has many identities. When she is talking to her mother Lillian, she has her own thoughts and opinions about how to live her life. Her way is doing as much work and taking care of every matter because she is the chief, and also worrying about her son because she is the mother. This always crashes with what Lillian thinks. Lillian says that her work is â€Å"too much† (Taylor, 44) and that she â€Å"should be the chief of [her] own home, not Otter Lake. † (Taylor, 44) Maggie does not even have time to have lunch with her son, let alone talk and spend some time with him. When she came home after what happened with her tire, she cooked a decent dinner â€Å"for the first time in a week. We will write a custom essay sample on Motorcylces and sweetgrass or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † (Taylor, 93) Virgil, of course, knows this and feels the lack of his mother in his life in some way. He might be skipping classes because he is not getting his mother’s attention and care. Lillian suggested this many times before she died and Virgil’s teacher asked Maggie for special care for Virgil. She is letting down her family. When John came for lunch to her office, her answer is â€Å"but sorry, can’t do it. Priorities. † (Taylor, 226) Her tone is very determined and dry. She cannot sleep well at night. This proves that she is rushing herself too much with her work and schedule. Meanwhile, she thinks that she will manage all of this and be responsible. This way of thinking is very much the influence of western culture, Canadian culture in this book. Although she cares for the Anishnawbe society and knows the language and culture, her life is more of a Canadian life than an Anishnawbe life. John enters her life suddenly with his charming looks and approaches her without hesitation, intriguing Maggie’s curiosity and interest. She goes on a date with John and in such a long time, she feels romantic For Maggie, John appealed his sexual attraction because that would work the best since she lost her husband and there has been no space for ‘man’ in her life. She learns slowly how to chill out and have some break. Through John she also experiences some real Anishnawbe culture such as the carvings in front of Sammy’s house and an inukshuk that John made. The first time she encounters John and on their first date, she was definitely feeling confused. In the end, she managed to balance her life with â€Å"a more Zen approach† (Taylor, 340). She does not waste her time worrying too much and spend more time with family. She learned how to compromise between the two cultures somehow. She chose â€Å"what gets absorbed into† (Pratt, 36) her life from the Canadian culture and moved closer to her Anishnawbe culture. This is how John worked as a comfort zone as for Maggie. He approached her to show her a new perspective just like Guaman Poma did to â€Å"construct new picture of the world† (Pratt, 34). There are two more important characters that went through similar process with Maggie’s and found the way to negotiation: Virgil and Uncle Wayne. To begin with Virgil, he was just an adolescent boy who is going through puberty before his encounter with John and little chat with him on the rock that he visits often. He skipped class in school and went near the train station, sitting on his rock thinking. He doesn’t have many friends. Even Maggie was relieved to see that Virgil talking with Dakota before they were all together in Lillian’s house. Most importantly, Virgil does not receive his mother’s attention and care that he deserves that age. This is shown throughout the story. He feels jealous when Maggie cooks fancy dinner for John. He thought â€Å"the effort his mom was putting into† (Taylor, 110) the dinner was â€Å"upsetting† (Taylor, 110). Maggie never did this for â€Å"him† (Taylor, 110). His encounter with John was not that pleasant, but it was shocking enough to haunt him every day until he finally disappears from Otter Lake society. He saw John kissing Lillian and John’s motorcycle was surely a piece of work to a teenage boy. I think what John did to Virgil was not that much and not direct. John clearly influenced Maggie directly but what he did to Virgil is a little bit of threatening before they meet near the rock. Following John and being obsessed by his presence make him look for what Nanabush is and about Anishnawbe culture. Until the last moment of John, Virgil keeps on thinking about his life and his identity and at the same time about John who is so mysterious and seems to be dangerous to his mom. After him gone, he got much closer with his uncle and Dakota thanks to John because it is the mystery of him that bonded them in the first place. Similarly, Uncle Wayne comes out to the real, social world where he belongs to his family and mingles with people. His life was closed before John’s arrival and he faces John only one time when they fight. In a roundabout way, he could come out from the island and try living a social life outside of the island. His presence gave him the chance and helped in an indirect way to strengthen the bond of family between him, Maggie and Virgil. From these changes, Wayne seems to be learning his way of adjusting to society by understanding and taking in some of Canadian culture. He let some of it â€Å"get absorbed† (Pratt, 36) in his life. He adapted to the mixed society where it is inevitable to live with two different cultures. He certainly gained a whole new perspective towards life and First Nations society. John, although he mainly focused on Maggie during the whole story, had given Virgil and Wayne the opportunity to think about balancing between two cultures. By undergoing these processes, we can see a sign of ‘transculturation’ where â€Å"members of subordinated or marginal groups select and invent from materials transmitted by a dominant or metropolitan culture† (Pratt, 36). In this book, the members would be the people of Otter Lake society and their society is obviously a marginal group including the generations of Anishnawbe such as Lillian, the generations of First Nations such as Maggie and the generations of their children leaning more towards Canadian culture. A dominant culture would be Canadian culture. From all three of the characters, we can see that a certain degree of ‘transculturation’ going on. Maggie using a Zen approach would be interpreted as selecting less from the dominant culture, the Canadian culture. In case of Virgil, the change is broader and more overall because his connection with his family such as Wayne, Dakota and most importantly Maggie has become stronger after John’s appearance. For Uncle Wayne, the fact that he is admiring the technology of the white people means in some degree that he is taking in the Canadian culture. What is more worthy to focus on is his change of attitude. By the end of the novel, Wayne asks Maggie about the nurse at the clinic. Wayne is clearly feeling the kind of natural attraction towards women. During the conversation, we can see that he has his own thought of his identity in a positive way. He says that he is â€Å"Eccentric† (Taylor, 342) and â€Å"peculiar† (Taylor, 342) rather than weird. This could indicate that he is accepting the Canadian culture a little and not be a weird person who lives in the island stuck in the Anishnawbe martial arts. This can be called Wayne’s way of ‘selecting’ from the dominant culture. As for ‘inventing’, I think that all three of the characters invented something that mostly fit to their lives. This ‘transculturation’ occurs together with the understanding of both cultures, both dominant and subordinate cultures. John came in with this understanding of cultures part, working as a contact zone himself. For Maggie he offered her the Anishnawbe way of thinking and living life while he was with her. For Virgil he offered him the opportunity to know better about his identity as a descendant of Anishnawbe people. For Wayne, he also gave him the chance to come out and see what it is like to allow some degree of ‘White man’ culture. Through the experiences with John, they all get to negotiate between the Anishnawbe culture and Canadian culture. They created their own ways of lives and this led to overall balance of the whole society including their individual lives. John crosses the boundaries of Canadian culture and Anishnawbe culture. He features some of the characteristics from this and at the same time, he features some of the characteristics from that. He is appeared to be a white man, although he later changes to his Anishnawbe appearance before he says last goodbye to Virgil. The feature he displays of himself is not just that of a white man, it is the typical of a white man. He has blond hair which is the stereotype of a white man. Although his eye colors changes a lot, it never goes black which is the eye color of Anishnawbe people. He comes to the Otter Lake village riding his motorcycle which could be classified as western culture or Canadian culture. Then, his knowledge in the history and Anishnawbe culture is so deep. He speaks perfect Anishnawbe language and he knows how to perform Anishnawbe arts such as drawing petroglyphs, carving and making an inukshuk. It is strange but these two cultures coexist in him, allowing him as a proper ‘contact zone’ figure. The title of this book is a combination of rather ironic and discording two things if you think about it. Motorcycle is something that is totally Canadian, western, and white while sweetgrass is something that is totally Anishnawbe, traditional, and aboriginal. From the title, the author is already telling the readers what the book is going to be like. As the story goes on, the readers realize that Taylor describes how the balance and concord is gained throughout the society of the First Nations from discourse. John, who is depicted as a manifestation of contact zone and perhaps the contact zone himself, enters their society. He uses magic and changed the society but the process is not that simple. He tries to control the amount of each culture the characters are accepting in their lives. The balance does not come from the numerical and mathematical balance. It is the balance within their lives and even without his realization or work, Maggie, Virgil and Wayne finds the balance themselves. He works as a negotiator, a mediator between the two cultures. The way he is described in the book is probably Taylor’s idea to explain what contact zone is since the concept is very abstract and hard to grasp. John’s features including his outer and inner characteristics play a huge role when he approaches each of the characters. He appeals to each of them very differently and very effectively when he does that and after ‘John’ happened, all of them are able to enjoy the â€Å"moments of wonder and revelation, mutual understanding, and new wisdom – the joys of the contact zone. The wonder of John’s sudden appearance and his talking to animals or changing his eye colors, the wonder of real Anishnawbe culture, the true understanding of both cultures and accepting both in lives and learning new ways of living less stressful and more leisurely lives happens. With John character, the author gives the readers how it is like to interact and negotiate between disparate cultures and to produce something valuable.

