Saturday, August 31, 2019
Examination of the Role of Evolution Theory Essay
In this paper I will briefly describe the evolutionary theory in general, and specifically as it relates to the study of criminology. I will examine the ways in which natural selection has shaped the processes which motivate human behavior, especially in terms of how competing for limited resources and ensuring that oneââ¬â¢s genetic code is passed on are linked to aggressive behavior. Two crimes of which I have personal knowledge will be evaluated, with emphasis placed on the ways in which evolutionary theory may account for the aspects of criminal behavior in each. Finally, I will reflect on the ways in which evolutionary theory may help further our understanding of the causes and predictors of criminal behavior and whether it should become a focus of a practitionerââ¬â¢s efforts to help prevent crime and reduce recidivism on an individual and programmatic level. Evolutionary theory is the study of the ways in which human behavior has been shaped over the history of the development of our species through the process of natural selection. Since human behavior includes criminal behavior, the study of evolutionary theory can he helpful in our understanding of the causes of crime. Evolutionary theory seeks to better understand and possibly predict todayââ¬â¢s criminal behavior by examining the history of humans as a species to determine the root source of aggressive and violent behavior. Natural selection is the process by which certain naturally-occurring adaptations get passed on from generation to generation because they provide some advantage to survival and reproduction (reproductive success). Simply stated, if one of our ancestors has a genetic trait that makes him or her more likely to survive, mate, and reproduce in a harsh social and physical climate, this trait will be carried on to his or her children. While on the other hand, an individual lacking this trait will be less likely to reproduce and pass his or her traits on to the next generation. Over time, the gene traits that are favorable to survival and reproduction continue to pass from one generation to the next, to eventually be present in modern man. This is survival of the fittest, that the most genetically fit individuals are the ones who survive and pass their gene pool on to the next generation through sexual reproduction. Evolution through natural selection is a slow process, however, and the environment can change much more quickly than the evolutionary process. This means that the adaptations which increased likelihood of survival and reproduction in our ancestral environment thousands of years ago do not necessarily help us to do so today. Neanderthalââ¬â¢s did not have access to supermarkets, match.com, or central heating. Modern man does have access to plentiful resources, but our brains have not had the time to catch up. In fact, these traits that once helped keep us alive as individuals and as a species can be harmful in our current environment, which is fundamentally different than the environment in which these drives were formed. In his seminal book, On Aggression (1966), Konrad Lorenz posited that aggressive behavior is inherited to help an individual to protect scarce resources, such as mates and food (Lorenz, 1966). Whereas aggression may have made it more likely that you would successfully compete for food and mates in our distant past, it now leads more often to what is considered antisocial and criminal behavior. The two crimes that I will discuss today were carried out by offenders with whom I have worked directly, which provides me with some unique insight into the situations, backgrounds, and psychological mindsets of the actors involved. Last spring, Joe stabbed his girlfriend of 5 years multiple times in the face, chest, and neck. His girlfriend, Donna, sustained multiple life-threatening injuries requiring emergency surgeries and were nearly fatal. If not for the quick response by first responders and the effective interventions of ER staff and doctors, this crime would be classified as a murder. Donna had filed a protection-from-abuse order a year before the assault, after Joe confronted and assaulted her for believing that she had been sleeping with another man. This order was broken several times before the stabbing took place, but Joe was quickly released each time. In my opinion, an evolutionary theorist would say that this act of violence was motivated by the fear of losing oneââ¬â¢s mate, and therefore his means by which to reproduce. If this had occurred in our ancestral environment, the motivation may have been more necessary as males would be competing for a limited number of female mates, but this is certainly not the case today. Some other facts about Joe are that he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and was not medicated because he could not afford his prescriptions. He had dropped out of school in 10th grade, leaving him limited employment opportunities, he was an active substance dependant, and he was raised in a single-parent household after his mother died in a car accident when he was 7. Joeââ¬â¢s father left his other son (Joeââ¬â¢s brother), who was only four years older, to take on the majority of Joeââ¬â¢s upbringing from this point on. In my opinion, even though Joe may have had an innate drive to protect what he believed to be a threat to his mate, it was the lack of protective forces and the presence of a combination of criminogenic risk factors, across multiple disciplines, which led to his criminal behavior. Evolutionary theory might have been able to describe why some of the mechanisms by which Joeââ¬â¢s aggressiveness developed, but it could not account for the crime itself because everyone is born with these same innate aggressive mechanisms. The second crime I will describe was an assault carried out by members of rival gangs in a dispute over a female and rights to prime drug-selling territory. Desmond is a member of the CRIPs gang and is involved in selling cocaine and marijuana in Northeastern PA. He has a prior record of three Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver charges, two convictions for Assault, and was currently on probation. One day during the summer, he came home to his apartments at the Sherman Hills development to find his girlfriend talking with a member of a rival gang, the Bloods, whom she claimed to know from elementary school. The Bloods are also involved in selling drugs in this area, and both gangs often feud over how the territory should be broken up, but this area was clearly marked as belonging to the CRIPs. Desmond confronted the man, and after he claimed that he was ââ¬Å"disrespectedâ⬠, beat him up and smashed his head on the curb with his foot. Evolution theorists would state that the motivations involved in this crime would be hatred between rivals (unrelated acquaintances) based on competition for limited materials and intangible resources like social status and respect (Daly & Wilson, 1997). The resources in this case being exclusive access to the money to be made in an area with a high concentration of ââ¬Å"consumersâ⬠. The other environmental factors at play here are the perceived threat to Desmondââ¬â¢s girlfriend, or mate, who is the means by which his gene pool will be passed on. In addition, Desmond gave as reasoning for his crime the fact that he had been disrespected and had to reassert his social status through a violent reaction. Although I believe all of these evolutionary motivations to be valid, I donââ¬â¢t believe that it was innate drive alone which led to this crime. Anyone who is in a situation where he feels disrespected becomes angry, but not everyone responds by causing permanent damage to the offenderââ¬â¢s facial nerves. As Bartol & Bartol state, ââ¬Å"there is little evidence to justify portraying humans as innately dangerous and brutal or as controlled by instinctâ⬠(Bartol, 2011, p. 116). I believe that it was the presence and interplay of a number of criminogenic risk factors which decided whether this interaction would end with words or fists. In this case, the risk factors with the most influence on behavior were low socioeconomic status, lack of a pro-social peer group, lack of access to gainful employment opportunities, and antisocial attitudes and beliefs, among others. There were the difference between how you or I would have reacted and how a gang member reacts. If these risk factors were mitigated by programs initiated to reduce Desmondââ¬â¢s criminogenic risk and to provide him with access to protective factors, the crime most likely could have been avoided. There would be no way, however, to change his innate biological drives, developed over thousands of years of evolution, because these drives are static. I believe that evolutionary theory can help us better understand how and why the physiology and functioning of the brain developed the way it did through the process of natural selection. I also believe that this can be useful to our ââ¬Å"investigation of the mindââ¬â¢s structure and operationsâ⬠(Daly & Wilson, 1997). This knowledge can help us look for explanations for why some individuals engage in criminal behavior and to better understand the mechanisms by which this behavior occurs; which can give us insight into developing more effective interventions (Ward & Durant, 2011). I think that the evolutionary theory can help us to understand macro-criminality, but I do not believe that this understanding can help us nearly as much in our search for the causes and predictors of crime on an individual level. Working to reduce an individual offenderââ¬â¢s risk of recidivating requires a careful analysis of what factors led him or her to lack the ability to control these in nate drives and an intervention program to help them to learn to do so. Every person alive today has been shaped by the same evolutionary process, so what are the factors that lead some individuals to be able to keep these drives in check and make rational decisions while others give in to their primal desires and engage in criminal behavior? I believe that the answer to this question is that individuals who engage in criminal behavior are exposed to some combination of biological, sociological, and physiological criminogenic risk factors while lacking the presence of protective factors which may have neutralized these risks. On these factors is where I believe we should be focusing our efforts and studies. Daly & Wilson state that the insights into the workings of criminal behavior ââ¬Å"should not be viewed as alternatives to sociological and psychological analysis, but as complementary components of a more complete understandingâ⬠(Daly & Wilson, 1997) In this way, I believe evolutionary theory can give us insight into the ââ¬Å"howâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"whyâ⬠of criminal behavior, but I believe we should be looking more closely at the ââ¬Å"whoâ⬠, ââ¬Å"whereâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"whenâ⬠. References Lorenz, K. (1966). On aggression. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Daly, M. & Wilson, M. (1997). Crime and conflict: Homicide in evolutionary psychological perspective. Crime & Justice, 22, 51ââ¬â100. Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2011). Criminal behavior a psychological approach. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Ward, T. & Durrant, R. (2011). Evolutionary behavioral science and crime: Aetiological and intervention implications. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 16, 193-201.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Unit Final
