Monday, September 30, 2019

Fear in Lord of the Flies Essay

Human are the most civilized species on this planet. However, what makes people act civilly is constantly questioned. This question is explored in William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies. In the novel, the fragile state of civilization created by the boys is constantly pitted against the destructive force of fear which motivates the boys to desert their civilized upbringing and hunt first and finally become murders. When the boys land onto the island, they know there are no adults or parents around so they know they have to create their own civilization. The boys attempt to create a civilization by each one having a job. Additionally, they elect a leader; establish rules and consequences, use the conch one person at a time, hunt, and keep the fire going in a case ship passes by. Their civilization is fragile because of the age of the boys and the lack of parental maturity. Shortly the boy’s civilization isn’t working because they know that they can get away with things that they can’t get away with at home. For example, â€Å"Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins† (Golden 62). ————————————————- Despite the beauty of the Island, fear is all around them. The boys think that the â€Å"beast† is an animal on the island when it really is the beast within all of them. Simon finds out the beast is not an animal. The pig tells Simon that if he tells everyone that the pig is within all of them the pig is going to kill him. For example, â€Å"This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there-so don’t try to escape!† (Golden 143). ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- Jack quickly takes the most brutal job for himself jis explains â€Å"All, the same you need Army-for hunting† (Golding#32). This civilization is fragile because of the age of these little boys and there is no parental control.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

One Should Never Judge a Person by External Appearances Essay

I certainly agree with the above statement. â€Å"Never judge a book by its cover.† The word â€Å"book† also refers to person. External appearances can trick us. If you only look at a person by his outlook, you will never find and have a true friend because the most important is inner beauty or character. Person who has fierce face, frightening appearances looks like a rascal may be a friendly and kind person. He probably has reason to act like that. It may be caused of family problems, a bad memories or something that won’t even pops up in our mind. Don’t ever be afraid to say â€Å"hi† or just give a smile. It will impact something good. Usually, person like that doesn’t want to greet others first. He may be a nice person. In the other hand, a ‘good-looking’ person may be a bad one. We won’t realize that he has an evil plan to prick behind us because his outlook covers everything. They may look friendly outside but depraved inside. Silent doesn’t always mean golden. He may think or even plan something bad when he’s in silent. He may hide his anger deep inside and covers it so that nobody will know. But, he can’t keep it for the rest of his life. Sometimes, he must be angry and usually it will be more frightening than people in common. So, at the end, by this essay, I just want to say that outer beauty isn’t the most important, but inner beauty is. An outlook hide what’s inside. But, it doesn’t mean a ‘good-looking’ person is always bad. A good friend is he who always be there for us although we don’t see them.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Gender inequalities in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender inequalities in the Middle East - Essay Example On addressing the impact of poverty and microfinance on gender/power relations and women’s empowerment,this study engraves itself into broader discourses and debates on gendered inequalities in the Middle East.Introducing the context that Saudi Arabia is an undisguised,self-evident patriarchal state,this study aims at investigating the positive and negative implications on female clients. By studying the microfinance initiatives and examining the underlying principles of Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), the positive and negative implication on female clients are analyzed, particularly in terms of its effects on their decision-making and bargaining power in the household. This case study on microfinance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia aspires to unfold an important and lacking dimension to the current debates surrounding gender and development in developing countries. Keywords: Microfinance, Saudi Arabia, Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), gender relations, women’s economic/social empowerment, bargaining power, decision-making and household. Introduction Microfinance institutions vary in terms of their goals, agenda’s and assumptions. There have been continual debates on whether microfinance can be considered as a savior to poverty-stricken women from oppression and gendered inequalities or whether having access to micro-financial resources can empower women economically. There are studies which argue that microcredit helps to empower women thus promoting gender-equality and improving household well-being while microfinance ‘does not directly challenge any official views that subjugate women’ (Aminul et al., 2011). Women are treated as second-class citizens and are chiefly oppressed by the laws and constraints imposed on them through patriarchal states such as Sharee’a law in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are also the traditions and customs that give rise to inequalities and gendered division of roles that are produced and reinforced from ‘relationships that are intrinsically gendered’ within the household (Khateeb, 2011). This study being the vanguard of research on gender and development through microfinance, it felt natural that the appropriate start should be from the grass root’s level, the household. Gender-related rigidity in the intra-household is the core institution where the microfinance women clients spend most of their time. This study primarily deals with investigating the impact of microfinance on gender relations in the household. Professor M. Khateeb (Khateeb, 2011) in her lecture about gender, household and domestic domain points out that there is an explicit focus on the household because ‘it is the site of the earliest socialisation processes and gender identity formation. Secondly, it is central to the analysis of the organisation of production and reproduction in different societies. The gender division of roles, responsibilities and resources within the household play an important role in shaping what men and women are able to do beyond the household. And finally a great deal of policy, both economic and social, is premised on assumptions about how gender relations are organised within households’. This study ultimately aims at assisting and enabling the policy makers of BRJ Microfinance programme to create policies that prioritise the impact of microfinance on gender relations in intra-household. On having a wider examination of BRJ’s assumptions, rationale and process coupled with gender power relations within household, policy makers would be able to arrive at a more accurate representation of the graving issue of unemployment and would also travel at a more effective outcome. Aims 1. How does microfinance impact gender relations in Saudi Arabia? 2. Effects of micro-financial resources in Saudi Arabia on women empowerment both in household and in society?1 3. How do micro-financial resources effect on the well-being of the famili es in Saudi Arabia in terms of survival, security, financial self-reliance and autonomy on various levels (Kabeer, 1994:304)? Objectives This

Friday, September 27, 2019

Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Change Management - Essay Example The association between organisations and its surroundings is a vital aspect of academic viewpoints of organisational change. Organisational change is dispensed with growing number of organisational learning ideas where organisations are neither prey of usual selection nor exclusively dependent variable of decisive environmental forces. Organisations are considered as active learning associations which can be established on the basis of objectives and aims of their creators and members (Burnes, 2004). Hereby, the objective of the paper is to recognise the various aspects of learning along with its core principles and tenets. Furthermore, the paper aims at understanding the benefits and challenges faced by an established company by introducing learning. Core Tenets of Learning Any kind of organisation such as commercial organisations, educational institutions, non-profit organisations and community groups can be regarded as learning organisations. Learning organisation begins with cor e tenets that believe learning is valuable, incessant and most efficient aspect of organisations where knowledge is shared and employees are provided with equal opportunity to learn (Agarwal, n.d.). The nature of learning and its method that takes place within a company is defined by the organisational culture and groups. There are numerous ways in which organisations introduce and increase learning. The core tenets involved in a learning process can be apparently identified with reference to the following theories. Behavioural Theory of Learning In order to make organisations learn there is need for employees involved with it, to learn as well. Employees in an organisation learn as they perform according to expectations. The behaviourist theory describes the visible behaviours created by learner’s reaction to stimuli. Reaction to stimuli can be strengthened with positive or negative responses to conditions of desired behaviours (Hughes, 2006). The behaviourist theory present s learning as a multifaceted procedure of reactions to numerous types of different stimuli. According to behaviourism, knowing is providing the accurate reaction when visible to a specific stimulus. The behavioural theory is not related with how or why knowledge can be gained; rather it is related with providing appropriate response. Behavioural theory depicts learning as attainment of new behaviour (Skinner, n.d.). For instance, a significant example of organisation using behavioural method of learning is Continental Airlines. It had used behavioural learning method in effective manner in order to decrease the absenteeism and raise the efficiency of employees in the workforce. After the tragic leave of Frank Lorenzo (chairman), the self-esteem and obligation of employees in Continental Airlines was observed to be reduced significantly. During that period, the company learnt the requirement for changing the behaviour of employees for rebuilding their confidence and providing appropr iate service to the passengers. As a result, Continental Airlines applied periodical bonuses to the employees on the basis of accomplishment of target with respect to number of complaints, scheduled departure and attendance of employees. This strategy resulted in remarkable changes in activities and supported to the improvement of Continental Airlines’ performance (Korea University Open Course Ware, n.d.). Constructivist Theory of Learning Constructivist theory is the other learning theory which describes how individuals can gain knowledge and learn accordingly. This theory recommends that people construct knowledge and sense through experiences. This theory is based on trustworthy and practical circumstances. According to this theory, the accountability of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal Case Study