The Big Bang Theory Essays - Physical Cosmology, Big Bang, Universe

The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory It is always a mystery about how the universe began, whether if and when it will end. Astronomers construct hypotheses called cosmological models that try to find the answer. There are two types of models: Big Bang and Steady State. However, through many observational evidences, the Big Bang theory can best explain the creation of the universe. The Big Bang model postulates that about 15 to 20 billion years ago, the universe violently exploded into being, in an event called the Big Bang. Before the Big Bang, all of the matter and radiation of our present universe were packed together in the primeval fireball?an extremely hot dense state from which the universe rapidly expanded.1 The Big Bang was the start of time and space. The matter and radiation of that early stage rapidly expanded and cooled. Several million years later, it condensed into galaxies. The universe has continued to expand, and the galaxies have continued moving away from each other ever since. Today the universe is still expanding, as astronomers have observed. The Steady State model says that the universe does not evolve or change in time. There was no beginning in the past, nor will there be change in the future. This model assumes the perfect cosmological principle. This principle says that the universe is the same everywhere on the large scale, at all times.2 It maintains the same average density of matter forever. There are observational evidences found that can prove the Big Bang model is more reasonable than the Steady State model. First, the redshifts of distant galaxies. Redshift is a Doppler effect which states that if a galaxy is moving away, the spectral line of that galaxy observed will have a shift to the red end. The faster the galaxy moves, the more shift it has. If the galaxy is moving closer, the spectral line will show a blue shift. If the galaxy is not moving, there is no shift at all. However, as astronomers observed, the more distance a galaxy is located from Earth, the more redshift it shows on the spectrum. This means the further a galaxy is, the faster it moves. Therefore, the universe is expanding, and the Big Bang model seems more reasonable than the Steady State model. The second observational evidence is the radiation produced by the Big Bang. The Big Bang model predicts that the universe should still be filled with a small remnant of radiation left over from the original violent explosion of the primeval fireball in the past. The primeval fireball would have sent strong shortwave radiation in all directions into space. In time, that radiation would spread out, cool, and fill the expanding universe uniformly. By now it would strike Earth as microwave radiation. In 1965 physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detected microwave radiation coming equally from all directions in the sky, day and night, all year.3 And so it appears that astronomers have detected the fireball radiation that was produced by the Big Bang. This casts serious doubt on the Steady State model. The Steady State could not explain the existence of this radiation, so the model cannot best explain the beginning of the universe. Since the Big Bang model is the better model, the existence and the future of the universe can also be explained. Around 15 to 20 billion years ago, time began. The points that were to become the universe exploded in the primeval fireball called the Big Bang. The exact nature of this explosion may never be known. However, recent theoretical breakthroughs, based on the principles of quantum theory, have suggested that space, and the matter within it, masks an infinitesimal realm of utter chaos, where events happen randomly, in a state called quantum weirdness.4Before the universe began, this chaos was all there was. At some time, a portion of this randomness happened to form a bubble, with a temperature in excess of 10 to the power of 34 degrees Kelvin. Being that hot, naturally it expanded. For an extremely brief and short period, billionths of billionths of a second, it inflated. At the end of the period of inflation, the universe may have a diameter of a few centimetres. The temperature had cooled enough for particles of matter and antimatter to form, and they instantly destroy each other, producing fire and a thin haze of matter-apparently because slightly more matter than antimatter was formed.5 The fireball, and the smoke of its burning, was the

Racism in the 1960s An Honest Discussion

Racism in the 1960s: An Honest Discussion A fuller understanding of the complexity of the racial evolution of the 1960s is better realized by examining the first-hand accounts of those individuals directly affected by the racial upheaval of the time period. Eldridge Cleavers autobiographical letters in Soul on Ice provide an insightful perspective of a black prison inmate trapped in a world ruled by white bigotry during the 1960s. In this essay, I will examine Eldridge Cleavers Soul on Ice in three parts: 2. Demonstrate how he rhetorically develops his themes; 3. Draw conclusions about the questions his work poses. While Cleavers assorted letters address a variety of topics, several general themes arise from the totality of his work. I will briefly discuss these general themes, and in the next section, demonstrate how Cleaver develops these themes rhetorically. Cleavers letters serve as a personal healing mechanism that allow him to can cope with the harsh realities that define his existence. He confronts head-on the identity crisis that faces black and white America as their two worlds clash during the turbulent 1960s. And, after examining the bitterness of his anger towards Americas racial caste system, Cleaver attempts to offer a foundation for racial progress and hope for future generations. Cleaver suffers from episodes of depression, bewilderment and anger in response to the grim realities facing him during the 1960s. This inner turmoil that hangs over Cleaver is compounded by the natural emotional ebbs and flows experienced by many prison inmates as their identities as free human beings are challenged by the repressive and humiliating nature of the American prison system. As he tries to make sense of his reality as a black convict in white America, Cleaver discovers the power of the written word as a vehicle to escape his immediate surroundings and thus cope w...

