Diversity & Globalization

Living in the 21st century, we are more connected to each other than ever. With that being said, there is a necessity for us to maintain our cultural diversity as we merge into such a multicultural world. Multiculturalism is, in essence, the study of how individuals from different ethnic, minority, or rural backgrounds receive, analyze, and respond to information that is presented to them.The principle of cultural diversity takes multiculturalism a step further, changing the mainstream approach so that the different ways of receiving, analyzing, and responding to information are all seen as being culturally aware. In the world of today we are all directly or indirectly involved in the cultural socialization and globalization. At times one is so much engaged in trying to blend in that one forgets to be a real â€Å"self†. Individuals are in the presence of dozens of new and unfamiliar cultures as a result of increased travel, international trade and foreign media contacts.Many people welcome this new diversity as stimulating and enabling while others find it unsettling and are fearful of losing indigenous cultures that is the basis of their livelihood. These feelings have been articulated in various outlets and have been the focus matter of administrative organizations. As a result, many governments in countries scattered around the world must decide how to respond to this situation. Statement of Problem Self is the consciousness of one’s own identity, an essential quality that make a person distinct from all others.In a multi-cultural global society, it is this â€Å"self† or diversity that must be maintained even at a cultural level. There are so many influences upon the world from Western societies, digital entertainment, merchandise, food companies, etc. , that individual rituals or customs of lesser nations begin to fall to the wayside. Along with this is the demise and complete destruction of indigenous groups around the world. This is the problem; throughout all of this globalization and modernization we need to hold onto individual and cultural grass root traditions.It is the loss of indigenous individuality that is instigating the lack of or struggle to maintain diversity in this world. Literature Review Over the ages, distant merchants have landed upon the shores of new nations and either claimed it as their own or created large settlements. These new pioneers have spread their principles and ideas either intentionally or not with no remorse or thought in respecting the indigenous cultures where they have forced their cultures. This has led to the struggle in indigenous people trying to maintain their identity and way of life against that of the new settlers.As a result of foreign trade, globalization has given rise the increased stream of assets. Foreign ventures in oil, gas and mining has risen four to five times between 1988 and 1997. Subsequently, there happens to be an abundant supply of natural resource s in regions populated by indigenous people. These bands of indigenous people are greatly affected by this influx of outside investment and the foreign cultures that accompany it. The cultural uniqueness and socio-economic justness of indigenous people are being threatened in several ways.There is insufficient acknowledgment of the cultural importance of the land and territories that indigenous people inhabit. Mineral removal undertakings lead to extensive dislocation of communities and loss of their farmlands and it affects both their sense of cultural identity and their source of sustainable livelihood. On top of this, Indigenous people are excluded from decision-making processes involving the farm and properties that belong to them. Information gained by indigenous people is also easily misappropriated.Traditional knowledge about plants with medicinal value, food varieties that consumers demand and other valuable knowledge is quickly picked up by capitalists, who apply for patent s on these knowledge. Forero (2003) concluded that seven thousand patents had been granted for the unsanctioned use of traditional knowledge or the misappropriation of medicinal plants. Developing countries, as well as individual indigenous groups, seldom have the resources to challenge these patents in foreign jurisdictions.The number of people living outside their country of birth has increased from seventy-six million in 1960 to one hundred and fifty-four million in 1990 and one hundred and seventy-five million in 2000 (The Guardian, 2001). Scientific advances have made travel and communications extremely fast, inexpensive, and reliable. Based upon this mixing of cultural groups, people are living amongst new cultures and rituals on a daily basis. â€Å"In the spring of 2007, 1,651 residents participated in a random-digit-dialed, computer-assisted telephone survey about a wide range of social and civic issues facing Los Angeles.The dataset also includes the census tract number c orresponding to each respondent’s place of residence, enabling us to consider the demographic context of respondents’ views of racial issues. Census tracts are unlikely to correspond perfectly to residents’ mental image of the ethnic and racial mix contained in their â€Å"neighborhood,† but the tract identifiers provide a useful starting point to consider the consequences of multiple dimensions of diversity in local areas across Los Angeles. (Cohen-Marks & Faught, 2010)†The study concluded that there were consistent patterns based on race or ethnicity and that African Americans tend to have more negative perceptions of race relations than other ethnic groups in Los Angeles. This could have an impact regarding enhanced flow of investment, knowledge, cultural goods and people give rise to problems in cultural adjustment and issues of conflict management and control. While some countries oppose migrants from settling and invading their culture and taking up their jobs, others are more open and try to integrate foreign cultures into their own.The Human Development Report (2004) argues that societies and governments must not choose either extreme, but must chose a middle path whereby they can design country specific policies that widen choices by supporting and protecting national identities while also keeping borders open for choosing newer ways of life. Indigenous people are increasingly being drawn into global networks. In the long term, cultural isolation is unlikely to be a viable although sometimes desired option (Smith & Ward, 2000).Global flows of goods, ideas, people and capital can seem to be a threat to national culture. It can lead to the abandonment of traditional values and practices and dismantling of the economic basis on which the survival of indigenous culture depends. A global culture is not about the English language or global brand identities – it is about universal ethics based on universal hum an rights and respect for the freedom, equality and dignity of all individuals. The aim of multicultural policies is to protect cultural iberty and expand people’s choices – in the ways people live and identify themselves – and not to penalize them for those choices. For instance, women in India usually wore saris at work in the 1980’s while they now feel free to wear blouses and trousers to work. People should not be bound to maintain an immutable box called â€Å"a culture† (Human Development Report 2004). One must understand that cultural identities are heterogeneous and evolving and they are subject to dynamic change due to internal inconsistencies and conflicts that drive them.Findings For that reason, a strategy of multiculturalism is supported by the following four principles. First, defending tradition can hold back human development. Cultural conservatism can discourage or prevent people from adopting a different lifestyle which is concurr ently followed gainfully by a different society. Although there might be much that is consonant with universal values and practices, much else might be inconsistent. Such inconsistencies can be removed by learning from other cultures.For instance, a community that is traditionally lazy can learn how people of other societies are more productive and are able to enjoy their life to a greater extent. Second, respecting diversity and differences is essential to becoming a global citizen. The fear of a loss of national identity and culture comes from the belief that cultural diversity leads to conflict. In fact, it is the suppression and opposition of cultural identity and social, political and economic exclusion on the basis of culture that can spark violence and tensions.Third, diversity thrives in a globally interdependent world. Today’s intensified global interactions can function well when these are governed by bonds of shared values, communication and commitment. Societies c an develop cultural freedom by developing multiple and complementary identities as citizens of a state and members of a cultural group as well as being a global citizen (Human Development Report, 2004). Differences and diversity must be respected to avoid morbid mistrust for all things foreign resulting in policies that shut them out.Multiple and complementary identities are a reality in many countries where people have a sense of belonging to the country as well as to a group or groups within it. Lastly, addressing imbalances in economic and political power can help to forestall threats to the cultures of poor and weak communities. Discussion Shutting out ones’ culture from external cultural interactions is not feasible in the face of constant change.However, governments and international institutions can form policies such that traditions consistent with universal values can continue while giving people the choice to change over to newer lifestyles while discarding ineffect ive ones. The current necessity is to launch pro-poor public and corporate governance, effective social and environmental policies and respect for human rights though discussions with governments, indigenous people’s organizations, industry, labor unions and academia.Many private companies and indigenous people are working together for development. The World Intellectual Property Organization’s General Assembly established an Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore in October 2000 (Human Development Report, 2004). Intellectual property rights are being extended in countries like Australia to protect traditional knowledge of indigenous communities. The essence is to include and integrate indigenous people in a globally integrated world.States and international institutions need to take the following measures in order to incorporate the concerns of indigenous peoples into the flow of investment and kn owledge: explicitly recognize indigenous people’s rights over their