International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal - Case Study Example A family owned business that churns out the highest quality of cut glass and allied products that come under the lifestyle category, Tutbury is a name to reckon with. Given its history and the prestige attached with owning pieces produced by this company, it would be a tough job to market this effectively in a region where little would be known about this exclusive brand. In this regard, the paper will present factual based strategies throughout in order to maintain a strong context in terms of the branding and marketing mix that would suit this company the most. This will be done with a strong focus on the operational realities within which the company has been functioning in Europe so as to find a suitable model for application in the country of our choice. The basic people this plan caters to are the stakeholders. Following are the points pertaining to Anukul Designs and its operations: The demand for Dipti's products grew and there was a market for interior decoration. By 1993, Dipti was busy undertaking several turnkey projects for complete furnishing of guest houses, hotels, as well as the Governor's residences in the state of Orissa. In this regard, it is imperative to loosely define international marketing before moving on. International marketing is that sphere of activities that is aimed at introducing a product in a country or group of countries with the aim of creating sales and some amount of awareness regarding the brand. (Bennett et al, 2002) Therefore, for a lifestyle product like crystal, what better than a country where lifestyle solutions are becoming a rage and the norm of the day - India. New Product Development: Range of Furnishing Items by Anukul Designs Table 1. Where Are the New-Product Opportunities' Product type Advantages Disadvantages Examples True break- through High profit High failure rate High R&D expense Epilady hair remover Betamax VCR Selectavision by RCA Lactaid (enzyme for break- Ing down milk sugar) Adaptations of existing product Greater chance of success More predictable sales patters Low R&D cost Small piece of large pie Less prestige Can become very Competitive IBM personal computer Colgate baking soda toothpaste Healthy Choice frozen Dinners Line extensions Presold audience Keeps brand fresh and new Inferior product can dilute core brand Healthy Choice soups Compaq laptop computer Haagen Daz frozen yogurt Sony walkman variations New use No new manu- facturing costs Incremental sales opportunity Arm & Hammer bakingsoda as refrigerator

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Pyramids in Egypt Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Pyramids in Egypt - Research Paper Example This paper will focus on this and more so, on the Great pyramids of Giza. The name of the great pyramids is because they constitute the oldest and the largest pyramids in ancient Egypt (Lenher, 1997). They were the first pyramids to be constructed in Egypt by a King called Cheops. Although Cheops was not the first to construct a pyramid, many others including his father Snofru had tried and failed to come up with a perfect pyramid (Verner, 2003). The History – The First Pyramid The history of pyramids can be dated back to the early construction of tombs in Egypt. The construction of the tombs was especially for the burial of the kings and pharaohs of the land. According to Petrie an Egyptologist (Verner, 2003), the pyramids were approximately 280 cubits high and 440 cubits lengthwise. The Pyramids form the greatest wonders of the world today. According to Mendelssohn (1971), the above measurements of the pyramid translate to about a height of 454.5 feet and a length of 755 34 feet. The dimensions brought about the exact relation between the height and length to an accurate 22/7 also known as the ? in mathematics. This accuracy has resulted in questions whether the Egyptians already had a well formed architectural culture, or whether it was by chance. Verner (2003) stated that it did not matter whether they knew the existence of the mathematical ?, the thing is that they used it nonetheless. However, some historians believe that this accuracy could have been deliberate and should therefore not be ignored. According to Petrie, the precision must have been deliberate and included in the design of the builders. The development of the pyramids can be traced back to the culture of the Egyptians. Egyptians were very religious people and believed in many gods. People saw the Pharaoh who was their head as a living god. This respect of the Pharaoh was immense, that the Egyptians believed that they were still ruling over them in spirit form. Hence they were worship ped even in their dead state. The Egyptians believed in life after death. According to them, when a person died, their soul would remain and exist in spirit form called Ka. People believed that Ka would revisit the dead body and dwell in it. As a result of this belief, it was paramount that the body be preserved to entice Ka to come back into the body and dwell forever (Verner, 2003). Since they also believed that life after death was more important and eternal, they treated the dead with great respect and even worshiped them (Verner, 2003). This led to the construction of tombs. Great expense in terms of time and skill went into construction of tombs especially for the Pharaohs. The name of the early tombs was Mastaba (Edwards, 1993). These Mastabas were graves that had slanted walls and flat tops. They formed the embryo for the construction of pyramids. The construction of the stepped pyramids was an attempt to improve these tombs. The formation was through layering of Mastabas fo rming a pyramid that has steps on the side. There was still dissatisfaction as there was a desire to give the Pharaoh an ultimate resting place where he could be worshipped forever. Since the Kings also had a lot of possessions, which they treasured, there was a need to build bigger tombs to accommodate the possessions. Such constructions allowed for the burial of the Pharaoh. From the stepped

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

How are social relations expressed in consumption practices Use Essay

How are social relations expressed in consumption practices Use detailed ethnographic examples in your answer - Essay Example They get socially attached to other people by doing these activities. The understanding level of relation between consumption practices and social relationship is complex because it has become a very common part in the society. People do not bother to remember the experiences that are gained through real life activities. Acknowledgement is a powerful mode of communication and it creates positive relationship among human beings in society. Many anthropologists have observed the change in human nature from the past era to recent contemporary era. They share knowledge to the society regarding socio-culture, archaeology and biological anthropology based on the relevant observations. In the modern world, consumers not only make decisions based on service or product attributes but also based on several emotional elements, such as joy, anxiety, fear and feelings. This essay explains how social relations are expressed in consumption practices with the help of case-studies and ethnographic ex amples. In the modern world, it is believed that betterment of a society or country is directly proportional to the enhancement of consumption process. Though it might seem that it is only based on economic perspective but there are scenarios, where it has been observed that consumption processes have integrated the social relationship within human society. Human experiences are valuable and exchange of knowledge is possible only by communication processes. People communicate with each other in general contexts and it helps them to enhance their own knowledge and skills. For an example, according to Kabyle of Algeria in the ‘Outline of a Theory of Practice’ there is an important significance that provides the understanding of a social anthropological study. According to the study, social influence is imposed on an individual through education and socialization and is expressed through cultural practices, such as consumption (Barnard, 2001, p.570). Knowledge about anything is

Monday, September 23, 2019

Development of human resources in small business Research Paper

Development of human resources in small business - Research Paper Example the paper, it is going to have the following structure: introduction, theoretical concepts of human resource management, analysis of recruitment process, background information about small business, analysis of the situation with human resource management in small business, conclusions, and recommendations. HRM is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring,  performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. (â€Å"HRM Definition†). However, it is the whole concept that consists of various different processes. For example, one can mention looking for potential employees, education of students, continuous training, and education of own employees, etc. It has been already much said about the importance of this process. That is why any company should build an effective strategy of human resource management. Among the most important process of human resource management the following ones may be pointed out: recruitment, education, performance management, promotion, etc. Recruitment is probably one of the most important processes. Recruitment process consists of internal and external recruitments. Simply speaking, internal recruitment is the process of evaluation and hiring own employees of a company to occupy new positions in a company. Usually, this process is associated with promotion of employees. Simply speaking, external recruitment is the process of hiring people who are not the current employees of a company. Usually, these processes are toughly related and used together in the process of recruitment by a company. It should also be mentioned about recruitment methods and strategies. There are many recruitments strategies, methods, and instruments. A company uses those ones that are the most appropriate foot it in a given circumstances. Some of them are more expensive, some of them are less. Some of them require

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Food Legislation is an Effective Way to Protect Public Health Discuss Essay

Food Legislation is an Effective Way to Protect Public Health Discuss - Essay Example Childhood obesity is growing concern amongst the other public health issues. Research shows that obesity is responsible for several other ailments and disorders such as diabetes, cardio vascular diseases and heart attacks. Hence controlling obesity from the very early years is an important thing to be ensured by the government of a nation. Obesity is spreading fast as a symptom of health crisis. It is a significant problem for mostly the developed nations but the developing countries are also catching up. Three of the G20 countries have an obesity rate above 30 percent. These are United States with 46.5 percent of its inhabitants suffering form obesity, Argentina with 37.6 percent and Mexico with 35.5 percent. Across the world above one billion adult populace are obese and the obesity rates have risen three fold or beyond in areas of North America, East Europe and the Middle East mainly due to lack of proper nutrients and reduced level of physical activities. Seven among the G20 nati ons have obesity rates lying above 25 percent. These comprise Saudi Arabia (29.7 %), â€Å"Australia (28.8 %), Canada (25.6%) and the United Kingdom (25%)† (The Globalist, 2010) In 2008, the BMI benchmarks were reviewed in England and following this revision, obesity amongst 2-15 years old children increased from 11 to 17 percent for boys and from 12 to 15 percent amongst girls (19). The 5-DAY program in UK has been proven to be an effective preventative way of improving both diet and nutrition amongst the population. Amongst those who follow this 5-DAY program, women (29 percent) comprised a greater share than men (25 percent). The survey also revealed that consumption increased in proportion to age. The group taken between 16 to 24 years of age comprised of 18 percent men and 21 percent women consuming the 5 portions intake of fruits and vegetables while the percentage for men and women are 32 and 36 percent respectively for the age group ranging from 55 to 64 years. Consid ering children aged between 5 to 15 years, one in five boys and girls were able to meet the government’s prescribed goal for consumption of a minimum of five serving size of fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits were more commonly taken in these portions. The consumption of fruits was observed to decrease with increase in age (Craig, Mindell and Hirani, 2008, p.19). Now, obesity, especially in children is a problem, which needs to be controlled solely through a proper diet. Inclination towards fast food at the individual and the family level has mostly resulted in this problem. Often it has been observed that obesity, which develops in the childhood, tends to continue throughout life unless the eating habit and monitored at this stage. This makes childhood obesity an issue to be dealt with the help of regulation on food covering various aspects. Childhood obesity Over the past 30 years, the occurrence of plump children is identified as those having a body mass index (BMI) more than the 85th percentile for age and gender have tripled. Above 30 per cent of toddlers in the United States are plump or obese (BMI > 95th percentile). Childhood plumpness results from a malfunction of the body’s self-dictatorial system to adapt to environmental controls characteristic of the person’s genetic backdrop. Various aspects in the process of the multifaceted