Human Relations in the Criminal Justice Organization Essay

Human Relations in the Criminal Justice Organization - Essay Example The police act not only at the call of duty, but also perform with a sense of mission. The former, known for its unity of command and delegation of duty, is addressed as the classical approach, and the latter, characterized by attitudes, feelings and beliefs, as the human relations approach (Greene, 2006). The human relations approach effectively breeds a sense of suspicion on one hand, and mission and a moral imperative, on the other (Reiner, 2002). For example, police officers rue the fact that they develop an attitude of suspicion that cannot be switched off as it is innate to the type of the work they do (Reiner, 2002). The police come across two kinds of highly specialized communications; internal and external. Communication in police force can also be classified as formal and informal. The duty of the police calls for interplay of the two kinds of communication vertical (internal) and horizontal (external) with the external environment. The nature of administrative communicatio n is strictly formal and involves a lot of paper work. The very formal nature of communication can, at times, become an impediment in the flow of information. Through job design, the administrators try to increase the productivity of the workplace by creating a routine of work for an employee that checks dissatisfaction, monotony, and prevents employee alienation. Freeman (1999) uses the metaphor of ‘environment design’ to increase the extent and scope of job design. Job design helps to tone down the mundane reality of everyday policing, which is often boring, messy, petty, trivial and venal (Reiner, 2002, p 277). The ideal job design makes the police personnel generalists, adept at a range of activities, rather than specialists, trained in one or two disciplines. According to Freeman (1999), the job design in a correction is influenced by the activities of staff,

Children's Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children's Health - Essay Example Feeg (2006) indicates that many nurses who look after children work in children's hospitals that are normally comparative with underserved and over-represented poor patients for their general health care and are mainly reliant on Medicaid steadiness to receive care. Children’s barriers to health care Some children might face obstacles to health care due to their race or ethnicity. Disaggregating insurance coverage patterns within families by ethnicity and race discloses significant disparities that are veiled in the statistics for the entire population of the United States. For instance, there was close to a ten-percentage point decrease in complete coverage for Hispanic two-parent families who had access to work-based insurance (Vistnes & Schone, 2008). There is segregation for insurance coverage in terms of abuse perpetrated to the child. Regardless of the substantial service requirements of abandoned and maltreated children, the history of abandonment, physical abuse, and n eglect is not linked with any insurance line over time (Perrin & Homer, 2007). This implies that for those parents who cannot afford payment for their children in such conditions, their children are barred from receiving treatment. Residential isolation shapes health effects of children through various pathways.

Schools of Strategic Management Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Schools of Strategic Management Thought - Essay Example The key characteristic of the Environmental School of Strategic Management Thought is that business is considered as closely depended on its environment – being unable, in a way, to take initiatives that would support its various activities. In accordance with Sadler (2003) the specific School of Strategic Management Thought is based on the contingency theory. In this context, it is noted that businesses that are influenced by the Environmental School of Strategic Management Thought have the following characteristics: a) their strategic decisions are likely to be influenced by the organizational environment, b) all organization’s decisions and activities need to be aligned with the environment, c) the leaders of these organizations do not have power to act independently; rather they should focus on identifying the conditions of the organizational environment and ensure the alignment of the business decisions with these conditions, d) businesses that follow the rules of the specific School of Strategic Management Thought are finally become unable to keep their identity and to realize their goals; this result to the gradual loss of the power of the organization to face the environmental conditions – which are likely to become hostile; in the long term, this phenomenon could lead the organization to stop its operations. In accordance with Matthews (2005) the Environmental School of Strategic Management Thought is based on ‘strategy formation as a reactive process’ (Matthews, 2005, p.29).

