Discussion Forum 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Forum 4 - Essay Example In this regard, this paper discusses appropriate solutions to the problem of brownouts using a combination of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, supporting the proposed solution on both economic and environmental grounds. Fundamentally, the non-renewable energy sources, which are the most commonly exploited energy sources, normally deplete at their respective deposits (Walker, 2010). This means that the continued exploitation of the non-renewable sources is not sustainable as compared to the renewable energy sources (Heinberg, 2004). The major sources of non-renewable energy include fossil fuels whose deposits cannot guarantee the energy demands of the future generations. On the other hand, renewable energy sources such as nuclear, hydro, wind and solar energy play an important role in ensuring that the world attains a sustainable energy exploitation and use (Johnston & Master, 2004).   Unfortunately, the non-renewable energy sources are heading for depletion leading to rampant situations of brownouts. This is particularly so because the current level of exploitation of the renewable energy sources is not adequate to meet the global demand (Johnston & Master, 2004). This is despite the fact that major players channel enormous amounts of resources to the project each year in attempts to promote the use of cleaner energy for both domestic and industrial purposes. In addition, brownouts occur majorly because a vast majority of the energy created is lost through wastage rather than conservation (Walker, 2010). In this regard, the best suggestion would be that the world be more cautious with the non-renewable energy due to the numerous environmental challenges such as waste disposal and interruption to the ecosystem. An approach that leans towards storing energy would work best for many countries in the reduction of cases of brownouts

American Dream by James Truslow Essay Example for Free

American Dream by James Truslow Essay The ‘American dream’ is a term coined by James Truslow in his 1932 book Epic of America, but it is a concept as old as America itself: anything is possible if only the individual is willing to work hard. The dream draws immigrants to our shores and borders every year and keeps millions of Americans content in the idea that their toiling will pave the way to success for them and for their children. However, for every rags-to-riches story, there are thousands of other hard-working people who cannot get by, who do not have enough to eat, transportation, safe housing, or warm clothes in winter. There is much evidence that the American dream is little more than a myth, a false promise that keeps millions of people working themselves weary for a better tomorrow that will never come. The American dream is the promise of the Declaration of Independence, which indicates that our â€Å"inalienable rights† are â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† There is no single American dream, but Adams defines the concept in its most dignified sense: [It is the] dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†¦a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which that are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (qtd. In Ferenz) The lure of America for immigrants and the promise to its citizens is that, as Adams indicates, the individual is not held back by circumstances, but through individual efforts can pursue and attain whatever personal brand of happiness he or she desires. In the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt recognized the part the federal government needed to play in keeping the American dream alive-no longer was hard work the only factor involved in ensuring an acceptable standard of living. Under his administration, a number of social programs were put into place to help Americans achieve the dream, which Roosevelt described as â€Å"sufficiency of life, rather than†¦a plethora of riches [and] good health, good food, good education, good working conditions† (qtd. In Muir). Owing to these principles, Roosevelt’s New Deal included the Social Security Act, Fair Labor Standards Act that banned child labor and established a minimum wage, and a variety of programs that put Americans to work in civil service (Successes 4-6). Roosevelt’s programs and World War II helped drag the nation out of the Great Depression, but were not permanent solutions in making the American dream possible for all Americans. By the 1960’s, one in five Americans were living in poverty, and in his first State of the Union address in 1964, Lyndon Johnson declared, â€Å"an unconditional war on poverty in America.