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Invisible Poor Essay Example for Free

The Invisible Poor Essay There have been many writers, columnists, politicians, sociologists and economists who have written about the concept of poverty in the United States. Though their views often differ as to the causes, and solutions, the underlying commonality between all of those who have written about this issue remains that the current state of the American public is poorer than it has been in decades. The comparison of the following writers enables a reader to gain perspective on issues such as this. The ways in which different writers address, define, and respond to issues such as poverty, can allow for a reader to find their own understanding of the issue – as well as its possible cure.    The following paper will seek to examine the lives of the invisible poor, the sociology behind such a society and at the end of the paper give a suggestion as to how poverty can be cured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Margaret Andersen, Eugene Lewit, and James Fallows address the issue in differing ways – however with much the same message. There is a problem with poverty in the United States. The concepts of the â€Å"working poor† the â€Å"disenfranchised† as well as the general â€Å"impoverished† peoples of the United States are growing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Andersen, the main problem is rooted in the residual effects of the pre-Civil Rights era. The accumulation of wealth over time, through inheritance and long term investment is lost on the groups which have been discriminated against since the dawn of the Untied States. Andersen states that â€Å"racial exclusion in lending, housing segregation, and historical patterns of discrimination have created significant differences in the contemporary class standing of blacks and whites†. (Andersen 184) This racial disparity was not limited to black and poor whites; it also included Hispanics and Asian-Americans. (Anderson 185) In the inequality involved in poor women in the workforce there is a sociological view of how this inequality is categorized:   Kinglsey Davis and Wilbert Moore gave sociology the theory of functionalism.   This theory states that every society separates its products, its money, and its services on the grounds of job difficulty and relevance to a society, or on the function that a specific job provides more for a society.   Due to a job and what gender performs that job function being more important to society or more functional, then society is willing to play the stratification game.   Since these functional jobs and the difference between the assumed capabilities of men or women performing them there is also stratification in monetary reward.    Society has a top echelon of jobs which they consider able to be filled only by a man or only by a women: The lower rung of this system includes mostly the feminine persuasion.   Functionalism fully believes in the rat race of society and exemplifies it through the power elite system and through gender inequality.   Functionalism states that there are critical jobs, ones so important to society (like saving a life) that the measurement of that person’s importance has to be reflected monetarily.   Functionalist expresses inequality through the bases of the nature of the occupational system.   As Davis and Moore state, â€Å"Social inequality is thus an unconsciously evolved device by which societies insure that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the more qualified persons†(Baldridge, 158).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With this reality it becomes increasingly clear that women are being discriminated against in the workforce, but more so if they are mothers.   Just because families, or single mothers are moving from welfare to work does not mean that they are above the poverty line.   Although earnings are seemingly increasing mothers who try to live on minimum wage cannot support a family of even one child. In the late 1990s, the study shows, families headed by working single mothers experienced rising earnings due to the strong economy, work supports like the Earned Income Tax Credit and child care, and a reformed welfare system. Yet these increased earnings were fully offset by a decline in the benefits that government safety net programs provide, leaving these families no better off as a group and pushing those who remained poor deeper into poverty (CBPP 2001). The rise in crime, increased rates of teenage pregnancy, drug use and the increased numbers of children and adults on government assistance are all attributed to the decline of the American family – according to Popenoe. However, his assertions lacked any empirical support. This issue was taken up by Sharon Houseknecht and Jaya Sastry in 1996. The study conducted by the research team looked at the state of the family unit, and sought to find whether the â€Å"decline† that Popenoe described was evident or not (Houseknecht 1996). The model that the research team used was based on Popenoe’s assertions that those family unites that are furthest away from the â€Å"traditional† view of family are â€Å"more in decline†. The group took samples from four countries, Sweden, the United Stated, former West Germany, and Italy. Looking at non-marital birthrates, divorce rates, crime rates and child-wellbeing, the group found that, according to Popenoe’s model, Sweden had the greatest decline in the family unit – followed by the United States in second. The problem that Andersen addresses is further exacerbated by the decline in â€Å"real wages over the period from the 1970s to the late 1990s†. (Anderson 185) The fall in the value of the American dollar, coupled with the increased inflation meant that a worker making the median wage in 1989 made $13.22 an hour; however by 1997 that same level wage was only worth $12.63. (Anderson 185) The lower 80% of wage earners suffered more with a loss of 6.7% of their total wage power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eugene Lewit addresses the issue of poverty by writing about the number of children living in poverty. Lewit begins his appeal against the growing problem by noting that in 1991 there were 13.7 million children living in poverty in the Untied States – a number that included an increase of nearly one million from the previous year. (Lewit 176) Lewit also noted that the total number of Americans living in poverty in 1991 was over 35 million people – more than 10% of the total population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next issue that Lewit addresses is the number of problems faced by the impoverished children in comparison to their affluent counterparts. According to Lewit, â€Å"poor children face increased risk of death, infectious and chronic illness, and injury from accidents and violence†. (Lewit 176) These children also tend to live in conditions which are filled with violence, deteriorating housing, and disrupted living conditions – which increase the likelihood of depression, low self-confidence, and conflict with peers and authority figures. (Lewit 176)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lewit also bring attention to the problems in the definition of poverty. The federal thresholds which define poverty according to income, family size and location, suffer from, according to Lewit, â€Å"inadequate adjustments for changing consumption patterns, inflation, and differing family sizes and structures†. (Lewit 177) Lewit also states that the poverty guidelines fail to â€Å"account for the substantial geographic variation in the cost of living†. (Lewit 177)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like Andersen, Lewit addresses the â€Å"poverty gap†. According to Lewit, the amount by which the total poverty gap resided upon in 1991 was $37.2 billion. This meant that the lowest portions of the population of the United States were making nearly forty billion dollars less than the federal poverty level. This gap has long reaching repercussions, as these members of society also, as Lewit stated before, are more likely to become ill, injured or involved in violence – which amounts to a further burden on the overall economy and social standing of any given area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fallows describes the technology boom of the early 1990s as â€Å"the same disproportionate, commanding-heights effect on todays culture as Wall Streets takeover-and-junk-bond complex had 15 years ago, and as the biotech-financial complex presumably will 15 years from now† – and it grants large fortunes to small groups of people, many of whom began in lower or middle class families. The boom took people who were living as, or at least identifying with the impoverished members of American society and catapulted them into the ultra-elite – amassing fortunes which often topped 100 million dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Between these three writers, there is a common thread of though – the poor are getting poorer. This fact is made worse by the disconnection of the wealthy and the poor. This disconnection is caused by the growing gap between the haves, and the have-nots. This gap increases the burden on the poor, mentally, as well as increases the difficulty in finding ways to remedy the causes of the vast amounts of poverty in the Untied States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fallows ended his article with the realization that problems, like poverty, â€Å"are one thing when considered abstractly – â€Å"poverty, inequality, racism, problems stated as if they were debate topics. They can be altogether different when connected with human beings real or fictional†. This is true in the fact that all too often the only time poverty is truly addressed in a forum which can eliminate it is during election campaigns – and then only until that election is won. Experiment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to better provide housing, jobs, healthcare, etc. to the invisible poor the following experiment should be considered.   Take two groups of poor families; one as control, the other as a variable.   The control family will continue working the system for government aid, or living according to how they have always been living.   The second family, the variable family, will be given three items: a new housing unit (in a different part of the city or in the suburb), $2,500 for beginning expenses and getting out of debt expenses (with a one time meeting with a financial advisor), and a job interview for a qualifying job for each capable working member of the family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The experiment will take place over a two year period, with updates on the family the first month, the third month, the sixth month, one year, one year and six months, and two years.   The elements of the experiment which will arise are amount of debt, if any family member has gone to college, where family members are in their schooling (i.e. grades, extra curricular activities, etc), how the jobs are going, if they’ve advanced, if they’ve maintained their job or gotten hired at a different place for a higher payer job, and finally their finances will be looked at.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The differences between these two families will be the backdrop to how, with a little bit of help, a family can overcome poverty.   The control group will give a recognition to how a family will continue to struggle without any help, or with the same maintenance from the government which they are already receiving.   The contrast of these two families, will hopefully, allow for a way in which other government programs can better assist getting rid of the invisible poor, and to strike a balance of wealth and financial freedom for families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This experiment will seek to prove that the invisible poor is a great problem that needs to have an immediate solution.   The poor across the world is only increasing and it is with this experiment that a way in which to curtail poverty and give families and individuals hope to an economically fruitful future is found. WORKS CITED Andersen, Margaret. â€Å"Restructuring for Whom? Race, Class, Gender, and the Ideology   of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Invisibility†. Sociological   Forum. Vol. 16, No. 2. June 2001. p. 181-201. Baldridge, J. Victor.   â€Å"Sociology: A Critical Approach to Power, Conflict, and Change.†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wiley Sons, Inc. 1975. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).   â€Å"Poverty Rate Among Working Single Mother   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Families Remained Stagnant in Late 1990’s Despite Strong Economy†.   (Online).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Available: http://www.cbpp.org/8-16-01wel-pr.htm. Fallows, James. â€Å"The Invisible Poor†. The New York Times   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Magazine. March 20, 2000. Date of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Access: March 3, 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   URL:    http://www.courses.psu.edu/hd_fs/hd_fs597_rxj9/invisible_po  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   or.htm Houseknecht, Sharon; Sastry, Jaya. â€Å"Family â€Å"Decline† and Child Well-Being: A Comparative  Ã‚   Assessment. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 58 (3) (1996). Pp.726—739. Lewit, Eugene M. â€Å"Children in Poverty†. The Future of Children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vol. 3, No. 1.   Spring 1993.  Ã‚   p. 176-182.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Greek Theatre: The Contribution and the Effect