Using Online Forum In Language Learning Education Essay

Using Online Forum In Language Learning Education Essay Online forums are also known as discussion boards or message boards. They enable users of a website to interact with each other by exchanging tips and discussing topics related to a certain theme. Learning through online forum is an important learning strategy for students to improve their language skills .This article looks at the benefits of online forum in language learning particularly in improving students writing and communication skills. Keywords: online forum, language learning, writing skills, communication skills INTRODUCTION Technology has the potential to enhance the learning of students if used appropriately. It can encourage more independent and active learning (McKimm, Jollie, Cantillon, 2003). A key reason for the use of technology within a learning situation is to enhance the quality of learning and teaching (Groves ODonoghue 2009). With the rapid development of computer-mediated communication , online forums have become more involved in classroom settings to promote student critical thinking, knowledge construction and language learning autonomy (Lim Chai 2004; Marra, Moore Klimczak 2004). Computer-based online discussions or online forums have been used in a wide range of higher education setting to provide major learning environments for distance education or to supplement face-to-face discussion (Jacobsen 2006). Discussion board or online forum is one of the primary tools of electronic learning according to Harman Koohang (2005). The use of computer based online discussion through online forum is evident in the curriculum of many courses throughout the physical world in universities such as in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (Scott Ryan 2009). Although online discussions are employed by most universities in Malaysia (Sam and Lee 2008), schools may not be aware of this new technology. In the Malaysian context, students in primary and secondary schools do not acquire enough practice and exposure in English language since it is taught for a limited period of time in the classroom. There is a need for teachers to encourage students to use new technologies such as online forum to gain more exposure in the language. As purported by So (2009), asynchronous online discussion forums, are some of the simplest computer-mediated communication tools that teachers can easily integrate into their teaching to extend discussions beyond classroom contexts. This article is organized by addressing the following questions: What are the benefits of online forum? What are the characteristics of a good online forum? Does online forum improve students writing skills? Does online forum improve students communication skills? DEFINITION OF ONLINE FORUM According to Sheri Cyprus (2010), an online forum is also known as a message board, online discussion group, bulletin board or web forum. It differs from a blog. An online forum is a discussion area on a website whereby members can post discussions, read and respond to posts by other forum members. A forum can revolve around any subject in an online community. Like other internet-based learning environments, online forums provide a way for maintaining communication for learners who are not able to meet face-to-face or who prefer logging-on at different times (Sanchez- Sweatman 2001). Online forum is a kind of computer mediated communication which allows individual to communicate with others by posting written messages to exchange ideas. It uses asynchronous type of communication (Santosa et. al 2005) Nelson (2010) postulated that an online forum can be defined as an accessible group communication space. Proper utilization of online forums can enhance the effectiveness of communication. THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE FORUM Online forums provide many benefits to students and teachers. In a research conducted by Teine (2000), students have been found to be in favor of the self-paced, self-regulated feature of asynchronous discussions compared to face-to-face discussions. On the other hand, Callan (2006), states that online forums create a discussion environment. Everything that gets posted gets read over and over again. Online forums rarely turn into heated arguments as people are given time to research and consider their comments before replying. This in turn, makes high-quality discussion. Smith (2001) points out that well structured and appropriately facilitated online discussion can provide a learning environment that allows the immediate application of new information to learners personal and professional lives. Besides, online forums are more flexible compared to face to face communication as they provide time to reflect and think and allow both introverted and extroverted students to be involved in online discussions. Chinedu (2008) expresses that by participating in online forums, access to knowledge is free. Forum members are ever willing to share their knowledge and experience with others, and every member of the forum can benefit from this infusion of free knowledge. Here are some potential benefits of regular online forum participation according to Pavlina (2005): Intellectual exchange Learning new ideas and refining old ones Enjoying community membership Influencing the forums evolution Contributing to others Making new friends and contacts New business leads Keeping up with current events Learning about new opportunities Evidence also shows that the messages composed by students in online forums include longer solutions for problem-solving, and consist of deeper reflections compared to face-to-face discussions (Hara et al. 2000). Researchers have found that students can take more time to read, craft, reflect on their responses, and find relevant information when composing messages in such an environment (ONeill et al. 2006; Wang and Woo 2007). Peterson and Caverly (2005) established in their research that online discussions build a motivating social practice of current generation students, who use technology to contact friends and family throughout the day. In online forums, students develop their autonomy in language learning. Each participant is given more authority to shape or lead the discussion in the direction they prefer, while teachers may have relatively less control over the learning interactions (Choi et al. 2005). THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD ONLINE FORUM There are numerous characteristics of a good online forum. Martyn (2005) discerned seven elements of a good online forum. They are: Require students to participate Grade student efforts Involve learning teams Structure discussion Require a hand in assignment Pose questions and scenarios that require learners to use their own experience Relate the discussion to course objectives Qing Li (2004) in her research recognized nine characteristics of a good online forum. They are: Establish a friendly, open environment Use authentic tasks and topics Emphasize learner-centered instruction Encourage students to give constructive feedback and suggestions Let students experience, reflect and share the benefit of using threaded discussion Be sure that instructors facilitate collaboration and knowledge building Encourage dialogue and referencing of other student postings Use humor for motivation Use emoticons to help convey ideas and feelings In addition, according to Peterson and Caverly (2005), good online forums provide a social presence, in which students and instructor are able to present themselves as real people and communicate with their personality. ONLINE FORUM IMPROVES WRITING SKILLS A well-structured online discussion forum can provide students with extensive practice in writing. The online forum allows opportunity for the facilitation of curricular objectives via modern technology. Online discussion forums provide an authenticity in writing and therefore serve as a meaningful supplement to the writing curriculum (Pauley 2001). Aileen Ng (2008) in her study discovered that the implementation of the online forum appears to provide reinforcement tasks to enable students to practice their writing. Besides that, the online forum also facilitates collaborative learning. Students could share their ideas and opinions in order to produce better quality writing as compared to if the tasks were to be completed independently. Schuetze (2010) conducted a research in the University of Victoria Canada and the University of Kiel in Germany. The study showed that most students of both universities felt comfortable writing online and they wrote more than ever before. They used the forum more actively than in a face-to-face classroom or chat. In turn, some students also mentioned that they liked to read what other students posted in online forums. In a study among twenty-five Chinese and Kiwi learners, Gerbric (2005) encountered that online forums provide opportunities specifically for particular groups of students. Chinese students found the virtual and text-based nature of the medium allowed them to enter discussions more easily and they felt more comfortable with their written responses compared to face-to-face discussions. ONLINE FORUM IMPROVES COMMUNICATION SKILLS A number of studies have found that online forums are beneficial in developing communication skills (Abrams 2003; Blake 2009). The greatest potential for effective use of online communication as a learning tool is when the students are at a distance from the school and their teachers (Crowell McCarragher 2007). Holmes (2004) identified a period of increased communication between online participants of his study after 10 days of interaction on online forum and asserted that input from teachers or instructors during this period led to maximized learning opportunities. Scott and Ryan (2009) in their study discovered that online members become more engaged in discussions and interacted effectively when they were set appropriate tasks. Complex tasks requiring research and discussion seemed appropriate tasks for small groups to work on collaboratively. When students are given problems related to their prior experience, the discussions show higher levels of interaction, and the participants show more passion for the topic (Puntambekar 2006). Peterson and Caverly (2006) in their study discovered that through online forums, teachers are able to document the growth of their students ability to support a point in their messages. Students improved their ability to respond to a classmate and to make a point supported with evidence. Online forum is a good way of communicating, especially when the teacher or lecturer is unavailable. It is also a good way to communicate with everyone as it creates a good communication between students and school (Greig Skehill 2008). In concurrence with the statement, Yu (2002) affirmed that students were more comfortable and less aggressive when participating in online forums. Online forums also offered more equal opportunities for group members to voice their opinions. Research conducted by Yang (2007) shows that students demonstrated very high levels of interaction among group members. Online forum is regarded as a social interaction that reduces students reliance on the face-to-face discussions. In a study carried out by Schellens and Valcke (2005, 2006), asynchronous discussion forums attained a higher proportion of higher phases of knowledge creation compared to face to face discussions. This occurred due to the vast majority of communication in the asynchronous environment was task oriented. CONCLUSION The online forum is an ideal place to put a learning community and its learning objects on the same page (Harman and Koohang 2005). In order to offer a successful discussion forum, teachers need to be fully skilled in practical use of the sites and committed to engaging with them, believing in their relevance and benefit for students and willing to spend dedicated time every week on the discussion forum with students. As Salmon (2004) advises, teachers need to take time to induct students to the online discussion tools and focus on familiarization and socialization into the online forum from the outset. Anderson et al. (2001) stated that active involvement of a teacher is critical in maintaining the interest and motivation of students in online discussions. Russo and Benson (2005) reported that student perceptions of teachers presence were significantly correlated with student learning satisfaction. In sum, online forum may provide a way for teachers to improve the quality of their students language learning skills. Thus, language teachers in Malaysia should consider integrating online forums into their language teaching to develop students writing and communication skills.

