Social inequality in Birmingham 1

The city of Birmingham was founded in 1871, and lies within Jefferson County and Shelby County. It is known by various names, â€Å"The Magic city,† â€Å"Pittsburg of the South† and the â€Å"Tragic City† being few of them. Birmingham had witnessed brisk industrialization and also witnessed periods of social, political, and economic inequality. In the 1960s, the local government strategies to sustain racial segregation had disastrous effects. The church bombing attack on September 15, 1963, brought about world criticism.The death of the four African girls was enough proof of the racial discrimination that Birmingham was facing. The unleash of terror and violence in Birmingham added yet another name to the list, â€Å"Bombingham†. This brutal attack was condemned by people throughout the world and led to many developments which in fact played a major role in its prosperity. That was the time when Birmingham was reeling under social and racial discriminatio n. Though late by almost four decades, the guilty verdict in 2002 brought hope. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 which followed gave equal access to civil participation in Birmingham.The electing of Richard Arrington, an African American educator, as the Mayor of Birmingham in 1979 ushered in an epoch of racial harmony and prosperity. When he retired in 1999, Birmingham was deeply pitched on the road to success. Thus Birmingham did suffer great social and racial inequalities but it distanced itself from the past and stepped into a bright future under the leadership of many a capable hands, thus crossing the barriers of social inequalities. Today Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and an international center for health care.Though Birmingham has done extremely well in various spheres, the efforts to set right a history of pervasive radical inequality persist even today throughout Birmingham. But the social conditions have greatly changed, and definitely, for the better. To quote Martin Luther King Jr. ,†I like to believe the negative extremes of Birmingham's past will resolve into the positive and utopian extremes of her future; that the sins of a dark yesterday will be redeemed in the achievements of a bright tomorrow. † REFERENCE www. africanaonline. com

Go Sound the Trumpet Synopsis

Rodney Carey African American History Dr. Reginald Ellis Go Sound the Trumpet: Synopsis In the book Go Sound the Trumpet by Canter Brown Jr. , he talks about the documentation of different African Communities in Florida and the communities of the freed slaves. He tells us what happened to slaves after they were freed and where they went. Some of these communities he described as unidentified and he talked about one in particular that escaped identification. Information about the community known as Angola had come up and suggested they were in The Bahamas.A few months after this information came up; John M. Goggin released additional information and offered new insight on the community. The Bahamian Department of Archives published additional documentary evidence in 1980 regarding Seminole Settlements at Red Bays, Andros. It took another decade before the link between the Bahamian exiles and the old Florida homes of the slaves was established. Another author offered details where neig hboring Cuban fishermen identified a community with the name Angola, which had existed as a focus for diplomatic and economic activities within the broader Atlantic world.He argued that its presence additionally had created impacts that influenced the course of United States history and, to a lesser extent, the British and Spanish Empires. Some basic facts of the story are shortly after English planters, primarily from Barbados, found what is now known as South Carolina in 1670; Spanish colonial officials decided to weaken, if not destroy, the Carolinian initiative. They did this by attempting to undermine an economy that based itself on slave labor while also commanding efforts to grant greater protection for St.Augustine against English incursions. Authorities addressed the latter goal in part by construction of the massive stone fortress still known as the Castillo de San Marcos and, in 1683; they initiated a black military service tradition through authorization of the colonyâ⠂¬â„¢s first free black and mulatto militia companies. In 1683 the government granted freedom to runaway slaves from Carolina, regardless of race, as long as the runaways agreed to convert to Roman Catholicism.This was a crucial step toward the goal of undermining Carolinian slavery. The book also talks about another initiative that involved the authorization of a free black town located north of St. Augustine; this was caused by the founding of Georgia in the early 1730’s. The Patriot War of 1812-1814 involved Georgians teaming with several individuals who had arrived in East Florida from the United States since the Revolutionary War in their attempt to overthrow Spanish rule in the colony; they were unsuccessful.In September 1812, Seminoles and their black vassals, allied with Spain to turn back a Patriot advance. After this, English plans moved toward the introduction of chattel slavery into the colony. This resulted in the dispersal of the majority of its few remaining fr ee black inhabitants to small settlements in the remote peninsula, with many maroons associating with Seminole Indians, who were also recent arrivals from Georgia. In 1784, Spain returned to power which brought reinstatement of the asylum policy, and a rise in Florida’s maroon population.Fort Mose however, remained an abandoned ruin, and for the time being, no equivalent community rose within the colony. After the Patriot War, black refugees hurried themselves into the Manatee River because the site of their black settlement there was located on a point of land at the Braden-Manatee River. At the Manatee, the refugees took advantage of opportunities for trading deer skins, plumes, and agricultural crops for desired goods. There were also relatively easy channels of communication to Spanish officials at Havana and elsewhere at this spot.Records left by two of the Cuban fishermen preserved the name of the black community, Angola. Although these blacks got to the Manatee River i n 1812, the book suggests that they may have lived there for years before this; at least on a seasonal basis. There was a letter found from an English merchant that supports the possibility that the maroons had centered their activities in the area of the Manatee River as early as 1772. It described the keys to the south of Tampa Bay as the â€Å"haunt of the picaroons of all nations. As Angola inhabitants built their community, word of their existence spread not just within the Spanish Empire but also to the British. Two officers, Edward Nicolls and George Woodbine, recruited men there for British operations along the Gulf coast during the War of 1812. Following the Battle of New Orleans in January of 1815, Nicolls and Woodbine managed to enlist about 400 black warriors in Florida and returned most of their men to the Apalachicola River area. Upstream at Prospect Bluff, they had facilitated construction of a fortified outpost, known as the Negro Fort.The two officers had also crea ted Florida’s second free-black refuge of the period while likely enhanced Angola’s population. Surviving papers of the merchant concern John Forbes & Company hinted at Woodbine’s possible return to that vicinity in 1815 with eighty â€Å"slaves. † There was a raid in 1821 that destroyed the Angola community. Brown talks about records available today that contain subtle references that suggest that the memories of the 1821 raid remained vivid in survivors’ minds just as the recollections of the Battle of the Suwannee did.There was an interview by Jan Carew; with one of the descendants on Andros in 1972 about memories of the battle where she said â€Å"I heard ‘bout the battle of Swannee against General Jackson, my grandmother tell me ‘bout it and her grandmother tell her ‘bout it long before,†. She continued to say â€Å"Stories like that does come down to us with voices in the wind, she tell me how the Old Ones used to ta lk ‘bout the look on them white soldiers faces when they see Black fighters looking like they grow outta the swamp grass and the hammocks, coming at them with gun and cutlass.Jackson get hurt at the Swannee man. The ancestors brutalized him there. † She concluded by saying that â€Å"My old face beat against eighty-odd years. . . . But when Jesus of Nazareth decide to send Mantop to carry me to the Great Beyond, wherever my blood-seed scatter, they will spread the word ‘bout how Black and Seminole ancestors fight side by side at Swannee. † In 1835 there was a battle between the maroon and their allies known as the Creeks; and the Angolans.The well-equipped Angolans made their stand and this lead up to the Second Seminole War’s outbreak spreading from the Peace River’s headwaters west to Tampa Bay and north to the border of a white settlement. The Creeks were led by Peter McQueen’s nephew Osceol, while Minatti’s war chief Harry car ried on the military heritage for generations earlier by Francisco Menendez and others. When battle started in December, it quickly became apparent that it was far more than an Indian war because of the amount of blacks participating. As General Thomas S.Jesup declared in 1836, â€Å"This . . . is a negro war, not an Indian war. † The general added, â€Å"Throughout my operations I found the negroes the most active and determined warriors, and during the conferences with the Indian chiefs I ascertained that they exercised an almost controlling influence over them. † When Andrew Jackson left the presidency in March 1837, the maroons remained in Florida and at war. At one point historians questioned how the Seminoles obtained enough weapons and supplies to launch a resistance campaign in the mid-1830s.It was actually the free blacks and Red Stick Creeks; not the Seminoles, who utilized connections of past days to obtain the necessary equipment for war. There was also a q uestion of how they could do so when their peninsular reservation kept them from the coast? The answer to this question is answered by the fact that many of the same Cuban fishermen who had lived near the Angolans worked at Charlotte Harbor in the early 1830s.In 1835, these old business associates of the Angolans even managed to have the area’s United States customs inspector suspended, leaving the door wide open for whatever transfers were needed. As Second Seminole War expert John K. Mahon noted, â€Å"Every warrior seemed to have a rifle, and a superior one at that. † Brown also noted that future researchers may well discover the origins of those firearms in British or Spanish armories, dispatched to Florida by high-ranking officials in recognition of past valor, imperial promises, and pressures applied by Edward Nicolls, George Woodbine, or their friends.