Greek Theatre: The Contribution and the Effect The ancient Greeks are famous for their many contributions to the world. Among these contributions is one that has changed culture and the arts permanently. This contribution is theatre. Greek theatre is considered the beginning of theatre as we know it. Theatre began in Athens, circa 600 BC, developing out of rituals at the Dionysia. The Dionysia was a festival for followers of the cult of Dionysus, god of wine and festivities. Greek theatre really began to take shape, however, around 400 BC. The first actor was named Thespis, and it is from his name that the word thespian originated. Thespis was born in Attica, in 534 BC. He began performing speeches from epic poems and stories of the day, speaking from that characters point of view. His shows were also interactive, as he often spoke with the audience. Since no theater really existed at the time, he traveled from place to place with a handcart. He used masks, makeup, and costumes to make his monologues more realistic [Sandels]. Over time, theatre was changed and developed by forward-thinking playwrights. One such playwright, Aeschylus, introduced the concept of using a second character, so that dialogue and the interaction of the characters could be used as a plot device. Years later, another playwright, Sophocles, added another actor, steadily decreasing the importance of the chorus while increasing character interactions. Around the same time, Euripides gradually made theatre more natural and realistic, rather than the rigid, structured form of acting [History]. The theater itself was outdoors and known as an Amphitheater. It was semi-circular in shape, and terraced, allowing for each visitor to have perfect view. These seats were called the theatron, literally meaning the viewing area. On average, the Amphitheater was able to fit 1,500 viewers and was designed to have near perfect acoustics. There was usually a theater in each town, as theaters were also used for religious rituals and processions as well as entertainment. In the center was a circular platform called the orchestra. On the orchestra was an altar where sacrifices to Dionysus were performed. The stage itself was called the Proscenio. It was situated behind the orchestra, and was constructed much like stages today, although most of the acting took place in the orchestra. The back of this stage had painted backgrounds to create the settings for each scene [Englert]. These buildings were most likely brightly painted, although the paint would have faded over time [Phillips]. Behind the stage, machines used for the performances were kept. These machines were advanced technology for their day, and included the Aeorema, the Ekeclema, and the Periactoi. The Aeorema was one of the more commonly used. It was a large crane used to pull actors through the air. This was most often employed to create the illusion of gods, which led to the expression, Deus ex Machina. The Ekeclema was a wheeled platform. This sometimes ferried dead bodies across the stage, as murders and suicides were not shown on stage. This tradition stemmed from the superstition that to kill a person on stage would be foretelling of their actual death. The Periactoi consisted of two pillars, one on each side of the stage, which could turn to change the background setting without need of stagehands [Ancient]. All of these were constructed of simple machines, such as pulleys, levers, and wheels, made from wood, rope, and metal. They were put to use in many famous plays. The plays themselves were very similar to the modern musical. They had sing and dancing, sometimes accompanied by music. The cast was comprised of many actors, called hypocrites, both professional and amateur. The main character, or protagonist, was usually played by a professional and often highly-famed actor specifically chosen by the playwright, although some playwrights would portray this character themselves. Like most present musicals, there was also a chorus. The chorus provided the mood of the play by singing and dancing. Generally the lead chorus member was a professional dancer and singer, and the rest of the chorus was made up of amateurs. All the actors were men, as women were forbidden to appear on stage [Ancient]. The actors wore masks when portraying a woman or animal. These masks were built from wood, cloth, and clay, sometimes covered in animal or even human hair. The holes for the eyes were very small, but the opening for the mouth was large to allow the actors voic e to resonate more easily [Barrow]. The actors were sometimes required to wear wooden platform shoes, or kothomoi, in order to appear taller. Actors would also use optical illusions to seem taller or shorter. Vertical stripes were worn to appear taller and horizontal stripes to appear shorter [Ancient]. Greek plays generally fell into one of two categories: comedy or tragedy. Other than in satirical plays, these categories would never mix. The modern symbol of drama, a smiling comedic mask and a weeping tragic mask, stems from these categories. These different types of plays varied greatly, especially in their topic. Comedy plays included base, vulgar humor. Comedy plays were humorous representations of peasant life and values. They encouraged tradition and criticized what they considered immorality. They were generally far more popular with the lower class, as they joked about topics that the upper class would have been unable to relate to. They were considered by the Greeks to be the easiest to write and perform. Costumes for comedic plays usually depended on the characters of the play. As many of these plays were about animals, so were the costumes. The actors masks were exaggerated and grotesque, suggesting that the audience should not take them too seriously [Comic]. The most notable comedic playwright was Aristophanes, and his major plays include The Frogs and Lysistrata. Tragedy plays were not sad or depressing, but they were about more serious subjects than the comedic plays. Instead of a chaotic, meandering plot, tragic plays had a set rhythm and pattern to them. They also excluded vulgarity, tending not to offend their viewers. Tragedy plays explored the depth of human emotion and character. They were famous for their ability to cause the audience to relate to each character in a more empathetic way. They were more sophisticated and suited to the upper class than their humorous counterpart. Costumes were generally everyday clothing, if somewhat nicer and more elaborate. Notable playwrights of the genre included Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus. Prometheus Bound, Oedipus the King, and Medea are prime examples of tragic plays [Ancient]. Satirical plays emerged as a compromise to the two categories. These plays dealt with the same topics and ideas of a tragic play, but presented them in a comical manner. The actors mocked the clichà ©s and styles of a tragedy, and were often exaggerated in their mannerisms. These were popular with both the upper and lower classes, and were known for being very witty, a trait the Greeks admired greatly. They were generally as amusing as comedic plays, but not as rude and offensive. Cyclops, written by the poet Euripides, and The Scouts by Sophocles are the only known existing satire plays [Ancient]. Historians know of their existence in ancient Greece from other archaeological sources. Satire plays were considered the most difficult, for both the actors and playwrights. In competitions, a playwright would often submit a satire play to prove his worth, as well as their usual comic or tragic plays. They were also mush shorter than the other plays, usually only half as long as a tragedy . Greek plays were inextricably tied to the gods. Before each play, a sacrifice would be made to Dionysus, to whom theatre really owes its beginning. Apollo was also important. As the god of music and poetry, Apollo was especially honored by actors and playwrights. Equally important to the theatre were the Muses. The muses were the 9 goddesses of the arts. Terpsichore, Euterpe, Calliope, Thalia, and Melpomene were the most significant to the theatre. Terpsichore and Euterpe personified dance and music respectively, both key elements of Greek theatre. Calliope embodied epic poetry, which was usually the basis of most plays. Thalia and Melpomene represented the two categories of theatre, comedy and tragedy [Parada]. The Greeks have given much to our modern world through theatre. Every actor, of course, owes his or her livelihood to the Greeks innovative thinking. Many Greek plays still exist today, preserving the culture and traditions of their time. The basics of many modern machines come from the Aeorema, the Ekeclema, and the Periactoi, all machines created specifically for theatre productions. The Greeks have also provided the fundamentals of theatre. We still use stages, costumes, and make-up in acting today. We still have comedy, tragedy, and satire, although often combined, in present movies, television shows, and dramatic performances. Many theaters are modeled after Greek amphitheaters, in order to achieve their nearly flawless acoustics. No doubt exists, however, that Greek theatre has affected our society in deeper ways as well. Since the beginning of history, stories have been used to pass on values, such as integrity, bravery, and respect. Theatre continues today to bring life to these stories, forever imprinting itself into the minds and consciences of its audience. Each person can empathize with and relate to the characters, gaining insight to their own plights and personalities. Theatre also probes deep inside the heart of humanity, for the actors as well as the audience, as if through becoming another person, you learn more about yourself. Without theatre, culture as we know it could not exist. It has been changed permanently through theatre. A simple tradition of the Greeks has become a vital part of our identity as human beings. References Ancient Greek Theatre. Ancient Greek Theatre. Sept. 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Comic Costumes. TheatreHistory.com. 2002. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Englert, Walter. Greek Theater. Reed College. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Barrow, Mandy. The Greek Theatre Ancient Greece for Kids.Woodlands Junior School, Tonbridge, Kent UK. 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Sandels, VEK, and George Synodinos. Thespis, Greece, Ancient History.Greece Travel History Mythology Greek Islands and Maps. 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. . Greek Masks and Their Rich History. Mask and More Masks Information for Collectors and Buyers. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. . History of Ancient Theatre. Tupelo Community Theatre. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. . Phillips, K. ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE. 29 Mar. 2000. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. Parada, Carlos. MUSES Greek Mythology Link. Entrance Greek Mythology Link. 1997. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. .