Workplace Violence Essay -- Essays Papers

Workplace Violence â€Å"And who has not thought that the impersonal world deserves no better than to be destroyed by one fabulous sign of his displeasure?† (J. Bronowski, The Face of Violence) Workplace violence has become a concern for both public and private companies, and has prompted these companies to implement anti-violence programs. As well they should, for the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows in their Special Report on Workplace Violence, researched by Dr. Greg Warchol , that in each year for the period of 1992 – 96 more than 2.2 million residents were victims of violent acts while they were working or on duty. (BJS Special Report, July 1998, NCJ 168634) The most common violent act committed was simple assault with an estimated 1.5 million victimizations each year and then followed by an estimated yearly average of 395,000 aggravated assaults, 51,000 rapes and sexual assaults, 84,000 robberies and 1,000 homicides. A stranger to the victim committed the majority of workplace crime while less than 1% were intimates. Men were more likely to be the perpetrator and or the victim of violence. In the public arena retail workers had the highest rate of robbery and aggravated assault victimization while police and teachers were the most often victimized in the public arena. 20 % of violent incidents in the workplace involved an armed offender of which a firearm was used fewer than 10% of the time. This is that data that faces all employers in every sector and by which they must base their approach to formulate programs that will help create a safe and comfortable atmosphere for both their employees and their clients. Many of the conditions that prevail in today’s workplace seem to breed critical incidents. Among them are: 1.) Competitive pressures. Relentless global market forces demand constant changes in methods of production and workplace organization. Employees find themselves having to perform in new ways and more efficiently. In addition, privacy has been eroded by electronic surveillance on the job, drug testing and computerized performance monitoring. Abrasive co-workers or autocratic supervisors create additional stresses. The long-term consequences may be overwhelming psychological stress leading to hostility and outbursts of violent or bizarre behavior. 2.) Domestic dysfunction overspill. Family discord, domestic violence, ... ... Workplace violence as you can see, is a problem that plagues us all. With the pressure on everyone to perform, from the man in the ditch to the CEO, its know wonder were having a problem. And both the public and private sectors of business are in a mad dash to stop the violence that is happening. With all the major corporations having either an anti violence program or rules about such behavior, what is the cost to the individual? Will they have to work harder and more efficiently? Will there be more threats and intimidation to perform, to cover the cost of these programs? Or will business see an improvement in the working relations of its employees? With the right people in charge of these programs, there is hope for improvement, but only if business is serious about the problem! You see very little TV coverage of work place violence, unless it extremely violent. Even then there must be a death, or deaths to bring on the sensationalizing that TV needs. Because of this, will business wait for the coverage to demand a solution or will they head it off. When you’re at work, there’s no reason â€Å"†¦ to be destroyed by one fabulous sign of his displeasure†. Only time will tell.

Ralph and Jack’s Conflict between Good and Evil in Lord of the Flies

Ralph and Jack’s Conflict between Good and Evil in Lord of the Flies Over the ages, human behavior has shown that purity of thought leads to a similar action and ultimately to an outcome that is consistent with the original thought. Conversely, the history of man is tainted with his inherent lust for power and greed causing great conflict. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the author contrasts the moral thoughts and deeds of his flawed hero Ralph to the self gratifying motives and actions of his adversary Jack.The ebb and flow of good versus evil on the island is driven by the waves of positive and negative thoughts in the minds of the two main characters. Ralph and Jack’s continuous struggle of good versus evil is not only between the two of them, but is within their own minds as well. Jack shows his inclination towards selfishness and violence while Ralph keeps a caring and positive mind towards the group’s survival.The boys have a meeting on the top of the mountain to discuss what to do next concerning their survival, which gives jack the opportunity to bring up hunting: â€Å"’It broke away-‘ ‘Before I could kill it- but- next time! ’ Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly† (31). Already Jack begins to reveal his aggressive and violent nature. Jack has the opinion that being dominant and seen as powerful is more important to his own survival, while Ralph thinks about the survival of the group as a whole. Jack’s hunting is more about a selfish need than about providing for others.During the first hunt, Jack goes to satisfy his craving for meat and power: â€Å"He swung his right arm and hurled the spear with all his strength. From the pig-run came the quick, hard patter of hoofs, a castanet sound, seductive, maddening- the promise of meat† (49). Jack’s hunt for meat has become an obsessive search for power and a way to demonstrate his strength to the boys. He believes that catching and killing a pig and bringing it back for the others is the ultimate way to show that he is dominant and better than them.Jack is now consciously embodying his evil thoughts into his physical appearance. After realizing his hunting methods are not adequate, Jack paints his face into a mask in order to hunt more successfully: â€Å"Jack planned his new face. He made one cheek and one eye-socket white, then rubbed red over the other half of his face and slashed a black bar of charcoal across from right ear to left jaw† (66). He is consciously using the colours black and red to demonstrate the darkness and thirst for blood inside of him. Jack also shows his evil and  anger in the way he aggressively slashes the charcoal onto his face.Ralph’s deeper level of thinking leads him to take positive action towards improving conditions on the island. Ralph walks along the beach and come to realization just how badly things have deteriorated on the island: â€Å"With a convulsion of the mind, Ralph discovered dirt and decay; understood how much he disliked perpetually flicking the tangled hair out of his eyes, and at last, when the sun was gone, rolling noisily to rest among dry leaves† (82).Ralph’s thoughts, while not entirely good, have helped him to realize how bad the actually situation is on the island and what he needs to do to stop the situation from getting worse. Ralph’s world of order is pitted against Jack’s world of chaos. At the meeting, Ralph tries to reestablish the rules and Jack is openly challenging his authority: â€Å"Ralph summoned his wits. ‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got! ’ But Jack was shouting against him. ‘Bullocks to the rules! We’re strong- we hunt! If there’s a beast, we’ll hunt it down!We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat- ! ’† (99) Ralph expresses his good thoughts in a way to keep justice and order on the island, while Jack tries to destroy any trace of this with thoughts of rebellion and power over Ralph’s law. When Ralph realized that he cannot win, he gives into the bad thoughts that consume the island. Ralph is the last one left who still has a sense of order and is being hunted by the others for not agreeing with their ways: â€Å"But then the fatal unreasoning knowledge came to him again.The breaking of the conch and the deaths of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapour. These painted savages would go further and further† (204). He experiences bad thoughts regarding his survival and develops a sense of hopelessness and futility. Ralph, slowly losing his own sanity and at the loss of Piggy and Simon there to induce good thoughts, is left to hide and attack the others for his own survival. Ralph is entirely overwhelmed by the thoughts of good and evil. He flees from the savages onto the beach where he finds, standing before hi m, a naval officer with a ship at his back.â€Å"†¦ Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall though the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy† (225). All of Ralph’s thoughts crash down on him at this moment and he is overwhelmed by the truth of man’s inner evil and by the death of his loyal and good friend Piggy. The conflict between the two characters, Ralph and Jack, is underlined by the good and evil thought patters that directly lead to the actions they each take. While good thoughts bear good fruit and bad thoughts bear bad fruit, the potential for good and evil lies within all of mankind.