† (qtd. In Quindlen 1) Johnson, too, understood that the American dream was one not attainable through hard work alone. As Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, notes in her 2004 editorial, â€Å"from [Johnson’s] declaration a host of government initiatives sprang, including Head Start, an expended food-stamp program, and sweeping reforms in health care for the needy† (Quindlen 2). Unfortunately, in spite of the attempts of Roosevelt, Johnson, and others to lend a hand to those Americans who need it most, the feeling that the poor are responsible for their own troubles always seems to creep its way back into the American mind. We’ve all heard the rumors that the poor are lazy, that welfare is just n excuse not to get a job. Quindlen comments that â€Å"part of the problem with a war on poverty today is that many Americans have decided that being poor is a character defect, not an economic condition† (Quindlen 2). Public policy of the last few decades seems to follow this line of thinking: the Federal minimum wage has not risen since 1997 even as welfare reform movements have forced millions of people, many single parents, off public assistance and into minimum wage jobs. Quindlen argues that â€Å"forty years after Johnson led the charge, the battle against poverty still rages. The biggest differences today if that there is no call to arms by those in power† (Quindlen 1). How does this shift in American policy affect the status of the American dream? Can we still call ourselves the land of opportunity when the American dream eludes so many of our citizens? Should the American dream exist and is it really worth it to try and live by the dream? In July 2000, Mortimer Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U.S. News and World Report, wrote an essay about the success of the American dream. Zuckerman claims that â€Å"it is a dream on individual effort-talent, ambition, risk-taking, readiness to change, and just plain hard work-qualities that count more in America than social background of luck† (Zuckerman 120). That is a perspective that Zuckerman, a billionaire whose biography on the U.S. News and World Report website boasts he has substantial real-estate holdings, including properties in Boston, New York, Washington, and San Francisco can afford to have. The reality for most Americans, however, is not nearly so great. It is a reality where social background and luck play far too large a part in achieving the American dream. Two articles written a decade apart demonstrate that bitter reality. In USA Today in 1996, Charles Whalen writes that â€Å"beneath the misleading surface prosperity [of the 1990s] are numerous alarming trends,† among them â€Å"relentless downsizing, longer job searches and sluggish job creation, explosive growth in contingent work (part-time and temporary employment), and wage stagnation† (Whalen 2-3). One would be hard=pressed to find a list that better demonstrates the part luck plays in securing steady employment. Whalen also cites a survey, ironically conducted for U.S. News and World Report, that indicates â€Å"57% of those asked said that the American dream is out of reach for most families† (qtd. in Whalen 2). In 2006 in the Chicago Sun-Times, Clyde Murphy cites a â€Å"new report released by the Opportunity Agenda [that] measures the nation’s progress in living up to the American dream.† The findings? â€Å"That millions of Americans do not have a fair chance to achieve their full potential, despite their best efforts† (Murphy 33). Two of the reasons cited by the study are housing discrimination against blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are employment discrimination against women and minorities, which included favoring job candidates with â€Å"white-sounding† names. These findings clearly refute Zuckerman’s claim, demonstrating that background does in fact count more in America than individual effort when it comes to achieving certain aspects of the American dream. Another dubious claim in Zuckerman’s essay is that â€Å"anybody who wishes to work has the opportunity to move from the bottom of the ladder to a middle-class standard of life, or higher† (Zuckerman 120). As award-winning journalist Barbara Ehrenreich notes in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform â€Å"assumed that a job was the ticket out of poverty and that the only thing holding back welfare recipients was their reluctance to get out and get one† (Ehrenreich 196). As a wealth of evidence suggests, this is the fundamental misperception surrounding the American dream. In her 2003 editorial A New Kind of Poverty, Anna Quindlen argues â€Å"America is a country that now sits atop a precarious latticework of myth. It is the myth that working people can support their families† (Quindlen 2). Quindlen interviews two women who run services for the homeless and impoverished in New York City, ant they note that more often they are seeing working families in dire need of their help. Indeed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 report on poverty, America’s poverty rate has been climbing, from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 12.7 percent in 2004, the latest for which data is available. This translates into 37 million people who live below the poverty line. This is further complicated, however, by the way that the Census Bureau calculates the poverty level. Barbara Ehrenreich explains that â€Å"[it] is still calculated by the archaic method of taking the bare-bones cost of food for a family of a given size and multiplying that number by th ree. Yet food is relatively inflation-proof† (Ehrenreich 200). This method results in a base calculation of $9,310 