Hypertension or CVD Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hypertension or CVD - Article Example The research findings indicates that approximately 5 percent of adolescents have coronary heart disease or its equivalents, or one or more of CHD risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, obesity and family history of early CHD (Kuklina, Yoon & Keenan, 2009). The authors then conclude that there is a high prevalence of CHD risk factors among the adolescents, but this does not seem to change screening rates. Therefore, they recommend that assessment and management of cardiovascular diseases, among adults should be improved. There is a significant bias in formulating the research hypothesis because the authors make this claim, but do not support it with a single evident from a primary or secondary source. The authors should have included at least two evidences from peer-reviewed articles on the same topic to valid their hypothesis. The research methodology is not well satisfying for a study in the nursing field. Other than using secondary data to for analysis, the authors should have included data collected from primary source. One-on-one interview with young adults and physicians would have provided valid data for this study. I feel that the authors’ conclusion that screening rates have not changed despite the high risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among young adults is not well satisfying. This is because CHD risk factors such as obesity and overweight have become so evident among children and adolescents, and most government programs are currently focusing on controlling these risk fact ors to protect the young adults from contacting cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors. This article is relevant in the nursing field because it shows that an unhealthy diet, which causes obesity, is one of the risk factors for the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and that screening of young adults, for the risk factors, is not yet a priority. Kuklina, E, V., Yoon, P, W. & Keenan, N, L. (September 25, 2009). Prevalence of Coronary

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel - Essay Example Recruitment and Retention of the workforce 20 b. Well being and Happiness at work 21 Introduction Managing humans has always been at the centre of a number of real-life management issues within an organization. The concept ‘human resource management’ has been introduced allowing enough debate to emerge in this arena. According to Storey, â€Å"the concept is shrouded in the managerial hype and its underlying philosophy and character is highly controversial because it lacks precise formulation and agreement as to its significance† (Bratton & Gold, 2001,p.1). The management of human resource has been significant for the success of any organization. Human resource management emphasizes that the employees are key factors driving sustainable growth of the organization given them the competitive advantage over its competitors. In theory, the human resource management is not pretty different from the management of other resources. However, what establishes the different is the type of resource, the people in the organization. Human beings can be seemed as the creative as well as complex resource whose behavior can be influenced by a number of different factors merging either from the internal as well as surrounding environment. Human resource management has various areas like recruitment and selection, training, employee welfare and retention. Each of these segments is important to make the human resources as a competitive advantage for an organization. Moreover, it cannot be denied that in hospitality industry the most crucial resource is the people who are responsible for the service and interact with the guests on a regular basis. So the topic is pretty significant as hotel industry is one of those industries in which human resources are thought to be most crucial for survival. This report is an effort to discuss and analyze the human resource management in Hilton hotel. This report will start off with the brief overview of the organization. In the later segments, the discussion and analysis would be carried out regarding the people management approaches, policies, practices, issues in the human resource management in Hilton hotel. The focus has been kept in two chosen areas including recruitment and retention of the workforce and well being and happiness at work. The research methodology has been discussed in the next chapters with an introduction to the data collection and analysis. In this chapter, an analysis has been done to have an insight into the emerging issues in the arena of human resource management in Hilton hotel. Effort has been put not only to discuss the techniques and tactics used in the human resource management, but also the issue and the way to resolve the same. A conclusion has been inferred from the analysis part with mention of the recommendations which are expected to enhance the human resource management further to increase the effectiveness of the critical resource in Hilton hotel. Brief Overview of Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotel has earned a huge amount of popularity in the hotel industry segment taken in an international context. The hotel company has successfully been able to internationalize its operations through extending its network to around 76 countries spread around the world. Hilton Hotel by operating through a network of six continents has been able to address the needs of its international customers through the creation of around 530 hotel outlets. The hotel and resort properties of

Wester Civilization II paper #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wester Civilization II paper #4 - Essay Example stronomy and, after much deliberation, he presented a heliocentric world view: the sun was the centre around which the earth and other planets revolved. Brahe, in his turn, made observations through a large observatory; after observing a nova and a comet, he also decided that the old world view was incorrect. However, he propounded that all the planets except the earth moved around the sun and that these, in turn, moved around the earth. Kepler, who was Brahe’s student, took his teacher’s research further and made findings that supported a heliocentric view of the solar system. It was, however, Galileo who, by observing the galaxy through his telescope and coming to the conclusion that the stellar bodies did not move around the earth, popularized the Copernican theory. The Roman Catholic Church did not pay much attention to Copernicus, as they did not think his findings could damage their worldview. When the Church saw Copernican heliocentric theory being promoted and popularized in the masses by Galileo, it warned him to abstain and later forced him to recant. The Church held the doctrine that the earth was the centre of the universe, both physically and spiritually; the new scientific discoveries laid false this theory and were in direct contrast to the scriptures, that is why the Church felt threatened by their dissemination. The Hermetic beliefs stipulated that there was a universal spirit present in all objects, and that this universal spirit was evident therein. This belief was also held by Kepler, and it was because of it that Kepler studied planetary motion – so that he could discover a unifying spirit. Moreover, Paracelsus was an alchemist, and he built his theories upon the ideas stipulated by the ideas propounded by alchemy. He theorized that all matter was made up of three principles – salt, sulfur and mercury – as opposed to earth, fire, water and air as traditional alchemy laid down. He also digressed from traditional alchemy by denying

Monachy of the Middle ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Monachy of the Middle ages - Essay Example At this point leadership followed the Roman standard of having an Emperor, who took power through being named as successor or through overthrowing the previous successor. At the start of the early middle ages, Justinian I (who ruled from 527-565) was able to restore some of the western territories to the empire, however most remained under Germanic control. The Macedonian dynasty rose to power in 867, cementing the influence of what remained of the Roman Empire1. Those in the West were considered to be barbarians, and any advances that they made were scorned or ignored. The Germanic monarchy in the West was formed from the leaders of tribes and this was often known as the Barbaric Monarchy. Unlike in the East, there was no single leader; instead there were multiple kings, each of whom had to follow three functions. These were: to act as a leader at the time of warfare, as a judge during assemblies and as a priest when sacrifice was needed. Unlike the system in Eastern Europe, under G ermanic monarchy, all sons had equal right to rule. This often resulted in co-rulership of the tribes. Under Germanic monarchy, there were three levels, similar to the class system present in the Roman Empire; these were the king, the nobility and the free man2. The Late Middle Ages (c. 1300-1500 CE) were differentiated by a strong advancement in the level of knowledge and cultural attainment that were obtained. In addition, towns were becoming established as self-sustaining entities that were distinct from one another. Social unrest was prevalent with much of the population being lost through plagues and famines. The influence of monarchs and ruling powers over their citizens was substantially decreased as the consequent of the development of state laws3. These laws were designed to ease the growing civil unrest by providing civilians with reassurance, and by the creation of a system that was distinct from the whims and desires of the monarch. Nevertheless, the monarch remained the predominant power within the Late Middle Ages, determining which laws were established and which were not. Consequently, the Late Middle Ages differed from the Early Middle Ages through the development of more consolidated monarchies and increases in the rights of citizens. The creation of state laws allowed for the application of justice that was relevant to the case in question. Part Two: The Role of Religion on Western Civilization Religious activities have had a significant impact on the formation and development of the Western civilization between the years of 1050 and 1690 CE. One source of this influence was the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was not the only strong religious influence of the Middle Ages, another was Judaism and Christianity in general as well as the Protestant religion. In 1054, an event known as the East-West Schism saw the division of the roman church into two divisions, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. This was the first developme nt of the Catholic Church as its own entity. The Catholic Church exerted powerful influence on the lives of citizens determining many of the ways in which they interacted and what they could and could not do. An example of this is contraception. Contraception was considered immoral under the Catholic religion, and consequently no member was allowed to use any method of birth control. The result was