physical and intellectual property require consultations with indigenous communities and their participation for the use of any resource, thus ensuring informed consent, and empower communities by developing strategies to share benefits. Whether to treat cultural goods like any other commercial good or to make them an exception has become a highly contested issue in international trade negotiations.Some people consider products like films to be commodities with others feel that these are cultural products conveying values, ideas and meaning and therefore deserving special treatment. Accordingly several groups like those of film directors have led measures to insert â€Å"cultural exception† clauses into trade rules, thereby excluding cinema and other audiovisual foods from their provisions. The cultural exceptions touch people’s concerns that their national cultures might be swept away by the ec onomic forces in the global market, threatening their cultural identity.Many people fear that foreign films and television programs will spread foreign culture and eventually obliterate local cultures and traditional values. However, free flows of foreign products widen cultural choices and do not necessarily weaken commitment to national culture. Teenagers the world over listen to rap but that has not meant the death of classical music or local fold music traditions while attempts to shut off foreign influences might only lead to smuggled access to such products.Some countries, like Hungary, protect their productions through a quota of fifteen percent for national programs on the national television channel (Cohen, 2004). Once again, protection would involve reducing or blocking imports thereby decreasing expansion of diversity and choice. On the other hand promotion can help in maintaining healthy cultural industries while also keeping trade links open. In Hungary, six percent of the television receipts go to the production of Hungarian films.The 2001 Declaration on Cultural Diversity of the UNESCO set the stage for a number of international initiatives to encourage cultural diversity and biodiversity. The emergence of cultural industries can be supported by local governments. Local infrastructure can be created to export cultural products as well as build business incubators to encourage small and medium sized companies to market their products. International funds can also be mobilized for the same. Cultural tourism and partnerships with the World Trade Organization can disseminate advice to host communities on ways and means to protect and promote indigenous cultures.A number of creative methods can be undertaken to enhance the choices and enriching the changing culture. It is extremely common for more and more immigrants to be living in foreign lands while maintaining close ties with their country of origin through low cost travel and communications. The re are polarized solutions to this issue. Some would like to acknowledge the diversity and promote the inclusion of immigrants, while an alternative advocated by anti-immigrant groups would be to close countries to flows of people reversing the trend of increasing diversity.Those fearing that immigrants threaten national values make three arguments: that immigrants reject the core values of the country; that immigrant and local cultures clash inevitably leading to social conflict and fragmentation and that immigrant cultures are inferior and if allowed a foothold would undermine democracy and retard progress, a drain on economic and social development. Accommodating multiple cultures is not an ea sy job and requires blurring the boundaries that separate â€Å"us† and â€Å"not us†.People easily feel the dangers of having to accept those that are â€Å"not us† into their own groups in the future with possible accompanying degenerations. Although accepting multipl e cultures is difficult, history shows that it does happen. Contrary to popular beliefs that immigration can lead to cultural degeneration, immigration actually supports economic growth and development. Seventy percent of the foreign born students who get doctorates in the USA stay there and contribute to the country’s development.The way forward to this dilemma would be one of cultural recognition and socio-economic and political inclusion. Traditionally, there have been two approaches towards immigrants: differentialism and assimilation (Human Development Report, 2004). Differentialist polities help maintain clear boundaries between groups and respect them as separate communities, while assimilation policies seek to make immigrants become â€Å"more like us†. Both these approaches are inadequate for societies that respect diversity and differences.Culturally diverse societies are not predestined to disintegrate or to lose their national cultures and identities. Immig rants can in fact become full members of their adopted countries and still maintain ties to their countries of origin. The challenge is to craft polities that integrate the objectives of unity and respect for difference and diversity. Multiculturalism has recently become a third approach to integrating immigrants into the mainstream, one that recognizes the value of diversity and supports multiple identities.It began in Canada in the early 1960’s, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau articulated the idea in response to the challenges of a diverse population of