In the interest of thoroughness, footprints should be preserved even if they do not show any details. Although the size and shape of the shoe or pattern in the heel or sole is of lesser evidential value, a representative print should nonetheless be preserved for its value as an investigative lead. (Fisher, Barry A. J. , Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, pegs 226-227). A footwear print may be a foot Impression or a footprint (dust print). Foot impressions occur when the foot treads In some moldable material such as earth, sand, clay, snow, etc.Footprints are formed on a hard base when the foot or the sole and heel of a shoe are contaminated with some foreign matter such as road dirt, gust, flour, blood, or moisture. Footprints may also be latent when naked or stocking- covered feet on a smooth surface have formed them. Footwear impression evidence and information from the gait pattern may indicate that the subject was walking or running, had sustained an injury or walked with a limp, was possibly intoxicated, had a tendency to walk toe-in or toe-out, or was carrying a heavy object. (Fisher, Barry A. J. , Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, pegs 226-227).Foot Impressions are generally found outdoors; the first precautionary measure Is Hereford to protect the Impression from alteration or destruction, preferably by covering It with a box or cordoning off the area. Impressions In thawing snow are especially troublesome, so a box covered with snow to prevent thawing should protect them. If a foot impression is in such a position that it is possible for it to gradually fill up or be damaged by running water, it must be surrounded by a wall of earth, sand, or snow; alternatively, a hole may be dug close to the impression and the water drained toward the hole.However, these protective measures are only tops and the actual preservation should be undertaken as soon as possible. Preservation should be done by photographing and casting or, in the case of dust p rints, should be lifted. (Fisher, Barry A. J. , Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, pegs 231-232). When photographing the Impressions the camera should be placed vertically above the Impression on a tripod with a scale placed next to the impression. The film plane should be parallel to the Impression so as not to cause distortion In the photograph.It is good practice to place two scales in the photograph at right angles ND a second perpendicular to the first, in the region adjacent to the heel. If the bottom of the impression is appreciably deeper than the surface of the ground or snow, the scale should be brought down to the same level. Before photographing, any material that may have fallen into the impression should be cleaned away immediately. If it is not possible to carry this out without damaging the impression, it should be omitted.Because the details in foot impressions are three dimensional, the photograph should be made under illumination that will bring out those de tails o the best advantage. Direct sunlight enhances the details by creating highlights and shadows. When the sky is cloudy and the daylight diffuse and practically without shadow, artificial light must be used; foothold or flash illumination is suitable. (Fisher, Barry A. J. , Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, pegs 232-233).Dental stone is a type of gypsum or calcium sulfate that can be used to cast shoe impressions. At one time, plaster of Paris was more widely used for this purpose; however, dental stone is superior and readily available from dental supply companies. Dental stone can be used for casting most impressions; even snow. Foot impressions in loose, dry sand and earth can be taken without any special preparation. Some literature suggests removing loose twigs and leaves, but this practice can damage the impression and is highly discouraged. Fisher, Barry A. J. , Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, peg 233). In lifting firearms, great care must be taken not to destroy evidence. The best way to lift a pistol or revolver is to hold it with two fingers on the checkered part of the butt, or possibly by the ring on the butt. Shotguns may conveniently be held around the checkered part of the neck of the butt; if necessary the weapon can be lifted by a steady grip with the fingers on the trigger guard.It is undesirable to lift a weapon such as a revolver or pistol, because the weapon may be cocked and a shot may be fired if the trigger happens to be touched. It should be taken as a general rule never to lift a weapon found at the scene of a crime before first making sure that no one is in the direction in which the muzzle is pointing; of course one should not risk being hit if the weapon fires while being lifted. The weapon may actually be cocked so that even the slightest movement could cause a shot to be fired.The procedure for lifting up a gun by putting a pencil or stick in the barrel is absolutely wrong. This may destroy valuable clues in t he barrel that might possibly have been of use in elucidating the case. In a contact shot (I. E. , when the muzzle is in contact with a body), which is common with suicide, it often happens that blood, grease, fragments of fabric, and textile fibers are blown into the barrel of the gun by the violence of gas pressure and the splash of tissue and blood in all directions.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Airplane Accidents in the Media
This paper examines the amount of airplane accidents that get covered in the media versus the number of the airplane accidents that actually happen. The following paper examines how the news media has been changed from a brave, controversy-seeking faction to a community of self-censoring, congress-fearing puppets of whom the politically powerful are the puppeteers. The writer argues that the media is not the same establishment that once looked for the extra, but it is merely a reserved, timid society, a society that has ignored its once unquenchable thirst for the truth in order to satisfy its hunger for the more material things, money and power. It is a calm, cold morning in Maine and the news is blaring in one household. The family hears that there has been another violent plane crash. Little Jimmy is quaking in his shoes, because he knows that the story will be covered constantly for most of the week, if not longer. Violent images will be shown on the television that his parents bought for Jimmys favorite educational television shows. Jimmy decides to change the channel, but almost all of the channels are covering the same information about the plane crash. Then, an image of a man who died in the crash appears on television. Little Jimmy bursts into tears. Jimmy grows up to detest the news, and to hate plane crashes. Why must the news cover tragedies so extensively?
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Renaissance Madonna and Child Triptych Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Renaissance Madonna and Child Triptych - Essay Example A triptych is a three-piece stand-alone panel that was a common altarpiece in the Baroque period created with some specific common techniques. They varied in size and particular shape, but most had a roughly rectangular base and square or arched tops. The two side panels were almost always smaller than the center panel. They were made like this so that they could be easily folded up and transported with the priest when he went to preach in the country. As we learned in class, during this time in history, it was the church that preserved all of the arts and literature. As a result, they were the ones who usually commissioned the art and allowed the art to be seen. In technical elements, the painting is done with tempera on wood panels, which was a common way of working. Tempera is an egg-yolk-based paint that dries quickly and hardens into a very tough surface that made it ideal for traveling by bumpy wagons. Many of the triptychs on display in museums are made with this medium for th is reason. To get the colors to work just right, Baroque painters would use a green earth pigment called Terre Verde for the under-painting and red sizing behind the gold leaf of the background (class notes). Gold leaf was always used in images of a religious nature because it symbolized the importance and nobility and purity of the figures. If you look closely, these attributes of green under-painting, red sizing and heavy use of gold leaf in the background are evident in this triptych as well as many other similar works. such as Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned and Giotto's Madonna Enthroned that we saw in class. Another common feature of Baroque art is the focus on brushwork. According to my class notes, the brushwork used during this period was very meticulous. Every little line was carefully positioned to create a sense that the image just appeared on the panel. This makes a lot of sense, actually, considering they were working with gold leaf. Gold is very reflective and the smalles t crease would cause reflections in one direction or another. By taking a perfectionist approach to the work, the artist could create the illusion of halos or other features within the gold leaf that would only appear when the light came from just the right angle. This would have added to the magic of the image for the benefit of the less-educated public. The general subject matter of Vanni's triptych is also very similar to the artwork of other Baroque artists working in this time period. In this painting as well as in Cimabue's painting and Giotto's painting, the Madonna is
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
RA #8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
RA #8 - Assignment Example We can also derive suitable instincts by establishing a balance between emotions and intellect (Hayashi 9). The information about how emotions can enhance intuitive decision-making can help me to improve my creative problem solving skills. Indeed, balancing my emotions will allow me to use my creativity and professionalism in solving problems. Moreover, balancing my emotions will allow me to research and apply relevant knowledge in making decisions that defines creative problem solving. The ability to recognize similar universal patterns across disparate fields is another interesting topic that I encountered in the reading (Hayashi 8). Indeed, such abilities enhance professional judgments. Identifying universal patterns in decision-making is a rare trait that many executives lack or disregard. There are standards and patterns that define intuitive decision making in diverse fields. The ability to identify these universal patterns can enable individuals to make homogenous and suitable decisions within short time. The information about universal patterns of making decisions across different fields can help me to improve my creative problem solving skills since I will possess the unique ability to solve different problems in a standard, suitable, and faster manner. The information will help me to establish a decision making culture that will depict my creativity in addressing various
Monday, August 26, 2019
THE MEANING AND LEGACY OF THE KENNEDY ELECTION Assignment
THE MEANING AND LEGACY OF THE KENNEDY ELECTION - Assignment Example icals of the previous era is in their peaceful way of gaining the power, not revolutionary one, for their major doctrine is rights and freedoms of man as key value and legal platform of social order. One of the major events in the late 1950s that awakened the nation is the struggle for the rights of blacks headed by prophet Martin Luther King, which has gradually begun to gain popularity in the society of whites.à 1960 appears to be the year of John F. Kennedy becoming the President of America due to several reasons, namely: support of the great number of registered Democrats (for economic recession of Republicans), as well as one of Catholics; focusing of his efforts on densely populated States of the North-East; benefit of well-financed campaign, and television translation. Kennedyââ¬â¢s campaign platform has contained the program of socio-economic reforms, forward to new frontier, including reduction of taxation, adoption of a series of legislative measures to ensure the civil rights of colored people, health insurance for the elderly, raising the minimum wage, monopoly control, and acceleration of the pace of economic development. The major events determined the elections are participation of voters from two new states of America, that is, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as public advocacy of electoral campaign by both presidential candidates. ââ¬Å"An unprecedented series of four televisionà debatesà between the two nominees constituted the highlight of the campaignâ⬠(Levy).à As for the major political and economic policies of Eisenhower administration, they are characterized by the concept of creating of favorable state framework for individual economic activities, the end of the practice of persecution for leftist persuasion, and putting a stake on achieving nuclear superiority over the USSR (the Eisenhowerââ¬â¢s administration General line of foreign policy of the
Catholic Wedding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Catholic Wedding - Essay Example According to the study being considered the oldest Catholic Church in Victoria, St. Francisââ¬â¢ Church humbly stands as an example of grandeur. It has a simple faà §ade but its structure alone overwhelms visitors from all walks of life. When one enters this solemn edifice, any person would be struck by the intricate design and the colorful mosaic of glass etching with vivid illustrations of the first family and saints where the Blessed Sacrament is enthroned. The altar is viewed in simplicity with the crucifix void of designs exemplifying the life that Jesus lived. The rationale might be to prevent churchgoers into being distracted by elaborate designs and colors. It is strategically located at a corner lot for easy accessibility. From this paper it is clear that the ritual identified here is the order of the marriage ceremony including the symbols used. It was fortunate to be accorded the opportunity to observe a wedding of couples who appear to be of Asian descent probably from the Philippines. The St. Francis Church is home to the Filipino community where a special mass schedule has been earmarked every second Sunday of each month at precisely 2:30pm. The groom wore a traditional Filipino ââ¬Å"barong Tagalogâ⬠, made from a cloth known as the jusi fabric woven from banana or abacca plants. He stood on the altar patiently waiting for his bride.Ã