for one person, with $3,180 added for each additional person in the household. As anyone who has ever lived on his or her own understands, those poverty calculations are very low. Ehrenreich points out that â€Å"the Economic Policy Institute recently reviewed dozens of studies of what constitutes a ‘living wage’ and came up with an average figure of $30,000 for a family of one adult and two children† (Ehrenreich 213). When compared to the federal poverty calculation of $15,670, the gap becomes glaringly apparent. Anna Quindlen explains â€Å"when you adjust the level to reflect reality, you come closer to 35 percent of all Americans who are having a hard time providing the basics for their families† (Quindlen 2). As pioneering psychologist Abraham Maslow’s research reveals, psychological and safety needs-the â€Å"basics† referred to by Quindlen, such as food and housing-must be fulfilled before other needs, core components of the American dream such as belongingness and self-esteem, can be met (Abraham 2). This creates a basic gap between those who can reach for the American dream and those who cannot; if all someone’s energy is focused on providing food and shelter, there is nothing left to reach for higher goals. In a 2002 essay What’s So Great About America? Dinesh D’Souza, an Indian immigrant, makes assertions that demonstrate some common misconceptions about Americans meeting our basic needs. â€Å"The United States is a country where the ordinary guy has a good life,† (D’Souza 23). He even goes so far to say that â€Å"very few people in America have to wonder where their next meal is coming from† (D’Souza 23). Sadly, this is not true. Quindlen indicates â€Å"the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that 1.6 million New Yorkers†¦suffer from ‘food insecurity,’ which is just a fancy way of saying they do not have to enough to eat† (Quindlen 1). Ehrenreich reports that â€Å"according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 67 percent of the adults requesting emergency food aid are people with jobs† (Ehrenreich 219). Two other basic needs, safe housing and health care, are also beyond the reach of many Americans. â€Å"When the rich and the poor compete for housing on the open market,† writes Ehrenreich, â€Å"the poor don’t stand a chance. The rich can always outbid them, buy up their tenements and trailer parks, and replace them with†¦whatever they like† (Ehrenreich 199). This is exaggerated by the fact that â€Å"expenditures on public housing have fallen since the 1980s, and the expansion of public rental subsidies came to a halt in the 1990s† (Ehrenreich 201). Health care is another sad story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans with no health insurance has been slowly rising, arriving at 15.7 percent in 2004, and as Quindlen observes, â€Å"poor kids are much more likely to become sick than their counterparts, but much less likely to have health insurance. Talk about a double whammy† (Quindlen 1). How can families dream big an d plan for the future as they worry about whether the next month will bring eviction or illness? Two people in particular have put a human face on the statistical evidence that the American dream remains out of reach for millions of hard-working Americans. At the urging of her editor at Harper’s magazine, Barbara Ehrenreich undertook a yearlong undercover investigation of living on low-wage jobs in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. She waited tables, worked as a maid, and worked at Wal-Mart, never revealing her statue as a reported, but keeping careful private diaries documenting the details of her experience. In spite of working at least full-time, usually more, she was unable to get by. The most heartbreaking part of her journey, however, was the people she met, women who were not just experimenting with the low-wage life, but who were trapped by it. They were women who were victims of the affordable housing shortage, who lived in cars, or if they were lucky, weekly rental motel rooms. They walked, rode bikes, or bummed rides to work. Certainly among those who experience food insecurity, they skipped meals or ate nutritionally void foods like hot dog buns because they couldn’t afford to eat. They were women with raw hands and sore backs, balancing two or more jobs who would never, in spite of their work ethic, move off that bottom rung of the social ladder. In a similar experiment, Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame) and his fiancà ©e lived on minimum wage for thirty days in Columbus, Ohio and recorded the results for the premiere episode of his television series 30 Days. As Spurlock works eighteen-hour days making at least $7.50 per hour and Alex works for minimum wage at a coffee house, the pair is faced with a host of challenges that mirror the everyday trials of the working poor. Emergency room visits for a urinary tract infection and a sprained wrist cost them $1,217. D’Souza correctly comments that in America, â€Å"even sick people who don’t have money or insurance will receive medical care at hospital emergency rooms† (D’Souza 23), but he fails to take into account that suck care generates bills are equivalent to six weeks’ of