Geographical Investigation Essays

Geographical Investigation Essays Geographical Investigation Essay Geographical Investigation Essay Geographical Investigation:How and why does quality of housing vary through different areas in Sheffield?1) Identification of a question:I am investigating housing quality in Sheffield because I think that it is interesting to see how housing quality varies throughout the different areas (wards) in Sheffield. I also think that it is a good topic to base my investigation on because the topic of housing has lots of different aspects to study and is manageable within time available.2) Development of strategy:I will gather my primary data by visiting different areas throughout Sheffield and assess the quality of the environment and the housing. I will also gather secondary data from Sheffield library about housing and trends. I will do this by looking at the local census and see if there is any useful information contained in them that I could use. The library is not the only place where useful information can be gathered, I could go to local estate agents in Shef field and also look on the internet at how house prices differ in the areas that I am studying to see if any trends or patterns can be established.3) Collection of data:I will collect the data using the housing quality indexes, of which an example is shown below (fig 3.1).Fig 3.1:Worst Scenario12345Best Scenarios1Ugly HousesAttractive Housess2Runned Down and Neglected AreaWell Maintaineds3Many Vacant HousesNo Vacant Housess4NoisyQuiets5Filthy/ Much LitterCleans6Congested With TrafficNo Traffics7No VegetationVegetations8HostileWelcoming and Safes9Large Amounts of GraffitiNo Graffitis10No Front GardenLarge Front Gardens11High Rise HousingDetached Housings12No Drive/ Area for ParkingGarageI am using an index because it is an accurate way of collecting data from different types of housing and having sufficient information to compare and draw an accurate conclusion from that data. Another reason that I chose to use an index is that not all of the data was collected by me.As there were to o many areas to cover so if all the people in my group went by the same guidelines we would be able to draw a more accurate conclusion and there would be less chance of error in the results. During the field trip we noticed that our index did not include whether or not the houses had parking spaces or not so we included it whilst collecting the data. We did this because we thought that it would be very useful in helping us to distinguish whether or not the housing was of good quality of not. Other than that no other changes were made during the field trip.The survey points that we selected to do the environmental and housing checks were strategically placed. We did seven checks 1km away from the city centre, seven checks 3km away from the city centre and seven checks 5km away from the city centre (shown in fig 3.2). The points were going out towards the North, North East, South East, South, South West, West and North West edges of the city. We did it this way so it would be going th rough as many of Sheffields different wards as possible and give spread of data over the whole city.Another reason why the survey points were located where they were was because of easier access, nine of the points were located close to main tram lines and the other 3 points were accessed using a car. This meant that on the first day the data was gathered in enough time to visit the library and estate agent for additional information. We then returned to Sheffield to do the other 9 housing quality indexes and gather additional information on house prices and trends. No housing quality checks were carried out to the West of the city because that is the area where mainly industry is located and there are very few houses.4) Analysis, evaluation and interpretation:The results of the environmental and housing quality indexes are shown in Fig 4.1. The general pattern that is shown is the further that the survey points get away from the city centre, the greater the total number of points t hat that area has received. This means that the general quality of housing improves as it gets further away from the city centre. The annotated photographs in Fig 4.2 also show this. Fig 4.3 shows four of the different models of urban form. The information gathered proves that it is the Manns model theory for a UK city which is more likely suited to Sheffield. The scatter graph (Fig 4.4) also shows this trend.Another reason why Manns model is more suited to Sheffield is the difference between the East and the West sides of the city as shown in Fig 4.5 and Fig 4.6 (Mann-Whitney test). The two highest mean scores from the whole survey (4.42 and 4.83 points) were also gathered from the West side of the city, this is shown in the line graph (fig 4.4). the better quality of environment is also shown in the map fig 4.7 which shows that the highest house prices are towards the west of the city. I think one of the main reasons that the poorer housing is located towards the East is, the East is where most of the industry in the city is located. This may mean that most of the working class populations are located in the Eastern end as it is closer to their place of work and therefore cuts down transportation costs.Most industry in the city was originally located towards the East of the city because of prevailing winds and rivers (River Don) taking the pollution eastwards away from the city. One reason why houses are more expensive towards the West of the city than the East (Fig 4.7) is because there is less chance air pollution. The Mann-Whitney test results show the possibility that the difference between the East and the West sides of the city occurred just by chance is only 3.2%. This shows a clear difference between the two sides of the city and I am 96.8% sure that the difference did not occur by chance.5) Presentation of a summary:I think overall the results I obtained are quite accurate and as I predicted. I think I have successfully established how and why housi ng quality varies throughout different areas in Sheffield. What I have established is that generally the quality of housing increases going further away from the city centre. I have also found that there are differences in quality between the East and the West sides of the city. If I were to improve my study I would do an extra group of environmental checks so the study reaches out further away from the city centre, for example a further 2km.This would mean all off Sheffields areas (wards) were included in the survey as about 5 wards were missed out due to lack of time. I also think that the results may have been more accurate if all of the different environments were assessed by the same person, as different people may give areas more/ less generous scores than others as they may have a different opinion on how many points it is worth.