indigenous people, French and English settlers (Human Development Report, 2004). Multiculturalism is not only about recognizing different value systems and cultural practices within society – it is also about building a common commitment to core, non-negotiable values such as human rights, rule of law, gender equality, and diversity and tolerance (IOM, 2003).Australia and India describe this as â€Å"Unity in Dive rsity† or Vasudevaya Kutumbakam – the world is a global family. Such a policy emphasizes not only the freedom of individuals to express and share their cultural values but also abide by mutual civic obligations. Conclusion Throughout this paper, the topic of globalization has been looked at through its effects on indigenous cultures. Indigenous cultures are affected by the flow of investment and knowledge, flow of cultural goods and the flow of people.It was argued that a multicultural approach must be followed while respecting the diversity and differences of various cultures. None of the flows should be shut off in order to protect the indigenous as this can only lead to myopia and lack of informed choice. Cultures are naturally changing due to inherent inconsistencies and there is much to gain from diverse cultures. Indigenous people must be included in the decision making process related to their physical and intellectual property in an interconnected world.Cultural products can be promoted through creative funding without shutting off trade links. Immigrant populations are capable of nurturing multiple identities, which can be enriched through a multicultural policy based on respect for differences and diversity. A globally interdependent world needs a multicultural strategy for native residents and immigrants that incorporate the fundamental principles of human rights and duties that benefit everyone.Complementary identities, or one’s â€Å"self† can evolve across national boundaries under these circumstances and identity and freedom can then flourish in a culturally diverse world.References Cohen-Marks, M. , & Faught, J.. (2010). Perceptions of Race Relations in Contexts of Ethnic Diversity and Change. Sociological Perspectives, 53(1), 73-98. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from ProQuest Psychology Journals. (Document ID: 1989814121). Forero, J. (2003). â€Å"Seeking Balance: Growth vs. Culture in Amazon† The New York T imes, 10 December. Human Development Report (2004). Oxford University Press: Oxford, England. IOM (International Organization for Migration) (2003). â€Å"Integration of Migrants: The IOM Approach. † Geneva. [http://www. iom. si/pdf/Indegration%20master. pdf]. Retrieved November 25, 2010. Lega, Nord (2004). â€Å"Stop Ai Clandestini† [http://www. leganord. org/a_2_docpolitici_ clandestini. htm]. Retrieved November 24, 2010. Smith, C. and Ward, G. K. (2000). Indigenous Cultures in an interconnected world, UBC Press: Vancouver.

Norse, Teutonic, or Scandinavian mythology Essay

   Thought (Hugin) and Memory (Munin) were the two ravens that went unto the world to observe and return to tell of what all men do, Driven by further search for knowledge, Odin begged Mimir, the wise, to allow him to drink from the well of wisdom, for this he consented to lose an eye. â€Å"Wounded I hung on wind swept gallows For nine long nights, Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odin, Offered myself to myself: The wisest know not from whence spring The roots of that ancient rood. They gave me no bread, they gave me no mead: I looked down; with a loud cry I took up the runes and I fell. † (The Elder Edda 56) Here we find Odin once more sacrificing himself for knowledge, In The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology it is said that Odin actually died on the gallows of Yggdrasil, that he traversed Nifleheim, or Hel in order to obtain the nine sacred runes, that seem to be extremely powerful as described in The Elder Edda. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology adds yet another theory to Odin hanging himself, † The parallel between Odin’s voluntary death on Yggdrasil and the crucifixion remains striking. Odin was pierced with a spear and like Christ, cried out before he died†¦ there is little doubt that his hanging on the cosmic tree had pre-Christian origins and derived from ancient pagan worship. Odin had long been the god of the spear, the god of the hanged. † This could definitely be determined as less than speculation, seeing as we must rely on our sources and to this point one could say that this is a very valid and well thought out work. Regardless of minor differences in text again we must as they did default ourselves to the larger span of information. There were two different groups of gods in Scandinavian Mythology, The Aesir and the Vanir. Each having their own respective dwelling place, Asgard for the Aesir, and Vanaheim for the Vanir. Of the two, The Vanir have been said to be the older. â€Å"Unlike the warrior Aesir, the Vanir were a race of gods associated with fertility, wealth, and good weather. † (The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology 500) Among the Vanir were, Njord, the sea and fortune god, Skadi, the god of destruction, Freyja, the goddess of love, and Freyr the god of Fertility. Among the Aesir were, Odin, Balder, Bragi, Forseti Heimdall, Hodr, Thor, Tyr, Vili, Ve, Vidar, Frigg, Sif, and Idun. At one point in time there