full time minimum wage work. The most affordable housing they could find, a steal at $325 per month, has ant infestations, malfunctioning heat, and is upstairs from an apartment that was a crack house just the week before. Furthermore, their relationship is strained by the stress that results from the constant worrying about money. At the end of the month they find themselves hundreds of dollars in the hole, by permanently changed by their experience. When taken together, the accounts of Ehrenreich and Spurlock offer powerful insight into the everyday struggles of the working poor, those who are anything but lazy but still find themselves drowning financially, the American dream slipping further away all the time. Dinesh D’Souza claims that â€Å"in America your destiny is not prescribed. Your life is like a blank sheet of paper and you are the artist† (D’Souza 24). It is difficult to believe, however, that the millions of working poor are not trying to create a better destiny for themselves, only to find their dreams let down by the harsh realities of daily life. So why is the American dream still suck a pervasive part of our consciousness, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that hard work is not the ticket to prosperity, or even necessarily to a comfortable standard of living? In his â€Å"Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of the Right,† Karl Marx wrote that â€Å"religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for the real happiness† (qtd in Cline). Marx’s clever observation is that religion, in keeping the focus on the afterlife, keeps people from demanding fair treatment in this world. D’Souza suggests, however, that â€Å"capitalism gives America a this-worldly focus that allows death and the afterlife to recede from everyday view†¦the gaze of the people is shifted to earthly progress† (D’Souza 25). If this the case, why is it that we are not more aware of (and enraged about!) the decided lack of â€Å"earthly progress† of so many of our friends and neighbors? Some believe that it is because the American dream has taken the place of religion as today’s â€Å"opiate of the masses.† So long as we all believe that there is a better life ahead, that is we only work harder, our dreams are within reach, it is easy to be lulled into satisfaction about the inequality that is so common in America today. Barbara Ehrenreich predicts that someday the working poor â€Å"are bound to tire of getting so little in return [for their labor] and to demand to be paid what they’re worth† (Ehrenreich 221). Some challenge, echoing Marx, that Ehrenreich’s predication will not come true until the American dream, â€Å"the illusory happiness of the people,† is abolished in favor of a more realistic world view that recognizes that more than hard work, a hel ping hand is needed to make America truly the land of opportunity. From the survey that I took in class, 14 out of 20 people were surveyed and said that they to, disagree that the American dream should exist. They believe as well that there should be a more realistic view in society that allows you to get what you work for. Of the people that did agree, most were people between the ages of 18 and 21, people who have not yet, most likely gotten out into the real world to experience what type of life they can actually work for. If you too, disagree with the American dream, I ask you to go to this website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/the-american-dream-is-not-for-rent , sign the petition, and keep working hard at what you do! Work Cited â€Å"Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.† Shippensberg University Website. Sept. 2005: 2-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Cline, Austin. â€Å"Karl Marx on Religion.† About.com. 5 Apr. 2006: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. D’Souza, Dinesh. â€Å"What’s So Great About America?† The American Enterprise. May 2002: 22-25. Print. Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.† New York: Owl Books. 2002: 20-38. Print. Ferenz, Kathleen. â€Å"What is the American Dream?† San Francisco State University Online Web Site. 31 Mar. 2005: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. Muir, Ed. â€Å"Narrowing the Highway to the American Dream.† American Teacher. Oct. 2004: 25. Print. Murphy, Clyde. â€Å"When Opportunity Knocks, It Skips Over Some Adresses.† Chicago Sun-Times. 14 Feb. 2006: 33. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"A New Kind of Poverty.† Newsweek. 1 Dec. 2003: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"The War We Haven’t Won.† Newsweek. 20 Sep. 2004: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. â€Å"Successes and Failures of Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ Programs.† Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services Web Site. 10 Mar. 2006: 4-6. 16 June 2009. U.S Census Bureau. 2005 Poverty Press Release. 30 Aug. 2005: n.pag. 16 June 2009. Whalen, Charles J. â€Å"The Age of Anxiety: Erosion of the American Dream.† USA Today. Sep. 1996: 1-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Zuckerman, Mortimer. â€Å"A Time to Celebrate.† U.S. News and World Report. 17 Jul. 2000: 120. Print.

