The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values Essay

The Changing Composition of Workforce and Values - Essay Example Technological inventions have over time become a daily affair. In as much as it is aimed at simplifying operations, it is not an easy task for employees trying to keep up with the pace as refresher courses come in handy so as to acquaint them with the technology nature of the workforce. Work in current times is thus based more on practical skills so as to handle the digital operations. Unlike in the past, there is more emphasize on team work in the current workforce making social skills essential. Again resulting from technological advances, the world has become a small place as business connecting the entire world can be carried out from a central time hence making work flexible and itinerant. This eventually results in a more time conscious setting as locations of both client and service providers do not matter. The workforce is flooded with more learned employees resulting from advancements in education unlike in the past. Due to increasing service demands, the workforce is a rather competitive with customer satisfaction being the priority of operations. Technological advances have over time led to a decrease in labor due to the digital migration of the workforce operations. consequently, unlike in the past when employees were guaranteed of life-long career opportunities as well as secure jobs, employees in the current workforce risk losing their jobs to technology. Competition, the rapid rise in meeting client, often demands lead to frequent changes and aligning operations to suit demands and beat the competition. Values at the workforce are those guiding ideologies that are vital in governing how operations are carried out. They help in guiding the company in making ultimate decisions for their business and knowing what is best for pushing up profits as well as maintaining solid clientele basis. They are a mere reflection of the workforce and an easy point out of the company profile (Glickman, 1982). A

Sociology research term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology research term paper - Essay Example Some academics believe that stratification is the difference between equality and inequality, elitism and non elitism. Stratification introduces the idea of "hierarchy" into society. Social hierarchy can be based on the possession of different qualities in different communities, and some societies are more equal than others, but none can ever be completely unstratified as there will always be inequalities in certain areas, due to individual differences. However, in contradiction to this anthropologists have confirmed that social stratification is not as universal as once thought. Non-stratified egalitarian societies exist which have little or no concept of social hierarchy, political or economic status, class, or even permanent leadership. Also known as acephalous (or "headless") societies, the best examples of egalitarian cultures all have hunter-gatherer economies, although not all hunter-gatherers can be considered egalitarian. In modern western society such as in the US, UK and Europe we live within a stratification system. David Grunsky describes a stratification system as; " the constellation of social institutions that generate observed inequalities." (523) The "observed inequalities" referred to generally points towards the unequally distributed resources in our society; privileged families receiving a disproportionate level of power, prestige and other valued resources. A common place saying that "money goes to money" perhaps therefore actually derives from an accepted creditable sociological theory / observation. Grunsky highlights that the three key components of a stratification system are: 1. Institutional processes that define certain types of goals as valuable and desirable. 2. The rules of allocation that distribute those goals across various occupations. 3. The mechanisms of mobility that link individuals to positions and generate inequalities. Inequality is thus produced by 'matching' systems; of occupation and social role to reward packages of unequal value and then the allocation of positions to individual society members to the defined positions and rewarded accordingly (Grunsky, 523) The stratification system is very complex and multidimensional. Many types of reward can be attached to certain social roles and different sociologist theorist would advocate differing factors / rewards as being pivotal in creating social stratification. Factors which can be used to create a social hierarchy / stratified group include economic, political, cultural, social honorific, civil and human factors. There are different types of stratification systems, each dependant on a differing factor. Examples include: Tribalism within a hunting and gathering society, created by human factors such as hunting and magic skills. Slavery within a horticultural and agrarian society, created by economic factors (human property). A Caste society created by honorific and cultural factors (Hinduism) And, most relevant in Western industrial society: A Class system created by economic factors and supported by Classical and Liberalism ideology. Socialism created by political factors and supported by Marxism and Leninism ideology. (Meyer, 523) In modern industrialised society there is a class system in operation, as a stratification system it is generally acknowledged as a system of inequality. The class system of stratification is the source of

To what extent Essay Example for Free