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Myriad Details of Black Holes :: physics science space

Introduction Definition: Black holes are rapidly spinning stellar bodies of incredible mass. A typical black hole has a mass many times that of our own sun , but the size approaches point density. For all intents and purposes, black holes are singularities, a fact that many physicists find contradictory, since in general the universe abhors a singularity. They are formed when a large sun exhausts its fuel and collapses to a very small volume. Of course, conservation of angular momentum and mass hold true, so as the star shrinks, it rotates faster and faster, and its density becomes greater and greater. Eventually, the star becomes so dense that space-time curves so much in its vicinity that not even light can escape. For more on space-time, click on curved space time at the bottom of the page. Black holes are fascinating phenomena. Only recently have physicists begun to even find proof of their existence, and yet their unique physical properties have extraordinary and galaxies-wide effects. The physics to truly understand the underpinnings of black holes have only been around since 1915 when Einstein conceived and presented his General Theory of Relativity, in which gravity is considered in terms of curved space-time. However, in Exposition of the System of the World, written over a hundred years earlier in 1798, Laplace predicted that masses of sufficient size would have a gravitational attraction so large that light itself could not escape. Stephen Hawking, the author of A Brief History of Time-- perhaps the most successful cogent popular science book ever written-- and an extraordinary physicist, wrote one of the definitive papers on the physics behind black holes. (and then interestingly enough, recanted his once firm belief that black holes even existed--at which time he married his nurse. Physicists are eccentrics in a long and noble tradition. Black Holes Collide "In a looming collision of giants, two super massive black holes are drifting towards a violent merger and an eruption of energy that will warp the fabric of space" Sound like science fiction? It isn't. The words above were written in an article entitled "Telescope Sees Black Holes Merging", by Paul Recer, writer for the online Yahoo Science AP. The article was posted November 19. 2002. The Harvard-sponsored Chandra Observatory has captured for the first time two black holes in orbit around each other in the extraordinarily bright galaxy NGC6240, a mere 400 million light years away. This is no stable orbit.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Look into Digital Broadcasting Essay -- Digital Broadcasting Technol

A Look into Digital Broadcasting Digital Broadcasting will have a fundamental effect on viewing patterns, popular culture and audience identity. This will be done firstly by looking at the history of the BBC and the original intention of Public Service Broadcasting. It will discuss how by John Reith’s successful approach to broadcasting, the BBC became a National Institution creating popular culture and a National Identity. It will examine how these first steps and ideas have major role in the introduction of Digital Broadcasting today and whether the initial ‘Reithian’ values have any meaning in today’s society. It will finally conclude what effect if any, these changes will have on British life as a whole and whether the fear of change is justified. In the 2oth century the advance of technology has been fundamental in the way we live our lives today. The recent introduction of Digital Broadcasting to Great Britain has caused many technologists to become swept up in a sense of awed enthusiasm about the infinite possibilities of the new digital age. In its early stages digital broadcasting is only available to a minority and it will take ten years or so to become a new way of life. Digital Broadcasting has thousands of new services to offer its viewers and listeners. Instead of pictures and sound being transformed into waves, the new technology turns them into a series of digits which are transmitted through the air and received by television or radio aerials. Digital Broadcasting is more efficient than analogue, giving space for six channels where analogue would give you one. Digital brings better picture, better sound quality and more choice and cinematic style. The new era gives the audience greater interaction with its broadcaster and also the opportunity to shop, book holidays, bank and play games all form remote control. It is not just television that is going digital. Radio too will offer the listener a transformed experience in what we enjoy the most. The sound quality will be crystal clear and free from interruption. New digital radio sets will offer a built in display panel which will show graphics as well as facts and figures relating to the programme you are listening to. These are the things that we have come to expect from a broadcasting journey lasting 80 years. The new technological change is revolutionar... ... London; Routledge LEWIS, Lisa. A 1992 ‘The Adoring Audience’ London; Routledge NEGRINE, Ralph 1992 ‘Politics and the Mass Media’ London; Routledge O’SULLIVAN, Tim 1994 ‘Key Concepts in Communication Studies’ London; Routledge PRICE, Stuart 1993 ‘Media Studies’ Harlow; Longman STRINATI, Dominic 1992 ‘Popular Media Culture’ London; Routledge TULLOCH, Sarah 1996 ‘Complete Word Finder’ Oxford; Readers Digest Websites ‘BBC Digital’ http://www.bbc.co.uk ‘Pay TV Company British Digital Broadcasting...’ http://www.itn.co.uk/business/bus http://www.sky.co.uk Periodicals ‘Put Quality 1st, Smith to warn BBC’ Daily Mail - Monday 12 April 1999 ‘Sky Facts 1999’ British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Bubble Gum :: essays research papers

Have you ever wondered who invented bubble gum, or why it’s pink? How do you go about getting the answers to these questions? Easy. Think way, way back, not to prehistoric times but close, 1928. Popular With Children, Unpopular with Parents and Teachers. The first known bubble gum appeared in 1906, and was a dud. Known as Blibber Blubber, it was sticky, brittle, and insufficiently cohesive. In 1928, an accountant, Walter Diemer, invented an improved version of bubble gum. The only food coloring he had on hand was pink, so for many years, pink was the common color of bubble gums. Diemer arranged to market the bubble gum in Philadelphia candy stores and the product became wildly popular with children. Fleer Company purchased the recipe, and named the product Dubble Bubble. By World War II, the sales of bubble gum in the United States reached about $4.5 million annually. The war caused a shortage of Siamese jelutong, a latex secreted by the jelutong tree. The domestic production of bubble gums needed to be curtailed, but production resumed in the post-war years and surged to new heights. By 2000, children in North America spent about a half billion dollars annually on bubble gums, and used some 40 million pieces daily. Bubble gum made the Guinness Book of World Records, with the largest bubble ever made measuring 22 inches in diameter. The greater the molecular weight of the gum, the stronger is the film, and the larger the bubble that can be blown. On the other hand, increasing the molecular weight or size also tends to make the gum more difficult to chew. A technical breakthrough in 1999 allowed manufacturers to create uniquely textured bubble gum by using soft candy or toffee manufacturing equipment. The resulting bubble gum is similar to chewy candy, but lacking the stickiness. In the late 1970s, popular interactive candies for children were Pop Rocks and Space Dust. As children chewed these candies, tiny bubbles of pressurized carbon dioxide popped and fizzled, and resonated thunderously in the inner ear in a series of explosions that took place in the mouth. As described by children "it sounds like a storm in your mouth. If you swallow them fast, they crackle all the way down." Later, General Foods rejuvenated its carbonated-candy technology and created carbonated bubble gum. This product also provided the crackling sensation of the original Pop Rocks and Space Dust.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Social Tension of the 1920s and Nativists

Christopher Nieves The social tension of the 1920s was to a large extent due to backlash from Nativists and the KKK towards immigrants. With the immigrant surge threatening jobs and tainting the white Anglo-Saxon society, the idea of nativism began to proliferate through the minds of native born Americans. Social conflicts often came to violent ends by the hands of members of the â€Å"Ku Klux Klan†, they too had a nativist mindset however they focused primarily on African Americans but harbored hatred towards anyone who is not of Anglo-Saxon descent.These two movements made for a dangerous society, and made matters even more difficult for penniless immigrants trying to survive. Starting up around 1890 but plateauing in the 1920s nativists and labor unions fought for immigration restriction. In 1921, an emergency immigration act was passed which established a quota system that decimated the amount of immigrants granted access to the States. America had never before seen such a surge of immigrants before, over 25million people over the course of thirty years, and this was the first time that Italians, Poles, Jews and Slavs had come to America in mass.Nativists worked to do anything they could to belay immigrant progress in society, and with the economic prosperity of the twenties they realigned their beliefs behind religious and racial nativism. Following the First World War, nativists throughout the twenties focused their attention of Catholics, Jews, and southeastern Europeans. These people were different than the immigrants that had come before in that they had much more difficulty assimilating with the language barrier and even in appearance. Difficulty communicating made getting a job and education much more difficult and for Hasidic Jews stood out with their distinct religious garb.When the migrants from England and Ireland and the like came over they could communicate much easier with Americans which significantly helped them out. Well over half of the American population before the immigrant surge could trace their lineage to either the British Isles or to Germany, these people also tended to be fair-skinned and Protestant. The racial concern of the anti-immigration movement was closely linked the eugenics movement that was gaining popularity in the twenties. Nativists grew more concerned with the racial purity of the United States, uch groups as the Ku Klux Klan were able to flourish as a result of this movement. The rebirth of the KKK or the second Klan was strongly due to the anti-immigrant attitude of America in the twenties, as it had basically died out after the civil war. They also tended to view the darker-skinned, Catholic or Jewish new immigrants as â€Å"inferior† and lacking the Anglo-Saxon temperament required to maintain a free society. Furthermore these â€Å"threats to society† lacked work ethic, self-discipline and could not be trusted not to throw their votes away to machine politics which wer e largely successful during this time period.The film The Birth of a Nation was released in 1915 glorified the KKK, and although its director didn’t intend to, the film helped gain the Klan popularity. At first the Klan like it always had focused on intimidating blacks, however focus turned towards Catholics, Jews and foreigners. The Klan devoted itself to purging American life basically of anyone not a white Anglo-Saxon, proving their devotion by lynching impure, foreign people and burning crosses.To say this hate was group engaged in â€Å"social conflicts† is an understatement. The economic prosperity of the â€Å"roaring twenties† overshadowed its escalating social tension. Although America was colonized by immigrants, the â€Å"nativist† movement worked to throttle immigration and ostracize migrants viewing them as impure and inferior. The hypocrisy of the entire movement is incredible. Extremist groups like the KKK took racism to a new level resorti ng to medieval tactics like lynching and cross burning.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Church, Home, Household, Family Essay