Absence of True Love in Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and Boyles Astro

Absence of True Love in Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Boyle's Astronomer's Wife Most people in today's society have been in love or will be in love sometime in their life. I am not talking about little crushes that we call love; I am talking about that love that makes us tingle when we think about it, true love. Most people are looking for their true love, but what they are basing this love on is their idea of the ideal love. Ideal love is what we think love should be or what it should feel like. My idea of ideal love is when you want to be with the same person everyday and never get tired of them. Every time you see each other you get that same warm, tingly feeling you got the first time you saw each other. Although everyone has their own idea what the ideal love should be, they are all basing it on the idea of true love. For example, the saying "Love Conquers All" simply states that if you have love in your life you can make it through anything. The stories "Astronomer's Wife," by Kay Boyle, and "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, bot h show that without love in a marriage there is a lifetime of heartache and pain. "The Yellow Wallpaper" and the "Astronomer's Wife" both portray the idea that over time lust and love that is not true love fades. Both of these stories are based on marriages where love is nonexistent. There may have been some form of love or affection in the beginning, but it was not true love. Neither of the marriages in these stories have the warmth and comfort that is usually associated in marriage. In "The Yellow Wallpaper" the marriage is more like a doctor-patient relationship rather than a husband-wife relationship. The marriage in the "Astronomer's Wife" is more l... ...rue love, the one that makes you tingle, will never work. The two marriages in these stories did not have true love, they may have been in love at the time but it was not lasting love that is why they ended in heartache and pain. When one is looking for true love or they think they might have found it, remember that their true love is based on their idea of the ideal love. Also, if things get rough in the relationship, or life in general, remember the saying "Love Conquers All". Works Cited Boyle, Kay. "Astronomer's Wife." Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays. Fourth Edition. Ed. Judith A. Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 619-623. Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems Plays, and Essays. Fourth Edition. Ed. Judith A. Stanford. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 604-616.

How Attitude Shapes Our Life Essay

We have very often heard people saying that Attitude is how one shapes his or her life. Now what exactly is Attitude? Attitude is basically how one assesses on factors like people, objects, issues or events. They could either be positive or negative, that depends on how one views the situation. Based on researches, it has been understood that there are several components that makes up a persons attitude. The components could be like for example, an emotional component where based on your emotions is how a situation or person is being valued. Another component is the cognitive component where in it is based n your thoughts and believes of the subject. And the last component is the behavioral component and this is one important component as it influences our behaviour. Attitudes that influence or behaviors could also include the explicit and implicit. Explicit attitude are those that e are constantly aware and influence our thoughts and believes. The Implicit attitude is something that is unconscious, but it could also influence your behavior. Attitudes get formed from experience. They are formed over the years either from observation or from experience. They can be learned in a variety of ways. Even a simple dvertisement could influence you and may even have a change on your thoughts about a particular product. This kind of attitude formation is known as classical conditioning. Another kind of conditioning is the Operant Conditioning where the attitude develops from other people’s thinking. Sometimes people around us could make an impact on our behavior and change ourselves. And finally attitudes could be developed by observing people around us. A simple example of this kind of attitude development is, kids trying to be what their parents are. This is just observation and imitation, that develops into an ttitude later. Attitude does influence ones behavior. Studies have shown that people behave according to their attitude under certain conditions. Condition like when expecting a favorable outcome, due to personal experience are some of the examples. Attitudes could be changed. Attitudes do impact our behavior, but they are not imposed on stone within us. They could be changed for betterment. Attitudes could be changed in two ways. Either they get motivated or they get influenced. In both the ways they do think about the messages that they have observed and this could mark a difference in their way of hinking. Scenarios in life could be made good or worse, based on ones attitude to the situation. Even if you are in a very bad situation, and you hold a positive attitude, you may come out, however even if you are in a moderate situation and you hold a negative attitude, you could worsen the situation and create discomfort not only for you, but for people around you. In short, Attitude is like magnet. Possessing good Attitude attracts all positives in your life and Bad Attitude attracts all negatives in your life. It is you who decides what you want and could change accordingly. After all, attitude Matters!