To what extent Essay For Romans, religion and politics were inseparable, for example, priests were always senators. Augustus needed to be seen as an emperor if he wanted to be one, he used religion to do this; a religious figure would never have been challenged, they were respected and obeyed. When Augustus became pontifex maximus in 12 BC he became, not only the saecular head of the Roman Empire, but the religious leader as well. Augustus used religion to reorganise the state, establish his own legislations and revive old festivals and ceremonies. However, although the advantages to himself were clear, he needed to be aware of Caesar’s fate and not offend tradition. Augustus knew that he had to be very careful about how he went about things in Rome but, in the East, it was a lot more acceptable as the people were already used to worshipping their leaders. If he could be worshipped in the East first, it may make it easier to be worshipped in Rome itself later on. In private it suited Augustus to be integrated with state religion, as demonstrated in the Res Gestae; â€Å"I was pontifex maximus, augur, quindecemviri sacris faciundis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . However, in public Augustus had to appear respectful of traditional practice, as shown on the Ara Pacis. After his death Augustus could be worshipped with no issues, during his lifetime however, it was in no way acceptable. Augustus had to resist the creation of an imperial cult during his lifetime to avoid losing all popular support and ending in the same way as his predecessor did. This said, the creation of an imperial cult, if successful, would bring together the disparate provinces that he governed, bringing not only power but also prestige. An imperial cult was the mass veneration of not only Augustus’ genius, but that of his family and successors. Being a member of the Julian line, he already had some claim to a link with the Gods. Augustus’ Prima Porta, fashioned in a Hellenistic style, not only shows his pietas, but his link with the God of Love, Venus. Clinging to his body is cupid riding a dolphin; as cupid is the sibling of Aenus who founded the Julian line, the direct message that he is involved with the Gods is already being propagated. Equally, the fact that Caesar had been made a deity, established the notion that he was a semi-deity in the minds of many Romans. In the Mediterranean world, Augustus’ provinces were singular in that the citizens of Rome would have regarded treating your ruler as a deity as sacrilegious and immoral. Conversely, in the East, this was not only acceptable, but also demanded. Ptolemaic Egypt was cult-like and worshipped pharaohs as Gods. Due to heterogeneous territories, religion was seen as a uniting factor for rulers to forge links between the populace and themselves. The idea of Augustus openly declaring himself as a deity during his lifetime was an impossibility that would have led to exile or assassination. However, just as Caesar had supposedly risen to the heavens to be immortalised as a deity after his death, he too could be worshipped like this. The evidence of this is demonstrated by the construction of various temples built to him after his death in AD 14; for example, the Temple to Divus Augustus is shown on the Denarius of AD 158. Moreover, Suetonius’s Life of Augustus shows us ways in which, rather than being an innovator of a new imperial cult, Augustus actually restored traditional religious practices. By appearing to ‘buy into’ the conservatism of Roman religion, Augustus would have pleased the tradionalist majority and allowed his continuing expansionist military effort and transgression of the cursus honourum, without worry of religious misdemeanour. Suetonius describes his burning of â€Å"anonymous or unrespected authors† keeping only the sibylline books. He also revived certain rites such as the Augury of Safety, the flamen dialis, the Lupercalia, the Saecular Games and the Compitalia. Additionally, he extended the number and prestige of priesthoods. This demonstrated the difference between Augustus’ private and public goals; whereas privately he wished to integrate himself into state religion, publically he had to show piety and respect towards tradition. As previously noted, in the Res Gestae, Augustus lists his religious powers and titles; considering that the Res Gestae was effectively an autobiography, it can be inferred that this was received positively as he was satisfied to publish this on stele, it is also evident that the Res Gestae was propaganda designed to influence and so can not be deemed as a reliable, nor objective source. Prompting the creation of an imperial cult would have enshrined Augustus as a deity, given him infinite power to develop his empire and secured his legacy forever. However, it was vital that he treaded the delicate line between paying lip service to Roman conservatism whilst at the same time, attempting to set himself above, and apart from, the average Roman politician. Associating himself with Roman deities was an ideal way of achieving this goal and there is a huge range of evidence that he did very little to resist this. Indeed, it is quite possible that he actually endorsed it. Suetonius describes how he renamed the month Sextilis, to August and therefore â€Å"put†¦ straight† the calendar. Equally, the Horologium Augusti in the Campus Martius, an immense sundial drew attention to Augustus in a manner unavailable to other Romans. The Serviri Augustutales at Narbo of AD 12-13 was altar dedicated to Augustus. It proclaimed that the Julian ancestral colony of Narbo Martinius had â€Å"bound themselves to worship his divinity for ever†. Additionally, the Temple of Augustus at Pula (built between 2 BC and AD 14) and the Temple of Augustus at Tarraco were also built. The Temple of Augustus at Pula had a dedication reading â€Å"Roma and Augustus Caesar, son of deity, father of the fatherland† indicating that the temple was primarily dedicated to the goddess Roma, the personification of Rome, making himself a secondary figure to the City in order to not be seen to be encouraging the creation of an imperial cult. It could be argued that, if Augustus was genuinely against the worship of himself and his family, he would have prevented provincials from establishing temples in his name despite the fact that the Hellenistic practice of ruler-worship was well established in certain provinces. However, the evidence suggests that this