It is written in the bible that every house is built by some man but all things are built by God. These words seem to compare the ordinary material house built by man with the great universe of God. This thought was present in the writers mind when he wrote this verse down. The writer remembered that the creative power that is exhibited in every conception of mortal wit and mortal hands presupposes a mightier creative power of which it is derived. If one is to follow the thought of any structure through the hands that built it to the mind of the one who devised and suggested it, one is bound to arrive at last to the Mind which separated light from the darkness and firm land from water. The word house does not only imply a collection of timber and stones, it reminds every individual of the household. To build a house is synonymous with building a family. Every house is built by a particular man but God built all things. Every family has a founder, an individual to whom its origin it refers. Each member of the family feels that their relationship with it is more precious to them in every way than their relationship with the material goods or grounds which are at their possession (Clinton, 1990). They only delight in talking about the goods or grounds as an inheritance. If it was purchased, they trust that those who come after them will inherit it. The ground for national life has been the existence of this feeling of family and its preservation. Wise legislators and moralists have desired to cultivate this conception and feeling and any causes which may have threatened it have seen the certain presages of destruction to laws, morals, and social order. If this family order is of such great importance, can it be assumed that it has no foundation like the one possessed by all creation of man? Does a universal family, which is implied by the presence of particular families, exist? Can it be said that a particular family is founded by God, just like a particular family is founded by man? The whole of the human race belong to God, just like the rest of creation but man is bestowed with greater capacities. Through the scriptures, God revealed to man his purpose and the institution of the church was meant to further this purpose. The church has been identified with dispatching moral codes as required by the scriptures to the most basic of the human associations, the family. As such, the church has had an important role to play in the lives of individuals as well as the moral being of a society. This has however changed with changes in the family structure and the constitution of the church. The role of the church has shifted so much and the society itself has changed. Immorality has been the order of the day and very few individuals see the churches as divine institutions. The relationship between the church and the family has weakened during the modern times and this has led to much moral decay. However, the actual reason why there contemporary society has decayed morally is a subject of much contention and social scientists, religious and secular moralists seem to attribute this phenomenon to various aspects of human nature. What is apparent though is that the relationship between the family and the church has changed and many individuals view the church with much suspicion. The main question that this paper deals with is whether the current moral decay can be attributed to the withering relationship between the family and the church. This paper looks at various materials, both religious and secular in an attempt to answer this question. It particularly argues that even though there are some, other factors which can be attributed to the societal moral decay, the major factor is the deterioration of the family in the church. The church has served very important function in the society, a function which is today becoming obsolete. The family on the other hand has ceased to play the role which it was meant to play traditionally and hence, children grow up with loose values which make them become delinquent youths with no restraint. Families are also so much absorbed into looking for sustenance in this materialistic era to the extent that parents have forgotten that it is their responsibility to pass values to their kids. Very few people no longer have time to go to church as most parents work overtime. These, together with some other factors, have contributed to the decaying morals within the society. It can therefore be said that the failure of families to actively participate in church has partly led to this phenomenon. Men should seek the right way of carrying on their duties as this world belongs to God and he did not leave men to stray. He chose the institution of the church to dispatch the necessary and vital moral codes to the human race. Church as a guide to Humans God chose the church as an instrument through which he can do His work on Earth during the time between the first and second coming of Christ, a period marked with Christ’s physical absence. The church is seen as the body of Christ on Earth and is thus meant to complete the work that he begun in his physical body. As such, the church is the messenger of God on Earth meant to spread the gospel of Christ to the human race. However, in recent times, the human race is characterized by anti-church thinking as many people who claim to be Christians have abandoned the church. The impact has been felt especially in families. The basic human institution is suffering now more than ever. There are increased incidences of absent fathers and single mothers, abandoned children and increased rate of divorce. People have moved away from the church. Many individuals think in terms of themselves and Jesus, a relationship that excludes the Church. Others on the other hand view organized religion as a form of evil. Some modern day prophecy teachers view the church as some kind of emergency measure that has been put by God until he institutes his true Kingdom. None of these views is however correct. The importance of the church cannot be overlooked. It is the kingdom of God in the present time and every individual must actively participate in it. It has been observed that individuals who actively participate in church are healthier than individuals who hardly participate. These individuals observe high moral standards as compared to those who often do not participate in church. The lifestyle of Christians encourages healthy habits and attitudes which have positive effects on the overall morality. When one develops a Christian attitude, it becomes difficult for negative emotions to influence his or her way of life. It is clear that the task of Jesus was to draw men towards God and thus the church was to continue in this task. The teachings of Jesus were of high moral worth and these are what have been taught by the churches. As such, it is important that every family goes to church so as to acquire those values that Jesus Christ worked to reveal to human beings. With a negative attitude towards the church, it becomes difficult for any moral principles to be furthered as men are naturally inclined towards evil. However, there are some arguments to the effect that men have the capacity to be moral regardless of whether they go to church or not. Church and Family: Historical Background A new pattern of relationship between religion and family was ushered in by the reformation. It was required that an individual make a voluntary and personal decision to embrace the official doctrines of a particular church and to take part in its formal ritual instead of being seen as part of a religion simply because one is a member of a particular family, village or ethnic group. Protestantism thus brought about a shift from community cult to that which one automatically belonged to a religious community by virtue of birth. These were constituted through and by the association and congregation of individuals in reaction to religious messages. There were risks that this associational model posed, both for the family and the church. Voluntary associations are often dynamic since people adopt and abandon group loyalties. Individuals may opt not to join the church which may result into members splitting and forming sects. The family thus lost the assurance that their children would be part of the same religious system as the parents and other adult relatives. These worries are more intense in the present time among the families that still participate actively in church. Both the church and the family thus devised a mutually beneficial sharing of roles. The parents’ role was to socialize their children so that they may be able to make personal decision for Christ and also to encourage one another in living out their own religious commitment. The role of the church on the other hand was to aid the family in this endeavor by supplying the structures and activities. The nuclear family was thus the mode through which protestant voluntarism was filtered rather than through a larger clan or ethnic grouping. A mutual relationship thus existed between the church and the family within the protestant community. The churches were to aid families to have healthy relationships and to raise well disciplined and religious children. Families on the other hand were expected to teach the children the doctrines of the church. This mutual relationship that existed between the family and the church was formalized in the Pretest ant America during the 1950s in the theory of Talcott Parsons. According to Parsons, the modern society had grown to become institutionally differentiated with the public fulfilling much of the roles that were traditionally under the sphere of the family. The basic role of the family had become expressive: satisfying emotional needs of its members, training the succeeding generation of the required values and discipline and comforting its members from the frustration got from the public arena. The family’s childrearing practice provides the mental model or plausibility structure which enables the children to become productive members of the society if these practices are internalized. Religion is thus assigned the status of home in the modern times understood as the abiding place of an individual’s affection rather than the physical space of the household. Love, expression, intimacy, subjectivity, irrationality, morality, spirituality and religion are all found within the sphere of home. According to Parson, the Church no longer had any direct influence on the values of the larger society. It could however assert indirect influence in aiding the parents to socialize their children and to achieve emotional satisfaction with each other (Parsons, 1960). This role is relevant in the modern society with its extensive impersonal government and industrial bureaucracies. The major function of the church and the family is thus to provide a lead in ascertaining a moral and just society through their teachings and practices. These theories have however been questioned by social scientists. Social scientists are doubtful of whether values and valued behavior are transmitted to the next generations by the church through the family. They also doubt whether family and churches should mediate community and intimacy in a dynamic and large scale society. This conception of church and church as havens from the contemporary society leads to three powerful by misleading conclusion. First, that modernity destroys the community morally; second, that the family and church have not been permeated by the larger cultural reorganizing process; and third, that the family and the church provide protection from the negative consequences of change (Green et al, 1823). The family and the church have dramatically changed according to these critics and the major question is the extent to which they will continue to satisfy this mutual bargain of protecting and passing on religious values and beliefs. The family has undergone dramatic changes over the last few decades. Today, the family is not what it used to be traditionally. Many couples are living together without marriage, many children are being raised by single parents, there is an increase in the rate of divorce and many individuals hardly ever live in families. Couples are having fewer children. Married women with young children are also likely to be working outside the home and quite a large percentage of preschool children are being taken care of outside the home. The marriage age has also gone up with quite a majority opting not to marry at all. Most families are being headed by single parents, in most cases the mother. These have been attributed to the effects of industrialization and modernity. In simple terms, the family of today is different from the family of the past decades. The question that one is bound to ask is the extent to which the church has adapted to these changes. This issue is complicated further by the fact that churches have also changed. The increased institutional fragmentation of the American society and the emergence of expressive individualism in the United States culture are among the causes of these changes (Conner, 2007). Another occurrence is the second de-establishment where each sphere of institution had developed its own set of normative system. Religion has thus become a means of personal fulfillment and integration owing to this isolation from any meaningful political, economic or moral responsibility within the public sphere. The power and authority of the church over the society has been lost (Carter, 2001). It has also lost its power and authority over individuals in the society and even over the people within it, the majority of whom can be described as in the church but not of the church. The church has thus become an institution of service which functions to help individuals achieve authenticity and transcendental subjectivity. Very few American Protestants have complete allegiance to a specific denomination. It has been found that individuals who marry and get children are more likely to increase their religious participation. Marriage may neutralize other factors which may result in disaffiliation. With this regard, the church and the family may be considered to have some form of link. This link may help in raising a moral society through active participation in church. Every individual belongs to a particular family and if these families can adopt the teachings of the church then moral decay cannot reach the levels that are seen today.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 1

THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINE GLARED AT ME FROM a little metal vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SIEGE – DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN. I hadn't seen this one yet. Some paperboy must have just restocked the machine. Lucky for him, he was nowhere around now. Great. Riley was going to blow a gasket. I would make sure I wasn't within reach when he saw this paper. Let him rip somebody else's arm off. I stood in the shadow behind the corner of a shabby threestory building, trying to be inconspicuous while I waited for someone to make a decision. Not wanting to meet anyone's eyes, I stared at the wal beside me instead. The ground floor of the building housed a record shop that had long since closed; the windows, lost to weather or street violence, were fil ed in with plywood. Over the top were apartments – empty, I guessed, since the normal sounds of sleeping humans were absent. I wasn't surprised – the place looked like it would col apse in a stiff wind. The buildings on the other side of the dark, narrow street were just as wrecked. The normal scene for a night out on the town. I didn't want to speak up and draw attention, but I wished somebody would decide something. I was real y thirsty, and I didn't care much whether we went right or left or over the roof. I just wanted to find some unlucky people who wouldn't even have enough time to think wrong place, wrong time. Unfortunately tonight Riley'd sent me out with two of the most useless vampires in existence. Riley never seemed to care who he sent out in hunting groups. Or particularly bugged when sending out the wrong people together meant fewer people coming home. Tonight I was stuck with Kevin and some blond kid whose name I didn't know. They both belonged to Raoul's gang, so it went without saying that they were stupid. And dangerous. But right now, mostly stupid. Instead of picking a direction for our hunt, suddenly they were in the middle of an argument over whose favorite superhero would be a better hunter. The nameless blond was demonstrating his case for Spider-Man now, skittering up the brick wal of the al ey while humming the cartoon theme song. I sighed in frustration. Were we ever going to hunt? A little flicker of movement to my left caught my eye. It was the other one Riley had sent out in this hunting group, Diego. I didn't know much about him, just that he was older than most of the others. Riley's right-hand man was the word. That didn't make me like him any more than the other morons. Diego was looking at me. He must have heard the sigh. I looked away. Keep your head down and your mouth shut – that was the way to stay alive in Riley's crowd. â€Å"Spider-Man is such a whiny loser,† Kevin cal ed up to the blond kid. â€Å"I'l show you how a real superhero hunts.† He grinned wide. His teeth flashed in the glare of a streetlight. Kevin jumped into the middle of the street just as the lights from a car swung around to il uminate the cracked pavement with a blue-white gleam. He flexed his arms back, then pul ed them slowly together like a pro wrestler showing off. The car came on, probably expecting him to get the hel out of the way like a normal person would. Like he should. â€Å"Hulk mad!† Kevin bel owed. â€Å"Hulk†¦ SMASH!† He leaped forward to meet the car before it could brake, grabbed its front bumper, and flipped it over his head so that it struck the pavement upside down with a squeal of bending metal and shattering glass. Inside, a woman started screaming. â€Å"Oh man,† Diego said, shaking his head. He was pretty, with dark, dense, curly hair, big, wide eyes, and real y ful lips, but then, who wasn't pretty? Even Kevin and the rest of Raoul's morons were pretty. â€Å"Kevin, we're supposed to be laying low. Riley said – â€Å" â€Å"Riley said!† Kevin mimicked in a harsh soprano. â€Å"Get a spine, Diego. Riley's not here.† Kevin sprang over the upside-down Honda and punched out the driver's side window, which had somehow stayed intact up to that point. He fished through the shattered glass and the deflating air bag for the driver. I turned my back and held my breath, trying my hardest to hold on to the ability to think. I couldn't watch Kevin feed. I was too thirsty for that, and I real y didn't want to pick a fight with him. I so did not need to be on Raoul's hit list. The blond kid didn't have the same issues. He pushed off from the bricks overhead and landed lightly behind me. I heard him and Kevin snarling at each other, and then a wet tearing sound as the woman's screams cut off. Probably them ripping her in half. I tried not to think about it. But I could feel the heat and hear the dripping behind me, and it made my throat burn so bad even though I wasn't breathing. â€Å"I'm outta here,† I heard Diego mutter. He ducked into a crevice between the dark buildings, and I fol owed right on his heels. If I didn't get away from here fast, I'd be squabbling with Raoul's goons over a body that couldn't have had much blood left in it by now anyway. And then maybe I'd be the one who didn't come home. Ugh, but my throat burned! I clamped my teeth together to keep from screaming in pain. Diego darted through a trash-fil ed side al ey, and then – when he hit the dead end – up the wal . I dug my fingers into the crevices between the bricks and hauled myself up after him. On the rooftop, Diego took off, leaping lightly across the other roofs toward the lights shimmering off the sound. I stayed close. I was younger than he was, and therefore stronger – it was a good thing we younger ones were strongest, or we wouldn't have lived through our first week in Riley's house. I could have passed him easy, but I wanted to see where he was going, and I didn't want to have him behind me. Diego didn't stop for miles; we were almost to the industrial docks. I could hear him muttering under his breath. â€Å"Idiots! Like Riley wouldn't give us instructions for a good reason. Self-preservation, for example. Is an ounce of common sense so much to ask for?† â€Å"Hey,† I cal ed. â€Å"Are we going to hunt anytime soon? My throat's on fire here.† Diego landed on the edge of a wide factory roof and spun around. I jumped back a few yards, on my guard, but he didn't make an aggressive move toward me. â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"I just wanted some distance between me and the lunatics.† He smiled, al friendly, and I stared at him. This Diego guy wasn't like the others. He was kind of†¦ calm, I guess was the word. Normal. Not normal now, but normal before. His eyes were a darker red than mine. He must have been around for a while, like I'd heard. From the street below came the sounds of nighttime in a slummier part of Seattle. A few cars, music with heavy bass, a couple of people walking with nervous, fast steps, some drunk bum singing off-key in the distance. â€Å"You're Bree, right?† Diego asked. â€Å"One of the newbies.† I didn't like that. Newbie. Whatever. â€Å"Yeah, I'm Bree. But I didn't come in with the last group. I'm almost three months old.† â€Å"Pretty slick for a three-monther,† he said. â€Å"Not many would have been able to leave the scene of the accident like that.† He said it like a compliment, like he was real y impressed. â€Å"Didn't want to mix it up with Raoul's freaks.† He nodded. â€Å"Amen, sister. Their kind ain't nothing but bad news.† Weird. Diego was weird. How he sounded like a person having a regular old conversation. No hostility, no suspicion. Like he wasn't thinking about how easy or hard it might be to kil me right now. He was just talking to me. â€Å"How long have you been with Riley?† I asked curiously. â€Å"Going on eleven months now.† â€Å"Wow! That's older than Raoul.† Diego rol ed his eyes and spit venom over the edge of the building. â€Å"Yeah, I remember when Riley brought that trash in. Things just kept getting worse after that.† I was quiet for a moment, wondering if he thought everyone younger than himself was trash. Not that I cared. I didn't care what anybody thought anymore. Didn't have to. Like Riley said, I was a god now. Stronger, faster, better. Nobody else counted. Then Diego whistled low under his breath. â€Å"There we go. Just takes a little brains and patience.† He pointed down and across the street. Half-hidden around the edge of a purple-black al ey, a man was cussing at a woman and slapping her while another woman watched silently. From their clothes, I guessed that it was a pimp and two of his employees. This was what Riley had told us to do. Hunt the dregs. Take the humans that no one was going to miss, the ones who weren't headed home to a waiting family, the ones who wouldn't be reported missing. It was the same way he chose us. Meals and gods, both coming from the dregs. Unlike some of the others, I stil did what Riley told me to do. Not because I liked him. That feeling was long gone. It was because what he told us sounded right. How did it make sense to cal attention to the fact that a bunch of new vampires were claiming Seattle as their hunting ground? How was that going to help us? I didn't even believe in vampires before I was one. So if the rest of the world didn't believe in vampires, then the rest of the vampires must be hunting smart, the way Riley said to do it. They probably had a good reason. And like Diego'd said, hunting smart just took a little brains and patience. Of course, we al slipped up a lot, and Riley would read the papers and groan and yel at us and break stuff – like Raoul's favorite video-game system. Then Raoul would get mad and take somebody else apart and burn him up. Then Riley would be pissed off and he'd do another search to confiscate al the lighters and matches. A few rounds of this, and then Riley would bring home another handful of vampirized dregs kids to replace the ones he'd lost. It was an endless cycle. Diego inhaled through his nose – a big, long pul – and I watched his body change. He crouched on the roof, one hand gripping the edge. Al that strange friendliness disappeared, and he was a hunter. That was something I recognized, something I was comfortable with because I understood it. I turned off my brain. It was time to hunt. I took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of the blood inside the humans below. They weren't the only humans around, but they were the closest. Who you were going to hunt was the kind of decision you had to make before you scented your prey. It was too late now to choose anything. Diego dropped from the roof edge, out of sight. The sound of his landing was too low to catch the attention of the crying prostitute, the zoned-out prostitute, or the angry pimp. A low growl ripped from between my teeth. Mine. The blood was mine. The fire in my throat flared and I couldn't think of anything else. I flipped myself off the roof, spinning across the street so that I landed right next to the crying blonde. I could feel Diego close behind me, so I growled a warning at him while I caught the surprised girl by the hair. I yanked her to the al ey wal, putting my back against it. Defensive, just in case. Then I forgot al about Diego, because I could feel the heat under her skin, hear the sound of her pulse thudding close to the surface. She opened her mouth to scream, but my teeth crushed her windpipe before a sound could come out. There was just the gurgle of air and blood in her lungs, and the low moans I could not control. The blood was warm and sweet. It quenched the fire in my throat, calmed the nagging, itching emptiness in my stomach. I sucked and gulped, only vaguely aware of anything else. I heard the same noise from Diego – he had the man. The other woman was unconscious on the ground. Neither had made any noise. Diego was good. The problem with humans was that they just never had enough blood in them. It seemed like only seconds later the girl ran dry. I rattled her limp body in frustration. Already my throat was beginning to burn again. I threw the spent body to the ground and crouched against the wal, wondering if I could grab the unconscious girl and make off with her before Diego could catch up to me. Diego was already finished with the man. He looked at me with an expression that I could only describe as†¦ sympathetic. But I could have been dead wrong. I couldn't remember anyone ever giving me sympathy before, so I wasn't positive what it looked like. â€Å"Go for it,† he told me, nodding to the limp girl on the ground. â€Å"Are you kidding me?† â€Å"Naw, I'm good for now. We've got time to hunt some more tonight.† Watching him careful y for some sign of a trick, I darted forward and snagged the girl. Diego made no move to stop me. He turned away slightly and looked up at the black sky. I sank my teeth into her neck, keeping my eyes on him. This one was even better than the last. Her blood was entirely clean. The blonde girl's blood had the bitter aftertaste that came with drugs – I was so used to that, I'd barely noticed. It was rare for me to get real y clean blood, because I fol owed the dregs rule. Diego seemed to fol ow the rules, too. He must have smel ed what he was giving up. Why had he done it?