Labeled behavior Essay

After his release from Wiltwyck, Butch lived with his dad in a run-down tenement in the Bronx. Butch admired his father for his criminal exploits and his time imprison. Butch’s dad got drunk a lot and beat on Butch. Life degenerated into a nightmare and a series of tragedies for Butch. Rather than continue to live being beaten, Butch robbed a taxi driver at knife point and turned himself in to the police. The robbery was also part of his dream to become a real criminal. It was as if going to prison was the only future he could envision. Butch imploded from all the terrible forces within him, including his shattered home life and the terror of living by the code of the street. He became violently angry without provocation and acted as if he were mentally retarded. He claimed to hear voices and tried to choke another boy. Butch was sent to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation. The psychiatrist evaluating him found him seething with anger and ready to explode at any moment. Butch was also lonely and needed someone to love. Nevertheless, he was capable of explosive, homicidal behavior. He was labeled as having childhood schizophrenia, which psychiatrists at the time assigned to anyone hallucinating or claiming to hear voices. At age 14, Butch was sent to Rockland State Hospital. Butch became calmer there when he was removed from his parents’ troubles. A social worker discovered that his mother Marie was a prostitute and his father James, an alcoholic, was in the advanced stages of syphilis. The author speculates that congenital syphilis may have contributed to the family’s troubles. The psychiatrists at Rockland State Hospital diagnosed Butch as having childhood antisocial behavior marked by irritability, inattentiveness, and impulsivity. In adults, the syndrome is known as psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. Discussion: (1) Heredity Study — For the first time a family history of congenital syphilis is noticed. The disease attacks the brain. Personality changes are another symptom. There is no way to know whether or not Butch was suffering from congenital or contracted syphilis and its effects without blood tests on him and the other family members. From the family history, this is a distinct possibility even back to slavery days. (2) Differential Opportunity Theory — People deprived of their basic needs such as food, water, shelter, safety, love, and self esteem will seek them any way they can get them. They may give up on their educational goals or not know about them. They fight because they know no other means of resolving conflict. After being beaten by his alcoholic father, Butch turned to crime to return to prison, a place where he would be safe, because he did not know how to escape legally. This theory fails to explain why other people in the same situation escape to live with other family members or turn to friends or some other source of safety other than commit a crime in order to return to prison. (3) Crime and Labeling Theory – Butch’s grandmother Frances has repeatedly told him he has the devil in him, like his father did. She really believed this. He is labeled at the Children’s Center when he begins to hear voices and hallucinate. He is sent to Wiltwyck, which is a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys, and he is given that label. He is labeled as paranoid, aggressive, and prone to violence. Once these labels are attached by professional diagnosticians, it is difficult to remove them. The labels themselves cannot explain Butch’s actions or why he hears voices and hallucinates. The labels describe what Butch says is happening. Example of Behavior #3: Butch tries to sell 150 pornographic pictures and their negatives to Dave Hurwitz in his pawnshop, called â€Å"Dave’s Tailor Shop†, in Milwaukee. Butch stole the pictures from his employer, the Evans Color Lab, which saw no reason to report the crime. Hurwitz told Butch to come back tomorrow, and he would pay him $50 for the pictures. The next morning, Butch confronts Dave, who denies all knowledge of the pictures. Butch sees his photos behind the case register and reaches around to reclaim them. Hurwitz starts pushing him out of the shop. Everything in Butch’s life comes together. Here is a man calling him a liar, trying to hustle HIM, and insulting him. Since he was a boy, he had learned that disrespect was the worst thing a man could do to you. He had been taught to use physical violence to meat that threat. The thought running through Butch’s mind was, â€Å"He is disrespecting me. † Butch goes wild with rage and grabs the long hunting knife from the sheath on his back. He stabs Hurwitz six times and a customer, William Locke, six times before he leaves, almost running over a witness at the door. Butch turns himself in, confesses to the police, never requests a lawyer, and receives life in prison, returning to the only safe place he knows. Discussion: (1) Heredity Study – We do not know if Butch’s genetics predisposed him to crime. There are no blood studies confirming the hereditary syphilis. There are many people with genetic abnormalities who do not become criminal. It is obvious that Butch has now learned he is safe in prison, and that the security there fits his needs. If genetics were involved, Butch’s male ancestors should exhibit the same behavior. The theory is not testable here. There is no way to ask Butch why he feels this way. It also does not explain his uncontrollable rage when the pawnbroker tries to avoid paying him. (2) Differential Opportunity Theory – Butch has access both to a job and to illegal means of making a living. He stole from his employer and continued his life of crime despite the better example and the trade he learned. Not all people with a trade and a job take advantage of their employers, even if their family male role models are criminals. (3) Crime and Labeling Theory – By now, Butch has been labeled by professionals as a young sociopath. This describes behavior but cannot stop it or predict it. This is a circular path. A person who is labeled as a sociopath will behave as one and the label will be confirmed. Sometimes no other reasons are sought for criminal behavior. The adult Butch has received no therapy or other treatment for any of his labeled behavior.