The Relevance of the US Constitution

The Relevance of the US Constitution If a person should live according to the ethical norms, what principles should be reflected in the Constitution of the country to regulate the development of the whole nation? The principles which are presented in the Constitution of the USA are the significant components of the Americans’ national identity. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Relevance of the US Constitution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From this point, the Constitution is the major source of the basic norms according to which the life of an average American is organized, and in relation to which foreigners make definite considerations about the country and its ideals. Thus, the US Constitution is still relevant and important for Americans because it regulates the main aspects of the people’s life within the country, presents the fundamental principles on which the governmental structure is based, and discusses the concepts of ju stice, welfare, and liberty as the most important for Americans. That is why, the relevance of the Constitution can be assessed only with references to the ideals and principles which are emphasized in it without concentrating on the year of its adoption. In spite of the fact every country has its own Constitution, the US Constitution is the symbol of the American freedom, and it is the base for realizing the ‘American dream’. Those norms, standards, laws, and principles which are stated in the US Constitution are so important that the nation does not feel the necessity to make significant changes in the text of the Constitution or adopt the new variant. The relevance depends on the currency, and those principles which are reflected in the Constitution are still current. There are few persons who can argue the significance of equality or freedom for everyone (Hennessey and McConnell). Nevertheless, it is impossible to reject the idea that times change, and definite al ternations can be made in the Constitution. From this point, the system of amendments emphasizes not the imperfectness of the first variant of the Constitution, but the vision of the Federalists who developed the Constitution which can be discussed as appropriate to respond to the realities of the 21st century (Farrand).Advertising Looking for essay on constitutional law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Constitution is the supreme law which is based on the unique rules and norms. These norms help the nation realize its inimitable characteristics which accentuate the national identity (Beeman; Hennessey and McConnell). Thus, the ideals of democracy and liberty are the main points according to which it is possible to distinguish the position of an American when he or she discusses a certain problem (Jordan). These concepts can be examined as the ruling force of the country on its way to the further development. T he USA became the synonym of the progress many years ago when the country became the world leader in relation to a lot of criteria, and the rules and notions which are stated in the Constitution contributed to this process significantly. The USA is the land where dreams can become true, and a person can face a lot of opportunities for their realization. These associations are the results of the country’s policy which is based on the principles fixed in the Constitution. It is important to focus on the fact that the US Constitution can be discussed as relevant and useful till these associations and ideals are alive and help people to create the world of their dream, basing on the democratic ideals, concepts of liberty, justice, and equality. Beeman, Richard. The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution: A Fully Annotated Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Amendments, and Selections from The Federalist Papers. USA: Penguin Books, 2010. Print. Farrand, Ma x. The Fathers of the Constitution; a Chronicle of the Establishment of the Union. USA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. Print. Hennessey, Jonathan, and Aaron McConnell. The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation. USA: Hill and Wang, 2008. Print. Jordan, Terry. The U.S. Constitution: And Fascinating Facts About It. USA: Oak Hill Publishing Co., 1999. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Relevance of the US Constitution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Africa, India and its Neighbors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Africa, India and its Neighbors - Essay Example The Sahel covers a vast territory of land from west to east and passes through various prominent countries of Africa including Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. The Sahel is situated 5, 400 km away from Atlantic Ocean in the west of Africa to the Red Sea which is situated in the east. The belt or the boundary is about 620 miles in width and covers an area of about 3, 053, 200 square km. the area of Sahel is composed of semi arid grassland, steppers, savannas and thorny shrubs that are lying between Sahara desert and Sudanian Savannas. As far as the topography of Sahel is concerned, it is flat having just 200 to 400 meters elevations. Here it is interesting to note that several mountain ranges and plateaus rise from this boundary commonly known as Sahel. However, these plateaus and mountain ranges are regarded as separate eco- regions because of the distinction in flora and fauna present there (Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2012). Source: (Caritas.Org, 2012) Answer 2: Niger River is the primary river as well as the exotic stream of West Africa with a length of about 4, 200km.Niger River ranks third in Africa just after the River Nile and the River Congo. It is believed that the name ‘Niger’ has its origin with Greeks. It is very interesting to note that Niger River is known by several other names based on its courses. The upper course is known as Joliba, central track is known as Isa Rghirren and Mayo Balleo while the lower stretch is called Quorra. The exotic streams of Niger River have significant impact on the settlements and ongoing trade activities in the region of Africa. Basically, Africa is an agricultural civilization. So, water from these streams is a need for crops’ cultivation. Moreover, this region does not have well developed road network to allow trade activities so trade activities are mostly carried through water ways. Agricultural as well as other commodities are transferred from one place to another thro ugh waterways. So exotic streams originate through River Niger offer transportation routes and in this way facilitate the trade. Last but not the least; the water of these streams is also used in washing, bathing and drinking purposes. Source: (Wikipedia, 2012) Answer 3: TAN- ZAM railways pass which is also known as Tazara or Uhuru Railway connects Kapiri Mposhi town in Zambia with Tanzanian seaport of Dar es Salaam. This railway pass was built in 1970 to 1975 and financed by China. This railway network was especially designed for trade purposes for Zambian productions, particularly copper products. It runs for 1,860 kilometers. So, this network offered economic incentive to the region. However, it is important to note that this railway network is just for trade purposes and definitely, it is not a tourist train. Moreover, railroads have significant value in the economic development of a country. Railways, as in case of TAN- ZAM pass and surely many others round the globe, provides great market for different goods that might be agricultural as well as industrial. Railways connect far going areas of the country and allow widespread business activities that directly contribute in the economic development of a country. Here it is also important to note that before the invention of automobiles, highways and planes, the only way to travel was railroads. Railroads were used to travel goods from one place to another. So, this sort of communication paved the way for unprecedented growth for a country especially at industrial level. Moreover, with the help of train networks people can also travel with great ease, comparatively, at an inexpensive rate. Answer 4: Kenya Tanzania Uganda Capital

Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty,Kitty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty,Kitty - Essay Example er in just a few years â€Å"Dolly was euthanized because she was suffering from a number of health conditions† ( Wilmut Et al,Cloning Handbook, Roslin Institute). But, researchers lost no hope and successfully cloned a number of other animals including mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, dogs, horses etc. Questions have been raised about the ethical issue of cloning humans and it was totally banned. Biomedical scientists argue that cloning â€Å"helps to understand molecular mechanisms and can be used for therapeutic purposes† ( I .Wilmut; Cloning for Medicine, 2007). Wildlife biologists and geneticists are already trying to clone cheetah which is on the verge of extinction. They say that cloning will help in conservation issues. Government of in most countries have pointed out that cloning destroys the very identity of a person while researchers say that cloning is a boon. Nicky was the first cat to be cloned from a dead cat for its grieving owner but when it comes to c loning a dead child ethical issues are raised and thus cloning remains a debatable

Feedback for solutions for brewing company problems Essay

Feedback for solutions for brewing company problems - Essay Example Molson Coors have therefore decided to pull its international businesses out Asian markets so that they can focus on the local markets. The importation of beer in China holds only 1% share of the market share compared to the domestic and Coors only ranks second despite the China’s low domestic prizes. It is therefore important when the company withdraws its operations from china because there are no chances of succeeding in that market. Coors should first alert their customers in china market and sell their stake to Sihai Beer Company because of the company’s inability to sustain its assets and the need to cover losses as much as possible. Coors should sell its beers at a lower price as a way of getting rid of its excess reserves (Russel Web). The Company should focus on improving its big Canada share and the US market shares in order to improve their sales. This is only possible when the UK and China markets are closed due to their low markets that in turn lead to a higher cost of operation in both UK and China. The partnering between Coors and the SABMiller will also increase the market share to almost 30% in local market. The issue of new marketing material has got a large impact on the success of the firm especially within the local market. The sales have slightly increased after almost a year due to the increased marketing. The small board that was created to facilitate aggressive marketing in North America has not boosted the market share as expected but only increased the operating assets due to its overstatement as the income statement do not include the US (Russel Web). The decline of the consumption of Molson’s products in its major markets is such a big blow to the company and puts the company into a very challenging situation. With the voting rights of Coors remains at 50% hence making it difficult to account for the company’s benefit in the consolidation process. The product for both the companies