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Ethics of Euthanasia

Courtney Thorne Professor Chesire English 1100, Section 48 7 December 2012 Euthanasia One of the most hotly debated topics going on through the government is the one concerning the ethics of euthanasia also known as assisted suicide. Euthanasia comes from the Greek language meaning ‘Good death’. Euthanasia is suicide, but with the help of a doctor. The government and people argue about whether it should be legalized or not, this is because it can be seen as unethical and it taking the ills life.I think assisted suicide should be legal because we have the right and moral obligation to euthanize our beloved pets when they are suffering and in pain†¦ why are we not morally obligated to provide the same options for ourselves and our loved ones who have no quality of life? Euthanasia fascinates me because not much people of my age are aware of what it is exactly and how much that it could actually help out in the society if it was to be legalized. Euthanasia should be le galized we have ‘the peoples rights’, it cost more to keep someone on life support and it is a way out of unnecessary suffering for the ill.I was interested in researching this topic because I don’t think this topic gets as much attention as I think it should. I am all for assisted suicide and believe people should not be denied their wishes when they want to end their pain when they are terminally ill. However, I was open to learning more about the opposite stance and what the reasons for opposition were. Which I understand that some people are not for euthanasia, but with you reading my essay I hope to persuade you to take in some of my ideas that I will explain to you throughout my paper.I wondered how someone could just deny the peoples right of wanting to pass when they are terminally ill. There are two main kinds of euthanasia; one is voluntary euthanasia which refers to the action taken by the physician and the patient, who both agree to end the patient's life with an informed consent. Then there is involuntary euthanasia that refers to a third party taking a patient's life without the informed consent (like putting and animal down). There are more people for euthanasia than what I expected there too be.This graph shows the debate on whether people are for or against euthanasia. They selected random people and were asked whether they were for euthanasia becoming legal or not. Euthanasia should be legal to save the terminally ill from the unnecessary suffering they face and the families of the terminally ill. We all have our rights being an American, but our country sometimes does not agree with those rights like wanting the right to die. Being an American we should enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights, the right not to be forced to suffer.People who are terminally ill and know there is no life to look forward to should not have to live everyday suffering and make their family suffer with them by watchi ng them, if they want to die by assisted suicide they should be allowed that right and not deny it. I feel like if it was my family member suffering I would suffer watching them suffer and I don’t think that’s fair to me or my family. We use euthanasia on our animals as an act of kindness why can we give humans the same act of kindness and with their consent?Keeping someone alive against their will in my book is morally wrong, and assisted suicide should be legal for those that consent to die that way. People who do not understand the concept of what euthanasia is see it as being morally wrong. The government has set laws against euthanasia because they think they are trying to prevent abuse and to protect the people. People who are against euthanasia see it as an easy way out of their suffering. Most of us who do not understand what euthanasia is fully do not understand why it should be legal, and that when they hear â€Å"suicide† they automatically think â₠¬Å"bad†.Euthanasia is not about the right to die it is about the right to kill. I think the main argument for the support of euthanasia and assisted suicide is that people should have the right to control their life and death, and should be able to end their lives when they wish. People who are terminally ill tend to be on a machine to keep them alive. In this fact of matter is the doctor or the nurses are playing god to their patients by keeping them alive, on a machine. I think we should be able to play god for once and choose our death.For example someone with ALS who is on a machine breathing for them, the machine is keeping them alive and being their god. Why can’t they be their own god and decided if they want to die by assisted suicide? Keeping someone alive and playing god for them isn’t the ethical thing to do. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, better known as â€Å"Dr. Death† was one doctor known as playing the role of â€Å"god†. Dr Jack Kevorkian was the only doctor to let people have their dying wish. This is a passage from Terry Youk; Jack Kevorkian helped terry’s brother with assisted suicide. I of course felt that Jack [Kevorkian] never should have gone to prison I don't believe that the medical service that he provided my brother and others is a crime. I think people look back and see that Jack was the only person that was willing to stand up during a divisive time and fight for what should be a right for all human beings to have choices at the end of their life. I think Jack provided for people that had fallen through the cracks of the health care system a way to die with some peace and dignity. Ultimately, Jack Kevorkian was our only option†¦ I am very grateful to Jack Kevorkian.I feel like he was a compassionate practitioner for my brother at the end of his life. † Feb. 25, 2009 – Terry Youk. I think people should be their own god and choose their own path to death even if it means euthanasia ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s their choice and their consent. With this comes the cost of keeping someone on life support or a machine to help them breath. Life support can cost between $9,000 to $15,000 a year. Drugs for assisted suicide cost up to $45 for each death. So it’s cheaper to let someone die by assisted suicide and have their consent than to keep them on life support.The counter argument for this is clear that people who are not for the legalization of assisted suicide say that the only person that can play god is god himself. God is the only one who can make the decision on when the right time for us to die is. People think that assisted suicide is morally wrong and god has planned their life to be that way and lived that way. They say that god plans out your life for a certain reason and you should just live the way he has made it for you, even if that means suffering.This is a religious view of why euthanasia should not be legalized. Certain religions think that if you choose eutha nasia you will go to hell because god did not seek this out to be their path. â€Å"I am dying. There’s no sense and trying to deny that fact†. This is a quote is from Craig Ewert a patient that decided to die by euthanasia. Craig had ALS and decided he didn’t want to live a life where he couldn’t do anything for himself so he passed with assisted suicide. The way he died was the doctor provided him medicine to drink that would stop his heart.Assisted suicide may not be right in some people’s mind, but in reality the one choosing euthanasia isn’t harming anyone because it is their life and they should be in control of what they do without being judged. Euthanasia is a highly debated subject when it is talked about. Euthanasia should be legal to perform in the United States to end the suffering of the terminally ill, that do not want to live a life where they can’t do anything but suffer and watch the ones they love suffer because they are suffering.Making it legal also gives us more of a people’s choice and us to play or own god and not have someone else make the decisions for us. Euthanasia in my point of view should be legal because it is morally wrong to deny someone their wish in dying and taking their rights from them. Work Cited International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions,† www. internationaltaskforce. org, Jan. 2010 â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions,† www. nternationaltaskforce. org (accessed May 27, 2010) â€Å"Statement on Euthanasia,† on www. usccb. org, Sep. 12, 1991 â€Å" Terry Youk,† http://euthanasia. procon. org/view. source. php? sourceID=009779 , April 28th. 2010 Stephanie Clayton. â€Å"This House Believes that assisted suicide should be legalized. † idebate. org. 16 Feb 2012. idebate. org, Web. 26 Oct 2012. http://idebate. org/debatabase/debates/philosophy/house-believes- assisted-suicide-should-be-legalized