Football Versus Footbal †English Contrast Essay

Football Versus Footbal – English Contrast Essay Free Online Research Papers Football Versus Footbal English Contrast Essay Since ancient times human beings have developed ways of training their bodies; firstly as a manner of being strong, then as a way of becoming integral developed human beings and fulfill the â€Å"healthy body, healthy mind† principle and finally as a way of having fun healthily, developing as an individual, being able to work as a team member and staying healthy as well. There are numerous sport disciplines, in which individuals can develop and strengthen their physical abilities such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, basketball, tennis, etc; even though, there is specially one which evokes great passion worldwide called football. Nevertheless, this generic name is used to identify several quite different sport disciplines, but the most famous ones are football or soccer and American football. Both have the same objective, both mean a lot to their fans and in both their star players are well paid; though, they differ from one another in their essence, this means the way they are played and issues such as pitch measurements and match time, players` role and equipment, ball itself and penalties. As a similarity, the two sports have the same grounds and are big sources of entertainment. The object of both sports, like most other games of football, is to advance the ball towards the opponent`s end of the field and score more points than the opposite team in a period of time. Besides, the most exciting moment of the game is definitely scoring goals. This is what makes people to become fans and incorporate the sport into their lives; football fans do whatever they can in order to support their team(s) for instance: watching their team on TV or alive, buying shirts and caps, watching the sport section on TV or reading it in the newpapers. As a consequence of this fanaticism, famous and wealthy teams are constantly hiring famous players and paying them exorbitant wages. Both sports have very well known stars such as Ronaldo, Ronaldià ±o, Beckham and Zidane in football and Donovan McNab, Terrell Owens, and Payton Maning in American football; they earn millions of doll ars every season, besides most of them are paid by working on advertisements for famous sportwear such as Nike, Adidas, ect. In contrast, both games differ in style. These sports are played in different ways. Football is a ball game played with the feet, but players may use any part of their body except their hands and arms to propel the ball; the exceptions to this is the goalkeeper, who is the only player allowed to handle the ball in the field. On the contrary, American football is a ball game played with the arms, this means players may carry the ball, throw it or handle it from one teammate to the other and placekick it. Another difference lies in the pitch measurements. A football field must be rectangular and have two goal posts at each side, its length should be in the range of 90-120m. and the width between 45-90m. Near to the goalposts there is an area called â€Å"penalty area.† On the other hand, an American football pitch must be a rectangular of 110m. long by 49 m. wide; the field is crossed every 4.55m. by lines called â€Å" yard lines† and there are two goal posts outside de marked area. Moreover, the period of time involve in both sports is unlike. A football match consists of two periods, known as halves, of 45 minutes each; there is usually a 15-minute break between halves, known as half time; the end of the match is known as full-time. In some tournaments if a match is tied at the end, it is necessary to play extra time, this means two 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, the use of penalty shootouts is allowed. Differently, it is the case of an American football game which consists of four quarters of 15-minute, with a halftime after the second quarter. If a game is tied after four quarters, the teams play another 15 minutes. The first team that scores wins; if neither team scores, the game is a tie. Another difference is established by the elements that are used in these sports. Even though, both sports need eleven players on the field; their equipment and roles are different.. In football, players are required to wear a shirt, shorts, socks or stockings, footwear and adequate shin guards. About their roles, there are four positions in which players are strategically placed by the coach: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards; each one of the players generally plays in the same position; besides, the team is leaded by a Captain. Contrarily, in American football players protect themselves using three kinds of protection: head protection which includes the helmet, jaw pads, face mask, mouth piece And chin strap; body