was not the case as Augustus did little to nothing to prevent the construction of such temples. Indeed, Augustus, upon hearing that the people of Tarraco had reported a palm tree had grown on an altar to him, is recorded by Quintilian to have responded, â€Å"That shows how often you light a fire there†. This clearly opposes the view that he shrinked from such worship as it suggests he encouraged it. However, as Quintilian wrote this decades after the event may have happened, the reliability of this source must be questioned. Furthermore, the aureus of 19 BC depicts the Altar of Fortuna Redux, an altar at the Porta Capena to the Home-bringer, praising her for Augustus’ safe return. This was also the site of the festival of Augustalia; the act of having sacred festivals dedicated to you was naturally a privilege usually reserved to the Gods. Furthermore, the close proximity of Temple of Apollo Palatinus with Augustus’ house blurred the lines between his numen and his power as they came together as an imperial residence. The Hymn of the Salii, or Carmen Saeculare was the song of the ‘leaping priests’ of Mars, keepers of the ancilia and undoubtedly revered positions. The fact that they added his name to this god-praising song was highly unconventional and a bold move if Augustus had ordered this. Augustus evidently sponsored Augustan Literature, through Maecenus’ patronage of several poets. There are many clear examples of Augustus either being associated with the Gods in literature, or being portrayed as god himself. There is no doubt that Augustus knew about these comparisons prior to recital or publication and therefore encouraged these attempts to link himself with deities. Virgil’s Aeneid is the prime example of this; the poem depicts Augustus descending from heaven with â€Å"Iulus†, loaded with the wealth of Egypt of the â€Å"Orient’s spoils† and that â€Å"he too shall be called upon in prayer†. To add to this emphasis of his connection with Iulus, the building of the Temple to Divus Julius in the Forum Romanum and the Temple to Mars Ultor in the forum of Augustus both underline his connection to the semi-deity Caesar through his completion of filial duty. Horace’s Odes 1. 2 similarly shows Augutus as the gods’ ‘right hand man’. Horace describes the moral decline and religious neglect of the period of civil war and strife and Augustus is called forth to atone for previous sins and to â€Å"aid the crumbling Empire†. Such glowing accounts of Augutus can be explained as many of the poets were convalescing from lost estates from civil war times and, through indirect sponsorship from Augustus, were expected to translate underlying messages of the regime into poetry. Naturally, this kind of blatant worshiping was only acceptable in the abstract medium of poetry, as poetry was known to exaggerate reality and stretch any possible truth. Overall, the weight of evidence tends to suggest that Augustus did not try particularly hard to resist the creation of an imperial cult during his lifetime. Although he showed piety and respect to tradition throughout his reign, his sanctioning and, often encouragement, of provincials worshipping him demonstrated that he wished to be classed as a divine being as it meant that he would have gained all possible power. The creation of an imperial cult resulted in an almost tyrannical rule, where Augustus could not be questioned.

Should Guns Be Allowed On Campuses Criminology Essay

Should Guns Be Allowed On Campuses Criminology Essay Based on National Rifle Association, an estimated 39 percent of households have a gun and 24 percent have a handgun; there are also 65 million privately-owned handguns in the US and 127 million other firearms. Have you ever think one day handgun can be carried onto college campuses where we come to study every day? Our colleges and universities are safer sanctuaries for learning, and we believe they would be endangered by the presence of concealed handguns. claimed by Students for Gun Free Schools (SGFS) (Louise Gerdes). In contrast, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) have supposed: Current school policies and state laws against concealed carry on campus serve only to stack the odds in favor of dangerous criminals. (Louise Gerdes). SGFS and SCCC were formed after terrible shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University happened. These are two of the deadliest massacres on campus in the United States of America. For your information, on April 16, 2007, at Virgin ia Tech University, Seung-Hui Cho a formal student killed thirty-two people and then committed suicide. One year later, on February 14, graduate student Steven Kazmierczak killed five people and injured many others and then killed himself at Northern Illinois University. From that time, concealed guns are becoming a controversy in America, especially, concealed carry on campuses. Many colleges have accepted for their students and faculty to carry handguns to protect themselves such as public colleges and universities in Utah; Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ On the other hand, almost 4314 colleges and universities prohibit their students and faculty from carrying concealed on their campuses. Each group has their own reasons for their action and belief. In my opinion, I think there are no needs to carry concealed weapons like handguns on campus. SGFS believes that Americas colleges and universities are some of the safest places and almost their campuses are gun-free zone. They claimed that homicides at American colleges and universities are unusual events. They also showed some evidences to prove their opinion, according to a study from the Department of Justice, 93% of violent crimes that victimize college students happen off campus and students on the campuses of post secondary institutions are significantly safer than both their off-campus counterparts and the nation as a whole (Louise Gerdes). They are really undeniable facts that our college campuses really have lower crime rates than the