Sunday, August 25, 2019
The Leaders Preparation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
The Leaders Preparation - Essay Example (Zechariah 4:6). A Spiritual leader must remember that he does not operate on his agenda, but God's agenda. The six steps to leadership by Robert Clinton are important for development of effective leaders. This essay will discuss on the main points of "The Leader's Vision" In chapter four. All leaders must have a clear vision. The leader must be able to inspire people and articulate their vision to the followers. However, the most important question one must ask is, where does the vision come from Secular leaders look first to the past history and try to duplicate success. However, God rarely works the same way trice, therefore for a Spiritual leader this model of duplication may prove ineffective. Spiritual leaders should always rely on the Words of God and be sure that their vision is within the will of God. Spiritual leaders should learn to discern to understand God's vision. Christian views of strong leaders are in sharp contrast to world views. In the Gospel Christ demonstrates strength through weakness of people. The world view is one of human strength and human will. Jesus Christ focused on small groups and individuals. The world continues to look at large numbers of people equ ating to success, which stands in contrast to the teaching of Jesus Christ. The primary objective for all Christian Spiritual leaders is it to bring glory to God. The leader must operate as a vessel for the Holy Spirit to operate in, without the leader getting in the way of the will of the Lord. 15. This essay will discuss the main points of Chapter four "Natural and Spiritual Leadership". Li Hung Chang a leader in China said, "There are three kinds of people- those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move them." We as Spiritual leaders must realize that there is no such thing as a self-made Spiritual leader." (p28). Christian leaders are made and led by the Holy Spirit. However, people do need to have natural leadership skills. An effective leader does not happen at the moment of conversion. The leader must remember to not major in the minors, and become distracted by minute details. The leader should always have the ability to make clear and decisive decisions. Furthermore, they must be able to focus on priorities and understand his or her weakness. Jesus Christ said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7). Therefore, make decisions based on the strength and power of Jesus Christ. The final objective should be for his glory. 16. This essay will discuss the main points of chapter 5 "Can You Become a Leader" Many leaders in church today look for leaders based on prestige or education. However, Jesus ignored the world view of leaders. Jesus started with individuals who were untrained and without social prestige. For one to be an effective leader he or she must investigate their potential for leadership. A leader must remain calm in crisis and show restraint. A strong leader will be willing to listen to other views and handle criticism. Leaders should always think before speaking. People must have trust in their leaders; one misspoken word can decrease the credibility of the leader.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Describe the Human Nature & Physical Aspects Essay
Describe the Human Nature & Physical Aspects - Essay Example MeurSault who is the protagonist of The Stranger performs such activities for which, he finds no reason for remorse and sorrow. At his motherââ¬â¢s death, he is emotionless and has no sense of loss. When he murders an Arab man, he is again remorseless. He takes actions without any rationality and reason behind them. He shoots the Arab man without any specific reason. The trial that is held for the judgment of Meursaultââ¬â¢s crime also circulates around absurd causes of his reasonless act. With the passage of time, Meursault realizes that human existence is worthless and has no meaning behind it. After gaining awareness about this fact, he feels no problem in his way of dying and realizes that death will come to all who have taken birth. Meursault shows more desirability for physical aspects of life such as Marie, weather, his environment and other aspects of life, he is not persuaded by his spiritual or emotional existence due to which, he is alienated from society. For killing the Arab man, he identifies the torment because of sun as a reason for his killing which is quite absurd and ridiculous. He attaches everything with the physical aspect of life. Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the book, Crime and Punishment, shows an alienated attitude in the work. He is alienated from the society on the basis of his consideration that is he is superior to other social figures around him. He plans a murder of an old lady for profit based reasons and while murdering, murders another lady because of being seen. He continuously rejects any support from his friends and relatives due to which, he is left alone. Like Meursault, Raskolnikov also shows attraction towards physical aspects of life and has no concern with his spiritual aspects. He kills the old lady for her wealth. Like Meursault, Raskolnikov is also an unemotional being and shows no emotional concerns to anything in his life. He shows no guilt for his
Friday, August 23, 2019
Management Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Management Dynamics - Essay Example ? No part of the assignment/product has been written/produced for me by any other person except where collaboration has been authorised by the subject lecturer/tutor concerned. ? I am aware that this work may be reproduced and submitted to plagiarism detection software programs for the purpose of detecting possible plagiarism (which may retain a copy on its database for future plagiarism checking). Signature: ______________________________________ Employment Relations Employment relation refers to an economic exchange, an agreement that is established between the employees and employers in relation to the capacity of work or labour power. Balnave and Maconachie (2007, p.2) contend that employment relation is deceptively simple, since there is a need for hiring employees in order to produce goods and services, and the employee is expected to undertake some task for payment. Nevertheless, the essay seeks to discuss the way Unitarist and Pluralist approaches to conflict, would be used i n a situation of industrial action, which was taken by the Construction Forestry and Mining Employees Union in forming the Barangaroo picket line, and identify the approach that offers a better explanation. The conflict that will be explored in this essay involved the Construction giant Lend lease as employers and the employees, who were members of a union, whereby the employers were expected to respect the rights of employees through improvement of job and income security in the building industry (Lend Lease, 2012, p 1). The employees had taken industrial action for a period of forty-eight hours on a Tuesday after unsuccessful bargaining that entailed an agreement that was to cover Lend Leaseââ¬â¢s project management and construction business (ABC News, 2012, p. 1). The union was interested with ensuring equitability concerning employee pay and condition for employee of subcontractors on Lend Lease sites, and this included the Barangaroo project in Sydney (McIllroy, 2012, p. 1). The employers were also being condemned due to their failure in provision of jobs to apprentices in Australia, and the union was calling for better rights for contract as a way of dealing with Howe inquiry regarding job insecurity (ACTU, 2012, p.1). The case concerning Construction giant Lend lease as and its employees is an example of the multidimensional nature of employment relation that establishes a potential for a conflict to occur between parties involved. In fact, the conflicts between employers and employees are termed as industrial conflicts, which relates to issues like; employment conditions, managerial prerogative, wages, social or political concerns. On the other hand, the nature of the employment relationship is depicted by the conflict manifestation, whereby the employees can bargain, hold balance of power, commitment and effort. It entails collective action such as withdrawal from work in situation of a strike, absenteeism, stop-works, while in other situation othe r s may decide to remain in work, but undermine the objective of the management through a go-slow or sabotage (Balnave & Maconachie, 2007, p.7). In order to resolve the situation that involve the conflict between employers and employees, there is a need to understand the frame of reference, which refers a personââ¬â¢
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Grace of God Essay Example for Free
Grace of God Essay The traditional social order is marked by the three estates it comprised off. The ruler who is supposed to be ââ¬Ëby the Grace of Godââ¬â¢ was absolute in his power. The first estate comprised of the clergy who were responsible for community well being by conducting prayers and sacred ceremonies. The next estate is the nobility who are in charge of protecting the country from foreign invasions. They also played an important role in government and in administration. The third estate consisted of the majority of population. They generated wealth that fed the entire society. Real estate and regional commerce were their main activity. This order underwent change at the wake many significant events. The French revolution gave power to the bourgeois, the third order. The French viewed democracy as a building block of creating a new social order where there is no self proclaimed monarchy hovering over. The spirit of French revolution spread across Europe. And slowly the rising started everywhere. The colonized countries started gaining grounds in their home lands. The Sepoy Mutiny in India is an example of the social order undergoing a change. The natives organized an uprising against the British. It may not have deterred the British in their pursuit to expand but it did mark an important turn of events. Similarly the West had its influence on Japan and China. The monarchy and the aristocracy slowly started to adopt the ways of the West. Starting from their dressing to their way of life, a significant transformation was taking place. The Crimean War,1853-1856 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of the Crimean War and evaluate the effect of the war on Russiaââ¬â¢s government. One of the main causes of the Crimean War is the misperceptions in Russia, Britain and France. Britain and France were disturbed that Russia was the strongest state in Europe and its assumed Russian expansion plans towards Turkey. On the other hand Russia was cautious of revolutionary France. Russia was also expecting the fall of Turkey. Moreover in the holy place of Palestine the Catholics were favored by France and the orthodox Christians were favored by Russia. The Catholic and Orthodox monks disputed possession of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. During the early 1850s, the two sides made demands which the Sultan of Turkey could not possibly satisfy simultaneously. To solve this issue the Tsar of Russia, Nicholas I sent his diplomat for talks which failed. The demands made by the Tsar were rejected. Austria contrary to what Russia believed sided Britain. Further in an attempt to revert war a four point proposal was presented to the Tsar. When the Tsar refused to comply with the four points, the Crimean War commenced. The reality of the war is that France and Russia injured each otherââ¬â¢s options without knowing they did so. France overestimated Russiaââ¬â¢s hostility and Russia underestimated British and French interest in Turkey. As a result, Russia seeking to secure Black Sea region lost its control until 1871. Russian power in the area declined to be restored only after fourteen years. During peace negotiations in 1986, it was decided that no warship would occupy the Black sea coast. This became a specific disadvantage to Russia as it diminished the naval threat it posed to the Turks. Compare and contrast Chinaââ¬â¢s and Japanââ¬â¢s response to western influence for the period of 1850 to 1865. In the 1800s China and Japan experienced both major internal strains and Western imperialist pressure which was backed by military might which the natives couldnot match. Chinas leading position in the world reversed in a mere 100 year period (c. a. 1840-1940) from leading civilization to subjected and torn country. The Japanese witnessed Chinaââ¬â¢s experience with the military power of Western nations. At the arrival of an American delegation in Japan in 1853, Japan was also forced to open its ports to the Americans. But unlike China, Japan was able to adapt rapidly to match the power of the West and soon established itself as a competitor with the Western powers for colonial rights in Asia. In 1894-5, Japan challenged and defeated China in a war over influence in Korea. This upset the traditional international order in East Asia, where China was the supreme power and Japan was a subordinate power. Western nations utilized China for their opium trade. They took silver bullions from China as commodity exchange. Chinas attempt to ban the sale of opium in the port city of Canton leads to the Opium War of 1839. The Chinese were defeated by the British arms. This lead to China opening up its ports for foreign trade. By 1800 China was in a vulnerable position in the hands of the West. From the 1860s onward, the Chinese attempted to reform efforts to meet the military and political challenge of the West. China adopted Western learning and technology while preserving Chinese values and Chinese learning. Reformers and conservatives struggled to find the right formula to make China strong enough to protect itself against foreign pressure. The Japanese taking the cue from China launched a major modernization effort in 1868 to match the West and then came to be a major competitor for rights. Japans defeat of Russia, a Western power, in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 surprised China. This way the West influenced two the countries in its most significant way.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Gender and sexuality Essay Example for Free