Use principles discussed in this course to explain some pattern of Essay

Use principles discussed in this course to explain some pattern of events or behavior that you personally have observed, or some environmental or energy challenge that you have encountered or read about - Essay Example fected by the electricity hikes are those consumer groups with small businesses and who may not cater for their expenses even with the profits made on a daily basis. The study develops the understanding that solar powered products are economically and environmentally friendly since they require the use of sunlight, which is readily available and a renewable energy source. Most companies, industries, and other businesses around the world depend on electricity for their production. Even families in the middle class appreciate the consumption of electricity in their domestic and commercial activities, for example, in cooking, cleaning, complete lighting, and office related tasks. Because of fewer sources of water, the hydropower stations cannot generate enough electricity to suit everybody and because of this, there have been power rations and escalated prices too. This is done to help manage the little amount of electricity to be enough for every company, industry, business, or even families. Different towns and cities will go without power in certain days and this means that many businesses may not be able to achieve their daily targets and especially on those specific days since they only depend on electricity to go through with their production (Langhamer, Kalle, and Jan 1336). The strategic economic integration with the use of solar-powered products extends its effect to helping those people from the low-income margins that once appreciated the electricity, but have to adapt to other cheaper sources so as to save on expenses. The introduction of solar lamps has been appreciated by the lower class people since they are cheaper, reliable, and economical. This way, the demand of the facilities is much lower compared to electricity. In conclusion, this study shows that although the use of solar powered facilities may be much economical and reliable, a certain group of people may not benefit from the initiative. The demand of solar facilities then may not be high

How to stop data warehousing and mining before they become more Essay - 1

How to stop data warehousing and mining before they become more trouble than they are worth - Essay Example y service, promote efficient business operations and maintain the organizational productivity, avoiding disclosure of sensitive information and fraud and complying with the legislation. It is essential that the organizations understood the major principles of secure information systems implementation. Jeff Angus (2005) clearly demonstrates that the wrong and excessive security practices do nothing but harm the work, causing losses of money, time, and human labor, without providing the security the organization wanted to reach. He explains that very often the complexity of the initiatives overcomes the efforts, while there comes a moment when people and systems simply cannot cope with it, weakening the stability of system and protection. Angus points to the major error that can be committed by an organization concerned with its security: its concentration on â€Å"what might go wrong† instead of on â€Å"how to cope with the inevitable changes to their operations and business model†. While the organization spends money, energy and time overhead, it can be undercut by the changes in the market, so that it may lack the resources as a result. Mark Miller (2005) tries to highlight the reasons of the erroneous practices taking place. To his mind, the major problem is that computer security field is building â€Å"perpetual motion machines†, without distinguishing possible and impossible goals. Permanent frustration caused by such practices leads to the perception that â€Å"true computer security is impossible†, the breeches in protection are inevitable. This, Miller warns, may result in decrease of demand for the security information systems. First of all, Miller explains, it is necessary to understand that the security issue in the pattern of commerce cooperation is â€Å"how to safely obtain the benefits of interacting with the entities you do not trust†. It is also important to realize which of numerous and various models fits the best for achieving the purposes of the

MGMT 670- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MGMT 670- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Case Study Example The DVD had in reality created a wave among the Americans and it has been estimated that during the year 2008 more than 85 percent of the US households had this player. Apart from this, individuals could also very well subscribe for movie DVD’s and get them delivered to their home, by joining subscription services like the Blockbuster and Netflix companies. The advent of the internet into the homes have created a new platform, which has enabled people to watch downloadable movies. Many downloadable sites are available over the internet like the Netflix, Blockbuster, which allow the people al over the world, to either watch movies online or download them to their personal computers. (Thompson 2008) Home Movie Rental Business and Economic characteristics 1. The future movie experience for the worldwide audience is going to get concentrated on the home viewing category, since more and more famous companies like the Netflix and Blockbuster are on the path of streaming movies, dire ctly to the viewers big screen televisions. This could result in the start of an era, that could well enable the viewer’s world over to watch movies online or through the televisions, by subscribing with their satellite or cable operators. 2. Though most of the movie companies in the past have been much reluctant when it came to the provision of the video on demand because of the inherent threat of piracy, still some companies have changed their stance ever since. They feel doubtful about the extent of the profits, that they could very well acquire from such a business model and hence they have shown a positive bias with regards to the streaming movies online that cannot be pirated. . 3. The online movie download and streaming facilities with the increase in the internet service the world over, have made the online movie rental business quite attractive. (Thompson 2008) Competition in the Movie Rental Industry Thus the question now boils as to how the entertainment industry i s going to move forward in the coming years, with more and more breakthroughs taking place every day. Indeed this has made the competition much tougher between the various companies in the US and the foremost among them have been the Netflix and the Blockbuster companies, which have been very much in the forefront, when it comes to the entertainment segment and in the business of providing their viewers with unique entertainment and movie viewing experiences. (Thompson 2008) Netflix Driving Forces The year 2008 as already mentioned before had indeed become an important year, which had marked a change in the way people started to watch movies through rental videos. It started the subscription era of movies with the advancement of internet technology and the largest online subscription company turned out to be Netflix. Netflix Key Success factors The uniqueness that can be attributed to the Netflix success, can very much be attributed to the business model that it pursues for marketin g its movies online. This is because Netflix through its online portal very well gives its subscribers the same kind of benefits that they get, when they visit their nearest online video stores. They can pick from a wide variety of movies that are offered on the Netflix website and at the same time save valuable time, in case they had to rent it from their nearest rental video store by physically walking in and picking out the video. The distribution and the fast mail delivery system of providing the customers with

IGO and NGO Essay Example for Free

IGO and NGO Essay â€Å"Moraine is a small developing country. Like all nations in the developing world, Moraine needs to develop its economy. The country has a government department which is responsible for developing grassroots entrepreneurs – the Business Assistance Department (BAD). It also has access to funding from The European Union (EU) an IGO and has been offered assistance by the One Business at a Time (OBT), an NGO that focuses on helping local populations start and develop simple, local businesses. A)What are the priorities for the leaders of: (a) BAD, (b) the EU and (c) OBT for their respective operations in Moraine? Why? The priorities for the leaders are the EU, BAD, and OBT. At first, it depends on whether the EU cooperates with developing Moraine or not because the EU is the largest organization in the European Area; therefore, the organization has a large amount of funds to support developing nations. So, if the government were able to convince the EU, it would be a big chance to develop the economy. If the EU supported, BAD needs to play a big role of managing funds from the EU because the funds from the EU must be limited. So, BAD has to assign funds for entrepreneurs. Also, BAD has to decide the standard value and rule to judge entrepreneurs. Finally, OBT has to see through them whether they contribute a developing economy in Moraine or not with the standard value and rules from BAD. 2. List two ways the New Public Management (NPM) could help the Business Assistance Department (BAD) achieve its objectives developing grassroots entrepreneurs and support your ideas.† New Public Management is a public management method to save waste expenditure and offer more convenient service. NPM has basic policies; the introduction of results-oriented approach and customer market focus. Results-oriented approach is based on the clear standard and evaluates the policy of governmental and administrative department. So, this policy makes them motivate to achieve its objectives developing grassroots entrepreneurs. Also, customer market focus is a policy that NPM pursues the customer satisfaction by regarding companies and citizens as the clients of administrative service. Therefore, NPM greatly support BAD by governmental and administrative approaches. Reference: NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: ORIGINS, DIMENSIONS, AND CRITICAL IMPLICATIONS (2013/07/08) Retrieved from http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C14/E1-34-04-01.pdf