was a great war between these two branches of gods, yet both the Aesir, and the Vanir came to terms by exchanging several prominent gods of each side. The Vanir sent Njord, Freyr, Freyja, and Kvasir, while the Aesir sent Mimir, and Honir. The Vanir soon found that they got the bad end of the deal due to the fact that Mimir was the only one who knew what he was talking about, and that in his absence Honir, wasn’t really that bright. The Vanir then sliced of Mimir’s head and sent it back to Asgard, where Odin used Powerful magic to allow Mimir’s head to speak. Little else is known of the Vanir, they seemed to lose importance quickly after it was concluded that the war was resolved however it was noted that Vanaheim, was potentially unaffected by Ragnarok. This shows evidence of two religions colliding with Scandinavian and Germanic mythology. Revealing to us that Scandinavian mythology has most definately influenced by other ancient tales and stories. (Cherry, Vanaheim) Scandinavian mythology might have been the inspiration to several works of modern day literature. It is Nicole Cherry’s opinion that â€Å"Tolkien was very well acquainted with the northern mythos, as can be seen by the use of it in his books. The name of one of his main characters, Gandalf, is found in The Poetic Edda. Gandalf is, in some ways, reminiscent of Odin, the leader of the Norse pantheon. Even the name Middle-earth, the setting for Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, comes from Norse mythology. † There are several other modern day works of literature based on or derived from Scandinavian mythology as well, such as, The Ring of the Nibelung and The Nibelungenlied. These works, may well show the effect and legacy of Scandinavian Mythology in the World. Another notable element of Tolkein’s Lord of The Rings was his use of the ring itself to the Viings the ring meant wealth honor fame and destiny. It was in fact a tradition to give rings to neighboring countries, bringing to notice the ever prominent focal point of the Lord of the Rings. (Day 29) There is no Heaven or Hell in Scandinavian mythology, the only hope is to be brought up to Asgard by a Valkyrie or â€Å"Battle Maiden†. Even then those chosen or the Einherjar (The Heroic dead) faced defeat at Ragnarok in the Final Battle on the Vigrid Plain. This may be unlike any other focal point of religion known. It reasons in many ways that the only way to gain honor is to die in battle unfaltering. Scandinavian Mythology, although comparable to other religions or other pagan beliefs is an original and unique work of the Norwegians, Swedish, Icelandic, and Danish peoples of Europe. Hamilton describes it justly by saying, † Asgard, the home of the gods, is unlike any other heaven men have dreamed of. No radiancy or joy is in it, no assurance of bliss, it is a grave and solemn place, over which hangs the threat of inevitable doom†¦ the same is true for humanity†¦ this conception of life which underlies Norse religion, as somber a conception the human mind has ever given birth to†¦ A heroic death†¦ is not a defeat, but a triumph. † Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE JRR Tolkien section.   

Racial and Criminal Profiling: a Deductive Argument Essay

Erin Callihan, AIUSA, states that â€Å"Increased national security should not equate to decreased civil liberties. All people are entitled to due process and other basic human rights and constitutional protections† (Amnesty International). Racial Profiling, according to Amnesty International, occurs when race is used by law enforcement or private security officials, to any degree, as a basis for criminal suspicion in non-suspect specific investigations. The Constitution, which is arguably the most important document of the United States, clearly states that every person has the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This document sets the American people apart from many other countries in that it is supposed to give us equal rights. An issue that has risen in the United States time and time again and has threatened this equality is that of race and racism. Now in law enforcement from the levels of your local police department to that of prestigious FBI units there is the specialization in profiling, racial profiling to be more exact. Racial profiling has not only proven to be largely unsuccessful, but it is violating our equal rights ending up in over representation in America’s prisons and discrimination in the real world. Race is a socially constructed form of categorization that has often been misunderstood, leading to different forms of racism. It is a set of shared interests, characteristics, and culture. Race is an illusion that has been created to construct identity. Identity is not totally decided by you, but chosen for you by what people have decided about you. The way that people see other people and things as right or wrong depends on the culture you, the individual, is living in. This then makes identity as something that is mostly cultural. Race is like a stereotype, or over generalization, that is making prejudices that lead to racism. A prejudice is any preconceived opinion without correct or adequate information. Through something that is socially constructed through culture, like race, Race is difficult to measure and apply to people because it is self identified. According to Ailya Saperstein and Andrew M. Penner