Gender and sexuality Essay Gender and sexuality has permeated the character of Latin American nations throughout history. Latin America has demonstrated examples of the manipulation of gender as a means of a nations government asserting its political and social control, and the history of the Cuban Revolution shows that Cuba is among such nations. Since its infancy in 1959 and through the 1990s, the Cuban revolutionary government has managed to achieve a well-documented history of oppressive practices that has made the Cuban government the subject of much worldwide criticism and scrutiny over the years. Among the root of this oppression is a commitment to political and social control along gender lines for a greater nationalistic cause. Not unlike other Latin American nations, gender roles as they are recognized in Cuba have been constructed and forcefully prescribed by the government. The citizens of the nation have been socialized to discern between masculine and feminine traits, as well understand why certain traits are desirable while others are not. These determinations have had far-reaching consequences in the cultural realm of Cuban society. Social circles are designed partly upon a personââ¬â¢s recognition of and adherence to specific gender roles. A part of the Cuban revolutionary governmentââ¬â¢s use of gender for political and social control is its attitude toward and relationship with male homosexuality. The systematic persecution of homosexuals in Cuba has been used by the state in an insular fashion against its citizens for the purpose of controlling them, but also as an outward political maneuver of serves to uphold national dignity and honor as part of a Cuban national identity that is to be recognized and respected throughout the rest of the world. In addition to this paperââ¬â¢s thesis being based on the Cuban revolutionary governmentââ¬â¢s use of gender and sexuality as a tool of political and social control, the notion of patriarchy is a theory that is central to this thesis. Part of Cubaââ¬â¢s national identity is the patriarchal nature of its government, which not only applies to the relationship between the state and its citizens, but also applies to the relationship between Cuba and other nations. Dominance and strength, two factors upon which patriarchy is based, are what Cuba stands to project to larger, more powerful nations as a symbol of an exalted position in the world. As discussed in the paper, Cubaââ¬â¢s patriarchal government uses its rejection of homosexuality outwardly as a tactic of resisting and rejecting the systems and ideals of nations that the Cuban Revolution finds itself to be fundamentally at odds with. Evidence of this can be found in works such as Ian Lumsdenââ¬â¢s Machos, Maricones, and Gays: Cuba and Homosexuality. The arguments made in this paper are written around various primary documents that not only support the central thesis, but also serve as a base for extended discussion of certain elements that have contributed to a greater part of a nationââ¬â¢s history. One such element is the notion of gender roles and norms being defined and prescribed by the state, which in turn affects its societyââ¬â¢s views. This includes the legal and penal mechanisms through which the prescriptions are upheld. Legal enforcement leads to a second element, which is nationalism as the motive for the stateââ¬â¢s manipulation of gender and sexuality. This control of the Cuban people is part of a greater political agenda: ensuring the success of the Cuban Revolution. A part of this political maneuver is maintaining the honor of the nation and defending its worldwide image. A third and final element is the concept of cultures and governments undergoing change over a period of time. Such changes include the stateââ¬â¢s gender-based ideas and prescriptions, as well as the catalysts for such change. These changes are ultimtately reflected in the attitudes of a nationââ¬â¢s people. The film ââ¬Å"Fresa y Chocolateâ⬠is one of the primary sources that this paper is written around. Set in Cuba circa 1979, ââ¬Å"Fresa y Chocolateâ⬠reflects the attitudes toward homosexuality that were the norm in Cuba during the first couple of decades of the Cuban revolution, and also depicts the governmentââ¬â¢s use of gender and sexuality to advance its own political agenda. What qualities make or do not make the revolutionary? What place does a homosexual have in the Cuban revolution? What is homosexuality supposed to mean to the communist youth? These are questions that ââ¬Å"Fresa y Chocolateâ⬠raises and helps answer. The other primary documents that this paper is written around are the writings of controversial gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. This paper discusses some examples of the persecution that Arenas endured as a homosexual coming up during the Cuban Revolution. From physical attacks and censorship to arrests and imprisonment, Arenas symbolized to the Cuban revolutionary government the classic threat to the patriarchal state that the government feared and aimed to neutralize. Although writings from a persecuted homosexual in Cuba stand to possibly reflect certain biases, it is important to look at alternate points of view with the purpose of still supporting the basic arguments conveyed herein. For that reason, this paper will also discuss the works of writers such as Rafael L. Ramirez and Rafael Ocasio, who did not emerge from a situation similar to that of Arenasââ¬â¢s. Ocasio explains that Reinaldo Arenas initially expressed interest in the Cuban Revolution, having left home at the age of fifteen to become a guerilla fighter for Fidel Castro. (14) Arenas was rejected due to his young age and the fact that he had no firearms. His enthusiasm for supporting Castro eventually waned, however, and it was the sexual repression that Arenas encountered at his boarding school that began his discontent with the Castro regime. (17) Ocasio cites the reprisal that students faced if caught committing homosexual acts. In addition to expulsion, school officials also went as far as detailing the nature of studentââ¬â¢s transgression in school records, thereby barring these homosexual students from other state-run schools. According to Ocasio, Arenas stated that arrest and incarceration could also result from certain instances of such activity. (17) This made Arenas aware of politically-related persecution of homosexuals as an adolescent. Systematic, state-sanctioned persecution of homosexuals is further exemplified by the nighttime roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police, a practice that traces back to 1961. The earliest documented case of this is known as the Night of the Three Ps (prostitutes, pimps, y pederasts). Gay playwright Virgilio Pinera was among those who were arrested. (Ocasio 24) These raids were purely politically-motivated, for as Salas explains, police targeted anything they found in these raids that appeared to be antisocial or non-conformist, including clothing or hairstyles deemed inappropriate. In support of this, Salas cites an instance in which a Young Communist League leader was arrested in one of the raids despite not being involved in any homosexual activity. Police targeted him because of his long hair, which was cut by authorities. The man was released once he confirmed his identity. (155) Homosexuals targeted in these raids were considered part of a greater antisocial element that the government sought to eliminate. Ocasio explains that while officials assigned prostitutes to schools where they could supposedly be rehabilitated, Castro stated that homosexuals would be barred from the possibility of having any influence in cultural life, schools, or the arts. (24) The aforementioned roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police had an affect on Cubaââ¬â¢s intellectual community, and was only one example of the Castro regimeââ¬â¢s politically-inspired oppression. Various official statements were made by the Cuban government against homosexuals as part of a nationwide campaign promoting proper ethical policies that fostered acceptable revolutionary behavior. It was clear that writers such as Arenas and artists such as Pinera were not seen by the new regime as conducive to the political achievement to which the Cuban revolutionary government aspired. This is supported by Castroââ¬â¢s famous ââ¬Å"Words to Intellectualsâ⬠speech, which Ocasio cites as the first official statement made by the Cuban revolutionary government that determined the boundaries within which revolutionary writers and artists were to operate: ââ¬Å"What are the rights of writers and artists, revolutionary or not? In support of the Revolution, every right; against the Revolution, no rights. Homosexual persecution rooted in the Cuban revolutionary cause is indicative of the revolutionary governmentââ¬â¢s concept of what it referred to as the New Man. In Social Control and Deviance in Cuba, author Luis Salas discusses the stateââ¬â¢s concept of the New Man as Cubaââ¬â¢s ideal revolutionary, which allows no place for a homosexual in the revolution. (166) According to Salas, such a question was clearly answered by Fidel Castro with the following statement: ââ¬Å"Nothing prevents a homosexual from professing revolutionary ideology and consequently, exhibiting a correct political position. In this case he should not be considered politically negative. And yet we would never come to believe that a homosexual could embody the conditions and requirements of conduct that would enable us to consider him a true revolutionary, a true Communist militant. A deviation of that nature clashes with the concept we have of what a militant Communist must be. â⬠Salas contends that to the Cuban revolutionary, the New Man represents strength, honor, and ââ¬Å"connotes maleness and virility. â⬠(166) Conversely, homosexuality is considered to represent weakness, a classically feminine trait. The strength needed to be a true revolutionary is something that the Cuban revolutionary government saw in the uncorrupted youth of Cuba. The youth of the nation was regarded by the state as ââ¬Å"one of the most treasured possessions of the nationâ⬠that was expected contribute to the success of the revolution, and as such, was to be protected from ââ¬Å"a group viewed as seducers of small children. â⬠(167) This aforementioned political attitude with regards to homosexuals in relation to the communist youth of Cuba was reflected in the film ââ¬Å"Fresa y Chocolate. â⬠In the film, David is a young communist university student who initially views an older homosexual artist named Diego as someone who is to be avoided and not to be trusted. Davidââ¬â¢s roommate Miguel is even more militant in his revolutionary, homophobic stance, and resorts to using David to spy on Diego due to his belief that Diego is a danger to the revolutionary cause and thus cannot be trusted. Although Diego eventually befriends David, there is a mutual understanding between both characters of the dangers that