Reflection On Placement Experience

Reflection On Placement Experience The Ipswich Womens Centre Against Domestic Violence is a feminist community based organisation committed to working towards the elimination of domestic and family violence throughout the community. The primary focus of IWCADV is to provide support to women and children survivors of domestic and family violence. This includes telephone information, referral and support services, court support for women, counselling services, group work and childrens work. During my placement experience as a womens counsellor at IWCADV I first spent a few weeks developing my understanding of the issues involved in domestic violence and the systems that are in place to support women and children who are survivors of domestic and family violence. My knowledge of the issues affecting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence includes an understanding of the emotional impacts of abuse (such as feelings of grief and loss, anger, guilt, depression, trauma), the loss of personal and physical security, safety concerns, the financial costs, family law and other legal issues, and power and control imbalances in relationships. I have developed my knowledge of the issues affecting women and children experiencing domestic and family violence in my university studies and my work experience. The understanding that I gained from my University studies was enhanced during my student placement at the Ipswich Womens Centre Against Domestic Violence. It was here that I developed my understanding of feminist perspectives on domestic and family violence, including the individual, familial, legal and social issues. In this role I was able to develop my understanding of feminist informed practises and techniques. I support this framework for practice as it can empower women and help them find their voice, encouraging women who have experienced the loss of control to make choices about their own life and to take responsibility for their life choices and to take back control. I worked from within a feminist framework to empower the client to find her voice and to discover her worth and make her own choices. In my role as a student counsellor at IWCADV I provided crisis support and advocacy work to women who have experienced domestic and family violence. During the beginning counselling sessions, I found it was quite difficult to always follow the story and set direction for the counselling. I took a strengths based narrative approach and usually after 2 -3 sessions a clearer picture had developed of the clients experience with domestic violence, and this continued to unfold throughout the counselling sessions. One of the most personally rewarding aspects of my counselling experience was the opportunity to explore and experience symbol and sand tray therapy. I spent some time reading Sandplay and Symbol Work Emotional healing and personal development with children, adolescents and adults by Mark Pearson and Helen Wilson to prepare for my personal experience with symbols and sand tray therapy during my professional supervision sessions. I then had the opportunity to introduce one of my counselling clients to the sand tray. Whilst I did have feelings of uncertainty about my ability to facilitate the process, I did feel comfortable enough with the setting and with my client to create a safe place for self-discovery and self-awareness. She was very open to the process and we both found this to be an enjoyable and meaningful experience. My client reported that this was a very positive experience for her and allowed her to process some of her experiences with domestic violence and that it was a breakthrough for her in terms of learning to accept and value herself. I felt that it was an honour to share this part of my clients journey. With another client who was directed by the Department of Child Safety to attend counselling, setting the direction for each session was more difficult. I did not believe that this woman was ready to explore some of the emotional issues related to the trauma that she had experienced as a result of long term domestic violence. I was encouraged by her regular attendance and I believe that this was a result of my increasing ability to develop rapport. I was able to develop good rapport with my clients by being non-judgemental, using open ended questions and appropriate body language. I believe that my skill in developing rapport is reflected by the feedback and regular attendance to counselling sessions by my clients. I did struggle with ending the sessions on time and frequently found that sessions with some clients were running over 1.5 hours long. I spoke with some of the other workers at the service about this and they agreed that it could be difficult especially when women are exploring very painful issues and that it was important to be sensitive but direct when closing a counselling session. The group supervision times that I was included in at IWCADV were also very rewarding and inspiring times for me. The other workers at the service were all very passionate women with a strong commitment to empowering women and changing community attitudes about violence towards women. During group supervision there was opportunity and support for workers to reflect on their own feelings of despair and helplessness, and there was encouragement to extend and share your knowledge and understanding of the issues relating to domestic and family violence. The group times were also very rewarding team building occasions and there is a strong commitment at the service to supporting one another. For example, I found that after long phone calls or after a counselling session, another worker would check-in with me to provide any support and to answer any questions that I had.

T.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examp

T.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examples of modernist poetry which illustrate the concerns of modernist poets. Explain how the poetry you have studied reflects some of the major concerns of its context? In your answer refer closely to two poems by T.S. Eliot. T.S Eliot’s Preludes and The Love Song of J.Alfred. Prufrock, are examples of modernist poetry which illustrate the concerns of modernist poets. The modern era, which lasted between 1885 to 1940 was concerned with challenging the traditional views of life. In terms of literature, Eliot was a leading figure in challenging the style and verse of traditional romantic poetry. Preludes portrays the hopeless and monotonous life of the working class in an urbanised, dirty, industrialised city. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock primarily represents Eliot’s view on relationships, society and the human sub conscience. The modernist movement in poetry began in 1910, where significant figures such as Ezra Pound and Jules Laforgue’s styles clashed with the romantic styles. This greatly influenced Eliot’s style and impacted his way of writing. Some main features used include imagism, allusion and a free verse rhyme scheme. Imagism is mainly concerned with the use of precise images to capture a moment, or feeling of a character. In Preludes, Eliot creates an image of a yellow fog â€Å"that rubs it’s back †¦ licking it’s tongue into the corners of the evening†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which could also be interpreted as an image of an â€Å"urban cat† at night time lurking around the city. It is this image which conflicts with the romanticist’s imagery of nature – it represents the ugliness of urban fog. Allusion is an indirect reference to another tex... ...e subconscious. The opening sentence â€Å"Let us go then, you and I † is an example of Prufrock’s inner self speaking to his outer self. As the poem flows, the attitude from â€Å"I will go† changes to a hesitant â€Å"I might go†. This is a response to the idea of Prufrock approaching the woman he loves to ask her for her hand in marriage. Thus you can see how the Eliot reflects some of the major concerns of the context – modernism. The modernist movement broke away from the rules of romantic poetry in terms of structure. It also looked away from the beauty of nature and focused upon the â€Å"ugliness of urbanisation†, the power of the subconscious and the social issues such as women and the working class society. Eliot’s poems Preludes and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock are specimens of true modernist poetry which reflect the major concerns of the modernist time.

Censorship in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Censorship in Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 begins on the East Coast, IN LARGE AMERICAN CITY OF THE FUTURE. The futuristic world described here is chilling, a future where every type of book, save inexpensive comics, are burned by "firemen." One such fireman is Guy Montag, who is tall and dark-haired like most firemen. One thing sets him apart from his colleagues, though he secretly loves books. One night while Montag is walking home from a day's work, he meets a young, bright girl named Clarisse McClellan. She is idealistic and hates the social structure of the times. She says that firemen once put out fires started accidentally instead of starting them. Montag thinks this to be nonsense, for the Chief told him firemen have always been fire-starters. Clarisse goes on to tell him about her uncle, who remembers the past and has a sharp intellect. She tells Montag that her family stays up all night talking about a variety of different subjects. He finds this to be extremely odd. Why would anyone want to stay up and talk? Montag decides that Clarisse is eccentric because hardly anyone except for firemen walk down the street at any time. He goes home to his wife Mildred, a woman who has very little to do except to take part in interactive TV shows. She has three walls of the living room equipped with such walls. She thinks that a fourth wall would be great, while Montag refuses because he thinks it is useless and expensive. The next day, Montag finds Clarisse waiting at the bus stop. He asks her if she goes to school. She says she does NOT, because she HAS been labeled anti-social by her teachers. They SPOKE for a while, and he eventually goes to work. When he gets to work, an alarm is sounded, so the two firemen go to destroy the house of books. Before they burn the house down, Montag takes two books. When the owner of the house refuses to leave, a fireman burns her along with the house and its books. Montag feels sorry for the old lady, and he becomes depressed. The next day he calls in sick. Captain Beatty, comes by and talks to him. Montag is lying in bed with a book behind his pillow.

Religious Musings on The Turner Diaries: Reading the Bible of the Racist Right :: Free Essays Online