cities in which they reside (Louise Gerdes). In fact, even though, our public safety is not enough to control a whole campus but anyway they still give our students secure and safety. Also, SGFS have listed five important-results that can be recognized when concealed weapons are allowed on campuses: (1) Concealed handguns would detract from a healthy learning environment; (2) More guns on campus would create additional risk for students; (3) Shooters would not be deterred by concealed carry permit holders; (4) Concealed carry permit holders are not always law-abiding citizens, and finally (5) Concealed carry permit holders are not required to have law enforcement training. In the counterpart movement, SCCC also has given their list to cast doubt on SGFSs list: (1) Concealed handguns would not detract from a healthy learning environment; (2) More guns on campus would create little if any additional risk for students; (3) Shooters may or may not be deterred by concealed carry permit holders, but deterring shooting sprees is only one of several potential benefits; (4) Concealed carry permit holders are not always law-abiding citizens, but They are statistically more law-abiding than most SGFS unnecessarily points out and (5) Concealed carry permit holders are not required to have law enforcement training because they are not law enforcement officers. First, SGFS believe that if concealed carry were allowed on Americas campuses, there is no doubt that many students would feel uncomfortable about not knowing whether their professors and/or fellow students were carrying handguns and because campus is the place that has many discussion or debate so they afraid that the presence of handguns would inhibit this kind of dialogue by creating fear of possible retaliation (Louise Gerdes). But, SCCC claims that SGFS has ignored the fact that in the absence of metal detectors and X-ray machines at every campus entrance, students already have no way of knowing who is carrying a gun. Furthermore, in most states in the US, approximately 1% of the population is licensed to carry a concealed handgun (Louise Gerdes) so it is not true when SGFS said that the presence of handgun would affects our learning environment. I think SGFS is right at this point, the SCCCs point is also not wrong but it is not real. For example, if college allows their studen ts to carry handgun, and if some of their students have a license to carry it, how can you know that the guy that sit next to you has a gun or not and whether he is a hot-tempered guy or not. You cannot know kind of this information but it can affects your life really. So, do you want to risk your life with something you are not sure about? In addition, in one anonymous national survey, 94% of Americans answered No when asked, Do you think regular citizens should be allowed to bring their guns [onto] college campuses? (Louise Gerdes) Second, SGFS has noted that in a 2007 report by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, there are four reasons why crime gun-related would be increase if guns were allowed on campuses: (1) the prevalence of drugs and alcohol; (2) the risk of suicide and mental health issues; (3) the likelihood of gun thefts and (4) an increased risk of accidental shootings (Louise Gerdes). In order to prove this, SGFS has showed us another report that comes from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University: [N]early half of Americas 5.4 million full-time college students abuse drugs or drink alcohol on binges at least once a month. In addition, they claimed that alcohol is involved in 95% of the violent crime on campus. For the risk-of-suicide-and-mental-health-issues reason, SGFS showed us one anonymous study about this, 24% of college students had thought about attempting suicide and about 5% had actually attempted to kill themselves. And if there is presence of g uns, suicide attempts are successful more than 90% of the time, in the comparison, when the method used is drug overdose, such attempts are fatal only 3% of the time. About gun-theft reason, SGFS believe that college dorm rooms are typically small, with few places available to lock up or secure a handgun (Louise Gerdes). However, SCCC noted that SGFS forgot to mention the fact that after allowing concealed carry on campus for a combined total of one hundred semesters, none of the aforementioned US college that allow handguns have seen a single resulting incident of a student under the influence of drugs or alcohol using or brandishing a weapon on campus, a single resulting suicide, a single resulting gun theft, or a single resulting gun accidentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and allowing concealed carry on college campuses would not change the rules about who can purchase a firearms or who can obtain a con concealed handgun license. It also would not change the rules at off-campus parties and bars , the places where individuals over the age of 21 are most likely to consume alcohol. Furthermore, to cast doubt on gun-theft reason, SCCC showed that at most colleges, on-campus housing is occupied primarily by freshman and sophomores, students typically too young to obtain a concealed handgun license (Louis Gerdes). In my opinion, I think SCCC has forgot that when someone really get drunk, they can control their behavior so it is very dangerous if they have gun along with them, because you will not know what they can and will do with this kind of dangerous and fatal thing. If there are some accidents that alcohol-related, who can SCCC blame it on? The next result that SGFS showed us is shooters would not be deterred by concealed carry permit holders. SGFS said that homicides and shootings at American colleges and universities are rare events because of many reasons. They showed that there were 11920 total gun homicides but only 10 total murders on the nations college campuses in 2003. They also believe that there is no way shooters would have been deterred by the knowledge that their fellow students (or campus