in their article â€Å"The Race of a Criminal Record: How Incarceration Colors Racial Perceptions†, â€Å"Most research on race in the United States treats race as an intrinsic characteristic of individuals, a fixed group membership ascribed at birth and based on one’s ancestry† (93). This is difficult to put into use in the real world because if you have one idea of what each race is you will find that people are different depending on where you are, the time period you are there, the amount of interaction with other cultures, and the history in that land among many other variables. An example of this would be how I was considered to be really Mexican at UCSB, yet I am considered â€Å"White washed† by my family, and I consider myself to be a combination of both as well as Colombian. As having been grown up first generation American it is very hard on me to have been Latina. When I studied abroad last year in Argentina I was not considered Latina at all, but White. The Argentine had a different perception of race and insisted that it didn’t matter where your parents were from, it only mattered where you were born. The majority of the population does not fit into only that one mold most researchers have put them in. Race is affected by the population in power and as such can be seen as a form to keep the status quo. The minorities in a society are often the ones that have a negative reputation and have to deal with the social construct others have made about them. Examples of minorities would be Blacks, Latinos and Muslims. The three races have faced a lot of scrutiny here in the United States. They have been accused of being a large part of the crime population, being uneducated, and being terrorists. Although most are not this is the stereotype they have to live with every day. When you are part of the majority you get to make up your own identity, which usually ends up being positive. When you are part of the majority, in the case of the United States this would White, it usually means you a doing well or better than others socially. Other things associated with Whites would be a higher education and the suburbs. As the dominant culture all the laws that are created have had them in mind. Racism is institutional prejudice and as such it is hidden. Therefore in order to be racist I would argue you need to be part of the dominant culture. There is a misrepresentation in the incarceration is an example of racial profiling as being unconstitutional. The majority of the population of incarcerated rates is made up of Blacks and Latinos. Can it be that they are truly a crime committing race and since Whites are educated they perform less than half the crime? The answer to this is no. African Americans have long been subjugated to felons since the history of the United States began. They were seen as lowly and uneducated and convicted of crimes they did not commit. Unable to fight back due to the fact that no one would listen or care even if they knew they were wrong they had to endure punishment. It is a fact that if you are part of the dominant culture the punishment will be less severe. The thing about the Rodney King incident that enraged people was not whether he was guilty or not it was the manner in which he was prosecuted. He was beaten severely unfairly without being able to have a trial to see if he was guilty. In the eye of the law you are â€Å"innocent until proven guilty†, and Mr. King was never given a fighting chance. Another example of discrimination through racism would be the immigration law in Arizona that â€Å"requires police officers, â€Å"when practicable,† to detain people they reasonably suspect are in the country without authorization and to verify their status with federal officials† according to Randall C. Archibold of the NY Times (par. 22). How is a person reasonably suspect of being an illegal? This is done those physical features. The fourteenth amendment provides protection against unreasonable searches based on race. Is this law not an example of that? Saperstein and Penner argue that racial profiling, through incarceration rates, affects the individuals, families and communities (93-94). If we start from the top we see that Latinos and Blacks do not constitute even half of our government making it misrepresentative of our population. One way racial profiling affects the individual is by making it harder for them to obtain a job, let alone a well paying job. Sometimes the individual has to work at a young age to help their parents with rent and other necessities. This is why we see and therefore associate Latinos and Blacks in low income neighborhoods. Once you are part of the minority and have been incarcerated the odds of you succeeding in life get significantly slimmer. According to Saperstein and Penner if you have been incarcerated for something narcotics related then you are disqualified for a lot of the aid the government offers. In your FAFSA application you are asked if you have been convicted of any drug related felony. If you press yes then you are not eligible for financial aid. Since most of these families cannot afford to send their children off to college that option completely diminishes. As a result you have communities with low income, who are most educated to the high school level, if that with high unemployment. Let’s put aside the fact that racial profiling goes against the constitution and look to see if it actually works. According to sources the FBI’s use of criminal profiling has a low success rate. Their success rate can be equaled by that of psychics some would argue. Captain Ron Davis of the Oakland Police Department said it best in September 9, 2003 to NOBLE when he stated that â€Å"Racial profiling . . . is one of the most ineffective strategies, and I call it nothing less than lazy, sloppy police work. It’s basically saying you don’t want to learn about your community, you don’t want to learn about people’s behavior, you don’t want to do your job, and don’t want to investigate, you just want to stop a lot of people and see if you can come up with some statistical number at the end of the evening. . . .