Religious Musings on The Turner Diaries: Reading the Bible of the Racist Right Domestic religious terrorism doesn't figure very strongly in the modern American consciousness. However, this may be more of an embarrassing oversight than an encouraging reflection of reality. Juergensmeyer did me quite a service by starting out his forceful documentation and analysis by looking at the actions of the American religious right. Though he focused on those responsible for the attacks against abortion clinics, he also brought up the Christian Identity movement, the group connected with Timothy McVeigh of Oklahoma City bombing fame. Their theology (that they are the only true Jews) caught my attention, and your comments in class led me to be interested in reading The Turner Diaries, a work which has been called the "Bible of the racist right." I thought it a fitting conclusion to the semester to look at something I was introduced to in the course through the new lens which the course has ground over the past semester. The Turner Diaries is ostensibly the day-to-day account of Earl Turner, a footsoldier in the White Revolution in America to overthrow the rule of the Jews and their imposition of "racial equality" (a term which they take to mean license for Black Americans to do as they please with impunity). Over the course of a couple of years, he details his experiences within the "Organization" as it is forced underground by an ever-more-repressive government. It eventually begins fighting back militarily, engaging in acts  ­ such as the destruction of the FBI building and the mortar-shelling of the Capitol  ­ that we would undoubtedly recognize as terrorism. In the end, the Organization succeeds in achieving its goals, first liberating California, and then, as the epilogue summarizes, the rest of the world, ridding the Earth of the twin scourges of Jewish domination and non-white contamination. Oddly enough, the text makes very few references to religion, other than to say that Earl himself became religious only after his induction into a secretive Order within the Organization. And yet the entire tale bears the markings of religion, especially the trappings of a culture of religious opposition. Of course, their religion, their theology, is their belief in the superiority of the white race - but this is no less a religious belief, taken as an article of faith by adherents. From the beginning, we are led to understand these people's participation in the Organization as an act of desperation; they will be punished, most likely killed, by their enemies if they don't go into hiding and work against the System.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ageism, like racism or any other form of bias, characterizes individuals on the basis of their membership in a group. Many do not see ageism as being particularly harmful because unlike gender bias or prejudice it does not affect only one group of people; it affects the entire population (if they are fortunate enough to reach an age to be jested about. ) Reaching middle tends to be a period a very emotional period, especially for women moving closer to or going thorough menopause. In the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, we meet Evelyn in quite a state: her children are moving out, her marriage is dull and lifeless and she is the butt end of two very cruel ageist jokes in what seems to be a span of less than a month. To better understand ageism and how it was affecting Evelyn, we can simply compare the two incidents at the grocery store and how she dealt with them. In the first scene, Evelyn is almost knocked down by a young man rushing out of the story. She chases after him, shocked but genuinely curious as to why he is being so mean to her. â€Å"Move it fat cow! Beat it you old bitch! † Evelyn is left in tears wondering, â€Å"Why are you being so mean to me?! † Later on, at the same grocery store she is confronted with more ageists, this time two girls. As the girls steal her parking spot without an ounce of guilt, they let Evelyn know that they are faster and smarter. â€Å"Most people, especially younger people, barely notice that age is being made a stigma. But the message is that being old is repulsive, embarrassing or unthinkable is visible everywhere in our society. † (Crawford, 367) To these teenagers, Evelyn is nothing but an insignificant bump in their day. Like many adolescents, these characters are too wrapped up in their own lives to acknowledge, or even respect, her presence. To Evelyn these comments are detrimental; they solidify the demise of her youth. The clip also shows examples of older women being stereotyped. â€Å"Older women repeatedly say that their aging bodies are the first cues that others use to classify them. When (older women) interact with strangers in public settings â€Å"all anyone seems to see is an old woman. † (Crawford, 401) The teenagers in both scenes see Evelyn as fat, old and slow. A slightly less obvious stereotype can be seen in the production of Ninny’s character. Ninny might as well have been a page out of Crawford’s book; she describes grannies as follows: â€Å"her gray hair, worn in a tight bun, and her outdated, unfashionable clothes signify that she has not kept up with the times. † (401) Ninny is a sweet old woman dressed in floral prints, hair in a tight bun and refers to menopause as â€Å"the change. † While Ninny is a very positive character in the movie, her image is the typical media stereotype of a â€Å"little old lady. † Evelyn’s experience with menopause has both physical and psychological effects on her. Her worries that â€Å"she is too young to be old and too old to be young† are taking a toll on her relationship with herself. She is having a very difficult time accepting this – she eats compulsively and worries because â€Å"she can’t even see her vagina anymore! † Unfortunately for women, the changes that they go through (getting fat, old, etc) are not only â€Å"in their heads. † These changes tend to make society look at them differently because women tend to be evaluated through their bodies. Crawford, 403) Crawford explains menopause in further detail, pointing out that at times a woman may be irritable or disturbed by hot flashes but there are no studies that actually point to menopause causing depression. Many cultures, like Japanese and Mexican report that they do not get hot flashes as much as women in the US. African-American women do not see menopause as a significant period in their life. Western culture, however, has taught us that quite simply a woman that is aging is unattractive and crazy. Sarcasm aside, Crawford reports that women in the US and cultures with similar attitudes as the US are the women that feel the effects of menopause the most. This is highlighted in the movie with both Evelyn’s current distress and Ninny’s past going through the change. â€Å"I used to burst into tears for no reason at all! † Many people also like to think that women are crazy during menopause. The joke sums up part of Evelyn’s menopausal attitude: crazy and bored of her husband. Americans, therefore, have taken matters into their own hands. In the beginning of the clip, we meet Evelyn as a sad, frumpy woman who eats her emotions and lets others walk all over her. In the following scene, however, we meet an entirely new Evelyn. She is well dressed, bold and vivacious. This As Evelyn moves pushes through her midlife depression, she becomes increasingly concerned with her appearance. She loses a considerable amount of weight, wears bright make up and more fashionable clothes. Sales of anti-aging cream and numbers of cosmetic surgery define the way Western culture looks at getting old: its bad. Evelyn’s attitude towards the end is a little bit difficult to analyze. She seems happier and more confident yet it also seems that her new attitude comes with a vengance, she is very open with her distaste for skinny women, horny men and young people. According to Dr. Nosek in her journal article The Effects of Percieved Stress and Attitudes Towards Menopause and Aging Symptoms of Menopause, a woman’s reaction to menopause simply reflects her views on aging. Women that are indifferent to middle life do not display any particularly obvious menopause traits. Women who do not want to age and have self-esteem and body awareness issues have very different attitudes and symptoms during menopause. Evelyn has had her children and husband to take care of all her life so she was able to better hide her distaste for her looks and simple life. Now, however, she feels useless and it is very apparent that she is not comfortable with her appearance. â€Å"A woman's perception of symptoms alerts her to changes in her body and may propel her to explore ways to alleviate or manage the associated distress. (Nosek) In this case, Evelyn’s experiences with menopause were an expression of both her fear of aging, thinly disguised by her contempt for all things skinny, young and fashionable and by a new found independence she had from her kids and husband. As women get older, they begin to value their relationships with other females more, especially because men tend to live a relatively shorter time than women. This is apparent with Ninny, who finds solace in Evelyn’s weekly visits. â€Å"Older women tend to be involved with rich networks of friends and family. Compared to men in the same age group, they have more friends and eel closer to their friends. † (Crawford, 414) Evelyn benefits from her visits to the retirement home as well. As an older woman, Ninny is able to point out to Evelyn that what she is going through is normal and give her some advice. Evelyn also finds inspiration in a character named â€Å"Tawanda† – she mentions her quite often after her outburst at the grocery store. The friendship is mutually beneficial to the women who are in very different stages of their life. To Ninny, caring for Evelyn is a natural task that ends up being quite rewarding, she sees the improvement in Evelyn’s life and it is obvious that she is partly responsible for it. It is obvious that Evelyn is seeking support in her time of â€Å"change† – seen both in her weekly visits to Ninny and the women’s group that is briefly mentioned at the beginning of the clip. Crawford depicts the costs of care giving to be very trying for a woman because on top of caring for children she must care for the elderly. The author points this out, perhaps in a feminist point of view, assuming that the woman has had to balance a career and care giving most of her life. For Evelyn, this is quite the opposite. Evelyn’s life has been solely dedicated to caring for her children and husband. Now that her children are gone she seems to realize that her and her husband have drifted apart and her life is not as busy as it once seemed. With no particular meaning or direction in her life, she begins to eat out of boredom and look for other activities to fill her void. Rather than having an elderly person to care for, Evelyn goes out and volunteers to visit one. Crawford discusses care giving as having both psychological and econonomical costs but this is not true for Evelyn. The psychological benefits she receives from visiting and caring for Ninny outweigh any negative costs that it may have had.