faculty) might be armed. They also gave some example to strengthen their opinion: on May 8, 2006, at Fairfax County Police Sully District Station in Virginia, Michael Kennedy, 18, fired more than 70 rounds and killed two officers before police were able to take him down. There is no proof that suicidal shooters would be deterred from attacks on college campuses by concealed carry permit holders. Handguns just make the situation become more and more serious because campuses are crowded always so handguns just try to creat e additional mayhem only. Thats really a good point, because students or faculty is not like trained soldiers who know clearly how to use weapons or handguns in the chaos in which everyone just run for their life, they just run and maybe cause difficulties for anyone who is aiming at the shooter. In this situation, students who has handguns maybe cannot target accurately and absolutely they can injure their fellow students. Thats really not a good thing because when our lawmakers allow our students carry handguns on campuses, they just want our students feel safe and secure (Louis Gerdes). The next opinion that SGFS think it is very persuasive to prevent our lawmakers from pass the law to allow our students carry handguns on campuses: Concealed carry permit holders are not always Law-Abiding citizens. They give an example that Alaska and Vermont are two states in the US do not require their residents to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon, thats also means individuals in these states can buy a handgun through an unregulated private sale without background check required then use it in public (Louise Gerdes). Besides that, SGFSs essay also mentioned the main requirement to get a permit in 38 states that have a shall-issue policy for concealed carry permit is to pass a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) which just want to make sure whether the applicant is prohibited under federal law from owning and purchasing firearms (Louise Gerdes). But, NICS is also not foolproof. An anonymous study showed that the database of NICS is deeply flawed and missing millions of disqualifying records. For example, nine out of ten metal health records that would disqualify individuals from purchasing firearms are still not currently in the database and one-fourth of felony conviction records have also not been submitted to NICS by the states. SGFSs essay also claimed that Seung-Hui Cho, who takes responsibility for massacre in Virginia Tech, also passed background checks in acquiring the firearms used in his attack even though before, he had been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorders (Wikipedia.org). You can notice that NICS is not a trusty system that our states can depend on it to judge someone in order to give them a permit or not. If we give permissions to wrong guys like Seung-Hui Cho, I believe there will be more and more Virginia Tech in the future. Finally, SGFS pointed out that concealed carry permit holders are not required to have law enforcement training. The fact is that 48 states in the US which allow their residents to carry handguns do not require them to have any formal law enforcement training. For example, in Virginia, which is famous for Virginia Tech massacre, a four-hour sit-down session in a classroom is sufficient to meet the states training requirement (Louise Gerdes). Thats not a training, thats also not that someone who will carry handgun have to have and have to do before they get a permit. Just sit down and listen is not a good idea or good method that can help our residents in the real life. Even trained law enforcement officers rarely hit their targets when firing at other human beings, so how can a formal resident, who just sit down and hear some lectures about gun can do that? When you factor in all of the other elements that are involved in shooting at an adversary, thats a high hit rate. The adrenalin e flow, the movement of the target, the movement of the shooter, the officer, the lighting conditions, the weatherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think it is a high rate when you consider all of the variables, Ray Kelly, New York Police Commissioner said (Louise Gerdes). In 2005, there were a total of 12352 gun-related homicides in the US. In the same year, the FBI reported only 143 justifiable homicides or self-defense involving firearm. Guns are used to threaten and intimidate far more often than they are used in self-defense. Most self-reported self-defense gun uses may well be illegal and against the interests of society, a 2000 study by Harvard School of Public Health (Louise Gerdes). Nowadays, some Arizona Republican lawmakers have voiced to support SB 1467 that allow students who have concealed weapons permit to carry handguns on campuses throughout Arizona. If this bill is passed, Arizona will be a third state in the US after Utah and Texas to allow all students and professors on college campus to carry handguns. Harold Cranswick, an MCC economics teacher said: If the state of Arizona proceeds with any of the currently proposed gun legislation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It is unrealistic to expect students to feel safe (Mesa Legend 10). It is time that the public stands up and says no more,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦That we want to be able to make sure our facilities are safe and allowing weapons in many of these facilities is not what the people of Arizona want, said State Senator Steve Gallardo at a protest against the bill on March 29 at state Capitol. At the same protest, Zachary Smith, the regents professor of politics and international affairs from Northern Arizona University c laimed: It is just that in an environment like a college where thins can be hot and where there can be disagreements and there can be debates, it is just not the place where people might know there would be concealed fire-arms. And Emily Connally, a graduate student from University of Arizona and a Students Against