such a friendship can pose to a young communist like David, and David makes it clear to Diego that they are not to be seen together in public. This depiction is indicative of the stateââ¬â¢s effort to socialize its youth towards anti-homosexual sentiment by portraying homosexuals as political obstacles and enemies of the state in order to influence public opinion and sway political action in the governmentââ¬â¢s favor. As Leiner explains, homosexuality played a role in Cubas prerevolutionary tourism economy, for the widespread solicitation of male prostitutes by gay tourists contributed to the economy. Furthermore, the stratification of prerevolutionary Cuba also lured many heterosexual working-class men into the underworld of homosexual prostitution in order to earn a living. According to Leiner, the homosexual bourgeoisie largely controlled this underworld as did American organized crime, which managed the lucrative, but seedy occupational sector based on prostitution, drugs, and gambling. Such an aspect of prerevolutionary Cuban history is indicative of fears present among state officials in revolutionary Cuba, who perceived homosexuality as fertile ground for the re-emergence of American imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and classism in Cuban society. This is consistent with Lumsdens contention of revolutionary Cubas regulation of gender and sexuality in Cuba being a part of the stateââ¬â¢s willingness to overcome underdevelopment and resist American efforts to prevent the revolution from succeeding. (xxi) According to Salas, gays were a remnant of capitalism in the eyes of the militant Cuban revolutionary. According to the Cuban government, the New Man was not motivated by the decadence and wanton lusts that characterize homosexuality, which the government believe was associated with the selfishness that marked capitalist societies. In a speech given on July 26, 1968, Fidel Castro characterized the revolutionââ¬â¢s ideal New Man as possessing an altruistic and humanistic nature: ââ¬Å"In a communist society, man will have succeeded in achieving just as much understanding, closeness, and brotherhood as he has on occasion achieved within the narrow circle of his own family. To live in a communist society is to live without selfishness, to live among the people, as if every one of our fellow citizens were really our dearest brother. â⬠In addition to the idealism of Castroââ¬â¢s statement, there is also the character of the language behind his statement that is undoubtedly male as well as overwhelmingly exclusionary. The ideals promoted by Castro in the above excerpt can just as easily be prescribed to women for them to live by such ideals, but the ââ¬Å"macho/socialist amalgam questioned whether male homosexuals could. â⬠(Leiner 27) Leiner explains a study conducted by esteemed commentator Lourdes Casal, who analyzed the influence that the Cuban revolution had on Cuban literature. According to Leiner, Casal discovered a general disdain for homosexuals reflected in over 100 novels. Casal contended that the rejection of homosexuality was the rejection of femininity. Accusing a man of being a homosexual was to be considered an assault on that mans masculinity, and was considered synonymous with deeming that man a female who is devoid of strength and unworthy of holding power. (23) Such a meaning prescribed to the title ââ¬Å"homosexualâ⬠underscores the nature of the Cuban governments patriarchal structure, in which power is directly associated with being a man both physically and sexually. Leiner also explains that in revolutionary Cuban society, the perception of homosexuality ââ¬â and therefore, femininity ââ¬â went beyond mere sexual preference. Physical weakness and lack of muscularity, a lack of interest in physical competition, the display of a quiet demeanor, or a gentle, nurturing or sensitive nature were enough to raise suspicion of homosexuality. According to Leiner, such qualities were perceived as weak and inferior, and therefore effeminate. The strong, abrasive, and competitive male was above suspicion of homosexuality. (22) The question of why homosexuals were perceived by the state as counter to the revolution remains partly unanswered. In addition to the Cuban governmentââ¬â¢s belief that homosexuals possessed undesirable qualities such as weakness, cowardice, and perversion, the stateââ¬â¢s view of homosexuals as a danger to the institution that is the traditional family further compelled the state and the society it influenced to write homosexuals off as ââ¬Å"antithetical to a socialist society. â⬠(Leiner 25) Lesbian playwright Ana Maria Simo was jailed for four-and-a-half months in 1965 and also suffered shock treatment to correct her simply due to her associating with people who were suspected of being homosexual. She was not a lesbian at the time. She states that she and her friends were political individualists and anarchistic, and that is what bothered the government, not their being gay. (Ocasio 30) According to Leiner, lesbians were no cause of concern for the revolutionary government. Leiner states that Lourdes Casal found no mention, or even the vaguest hint of evidence of concern over lesbianism in either the pre- or post-revolutionary literary works that she analyzed. This is a manifestation of the Cuban governmentââ¬â¢s patriarchal structure in that the governmentââ¬â¢s complete absence of concern over the lesbianism in Cuba is indicative of the governmentââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"relegation of women as secondary, lesser others. (Leiner 23) Unlike homosexuals, lesbians posed no threat to the Cuban revolutionary cause, for the revolution never looked to women for signs of strength or power upon which the government could rely in order to ensure the success of the revolution. However, lesbians, even those who displayed overly masculine qualities, were still considered women just as homosexual males were, and both were deemed unqualified for revolutionary status by the state. Standards of gender and sexuality were prescribed and legitimized by the revolutionary state, thus criminalizing homosexuality. The governmentââ¬â¢s enforcement of its prescriptions has been carried out via formal as well as informal means. A prime example of a formal method of this enforcement is penal legislation. Such legislation involving homosexuality can be found in two sections of the Cuban statutes. In one section of the statutes, legislation involves the relation between homosexuality and the stateââ¬â¢s concept of social dangerousness. Article 73 of the Cuban Penal Code regulates social dangerousness, and cites behavior deemed antisocial as its target. In Cuba, homosexuality has been legally deemed antisocial. (Salas 151) Lumsden cites the use of the word antisocial as a code to describe displays of homosexuality deemed ostentatious. (83) According to Salas, anti-homosexual legislation was considered a preventive measure, for the display of so much as even an attitude that authorities perceived as antisocial justified police intervention. (Salas 153) These laws stem from government fears, such as the fear of the threat that homosexuality poses to the traditional family structure. There is also the governmentââ¬â¢s fear of homosexuality hindering the success of the revolution, of which the fear of homosexuals corrupting the nationââ¬â¢s youth is a part. (Salas 154) The latter fear can explain homosexual males receiving much harsher punishments for having sex with underage boys compared to the punishments that males faced for having sex with underage females. (Lumsden 82) The fact that laws pertaining to homosexuality are in a section of the Penal Code that pertains to violations against sexual development and sexual relations that are considered normal is indicative of the stateââ¬â¢s perception of homosexuality as a condition that is contagious and leads to pedophilia. For this reason, Article 317 also includes the act of propositioning an adult for homosexual sex in its permanent barring of convicted sex offenders from the teaching profession and any other field in which such an adult stands to have authority or potential influence over children. (Lumsden 84) Aside from the Cuban revolutionary governmentââ¬â¢s fears related to the issue of homosexuality, the eagerness of some government officials to enforce anti-homosexual law is also indicative of their determination to remain above suspicion of being homosexual for their own fear of legal and social reprisal at the hands of the government. Examples of this are provided by Reinaldo Arenas in his highly acclaimed autobiography Before Night Falls, in which he discusses various sexual encounters he had with homosexual government officials in Cuba. Arenas cited an incident in which a police officer with whom he had just had sexual intercourse actually arrested Arenas ââ¬Å"for being queer. â⬠ââ¬Å"Perhaps he thought that by being the active partner he had not done anything wrong,â⬠Arenas stated. This statement by Arenas is a clear reference to the commonly held perception of the active, penetrating partner in a sexual act between two men not being a homosexual because his dominant position is considered a product of masculinity and power. This perception is diametrically opposed to the perception of the penetrated partner, for this partner assumes a role that is subordinate to the dominant penetrator, thus representing the role of a woman. In Arenasââ¬â¢s aforementioned discussion of his arrest, he stated that at the police station, the arresting officer attempted to explain his arresting Arenas by falsely accusing Arenas of groping him. However, Arenas managed to prove the officerââ¬â¢s involvement in the homosexual act by quickly admitting to the other officers that he still had the officerââ¬â¢s semen on his body, thus making the officer the subject of much surprise and scorn from his colleagues and work superiors. As part of his account of this incident, Arenas alluded to the revolutionary governmentââ¬â¢s belief that it is not possible for a homosexual male to possess the qualities that makes a true revolutionary. At the same time, Arenas also made a reference to the belief of a homosexual male being equivalent to a woman: ââ¬Å"They ended up saying it was a shame that a member of the police force would engage in such acts, because I, after all, had my weakness, but for him, being a man, there was no excuse for getting involved with a queer. â⬠Because he managed to achieve a position as a police officer in the Cuban revolutionary government, which included a convincing display of the masculine traits that the Cuban government believed were instrumental to the composition of a true revolutionary, the police officer was undoubtedly a ââ¬Å"manâ⬠in the eyes of the state, whereas Arenas was not. The engendering of the passive and active partner in homosexual intercourse is not exclusive to Cuban revolutionary society, however. In What It Means to Be a Man, Casper and Ramirez cite the bugarron, a term used in Puerto Rican society to describe a male who is always the one to penetrate the male partner, yet always considers himself heterosexual. The bugarron blatantly dismisses the notion of his partnerââ¬â¢s masculinity, and confirms his partner as the ââ¬Å"womanâ⬠of the situation by calling his partner names such as mujer, mami, mamita, or loca. (96) Furthermore, the bugarronââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"usage of sexuality is highly ritualized to conserve his manhood and avoid being questioned about it. â⬠(Casper, Ramirez 97) The desire to only be a penetrator and never a recipient of penetration serves as a political metaphor. The perception of a penetrator as heterosexual and undeniably male is underscored by masculine traits such as strength and dominance. Pingueros, a name given to male prostitutes in Cuba who only penetrate and refuse to be penetrated, represent the conquering of foreign bodies when solicited by gay tourists. (Chant, Kraske 139) This representation mirrors the notion of Cuba not just fending off but successfully invading and ââ¬Å"screwing backâ⬠the imperialist, capitalist nation that has ââ¬â or might wish to ââ¬â exploit Cuba for its own self-interests. Just like the concept of prescribing gender to an active and passive partner in sexual intercourse between two men was reached over time by way of changing attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward homosexuality in general changing over time is also to be considered. Cultures are not static; they change over time, as do the notions of gender and sexuality in a culture. (Casper, Ramirez 27) Over the past decades, Cuba has witnessed a certain degree of change in attitudes and actions toward homosexuality on behalf of Cuban society at large as well as on behalf of the state.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
How has US Immigration Policy been Criticized over Time?