Global Warming Essay

Global warming pertains to the increase in temperature of the atmosphere based on the entrapment of gases that are emitted from activities on the surface of the earth. The increase in temperature is a direct result of the greenhouse effect, which involves heat that originated from the sun, which is entrapped within the atmosphere due to several factors. Scientists have determined that the atmosphere’s temperature has increased since the industrial revolution, which has maximized the use of chemicals in manufacturing various kinds of materials in industry. There are four principal gases that have been identified to be primarily responsible for the onset of global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is accountable for approximately half of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Pearson and Palmer, 2000). This gas is a by-product of fossil fuel combustion, which involves burning of coal, natural gas and oil. It is also generated from deforestation activities, which have increased for expansion of industrialization areas. Trees utilize carbon dioxide in their photosynthetic reactions, but it there are fewer trees in the environment, less CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, leaving the environment with excess amounts of CO2. Another gas that has been determined to be responsible for global warming is chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are the primary constituent of plastics and aerosols, as well as refrigerants in air conditioners. Chlorofluorocarbons make up approximately 25% of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Thirdly, methane gas (CH4), which comprises approximately 12% of the greenhouse gases, is also accountable for global warming. Methane gas is released during the decay of organic matter, as well as in the stomachs of cattle, sheep and termites, yet, most of the gas is currently generated by industrial companies. Lastly, nitrous oxide (N2O) is responsible for approximately 6% of the greenhouse gases. It is a by-product of industries, as well as nitrogen fertilizers, volcanic eruptions and livestock manure. Global warming may result in regional changes in the weather, which will be more obvious if the weather were compared from one decade to another, and not on a daily basis. However, scientists have hypothesized that when the temperature of the surface of the earth has reached a highly critical level, such high temperature will cause severe and drastic changes to the atmosphere, affecting the oceans and will severely alter the weather patterns in a matter of years. Changes in the weather may include increasingly hot days and less cool days. The water levels will go down, exposing more land surface during the summer. Even higher latitude regions will be warmer by 40%. In addition, the amount the precipitation, be it rain or snow, will also increase, in the form of stronger storms and very intense typhoons and hurricanes. The El Nino events may also be more increase due to global warming. Global warming not only affects the weather, but it will also affect natural habitats. Higher levels of CO2 may facilitate the growth of forests, facilitating them to flourish and bloom. The warmer ocean waters will be helpful to fish and algae in the high seas. However, those organisms in higher elevations will find difficulty in surviving in warmer environments. Higher temperatures in oceans may kill corals, which are the nurseries for fishes and other aquatic organisms. For the human population, global warming may cause more incidents of infectious diseases such malaria, as well as systemic health problems such as heat stroke and respiratory diseases. Currently, the world is confused as society is ignorant of the detailed effects of global warming. Society is aware the summers are now longer and more intense and winters are envious of summer’s wrath, unleashing a fury that rivals the intensity of the heat. This is actually what global warming does. It confuses the world and now currently has also succeeded in confounding scientists. From a scientific point of view, global warming can be understood as a global environmental phenomenon which is characterized by an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans (Smith and Reynolds, 2005). There is certainly no doubt that global warming has a very detrimental effect on the environment as it causes rising sea levels and alters the amount and pattern of precipitation that areas all over the world get. These environmental changes are also the projected causes of other ecological changes such as increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events which in turn creates changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer stream flows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors. Based on the current scientific projections, the temperature of the world is expected to increase by 1. 1 to 6. 4  °C (2. 0 to 11. 5  °F) between the years 1990 and 2100. While most of the studies and projection models that have been utilized for these estimates cover the period up to the year 2100, global temperature warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a millennium even if no further greenhouse gases are released after this date (Haigh, 2003). This is due to the melting of the polar ice caps which is estimated to continue due to the changes that have already occurred in the world’s temperature. One proposal to answer to the problem of global warming is a lot simpler in theory than it is in practice. Given the rate of economic growth of many of the developing countries and the shift of production to the lesser developed countries, the implementation of any global protocols is easier to imagine than to implement (Torn and Harte, 2006). Greenhouse gases, which are cited as one of the main causes of global warming, are most commonly emitted from the highly industrialized countries and the less developed countries which rely heavily on industrial machinery for production. The problem in this scenario is that by cutting back on the emission of greenhouse gases, a majority of the world’s production of most major goods will be affected. The economic costs not to mention the technological impediments that preventing the shift to more environmentally friendly methods make the reduction of these greenhouse gases extremely difficult (Rudiman, 2005). There have been steps that have been taken to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases. In order to address the situation of global warming, many countries have participated in the world’s primary international agreement on combating global warming which is the Kyoto Protocol. An amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol binds signatory countries to reduce their emissions of CO2 and five other greenhouse gases. In the alternative, it allows these countries to engage in emissions trading if they are able to maintain or increase emissions of these gases. The problem with this protocol, however, is that it exempts developing countries from meeting emission standards in Kyoto. Some of the countries that have been excluded from this list are China and India, who are ranked as the second and third largest emitters of CO2, behind the United States. It is clear therefore that even despite these actions much more work is needed in order to address the problem. The implementation of international protocols and requiring countries to meet certain environmental standards is certainly a big step towards addressing this issue. More intergovernmental cooperation is also another prospective answer to this problem. The more developed countries should also take the lead in encouraging the shift away from more traditional methods of production towards more environmentally friendly methods through the award of grants and exchange of technology (Torn and Harte, 2006). The creation of a body that is designed to not only specifically develop policies regarding this issue but also be given the power to enforce these policies will allow for the more efficient reduction of these greenhouse gases. It is unclear just how effective these policies may be but the fact that is clear is that in order to address this issue, each and every person in the world must take part in reducing the emission of these greenhouse gases which is the main cause of this problem (Gore, 2006). Simple steps such as taking the public transport or walking instead of taking carbon monoxide emitting vehicles will go a long way. There are many things that people can do in order to contribute to the improvement of the current environmental condition. It does not take a lot and it all starts with the awareness of the gravity of the situation. While the general scientific consensus is that global warming is real and its overall effects are detrimental, there are still some prominent scientists who feel that the severe effects of global warming have been sensationalized. Certain members of society take the idea of global warming with the normal temperature and that the temperature of the surface of the Earth has not severely increased over the last one hundred years. They claim that the temperature data collected in the 1970’s were taken in urbanized areas using different kinds of thermometers, hence the temperature readings were influenced by human error and do not precisely show drastic temperature changes in the surface of the Earth as well as in the oceans. It is therefore important the satellite data be acquired for the coming next decades in order to generate robust and reliable temperature readings that society and the scientific world will acceptable without any doubts on its credibility and efficiency. It is also of prime importance that scientific and legislative bodies prove that global warming does actually occur as a result of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere. Geological scientists have gather substantial fossil evidence that prove that carbon dioxide concentrations have increased on the surface of the Earth, which thus results in a warmer surface, but the direct connection between the increase in carbon dioxide and the temperature increase at the actual in situ settings should still be observed. Most of the information and generalizations that scientists have collected were based on laboratory conditions where most of the components of the setup were easily regulated and controlled, such as humidity and temperature. There are currently a number of models that may be used in forecasting average surface temperatures on the Earth, but there is still a need to also design a model that could predict the amount of human-made emissions that could trigger the same features that cause global warming. There is quite a huge number of people in society that still do not understand the climate changes and what triggers such disturbances in our current weather. Every country is now aware of the causes and effects of global warming on the ecosystem. There has been great speculation that global warming is both a natural and a man-made phenomenon. Whatever the cause is, it is imperative that every citizen understands what global warming is and what measures can be taken in order to minimize, avoid or prevent the increase in accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. References Gore A (2006): An inconvenient truth: The planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Rodale Books. Haigh JD (2003): The effects of solar variability on the Earth’s climate. Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. A: Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 361(1802):91-111. Lean JL, Wang YM and Sheeley NR (2002): The effect of increasing solar activity on the Sun’s total and open magnetic flux during multiple cycles: Implications for solar forcing of climate. Geophys. Res. Lett. 29(24):2224. Rudiman W (2005): How Did Humans First Alter Global Climate? Sci. Am. , March 2005 issue. Smith TM and Reynolds RW (2005): A global merged land–air–sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880–1997). J. Clim. 18(12): 2021-2036. Torn M and Harte J (2006): Missing feedbacks, asymmetric uncertainties, and the underestimation of future warming. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33(10):L10703. Global Warming Essay Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a  solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of  Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦ .

African American Characteristics Paper Essay

African American culture in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans of African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African American culture is rooted in the historical experience of the African American people. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential to American culture as a whole. African-American culture is rooted in Africa. It is a blend of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Americans of African descent to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values, and beliefs survived and over time have modified or blended with European American culture. There are some facets of African American culture that were accentuated by the slavery period. The result is a unique and dynamic culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture, as well as the culture of the broader world† (Rydell, 2010). Learning Team B has chosen African Americans as the culturally diverse group we will focus on. The subjects in this paper will be African American history, family characteristics, parenting practices, language, and religion. Also, the primary characteristics of African Americans and how those characteristics impact their experience as a subculture in American Society will be a topic. The last topic will be the implications of the characteristics for psychological theories and practices. History African Americans are the descendants of Africans brought to America during the slavery era. Many were owned as property and forced to work as day laborers in the fields or as servants in their owner’s homes. Others were allowed to work off their debts by being bough and sold on â€Å"the block†. An article titled â€Å"The Slave Auction of 1859 gives a brief account of what it was to be sold on â€Å"the block†: â€Å"The buyers, who were present to the number of about two hundred, clustered around the platform; while the Negroes, who were not likely to be immediately wanted, gathered into sad groups in the background to watch the progress of the selling in which they were so sorrowfully interested. The wind howled outside, and through the open side of the building the driving rain came pouring in; the bar down stairs ceased for a short time its brisk trade; the buyers lit fresh cigars, got ready their catalogues and pencils, and the first lot of human chattels are led upon the stand, not by a white man, but by a sleek mulatto, himself a slave, and who seems to regard the selling of his brethren, in which he so glibly assists, as a capital joke. It had been announced that the Negroes would be sold in â€Å"families,† that is to say; a man would not be parted from his wife, or a mother from a very young child. There is perhaps as much policy as humanity in this arrangement, for thereby many aged and unserviceable people are disposed of, who otherwise would not find a ready sale†¦ â€Å"(New York Daily Tribune, 1928). President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of civil war. The proclamation declared â€Å"that all persons held as slaves† within the rebellious states â€Å"are, and henceforward shall be free. † Despite this expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory. History pages often claim President Lincoln as â€Å"The Great Emancipator† which most educated adults come to learn is an over exaggeration. The general consensus is that Lincoln never freed a single slave, and only used the proclamation as a means to get what he wanted from the states. Once freed most African Americans still experienced racial violence and lived in fear for many years. In 1870 the fifteenth amendment was added to the constitution giving blacks the right to vote. Although blacks were free they were still segregated from the white people, made to go to different schools, stores, and even ride at the back of the bus. In 1954 the supreme courts declared segregation in school unconstitutional due to the Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. The civil right movement was at its peak during 1955-1965. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ensuring basic civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race, after nearly a decade of nonviolent protests and marches, ranging from the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycotts to the student-led sit-ins of the 1960s to the huge March on Washington in 1963. In 1968 President Johnson signed the Civil Right act prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Some of the most famous leader of the civil right movement includes Martin Luther King Jr. , Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks and many others. Although civil rights were established many African American still struggled to be treated fairly in America. Affirmative Action was established in 1978 by a ruling of the Supreme Court to ensure that minorities are given an opportunity that they may have missed because of their race. In 2008 Barack Obama was the first African American to be nominated for a major party nominee for president. He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009. Family and Parenting Characteristics As with most cultures, African Americans place a high value on their families. In the United States African American family’s make-up 12. 9 percent of the population according to the 2003 US Census. The US census also shows that for African Americans over the age of 15 there are 34 percent married, five percent separated, eleven percent divorced, seven percent widowed, and 43 percent were never married. According to the First Things First website, â€Å"African Americans are the most un-partnered group in America† (Medium, 2011, para. 4). One major goal of African American families is communalism, which is very important for effective functioning (Hall, 2010). Hall (2010) describes African American families as having three family types. The first type is the cohesive-authoritative that is explained to be a family with high cohesion along with being supportive, nurturing, and involved with their children (Hall, 2010). The second type of family is the conflictive-authoritarian that is defined as families with conflict and the parents are controlling, critical, and express unhappiness with children (Hall, 2010). The last type of family Hall (2010) explains is the defensive- neglectful, that did not like other racial groups and also did not teach their children to be proud of being an African American. One significant trend that has been determined about the African American family structure is that the more interconnected the family is, the lower the rate of depression in African Americans (Hall, 2010). Based on these findings, a program called Strong African American Families has been created in order to strengthen the relationships between parents and children. According to Hall (2010), â€Å"The Strong African American Families program also has been found to reduce preadolescent risky sexual behaviors, preadolescent alcohol use, and parental depression among African American families† (p.95). This kind of program has been very effective in keeping families cohesive and helping to improve the goal of communalism. Language â€Å"Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidginsimplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages can use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Louisiana, and Gullah, common to the Sea Islandsoff the coast of South Carolina and Georgia† (Rydell, 2010). It is sad to think that slave owners intentionally put Africans with people who did not speak their language to discourage communication, but is have been researched and proven to be true. Slavery is not the only element to African American culture, and it often seems that when discussing African American culture slavery is the main topic. However, when discussing language the centuries of slavery that they endured have everything to do with the evolution of African-American language. Now that we have covered the origin of African American language we can discuss the American perspective of where modern day African American language stands, and how this effects the culture. â€Å"African American Vernacular English (AAVE)—also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE)—is an African Americanvariety(dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of American English. Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics(a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations) or jive or jive-talk. Its pronunciation is, in some respects, common to Southern American English, which is spoken by many African Americans and many non-African Americans in the United States. There is little regional variation among speakers of AAVE. Several creolists, including William Stewart, John Dillard, and John Rickford, argue that AAVE shares so many characteristics with Creole dialects spoken by black people in much of the world that AAVE itself is a Creole dialect; while others maintain that there are no significant parallels. As with all linguistic forms, its usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting. There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature† (Rydell, 2010). Of course this information does not imply that all African Americans speak a version of AAVE, only that it is very common and prevalent throughout the modern day African American culture. Religion In the African American community religion plays an extremely significant role. â€Å"The story of African-American religion is a tale of variety and creative fusion. Enslaved Africans transported to the New World beginning in the fifteenth century brought with them a wide range of local religious beliefs and practices. This diversity reflected the many cultures and linguistic groups from which they had come. The majority came from the West Coast of Africa, but even within this area religious traditions varied greatly. Islam had also exerted a powerful presence in Africa for several centuries before the start of the slave trade: an estimated twenty percent of enslaved people were practicing Muslims, and some retained elements of their practices and beliefs well into the nineteenth century. Preserving African religions in North America proved to be very difficult. The harsh circumstances under which most slaves lived—high death rates, the separation of families and tribal groups, and the concerted effort of white owners to eradicate â€Å"heathen† (or non-Christian) customs—rendered the preservation of religious traditions difficult and often unsuccessful. Isolated songs, rhythms, movements, and beliefs in the curative powers of roots and the efficacy of a world of spirits and ancestors did survive well into the nineteenth century. Historically during their most difficult times the African American relied on their religious beliefs to endure. During the civil rights movement black churches were often the target of racial violence because that was a place that African Americans spent most of their time. This was a place where they often held meetings to discuss their civil rights efforts. African Americans practice a number of religions, but Protestant Christianity is by far the most prevalent. Some African and African American also follow the Muslim and Judaism. According to Fife, Kilgour, Canter and Adegoke (2010), â€Å"African spiritual traditions have historically held a central place in African American communalism (Mbiti, 1990) and were vital to survival during the time of slavery. In African and African American culture the concept of spirituality is inseparable from all other aspects of human experience. The spiritual and the physical are indistinguishable (Mbiti, 1990). A deep connection exists between humans, God, family, and group (Barrett, 1974). Spirituality is not compartmentalized into systematized beliefs and practices but woven into everyday experience (Boyd Franklin, 1989). The Black church is the primary means through which many African Americans express their religious and spiritual beliefs and values (Richardson & June, 1997). This institution is a central force in African American childhood and adolescent identity and helps to shape ideas about what comprises community. † Many African American children have christen ceremonies for they can even walk or talk. African American families generally spend a substantial amount of time within their places of worship. Conclusion For review, the big questions the above research addressed were: †¢What are the primary cultural characteristics of this selected group? †¢How do the characteristics of this group impact its experience as a subculture in American society? †¢How might the cultural aspects of this group be applied to traditional psychological theory? †¢What are the implications of these characteristics for psychological theory and practice? We have found that the primary cultural characteristics of the African America culture are their history of slavery in America, distinct family and parenting practices, slavery based evolution of their language, and their dedicated religious beliefs. The characteristics of this group impact its experience as a subculture in American society by enticing others in to the culture and sparking curiosity around the world. African Americans make up a small percentage of the minority in America. However African American culture dominates the world of music, fashion, and professional sports. The cultural aspects of the African American group can be applied to traditional psychological theory when considering family dynamics, cultural perspectives, and how these aspects influence mental health. The implications of these characteristics for psychological theory and practice would focus on how the African American history of slavery in America influences their world view, how family and parenting practices mold their ideals of what a family should be, how religion influences their beliefs and actions, and how language distinguishes them from others and what psychological impact this has on them as a whole. For many years African-American culture developed separately from mainstream American culture, both because of slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America, as well as African-American slave descendants’ desire to create and maintain their own traditions. Today, African-American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct cultural body. References Fife, J. , McCreary, M. , Kilgour, J. , Canter, D. , & Adegoke, A. (2010). Self Identification Among African American and Caucasian College Students. College Student Journal, 44(4), 994. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Hall, G. C. N. (2010). Multicultural psychology (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Medium. (2011). First Things First. Retrieved from http://firstthings. org/page/research/african-american-family-facts New York Daily Tribune, March 9, 1859 reprinted in Hart, Albert B. , American History Told by Contemporaries v. 4 (1928). Retrieved from http://eyewitnesstohistory. com Rydell, R. J. , Hamilton, D. L. , & Devos, T. (2010). NOW THEY ARE AMERICAN, NOW THEY ARE NOT: VALENCE AS A DETERMINANT OF THE INCLUSION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE AMERICAN IDENTITY. Social Cognition, 28(2), 161-179. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes Organizational theories Organizational behavior is a current growing field. The field is highly influential in business world. Organizational is becoming more important in the global economy as people with diverse backgrounds and cultural values have to work together effectively and efficiently. Organizational theory is a fundamental system in an organizational framework, whereby its complex dynamic goals oriented processes where it considers a general wider for aiming to model and design human organizations. In an organization motivation is the first key word that managers emphasis to their employee, there are many motivation theory in an organization, such as attribution theory, equity theory, incentive theory and emotional labor in organizations. The historical of organizational theory in an organizational, management has to have a perspective approach of its client so that its development in the field of targeting its goals can be reached. Managers in an organization as the task to make sure the entity of the organization is being recognized in terms of the products, social structure, technology, culture and physical structures and to make sure the product has power to attract and maintain the stability of the organization in terms of competition of other and in modern day to day life. Organizational theories also gives a better basic skills, to improve the attitude of the employees so that they can work and increase their willingness in learning new things on the job they do. Employees find that they perform better because their improve morale and self-esteem make them more willing and able to respond to challenges confronting them on the job. They also see the value of investing time and energy in continuous working as a matter of understanding and appreciation of their role within the organization, this is because of the theories of organization that enhance the commitment and willing of employees self faith in their work. In terms of management relation between its employees, not only have change among co-workers, it also have an increase sense of team spirit camaraderie. If the management increases its willingness so that they will come to a win solution, the management has to respect the employee’s needs, which have lead to the increasing sense of understanding and appreciation among the employees and the management. Organizational behavior has three major disciplines that has to be describe and taken serious, because it contribute a lot to the succession of any running organization, this disciplines are sociology, psychology and anthropology. This disciplines are important in organization because they future the cultural behavior of an organization, the cultural of an organization includes custom, rules, practices, beliefs, values, assumptions, norms, arts and skills, these gives an existence of and organization, how the organization works and how the work should be done. These cultures also relate the performance of all employees and give relation to others in the organization and to those outside. Organization does not work without power; it works with power of leaders so that the organization should have direction of working and fulfill the goals that are support to be implemented and to target the succession of the organizational goals. The organization communication exists despite the fact that the value of junior employees are given less opportunity to express their views and grievance, so that the power of the senior employees may not affect the growth of an organization. Challenges facing the organization communication As diversity in an organization grows, so does complexity of communication and the necessity to spend greater effort developing improved communication skills. Making the most diversity in employee’s coalition requires the commitment of all involved such as managers, leaders and chairman to interact with all management board so as to face the challenges of communication. This has to established and implement by the management so that managers has to learn to listen and invite others to be apart of the discussion. The management has categorically to give way of understanding so that their will be no misjudge of various people because of the ability of performance of work. The manger has to learn to communicate clearly and fairly. This all has to be adopted in an organization so that to give communication style to fit the situation. Both the managers and employees are the makers of the successful organization to be the best one to work in the world. The efforts of the employees should be encourage and be praise by the managers, that to give smooth ground of communication. Issues that employees abuse in an organization Many leaders in organization fail to realize that their attitude and behaviors are having a negative influence on the organization and the employees, which makes employee not to have healthy and good environment of working place, this makes the employee abuse the organization in terms of leadership values and ethics. Leaders bullying employees in workplace, this literally kills the employee’s motives and hard work he/she sacrifices in the organization. The working condition of organization such as mobbing, sweeping and collecting garbage it leads to employees abuse and also the payment condition, overtime, and leave this all encourages the employees not to perform well, thus diversity of communication emerges and later poor performance of an organization. Values and ethics in leadership communication The secret of leaders values and their ethic behavior should be visible in leaders daily in today’s world because the action you have to do makes you be the leader. Leader should have such values like ambition, dedication, respect, accuracy, improvement, enjoyment/fun and loyalty, this values help a leader to have good communication skills and flow of harmony to its employees. As a leader, ethics and value should define the character, this help a leader to lead and influence to others and make other people feel important and appreciatable. (Miller, 2005). Reference Miller, K. (2005). Organizational communication: Approaches and Processes. Thomson Wadswarth. Â  