Guns in Education (SAGE) representative mentioned: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Guns are four times more likely to be used in an unintentional shooting than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense and only 1 percent of the time will a victim use a gun to protect themselves (Mesa Legend 13). Mesa Legend also conducted an online survey with the question: Would you feel safe if it were legal to carry a gun onto college campuses? And there is the feedback; 65% clicked No, it would lead to complete chaos or death, only 20% chose Yes, and I would carry, 8% for Yes, I would not carry but feel safe knowing others are, 4% for I have mixed feelings about it and 3% for I do not really care ( Mesa Legend 13). You can see that, there is really no need to carry handgun on college campuses because college is the place that all people come to expect to expand their knowledge and learn something new, it is not a place like battlefield like we come and worry whether our fellow students have a gun or not. It is not students job. However, thats not mean you do not care about your students secure, hire more public safety in order to get enough man to control the whole campus is just one wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Try to find another solution like teach our students how to be safe in dangerous situation or build the friendly learning environment to avoid some hard-to-solve disagreements on campus maybe can helps us not to use handgun in dailys conversation and relationship. The safest policy to limit potential violence is to prohibit students and faculty from keeping handguns on campus and allow trained law enforcement officers to provide for campus security (Louise Gerdes). College is where we make grades not graves. Work Cited Concealed Weapons. Gale Louis Gerdes in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Louis Gerdes In Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. College Campuses Are Safer Without Concealed Weapons. Gun Violence. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Louis Gerdes. Gale Louis Gerdes In Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. College Campuses Are Less Safe Without Concealed Weapons. Gun Violence. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Louis Gerdes. Gale Louis Gerdes In Context. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. Virginia Tech massacre Wikipedia encyclopedia web. 5 May 2011. Legends One Poll. Mesa Legend 13 (2011): 3. Print. Ben Garcia. Ariz. lawmakers support concealed guns on campus. Mesa Legend 10 (2011): 5. Print. Ryan McCullough. Second amendment makes its way to college campuses. Mesa Legend 13 (2011): 16. Print.

Revenge of the Killer Genre :: Quentin Tarantino John Cawelti Films Essays

Revenge of the Killer Genre After years of repeated thematic motifs and unchanging, stereotypical characters, films within a genre often lose their vitality. The conventions become predictable and the underlying myth becomes boring and banal. The innovative director will seek to revitalize a popular myth through a "generic transformation" (Cawelti 520). This essay shall demonstrate how Quentin Tarantino borrows a traditional myth from the gangster genre, subverts it and subsequently installs a new, unorthodox myth in its place. The end result is a new type of film that reaches beyond the established confines of the gangster genre. As with Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde, the radical innovations included in Pulp Fiction make it hard to situate the film within mainstream cinema; it is, as John Cawelti would agree, "difficult to know what to call this type of film". While Penn's film and Tarantino's Pulp Fiction clearly acknowledge the conventions of the gangster genre, it is only as a point of departure. Tarantino introduces enigmatic characters and complex incongruities which combine to successfully remove his film from the "conventions of a traditional popular genre" (Cawelti 505). Cawelti describes the myth within the gangster film as "affirm[ing] the limits of individual aggression and violence ... show[ing] how violence evokes its own inevitable doom" (Cawelti 516). In Pulp Fiction and Bonnie and Clyde, the directors subvert the "traditional elements" and the "traditional mythical world ..." (Cawelti 505) is confounded. Thus begin the generic transformations. The directors thoroughly undermine the traditional myths and effectively replace them with myths of their own construction. The complexities of structure, character and theme within Pulp Fiction exceed the conventional boundaries of the gangster genre and the myths commonly associated with gangster films become inadequate. The narrative leads to non-romanticized situations and characters that appear too realistic to be contained within the "inadequate" boundaries of the gangster myth (Cawelti 510). Here then, Tarantino is effectively exposing the inadequacies of the gangster myth. The myth of the gangster is exposure by first firmly establishing the conventional gangster persona. Within the gangster environment, a darkened night club for example, the gangster looks the part; black suit, jewellery, sunglasses and the inevitable guns construct the image of menace. So too do his mannerisms, the gangster is a cocky, self-assured tough guy. The story within the film titled "The Bonnie Situation", provides an example an undermined gangster myth. Here, the two gangsters, Jules and Vincent, must retrieve and deliver a package that has been stolen. Revenge of the Killer Genre :: Quentin Tarantino John Cawelti Films Essays Revenge of the Killer Genre After years of repeated thematic motifs and unchanging, stereotypical characters, films within a genre often lose their vitality. The conventions become predictable and the underlying myth becomes boring and banal. The innovative director will seek to revitalize a popular myth through a "generic transformation" (Cawelti 520). This essay shall demonstrate how Quentin Tarantino borrows a traditional myth