†. (Amnesty International) There has been criticism on the process because essentially what you are is forgetting about the hard evidence and guessing up a picture of what the perpetrator looks like. Profilers have forgotten was fieldwork is and have become armchair professionals that don’t need to go to the crime scene to get insight. In Macolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw he describes the job of a profiler as relying on typology to paint a picture of the killer. Most of reasoning behind this technique is that of homology, the relationship between the culprit and the action. Gladwell noticed that there were two categories of killers, organized and unorganized. The organized chose their victim carefully and went through great measures to not be caught. The disorganized killer chose their victim randomly with usually high stakes of being caught. Gladwell finds out that people don’t fall strictly into one category therefore crimes don’t fall into one category. You can have the same crime done for different motives. By relying on connections they are making up based on theories they have made up that have made this guessing game that Gladwell calls a â€Å"party trick† (354). The moral of his story being in a way like Einstein’s in that if you get enough wrongs you eventually get a right. However, there is too much a stake, one of these being people’s lives, to play a guessing game at that level. Racial profiling and Criminal profiling are unconstitutional and frankly a waste of time. Racial profiling opens the door and accepts discrimination to uphold the status quo. Criminal profiling is a waste of time, tax dollar money and obscured by racial profiling. Let’s stop with these erroneous short cuts and actually take the time to evaluate what racial profiling actually does to others. Works Cited Amnesty International | Working to Protect Human Rights. Amnesty International USA, 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. Archibold, Randall C. â€Å"Arizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration.† New York Times 23 Apr. 2010, New York ed., A1 sec. New York TImes, 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. Gladwell, Malcolm. â€Å"Dangerous Minds.† What the Dog Saw: and Other Adventure Stories. Camberwell, Vic.: Allen Lane, 2009. 336-56. Print. Saperstein, Aliva, and Andrew M. Penner. â€Å"The Race of a Criminal Record: How Incarceration Colors Racial Perceptions.† Social Problems 57.1 (2010): 92-113. JSTOR. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.

Paganism in Modern Ireland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Paganism in Modern Ireland - Research Paper Example The neo-pagan movement is very distinct from the pre-Christian movements in the world. The neo-pagan religion as the members refer to it use unique labels such as earth based spiritualists to identify themselves. The modern paganism movement includes both Druid and witchcraft beliefs. Witchcraft stems from an array of paths that include Wicca which is a mystical religion. It may also include hereditary witchcraft that is usually passed from one generation to the next in the family lineage. The last form of witchcraft may include hedge witchery of traditional witchcraft that is the modern way of witchcraft that is usually based on traditional practices that are associated with pre-modern Ireland Wise women. These wise women are believed to have been healers and used herbalism and other traditional ways to treat human beings when they fell ill (Kimberly). The word pagan originates from the Latin word â€Å"paganus† that means country dweller. Another form of Neo-paganism is heathenism that originates from the old English word that mean â€Å"inhabiting open country†. It is believed to be the root for the word heath that means areas of moorland. As this word suggest the old traditional ways, the word pagan as also come to be defined as the â€Å"nature religion†. Therefore, Neo-paganism is believed to be a religion with well-set moral and ethical principles (Kimberly). Many people in the world do not specifically understand what exactly neo-paganism is since the association has been greatly misapprehended, largely because it is not widely spread in the world. The mention of the word pagan in the modern Ireland country brings the perception that it is a person without a formal belief in a certain religion simply put, an atheist or even a person who beliefs in anti-Christian practices. The use of the word anti-Christian originates from the way the Christians use the word heathen and pagan to refer to satanic or evil (Smith). The