Employment and its effects on high school and college students’ grade point averages Essay Example for Free

Employment and its effects on high school and college students’ grade point averages Essay Many students, parents, and educators have been seeking the so-called Holy Grail of learning for many decades. One question that has arisen out of this learning model is that of student employment? Many wonder if working a part-time job will affect a student’s grades, and if so, how much? The answer to this seemingly simply question, however, is more complex. A variety of factors must be considered when deciding if and to what extent a student’s grades are affected by his or her employment status. In recent years, the concept of the full-time student seems to be disappearing. From about age sixteen, an overwhelming majority of students, both high school and college, work while they attend school. This average is about 85% for most college students (Bradley, 2006). However, high costs everything from apparel to tuition drives these workers into their part-time jobs which are generally retail and service related businesses for an average of fifteen hours per week (Bradley, 2006). Generally, most studies do identify some differences in academic performance and attitude, but these differences are not as great as people once may have believed. Generally, studies find very few basic differences between working and non-working students, especially in college. However, the intensity of the job and the number of hours worked did seem to affect academic performance in many students at the high school level. Generally longer hours meant more stressors on the individual and had a negative affect on their grades, which translates into about a half of a grade point average(GPA) point lower than not working students or students who work only a few hours, perhaps on the weekends (Weller et al, 2003). Oettinger (1999) also found this to be true, and noted that minority students tended to be more affected by the GPA drop than white students. He noted his drop in GPA to be about . 20 points and to be most obvious in students working more than twenty hours per week. These studies corroborates a study done nearly twelve years earlier in which the researchers found, similarly, that students who put in longer hours at their jobs suffered lower grades, higher absenteeism, and less interest in school in general which was seen in negative behaviors while in school (Perils of Part-time Work for Teens, 1991). At the college level, these differences were less noticeable. Ironically, Bradley (2006) found that the grade point averages were highest for students who did not work AND for students who worked more than twenty hours per week. This seems to contradict the research done on high school students, suggesting that maturity and attitude may also play a part in the employment/grades debate. Research has also been conducted on academic attitude and perception as they relate to grades. In high school, students who worked longer hours did not seem to have much distress about their grades as a result of the employment: â€Å"Those who had jobs displayed no advantage over the others in self-reliance, self-esteem or attitude toward work† (Perils of Part-time Work for Teens, 1991). In addition, students who worked even seemed to report less school stress, possible because they had less interest in school, as mentioned above. Moreover, researchers explain this more blase attitude toward schools by the findings that students who worked were more likely to report avoiding difficult classing, cheating on exams, and copying homework from friends (Weller et al, 2003; Perils of Part-time Work for Teens†, 1991). This was not the case for university students. In college, students who worked perceived that their employment DID affect their grades even when the researchers found little or no interest in grades between non-workers and workers at the college level. Both working and non-working college students showed a high level of interest in their grades and expressed an overall desire to achieve a high level of academic performance. Students who did not work stated that did not do so in order to focus on their studies, and they believed that their studies benefited from this extra time. Again, though, the studies showed no difference in the GPAs of working and non-working college students (Bradley, 2006). Instead many researchers ponder how college students who work so many hours are able to keep similar GPAs to those that do not work. Bradley (2006) suggests that nonworking students may be spending similar time with other activities such as sports, extracurricular clubs, or even caring for dependents at home. He also proposes that the non-working students and the working students may be approaching homework and study in different ways. He notes that non-working students â€Å"may be most likely to adopt a ‘deep’ learning style, characterized by intrinsic interest in the subject content and a desire to maximize understanding of this content† and that working students â€Å"may be more likely to adopt an ‘achieving’ style aimed at maximizing grades through the effective use of space and time. † These learned differences could certainly account for the way different students juggle the demands of work. It is certainly helpful to note when employment can be an effect socialization tool aimed at building strong character and organizational skills and when it can be a definite academic detriment. Research shows that more differences exist for high school students than for college students, and that the majority of the college differences exist only in perception, not in actuality. This gives rise to the possibility of further research which could focus on the characteristics of working students who do keep their GPAs high.

Tales of a Strange Love in Dr. Strangelove Essay -- Dr. Strangelove Es

Tales of a Strange Love in Dr. Strangelove   Dr. Strangelove , filmmaker Stanley Kubrick's nuclear war satire, portrays America's leaders as fumbling idiots and forces American viewers to question the ability of their government.   Dr. Strangelove's   cast explores the quirks and dysfunctional personality traits that a layperson would find far-fetched in a person of power.   The characters are diverse yet unified in their unfailing stupidity and naivete.   The film's hysterical dialogue sheds a darkly comic light at the most ironic of times-war.   This film came out at a height of paranoia of the nuclear age and the Cold War, just after the Cuban Missile Crisis.   It depicts a horrible, tragic incident in which a breach in the government and diplomatic mistakes result in nuclear holocaust. General Ripper, a psychotic anti-Communist, exploits a loophole in the chain of command and orders nuclear warheads to be dropped on Russia.   Ripper, in a moment of humor, explains his motivation-most likely gleaned from bits of "red" propaganda he has internalized:   "I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination,   Communist subversion,   and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."   He elaborates further citing the Communist fluoridation of U.S. drinking water as the most dangerous of Soviet plots to infiltrate and destroy the American people.   With all the sense of a Joe McCarthy, Ripper is prepared to begin and accept the consequences of a nuclear war. The impending disaster is soon brought to the attention of America's President Muffle and his team of able advisers, who quickly prove themselves worthless wastes of space.   The President scr... ...ar. By presenting war with humor, the film conveys just how much of a farce the nuclear arms race really was. The extreme views of the characters aren't fiction; Baby Boomers, for example, can recall debates about "acceptable" civilian losses in the event of a bomb being dropped.   Kubrick satirizes this time period wonderfully, capturing the insanity of a world gone mad. The key question of the film really is:   who is running the mad house?   In a world where world leaders scramble and bicker childishly and take advice from Nazi Germans, a world where bombs can be dropped at the will of a psychotic general, one seems better off to recline and laugh at the pure insanity of it all. Works Cited Dr Strangelove or : How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.   Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf.   Peter Sellers and George C. Scott.   London:   Columbia Pictures, 1964.