from the gangster genre, subverts it and subsequently installs a new, unorthodox myth in its place. The end result is a new type of film that reaches beyond the established confines of the gangster genre. As with Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde, the radical innovations included in Pulp Fiction make it hard to situate the film within mainstream cinema; it is, as John Cawelti would agree, "difficult to know what to call this type of film". While Penn's film and Tarantino's Pulp Fiction clearly acknowledge the conventions of the gangster genre, it is only as a point of departure. Tarantino introduces enigmatic characters and complex incongruities which combine to successfully remove his film from the "conventions of a traditional popular genre" (Cawelti 505). Cawelti describes the myth within the gangster film as "affirm[ing] the limits of individual aggression and violence ... show[ing] how violence evokes its own inevitable doom" (Cawelti 516). In Pulp Fiction and Bonnie and Clyde, the directors subvert the "traditional elements" and the "traditional mythical world ..." (Cawelti 505) is confounded. Thus begin the generic transformations. The directors thoroughly undermine the traditional myths and effectively replace them with myths of their own construction. The complexities of structure, character and theme within Pulp Fiction exceed the conventional boundaries of the gangster genre and the myths commonly associated with gangster films become inadequate. The narrative leads to non-romanticized situations and characters that appear too realistic to be contained within the "inadequate" boundaries of the gangster myth (Cawelti 510). Here then, Tarantino is effectively exposing the inadequacies of the gangster myth. The myth of the gangster is exposure by first firmly establishing the conventional gangster persona. Within the gangster environment, a darkened night club for example, the gangster looks the part; black suit, jewellery, sunglasses and the inevitable guns construct the image of menace. So too do his mannerisms, the gangster is a cocky, self-assured tough guy. The story within the film titled "The Bonnie Situation", provides an example an undermined gangster myth. Here, the two gangsters, Jules and Vincent, must retrieve and deliver a package that has been stolen.

The First Artificial Heart Transplant :: Barney Clark Health Medical Essays

The First Artificial Heart Transplant History was made on December 02, 1982 when Barney Clark became the first recipient of an artificial heart transplant, which was performed by the medical staff at the University of Utah Medical Center. Although Barney Clark was the center of attention, there were many events that led up to this historical moment. The development of the artificial heart began in the early 1950’s. The initial prototype, developed in 1970’s by the artificial developmental staff at the University of Utah, allowed 50 hours of sustained life in a sheep. Although this was called a success, the implantation of the artificial heart left the sheep in a weakened state. It wasn’t until late 1970’s and the early 1980’s where the improvement of the artificial heart actually received attention as a possible alternative to a heart transplant. The remodeled product of the early 1970’s did more than just the 50 hours of sustained life; it enabled the cow to live longer and to live a relatively normal life, with the exception of a machine attached to the animal. With this improvement, Dr. Willem J. Kolff, the head of the artificial developmental program at the University of Utah, and Dr. William DeVries, the head cardiac surgeon at the University of Utah, decided to take this device further. They wanted to develop a heart based on the heart tested in farm animals, to place into a human. This was done with the help of Dr. Robert Jarvik who developed the Jarvik-7. This device was made of plastic and aluminum. With all that they had accomplished, the staff at the University of Utah’s artificial development program still had to wait 2 years before they found the right candidate for the project. Often, when the heart of an individual fails, the brain, the intestines, and the lungs will usually fail as well. Thus in choosing an individual, they had to find a person who only had cardiac complications and no associated organ failure. They also had to find a patient that was not eligible for a traditional heart transplant.

Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra Essay

Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra was the son of a poor Spanish doctor. At a young age of 21, he enlisted in the army and fought several battles in water and in land. Pirates sold him to the Moors, and after three failed attempts to escape, he was finally ransomed to return to Spain and end almost 15 years of enslavement. It was only after the publication of the first volume of Don Quijote that Cervantes experienced financial success. His book received several local acclamations, and in fact had an unauthorized sequel by a writer known to be Avellaneda. Cervantes was born in 1547 and died the following year after he published the second volume of Don Quijote in 1614. Several of Don Quijote’s incidents are reflected from Cervantes’ life itself. Some of these elements include the presence of pirates on the Spanish coasts, the exile of the Muslim enemy Moors, the death of the prisoners who tried to escape, and the disheartening battles between the Spanish and the Algiers, when it was obvious that Spain is eventually going to face defeat. Cervantes’ biases are prominent in the novel, as well, i. e. distrust for foreigners. The novel also recounts several battles to which Cervantes participated. In this sense, Don Quijote can be viewed as historical and autobiographical. Getting past the author’s personal experiences, the novel well illustrates the era/s in which it was written. At that time, Spain was caught in between a new age, and Cervantes did a good job in creating the character of Don Quijote