The Culture of Zulu Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Culture of Zulu - Research Paper Example Zulus placed a lot of importance on their ancestors and their spirits. These ancestors were supposed by them to be living in Unkulunkulu which was considered as the world of the spirits. The ancestors were the link between the living and the spirits. For this reasons they needed to be remembered by the family members, praised regularly and also appeased by making offerings to them. In case a family failed to do so, the spirits are said to have visited them in the form of troubles. These troubles can be solved only if the mistake of the family is rectified and the spirits of the ancestors are pacified by some offerings and by showering of praises on them. The Sangoma was the spiritual healer and the priest of the Zulus. In the case of a mishap such as failure of crops, the death of livestock, drought or any other natural calamity the Sangoma was the one who declared the reasons for the calamity. The calamity could have been caused by the unhappy spirits or by witchcraft. If it was the former, the family was supposed to appease the ancestors but if it was the latter a witch-hunt and the elimination of the witch responsible was carried out. Another important religious person among the Zulus is the Inyanga. The Inyanga can be said to be the doctor of the Zulu tribe. He mostly used local plants and animals in order to find a cure of the common diseases like cuts, bruises. The cure was usually followed by religious rituals in which the spirits were praised and pacified and asked to restore the health of the person who is sick.

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abortion - Essay Example There is little freedom of choice for women who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. The women themselves usually wish to bring their baby to full term. Other powerful influences in her life such as husbands/boyfriends, parents and friends are generally the forces that exact pressures on her to terminate the pregnancy. â€Å"Eight out of 10 women surveyed after abortion said they would have given birth if they’d had support and encouragement from family and friends† (Reardon, 2002). Legal abortion enables fathers to force their will on mothers. Some women resort to abortion in desperation because they fear continued abuse. That fear is substantiated as women who refuse to abort have been subjected to serious abuses which have escalated to murder if the women still persists in her refusal. Murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women and for what other motive could there be? â€Å"Sixty-four percent of women surveyed report being pressured by others into unwanted abortions† (Reardon, 1992).   Ã‚  Immediately following an abortion, the one(s) coercing the decision are relieved and seldom, if ever, give the inconvenient issue another thought. Women, on the other hand, suffer long afterwards, racked by overwhelming guilt and agonizing over their irreversible decision. This pain may last a lifetime as they are never able to forgive themselves (Elliot Institute, n.d.). ‘Pro Choice’ activists argue that women should have access to safe abortions, that ‘a nation founded on and dedicated to civil liberties could allow its citizens to resort to dangerous self-abortion procedures.’ That too is a false premise. Ninety-seven percent of women who have had abortions describe intense pain experienced during the procedure despite the use of local anesthetics. â€Å"Compared to other pains, researchers have rated the pain from abortion as more painful than a bone fracture, about the same