How has US Immigration Policy been Criticized over Time? Directions: How has US immigration policy been criticized over time? Students need to consider public challenges to immigration policy. Write a paragraph using evidence from the sources that compares and contrasts the arguments made in opposition to three historical approaches to immigration policy. Use the Venn diagram to help organize your information Students will examine the actual legislation behind the three actions taken around immigration. Sources Used: Source A: Political cartoon, The Americanese Wall-as Congressman Burnett Would Build It Source B: Excerpt from a speech by Meyer Jacobstein Source C: 1965 Immigration Law Changed Face of America Criticisms Source A Source B Source C List the criticisms of each immigration policy before writing your one page paper Featured Source Source A: Raymond O. Evans, cartoon, The Americanese Wall-as Congressman [John Lawson] Burnett Would Build It, Puck, March 25, 1916 Public domain. Available from the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b00563/. Featured Source Source B: Senator Meyer Jacobstein of New York, congressional speech arguing against immigration restrictions, Congressional Record (excerpt),1924 Perhaps the chief argument expressed or implied by those favoring the Johnson bill [the Immigration Act of 1924] is that the new immigrant is not of a type that can be assimilated or that he will not carry on the best traditions of the founders of our Nation, but, on the contrary, is likely to fill our jails, our almshouses, and other institutions that impose a great tax burden on the Nation. Based on this prejudice and dislike, there has grown up an almost fanatical anti-immigration sentiment. But this charge against the newcomers is denied, and substantial evidence has been brought to prove that they do not furnish a disproportionate share of the inmates of these institutions. Ã Ã One of the purposes in shifting to the 1890 census is to reduce the number of undesirables and defectives in our institutions. In fact, this aspect of the question must have made a very deep impression on the committee because it crops out on every occasion. The committee has unquestionably been influenced by the conclusions drawn from a study made by Dr. Laughlin. This is not the first time in American history that such an anti-foreign hysteria has swept the country. Reread your American histories. Go back and glance through McMasters History of the United States covering the years from 1820 to 1850. You will find there many pages devoted to the 100 per centers of that time. So strange was the movement against the foreigner in those decades before the Civil War that a national political party, the Know-Nothing Party, sought to ride into power on the crest of this fanatical wave. In those early days, however, the anti-foreign movement, strangely enough, was directed against the very people whom we now seek to prefer-the English, the Irish, and the Germans. The calamity howlers of a century ago prophesied that these foreigners would drag our Nation to destruction. The trouble is that the committee is suffering from a delusion. It is carried away with the belief that there is such a thing as a Nordic race which possesses all the virtues, and in like manner creates the fiction of an inferior group of peoples, for which no name has been invented. Nothing is more un-American. Nothing could be more dangerous, in a land the Constitution of which says that all men are created equal, than to write into our law a theory which puts one race above another, which stamps one group of people as superior and another as inferior. The fact that it is camouflaged in a maze of statistics will not protect this Nation from the evil consequences of such an unscientific, un-American, wicked philosophy. Public domain. Congressional Record, 1924. Featured Source Source C: Jennifer Ludden, transcript of All Things Considered program about immigration policy, 1965 Immigration Law Changed Face of America National Public Radio, May 9, 2006 NOTE: Students should listen to the piece online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5391395. Transcript: 1965 Immigration Law Changed Face of America May 09, 2006 MICHELE NORRIS, Host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Im Michele Norris. ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: And Im Robert Siegel. As Congress considers sweeping changes to immigration law, nearly all the debate has centered on the problem of illegal immigration. Theres been very little talk about the concerns of legal immigrants, the estimated three to four million people who are, as its often said, already standing in line. NORRIS: Today were going to begin a three-part series about the process of immigrating to the U.S. legally. First, were going to step back and look at the history of our immigration law. The current system dates to 1965. It marked a radical break with previous policy and has led to profound demographic changes. As NPRs Jennifer Ludden reports, thats not how the law was seen when it was passed. JENNIFER LUDDEN: This is the kind of rally that was taking place back then. (SOUNDBITE OF CIVIL RIGHTS RALLY) LUDDEN: At the height of the Civil Rights movement, equality, democracy, freedom were the ideas that seized the nation. And against them, the way the United States decided which foreigners could and could not enter the country became an increasing embarrassment. STEPHEN KLINEBERG: I mean, the law was just unbelievable in its clarity of racism. LUDDEN: Stephen Klineberg is a sociologist at Rice University. KLINEBERG: It declared that Northern Europeans are a superior subspecies of the white race. The Nordics were superior to the Alpines, who in turn were superior to the Mediterraneans, and all of them were superior to the Jews and the Asians. LUDDEN: By the 1960s, Greeks, Poles, Portuguese and Italians were complaining that immigration quotas discriminated against them in favor of Western Europeans. The Democratic Party took up their cause, led by the new president. Heres John F. Kennedy speaking to the Italian migration in June 1963. JOHN F. KENNEDY: There are still a good many brothers and sisters of American citizens who are unable to get here, who may have preferences as members of families, but because of the maldistribution of quotas in the European area, we have this situation, which has become nearly intolerable. LUDDEN: After Kennedys assassination, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Services Act. It leveled the immigration playing field, giving a nearly equal shot to newcomers from every corner of the world. The ceremony was held at the foot of the symbolically powerful Statue of Liberty. But if cable TV networks had been there, they probably would not have broken in live. Heres how President Johnson began his speech. LYNDON JOHNSON: This bill that we will sign today is not a revolutionary bill. It does not affect the lives of millions. It will not reshape the structure of our daily lives or really add importantly to either our wealth or our power. LUDDEN: Hearing that now, it is an amazing statement because it proved so wrong. So how could Johnson say that? Sociologist Klineberg says the governments newfound sense of egalitarianism only went so far. The central purpose of the new immigration law was to reunite families. KLINEBERG: So the Congress then said, well, nothings going to change, because were going to give preference to people who are already, who are related to people who are already here. Then it added another provision, if you were a professional of exceptional ability, if you have skills that are in demonstrably short supply, you, too, can come to the head of the line. Congress was saying in its debates, we need to open the door for some more British doctors, some more German engineers. It never occurred to anyone, literally, that there were going to be African doctors, Indian engineers, Chinese computer programmers whod be able, for the first time in the 20th century, to immigrate to America. LUDDEN: In fact, expert after expert had testified before Congress that little would change. Secretary of State Dean Rusk repeatedly stressed the issue wasnt the numbers. No more people were likely to come, it was simply the principle. Listen to this reading of an exchange between Secretary Rusk and a skeptical Senator Sam Irvin, Democrat of North Carolina. Unidentified Man #1: You have in India a lot of people who would like to get into this country, do you not? Unidentified Man #2: We dont have a long waiting list. Man #1: It is because they havent been able to get in. Even with a bleak opportunity to get in, as they have, they have 150 applications for every visa that could be issued. NORRIS: Yes, the present estimate, based upon the best information we can get, is there might be, say, 8,000 immigrants from India in the next five years. In other words, I dont think we have a particular picture of a world situation where everybody is just straining to move to the United States. OTIS GRAHAM: When I first started studying this, I thought, now theyre lying, because they want this thing to pass. LUDDEN: But historian Otis Graham, professor emeritus of the University of California at Santa Barbara, changed his mind. GRAHAM: I changed my mind because Ive found, in the research that Ive been able to do, that so many lobbyists that followed this issue, so many labor union executives that followed this issue, so many church people, so many of those involved said the same thing. So you find ignorance three feet deep. Maybe ignorance is the answer. KAREN NARASAKI: I often wonder whether some of the people knew, but perhaps werent sharing that with other people. Because it would scare them. LUDDEN: Karen Narasaki heads the Asian American Justice Center. She finds the 1965 immigration overhaul all the more extraordinary because theres evidence it was not popular with the public. NARASAKI: It was not what people were marching in the streets over in the 1960s. It was really a group of political elites who, I think, were trying to look into the future of the United States. And again, it was the issue of, are we going to be true to what we say our values are? MARIAN SMITH: Well here you are in the CIS Historical Reference Library, our history office and library. LUDDEN: Marian Smith is the historian for Citizenship and Immigration Services, one of the agencies that replaced the old INS. The files of documents here can be mundane, but the walls are framed with lovely older maps, population charts and demographic bar graphs. SMITH: Apparently we had money back then to actually pay for these kind of color lithographs that would be printed each year. LUDDEN: In 1965, the political elite on Capitol Hill may not have predicted a mass increase in immigration, but Marian Smith pulls out a little agency booklet from the 1966 that certainly did. It explains how each provision in the new law would lead to a rapid increase in applications, a big jump in workload and more and more so as word trickled out to those newly eligible to come. Smith says a lifetime of immigration backlogs had built up among Americas foreign-born minorities. SMITH: And so, they will petition for their family members and they will petition for their family members. And whether were talking about immigrants from Asia, Latin America, Africa, all these portions of the world where there is a demand for immigration. After World War II and with the post colonial status of many of these places, the shifting populations, the ability sometimes for people now to join their family in America, that maybe the only reason wasnt the inability to get a quota visa for the United States. Maybe they had trouble getting out before. LUDDEN: There were other things no one could have predicted, how immigration from Europe dropped off because of lower birth rates and higher standards of living. How Africa imploded and wars and famine there and elsewhere produced waves of refugees. And then the millions of illegal immigrants. But its the system of family-based immigration thats driven this countrys profound demographic transformation. Over time, in a process critics call chain migration, entire families have reestablished themselves in the U.S. Historian Otis Graham thinks the policy has been a terrible mistake. GRAHAM: Family reunification puts the decision as to who comes to America in the hands of foreigners. Those decisions are out of the hands of the Congress. They just set up a formula and its kinship. Frankly, it could be called nepotism. LUDDEN: In fact, President Kennedys original proposal made skills-based migration the priority. But Graham says a broad lobby pushed for the greater emphasis on families. It included churches, ethnic groups whose members had family in the old country and the AFL-CIO. Graham says the union worried about competition from too many highly skilled newcomers. For Karen Narasaki of the Asian American Justice Center, the family focus makes sense. NARASAKI: If you think about families and, you know, if you think about the roles that, say, your parents play when you have children. And how they help you, you know, take care of the newborns and provide support for you or how your brothers and sisters in the Asian community, what often happens is brothers and sisters get together and they buy a home together. They pool their money and they buy a business together. And so it, you know, family is very important to not just the social, emotional wellbeing, but also the economic well being of these communities. (SOUNDBITE OF NATURALIZATION CEREMONY) LUDDEN: At a recent naturalization ceremony, 32 immigrants gather for their oath in the ornate rotunda of Washingtons National Archives. Of them, three are from Western Europe. The rest of those gaining citizenship here are overwhelmingly from Africa, Latin American and Asia. At a basement reception, the new citizens pose for pictures holding tiny American flags and a gift bag that includes a refrigerator magnet of the U.S. Constitution and an ATT prepaid calling card. One older woman is radiant in her Sunday best with a broad-brimmed hat. HANNAH INDOVISI: Im from Nigeria. My name is Hannah Indovisi. And you know the meaning of Indovisi? It means life is first. LUDDEN: And Indovisi was sponsored by her U.S. citizen son, Samuel. SAMUEL INDOVISI: Everybody in the world I dont know if you know this wants to come to the United States of America. All you need to do is go to the embassy, any embassy, and see long, long, long lines of people who want to come here. LUDDEN: In fact, Indovisi has a long line of relatives still in Nigeria whod love to come. Its the same with a brand new citizen munching cookies nearby. AMA BALI: My name is Ama Bali and Im from Sudan. Yes, I have my parents. I have sisters. I have brothers. And Im going to apply for them to come here soon. I hope so. LUDDEN: Are they excited for that? Ã BALI: Definitely, definitely. I hope they will be here soon. LUDDEN: It may not be soon at all though. The immigration system set up specifically to reunite families is so overwhelmed with applicants, relatives who wait their turn must endure being divided for years. Thats tomorrows story. Used by permission of National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5391395.