to discuss issues such as morality, human identity, art and chivalry in an ever-changing time. Although Renaissance new ideals in European humanism, contemporary literature at that time was still full stories which emphasized the code of chivalry. Don Quijote is considered to be a novel. A novel is a narrative in prose format. A novella on the other hand, is shorter than a novel. Novellas were originally about news of country life repeated for amusement. It is quite hard to define a novel from a novella, but suffice it to say that novellas generally have a word count of 17,500 and 40,000. Anything more than that must be a novel. Before Don Quijote in 1605, the young Cervantes wrote a pastoral romance entitled La Galatea in prose and verse which bears a strong resemblance on Jorge de Montemayor’s Diana. La Galatea tells the fortunes and misfortunes of several shepherds and shepherdesses in love. In between the release of the first and second volumes of Don Quijote, Cervantes published Novelas ejemplares which contains a dozen short stories which details Spain in terms of the historical, social and political problems it faces, as Cervantes sees it. After Cervantes’ death, Los trabajos was released. Los trabajos details the adventures of a couple in their search for a happy ending for their love. Don Quijote, a middle-aged gentleman decided to embark on an adventure to uphold chivalrous ideals he has prominently read about in books. Don Quijote was blinded about knights in shining armor wandering about with their long lance and spear and ready to fight all wickedness. He was definitely obsesses with these chivalrous ideals that he has to set out on expeditions looking for opportunities to apply these values. Don Quijote convinced Sancho Panza, a middle-age peasant to be his squire and accompany him in his search for glory and adventure. In return for his services, Don Quijote assured Panza to make him governor of an aisle. Don Quijote did all that was chivalrous in the name of the peasant Dulcinea del Toboso whom he believes to be a princess. In his ridiculous adventures, Don Quijote becomes more of a bandit than a knight in shining armour. His desire to help and defend what he perceives to be threats to his knighthood caused a lot of baffled and angry citizens. Panzo usually takes some of the punishments resulting from Don Quijote’s comic but infuriating behaviour. Don Quijote’s fantasies have gone out of hand and Panzo tried in vain to wake him up to reality. The second volume of Don Quijote narrates how a Duke and Duchess has taken advantage of Don Quijote’s fantasy and played tricks on him. Believing that Dulcinea was transformed into a peasant by an evil enchantress, Don Quijot was convinced to hurt himself to undo Dulcinea’s curse. The Duke and Duchess took this make-believe further and even set Don Quijote and Panzo on dangerous tasks. What is a form of entertainment for both the Duke and the Duchess badly wounded both Don Quijote and his faithful squire. Sancho Panzo is the only person in the book who has had the interesting part to live inside and outside of Don Quijote’s fantasies. Unlike other character who exploited Don Quijote’s madness, Panzo adored it, and even played along with it. Although he is ignorant, cowardly and illiterate, he has proved that lower class men as defined by society can also be wise and just, or even better rulers compared to those held in higher esteem. Sancho humanizes the overall novel and brings compassion and humor to the story. At the second volume Sancho Panzo subtlety changed. With all the misadventures he had with Don Quijote, he learned how to be somehow quite a gentleman and a good governor. This second volume is different from the first as unlike the first one which just details Don Quijote’s adventures, or misadventures, the second volume somehow provides us with explanations on the identities and codes of conduct that Don Quijote and Panzo follows. The second volume makes an effort the changes of the literary, as well as social environment that Cervantes lived in. Don Quijote is one of those whom they call a Hidalgo. A hidalgo is a low-ranking nobility class, which specifically mean, son-of-something. They were exempted from paying taxes but may or may not own real property. Don Quijote is trapped in his ridiculous fantasies. Sometime in the novel, Don Quijote is depicted to be someone who can’t distinguish what is real and what is not. He seems oblivious to the effects of his his actions. We can consider him crazy especially in certain parts of the novel, however, he seems really sane at the end. The story ends with a beaten Don Quijote , which makes him a tragic comedy figure, condemning all the chivalric ideals he believes to have fervently followed. It is not very clear if Don Quijote is indeed crazy or just ignoring the world and the disastrous consequences of his actions. He seems unconscious of his surroundings. Throughout the book, Don Quijote remains to be a puzzle, with whom we cannot safely differentiate the split of his madness and sanity. However, at the end of the novel, we are led to believe that Don Quijote may have just feigned his madness in an effort to play out his fantasies. On the other hand, believing that Don Quijote may indeed be mentally deficient tells us that even the most intelligent of persons can fall for outmoded ideals such as chivalry. Cervantes wrote the book to provide a critique on the social and religious structure of Spain during Cervante’s era. Cervantes satirically illustrates the arrogance of those in higher classes such as the Dukes and Duchesses. Cervantes wrote about ideas which are not observed anymore, and when practiced may become ridiculous. He was aware that knights are becoming extinct and chivalry is considered dead. The book is considered to be important in the history of literature as this shows a certain genre which borders within two different era. This not only entertains but also provides us with an idea of the ideologies of the people during that time.