protection such as neck roll, shoulders pads, shock pads, rib pads, arm pads, elbow pads, lineman glovers and receiver glovers and finally leg protection as hip and tailbone pads, girdle, thigh and knee pads, football pants and football cleats. In relat ion to its players` role, a team is divided into three specialized separate units: the offensive team, the defensive team, and the special teams; which are all lead by a field marshal. In the same way, both sports are played with different types of balls. On one hand, football uses a sphere shape ball which is made up from synthetic leather and it has a diameter of 22 m approximately. There are various types of it for instance: proffesional balls, indoors balls, promotional balls, etc. and four different sizes and weights according to the players` age. On the other hand, American football uses a pointed oval shape ball which is made up of four pieces of leather stitched together. It is about 28 cm. long and about 18 cm. in diameter at its center. It could be made either of rubber or plastic. Lastly, in both sport referees have different ways of showing a misconduct or fault to the audience. In football referees show a caution (yellw card) or a sending off (red card) while in American football they thow a yellow handkerchief on the ground. In conclusion, it is easy to appreciate both sports have their own charm. On one side, football is an sport easy to play, it does not require to much equipment, it is mostly about ability and it does not need a special field or ball. On the other side, American football represents a discipline in which force is everything, a possibility of learning a new game system and an illusion of wearing a big equipment. However, it is also easy to figure out why football is and will always be the most popular team sport in the world, because of its simplicity, you only need a ball and the will to play. Research Papers on Football Versus Footbal - English Contrast EssayThe Hockey GameTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHip-Hop is ArtRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office SystemWhere Wild and West MeetBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X

A Moment Of Silence In Schools Essays - Prayer, School Prayer

A Moment Of Silence In Schools Essays - Prayer, School Prayer A 'Moment of Silence' in Schools In 1962 the Supreme Court decided that public schools did not have the power to authorize school prayer. This decision made public school in the U.S. more atheistic than many European nations. For example, crosses still hang on the classroom walls in Poland, and the Ten Commandments are displayed in Hungary. There are prayers held at the beginning of legislative and judicial sessions and every President has mentioned a divine power in his inaugural speech. In keeping with a spirit of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment, there is no reason why students should not be allowed to have a moment of silence during the school day when they can pray or do as they choose. The case Engel v. Vitale in 1962 decided that school prayer is unconstitutional. With this case, it was pointed out that the students were to "voluntarily" recite the following prayer: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country." The court ruled that this rule was unconstitutional according to the First Amendment's "establishment clause," which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." In response to the Engel v. Vitale case some schools adopted a "moment of silence." In 1963, another case was brought before the court dealing with school prayer, Abington School District v. Schempp. The Schempp family challenged a law in Pennsylvania requiring the students to say ten verses of the Bible before school. These readings from the Bible were declared unconstitutional. Members of the board felt reading the Bible would give the children more moral values. The Schempp family strongly disagreed. Members of Congress attempted to find a compromise. From this effort came the adoption of the moment of silence, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment's "Free Exercise" clause. Six states now permit silent moments Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. Silent prayer was ruled constitutional in 1985 as long as it had no religious intent or purpose. (Newsweek, October 3, 1994) Prayer has been banned in schools for thirty-three years. The moment of silence has been ruled constitutional, however. Every student fills a moment of silence in a different way: through song, a prayer, or a memory. - References Newsweek, October 3, 1994, vol. 124. U.S. News and World Report, December 5, 1995 Vol. 117, No. 22, pg. 8-9. The Case of Engel v. Vitale 370 U.S. 421 1962, p. 118-119. Abington School District v. Schempp 374 U.S. 203; 83 S. Ct. 1560; 10 L. Ed. 2d 844 1963, pg. 529-530.