Comparing and Contrasting the Monsters of Beowulf with Todayôs Criminal
In any classic story about heroes and villains, the monsters involved are often characterized as the evil ones and, consequently, receive no justice under the law. Throughout the epic story Beowulf, the hero of the story encounters three monsters that are threats to society: Grendel, Grendelââ¬â¢s mother, and the dragon. The monsters in Beowulf are quickly targeted and destroyed because of the harm they cause to society. However, upon further examination of the monsters and the motives for their actions, the reader can view the monsters not as the cutthroat villains they may initially appear to be, but perhaps as victims of society. In todayââ¬â¢s society, murderers and robbers are also portrayed as ââ¬Å"monstersâ⬠because of the atrocious crimes they commit. While it is undeniably wrong to commit any kind of crime and I do not wish to condone murder or theft in any way, there may also be an ulterior explanation for why these modern ââ¬Å"monstersâ⬠cause harm to society. In comparing and contrasting the monsters of Germanic epic with criminals of today, perhaps we can gain some insight into the motivation of both. One reason for which monsters are held in contempt in the epics is the authochthonous Germanic culture of the Middle Ages. This broad society respected those with wealth, status, and honor, while those without any of these are shunned. For example, when Beowulf introduces himself to Hrothgar, that king immediately recognizes the visitor: ââ¬Å"[h]is father before him was called Ecgtheowâ⬠(Beowulf ln. 373). For Hrothgar to acknowledge Beowulf by his lineage shows Beowulfââ¬â¢s societal prominence: he was born of distinguished quality. Beowulf also proves the quality of his ilk to King Hrothgar through his bravery in fighting Grendel and... ...ities to come together, and causes people to re-evaluate their relationships with one another, all toward ensuring that, on the whole, peace continues into the future. Works Cited Beowulf. Translated by Seamus Heaney. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002. Chapter IV Mental Health History of Seung Hui Cho. Tech Panel Report. Web. . The Holy Bible, New International Version. Michigan: Zondervan, 2006. MacAskill, Ewen. "Families Rebuke NBC for Broadcast of Killer's Rant." Guardian.co.uk. 20 Apr. 2007. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. . "Victim Characteristics." Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Web. 25 April 2010. .
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Sense of Evil Conveyed in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- LIterary A
Throughout his play, Shakespeare uses a wide variety of themes in order to convey the sense of evil. These themes are omnipresent, and well implemented into the text, as they allow the reader to visually imagine the different occurrences, and how they might lead to a sense of evil throughout. The themes included consist of appearance and reality, guilt, ambition, violence and tyranny and order and disorder. Several quotes are weaved into the text in order to express more clearly the theme Shakespeare is attempting to convey. The themes all come together to enhance the dark symbolism of evil, and how it is actually conveyed. The most prominent theme throughout Macbeth is ambition. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth risk their innocence and will in order to pursue the throne. Lady Macbeth sees her husband as a coward, and therefore this relates to the theme of Violence and tyranny, as she is ruthless in getting what she desires. Lady Macbeth speaks about Macbethââ¬â¢s ambition: ââ¬Å"Though wouldst be great Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it:â⬠This important quote enables us to understand Macbethââ¬â¢s nature, which is ââ¬Å"too full of the milk of human kindnessâ⬠. Lady Macbethââ¬â¢s provocation enlivens the evil residing in Macbeth and his ambition receives a new dimension: ââ¬Å"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other.â⬠Throughout the play, Macbethââ¬â¢s rising sense of ambition and realization, leads to him enhancing the themes of guilt and violence, as ambition ac ts as ââ¬Ëthe four legsââ¬â¢ that hold the two upright. ââ¬Å"Your hand, your tongue, look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't". Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that she is trying to s... ...onstantly repeats the procedure of washing her hands, as she believes that water would simply ââ¬Ëwash awayââ¬â¢ her dirty deed. ââ¬Å"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?â⬠expresses Macbethââ¬â¢s extreme quilt, and the fact that he believed that if he were to wash his hand in the ocean, it would all turn completely-blood red, due to the severity of the deed committed. It is a hyperbole. Guilt seems to play a motivating role when Macbeth says, "Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill" Macbeth tries to explain that if a dangerous deed was continually done, its pain would eventually go away. He also explains that his morals were poisoned and were used to motivate him to commit more murderous crimes. " Ifââ¬â¢t be so, for Banquoââ¬â¢s issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace".
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Hagar is to Blame for her own Misfurtune in Margaret Lawrences The Stone Angel :: essays research papers
It is impossible to avoid unpleasant situations throughout an individualââ¬â¢s lifetime, especially if they are a result of bad luck or another combination of events beyond oneââ¬â¢s control. Misfortune however can also be self-inflicted. This particular case is apparent in Margaret Lawrenceââ¬â¢s The Stone Angel, a novel in which the protagonist, Hagar Shipleyââ¬â¢s continuous misfortune is a direct result of several of her character flaws. An exaggerated sense of pride, a lack of compassion and empathy and an inability to communicate clearly are Hagarââ¬â¢s most prominent character flaws, and perpetually bring about misfortune. Many of Hagarââ¬â¢s relationships have been hindered, or have eventually deteriorated as a result of her exaggerated sense of pride. Because of this her misfortune in relationships is self inflicted, as she decides consciously or unconsciously to sustain her pride rather than her relationships. When Hagar decides to marry Brampton Shipley, a man thought to be unsuitable for someone of her social status, her father literally forbids her to wed. He tells Hagar that his thoughts are solely for her welfare and that to marry without a fathers consent is simply not done. More to spite him rather than to defend her personal conviction, Hagar says ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢ll be done by me.â⬠(Laurence 49). This defiant and rash remark results in the loss of her fatherââ¬â¢s relationship, and the loss of of her sound financial future, as Hagar is left no money in her fatherââ¬â¢s will. Her decision is clearly based on pride. Similar behavior is seen throughout the novel. Another unattractive personality trait of Hagarââ¬â¢s is her insensitivity to others. Hagar consistently focuses on herself and does not empathize with others in a situation, regardless of their difficult circumstances. This is destructive to her relationships. Individuals would not feel as if they mattered. This lack of empathy also explains her inability to generate new relationships. An example is when Hagarââ¬â¢s son Marvin and daughter in law Doris, confront Hagar about their inadequate physical or emotional capabilities to care for her. They then suggest she move into a retirement home. After a long argument, Hagar is reduced to tears. Marvin and Doris are then distressed - Hagar simply says ââ¬Å"Good. Theyââ¬â¢re frightened. I hope theyââ¬â¢re scared to death.â⬠(Lawrence 77). This lack of empathy causes Hagarââ¬â¢s insensitivity to Doris even though Doris herself is not in prime physical condition.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
History of the Internet Essay
Importance of internet Journal #6 Internet had a large impact in my life when I was a teenage and still plays an important role in my daily life. At that time, I was more interested in playing games and exploring every topic that would come to my mind through the internet. I thought of the internet and the computer only as something for fun but this still helped me get used to working and understanding computer and internet. As I grew older; however, I realized the importance of the internet because of the information I could access and the easy contact I could have with my friends and family. Communication with my family and friends is the most important aspect of internet on my daily life. Without Facebook, Skype, and other programs I would not be able to regularly speak to my loved ones throughout the world which would have a huge impact on my daily life. Not only are these programs easy to use but also they are free which doubles the benefits of internet. Since I have moved to Texas I have also been able to use these programs to find new friends I may have not been able to find if it was not for the internet. Furthermore, the information and help I can get on the internet has allowed me become a better student. Often when I may have difficulty with an assignment I use the internet to help guide me into a right direction by using proper educational web sources that can provide me with valuable information. A negative side to the impact of the internet on my daily life is that it is easy sometimes to get distracted and waste time. Either way, the internet plays an important role in my daily life for without it I would not be able to speak to my family and not be able to access the vast amount of information that is provided through the internet.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Genetically Modified Foods Speech Essay
SPECIFIC SPEECH GOAL: I would like to increase the audienceââ¬â¢s knowledge of genetically modified foods, their history, and the controversy that it involves. THESIS STATEMENT: I want to inform my audience by explaining exactly what genetically modified foods are, as well as, there intended purpose, history, advantages, disadvantages and controversy surrounding them. Introduction I. Before you eat a meal or snack do you ever actually think about where it comes from, what is in it, and how it will affect your body? Most people these days consider eating to be a mindless act, especially when they are so busy with school, work, and other things. They eat foods that are conveniently available with little regard for what is in them. II. I was one of the people up until a few years ago when I started doing some research and came across information I was unaware of. III. Did you know that 80% of the food in our grocery stores is genetically modified in some way, shape, or form? This may be a big deal for some of you or some of you it may not be because you are not fully aware of what this means. IV. In my speech today, I would like to make you aware. I will explain exactly what genetically modified foods are, their purpose, their advantages, their disadvantages, the controversy, and what this means for you. Body I. What are Genetically Modified Foods? A. Genetically modified foods, also go by names such as, genetically engineered foods, or genetically modified organisms, better known as, GMOs. B. The official definition of GMOs is organisms that have been genetically modified by having their genes altered to enhance desirable traits that do not occur naturally to achieve a better organism. Transition Statement: Farmers have been naturally modifying plants and animals for thousands of years through selective breeding and hybridization so what is the purpose of GMOs? II. What is the purpose of genetically modified foods and their history? A. The genetic engineering of foods allows scientist to speed up the processes of moving desired genes from one plant or animal to another. It also is used in an effort to enhance the nutrition and flavor or foods. This process was discovered in 1980. B. Skip ahead to 2004, 8. 25 million farmers in 17 countries produce genetically modified crops. The United States and Canada are the top 2 producers and some of the only countries that do not require the labeling of GMO foods. Transition Statement: So as you can see genetic modification has been around for a while so what is the big deal now? Some people will tell you there are many good reasons for GMOs, while many will give you a very different view. III. The Advantages versus the Disadvantages of GMOs. A. Supporters will tell you that GMOs help produce more nutritious tastier foods, disease and drought resistant plants, increased supply of food to help feed the world, reduced pesticide use, economic and environmental benefits, and reduced energy use. B. Those who oppose GMOââ¬â¢s will tell you the opposite. They say that GMOs are created in a lab with methods totally different from natural breeding methods. The say GMOââ¬â¢s can be toxic, allergenic, or less nutritious, they are not adequately regulated, and they actually increase pesticide use, as well as, create serious problems for farmers. C. Those opposed believe the only ones benefiting from GMOââ¬â¢s are big businesses like Monsanto. Monsantoââ¬â¢s company is the largest producer of herbicides, pesticides and genetically modified seeds. One of the problems that GMOs create actually benefits this company. Nature adapts so plants will becomes resistant to herbicides and pesticides. As a result, toxic herbicide use has increased 15 times since GMOââ¬â¢s were introduced. This means our interaction with these toxins has increased by the same amount. D. While America and Canada stay in the dark about GMOââ¬â¢s, 60 countries around the world have significant restrictions or outright bans of the production and sales of GMOs. E. Whatever side you choose to be on, the main thing that concerns me, and should concern you, is that these plants have never been tested for the safety of human consumption. This means we are all a part of one of the largest scientific experiments around without our consent and without any knowledge of what the outcome may be. Transition Statement: I donââ¬â¢t know about you but that seems a little scary to me. This is why many Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment. IV. Protection, labeling, and what to look for. A. Many polls have been taken and about 60% of people would not eat genetically modified foods if they were labeled. B. The labeling of GMOs is not required in the US. So finding out which foods have them requires a bit of work. C. There are 8 crops currently being genetically modified: Corn, Cotton, Canola, Alfalfa, Hawaiian Papaya, Soy, Zucchini and Summer Squash. While this doesnââ¬â¢t seem like a lot, these crops show up in almost all of our foods in the form of oils or ingredients, like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and maltodextrins, just to name a few. There are too many to list and they are in pretty much all of the junk foods, processed foods, and frozen foods we eat. They are also in foods such as, bread, yogurt, milk, meats, and baby foods. D. The best ways to avoid GMOs are to buy organic, grow your own garden, read labels, avoid main genetically modified ingredients, buy organic grass-fed meat, stay informed, and do your research. Transitional Statement: I have informed myself with a lot of information about GMOs, a lot more that I have shared in this speech. As you can probably figure out by now, I am one of those Americans that are trying to opt out of the GMO experiment. Conclusion I. Now I feel I have given you the information to be a little more knowledgeable. You should now know about what a GMO is, their purpose, pros, cons, and how to protect yourself should you choose to. II. Do I personally avoid all GMOââ¬â¢s? No. Not from lack of trying, but trying to read every ingredient was and is a very daunting task. What I do try to do is avoid as many as I can. I have altered my diet to avoid most processed foods and I try to check ingredients as best I can. I made all of my daughterââ¬â¢s baby food from scratch with only organic fruits and vegetables, and I make sure most of the snacks I give her are GMO free. III. We vote with our dollar and the only way we can make this an easier task is by refusing to buy the foods with genetically modified ingredients and lobbying for our government to require labeling so we can make the choice easily if we want to buy genetically modified foods or not. References GMO Facts. (2013). Retrieved October 14, 2013, from the Non-GMO Project website: http://www. nongmoproject. org/learn-more/ Caplan, A. L. (2013). Genetically Modified Food: GOOD, BAD, UGLY. Chronicle of Higher Education, 60(2), B4-B5. Examining Genetically Modified Food. (2013). Retrieved October 14, 2013 from the For Dummies website: http://www. dummies. com/how-to/content/examining-genetically-modified-food. html Genetically Engineered Foods. (2012, July 05). Retrieved October 6, 2013 from the University of Maryland Medical Center website: http://umm. edu/health/medical/ency/articles/genetically-engineered-foods PsycheTruth. (2012, October 5). GMO Food, How To Tell, Truth About Genetically Modified Foods & Label GMO Psychetruth Nutrition. Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=3HYNBY5IKAQ&feature=share&list=PLvP8YsX0ebXaunR4wgSHJdKHPzpQCtgsx.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Cellular Tower Proliferation In The United States Essay
The ââ¬Å"Cellular tower proliferation in the United Statesâ⬠article talks about the growth and development of cellular communication over the years. The article looks at how the current form of this communication came to be with a review of the stages the process has undergone. The article reviews the results of the demand for wireless communication where there has been an increase in infrastructure to facilitate the same. Though erected with the right intention in mind, the article reviews how the same has not gone well as expected (Wilke, 45-62). The rise of many structures to support the cellular communication has led to a dramatic change in the landscape all over America. This has in return generated reactions from various groups. Objections are one of the reactions. The same are from members of the community, various interest groups and regulatory boards. The reasons for objections vary from those who complain about the visual impacts of the erected infrastructure to the perceived risks associated from the same structures being within human residential areas. The proximity of such infrastructure is perceived to have negative health effects. The article finishes by reviewing the steps taken to mitigate the negative effects emanating from cellular communication with examples such as infrastructure modification to fit with the environment to maintain the visual appeal (Wilke, 45-62). Analysing the article, one appreciates that is a great eye opener to the effect of technology in the society. As an individual, one is able to appreciate how far humanity has come in terms of development. For this case, the rise and improvement in communication networks has benefited the society. The historical analysis of how communication networks have come to be gives one the opportunity to associate with this technology and appreciate the work put into it. By doing this, a clear image is painted to the author where the article acts as a source of information in this case on cellular technology. As one covers the different issues in the article, one is able to appreciate that though the society demands the existence of some amenities such as communication structures as identified, the existence of the same and impact cannot be ignored. The society may invent such amenities for the day to day use but are not willing to live with the consequences, especially the negative ones. The h ighlight of the presence of communication towers and subsequent change of the landscape serves as an appropriate example. It shows the never ending conflict between humanity and his inventions. However, one feels that more examples would have been fit to shed more light on the impact of the technologies with the development in cellular communication acting as the illustration of what is happening to the society. In showing the various mitigating strategies used in combating the negative effects of the cellular communication infrastructure, one is able to realize the need for a thorough understanding and deep analysis of any form of invention before introducing it to the society. A personal take is that experiments and studies should be done in such a way that in case problems arise with the inventions, quick steps are taken to combat the same. The article provokes one to question the presence of other inventions whose impact has been profound apart from the example given such as the cellular infrastructure. The article also makes one question the impact of the same form of technological advancement in this case the cellular infrastructures in other parts of the world apart from America. One cannot help but think of the impact of the same on a global scale and what is in for mankind if development in the same area continues with the same trend. References Wilke, Thomas A. ââ¬Å"CELLULAR TOWER PROLIFERATIONIN THE UNITED STATES.â⬠The Geographical Reviewà 92.1 (2002): 45-62. Print. Source document
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