AQCI #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AQCI #4 - Essay Example This is influenced by the fact that cultural beliefs generate ones religious beliefs. Hall highlights representation as one of the most important inclusions in a culture†¦ †³Representation attaches language and sense to culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ³ (15). Representation is defined as a way in which a person may explain something meaningful to other people but in the same culture. This means that different cultures have different ways by which they perceive representation depending on factors such as language. Depending on one’s culture, they would represent something in different ways. However, there are basic steps in which something useful may be explained or defines in any cultural paradigm. While comparing the two arguments, it is a notable assumption that the two texts recognize the influence of culture anthropology. The two text define two important social requirements but in respect to culture. Generally, the two texts share the assumption that cultural beliefs shapes one perception in the

The nurses'role in the prevention of healt care -associated Essay

The nurses'role in the prevention of healt care -associated - Essay Example als, and nurses. This essay seeks to explore the various roles played by nurses in preventing or reducing incidence of infections and in doing so the essay also deals with the various patient risk factors for HAIs. Patient Risk Factors for Health Care–Associated Infections It is also worthwhile to analyse the various patient risk factors for HAIs that the nurses need to address for preventing the growing incidence of infections among admitted patients. Nurses have to identify the three elements that contribute to the transmission of infection within a health care setting: â€Å"a source of infecting microorganisms, a susceptible host, and a means of transmission for the microorganism to the host† (Collins, 2008, p. 3). Very often HAIs among patients occur when they are exposed to such microorganisms as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa from other patients, healthcare professionals or visitors. Similarly, infections can also be transmitted to patients from the hospi tal environment, contaminated drugs or food, or from medical equipments and devices. Age, type of medical treatment, organ transplantations, surgical procedures, and the severity of illness are potential contributing factors for HAIs. Therefore, it is the responsibility of healthcare nurses to ensure that such microorganisms are never spread among admitted patients through direct or indirect contact, respiratory droplets, or through air. The Role of nurses in preventing healthcare associated infections Nurses have a pivotal responsibility in managing and preventing healthcare associated infections among their patients. Every hospital needs to have a competent infection prevention system and the role of the healthcare nurse is â€Å"to maintain surveillance of healthcare-associated infections throughout the hospital† (Koutoukidis, Stainton &Hughson, 2012, p. 389). For this, nurses need to be equipped with professional excellence, theoretical knowledge and practical strategies to prevent or control infections and transmission of organisms to patients admitted in their healthcare settings. Special training is to be offered to nurses regarding the latest research and practices to detect, treat and prevent infections among patients. Nurses interact directly with the patients and are better equipped to identify traces of infections and apply evidence-based procedures to reduce or prevent HAIs. Nurses can adopt a number of strategies to control infection and reduce cross-contamination among patients. These consist of using EPA-registered chemical germicides for standard cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment, training housekeeping staff with cleaning and disinfection procedures, taking precautions to prevent cross-contamination, promoting the use of disposable patient care items, and advising â€Å"families, visitors, and patients regarding the importance of hand hygiene to minimize the spread of body substance contamination† (Collins, 2008, p. 10). It is also the responsibilit

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 14

Research Paper Example f Palestine refugee problem, the core issue remains about the â€Å"right of return† for these refugee to their land, which is now part of Israel, recognized by many countries around the globe. The return of these refugees to present Israeli territory would mean giving up the claim of having an exclusive Jewish state by Israel. In addition, there is the religious angle that has significance, when discussing the Palestinian refugee issue. As both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, mostly Muslims, have diverse religious beliefs; neither can digest the idea of Palestinians return to Israeli land, at present. While Israel accepted Jews from Russia and other countries, in huge numbers, the country is averse to accepting Palestinian refugees back. The struggle of refugees thus takes the shape of Holy war for Palestinians, as they ask for returning to their land, which is now Israel. The complex problem can find solution, only after the Palestinians refugees soften their adamant stand on the issue of â€Å"return back† to their homeland, which is now Israel. The age-old concept of Holy war between Muslim Arabs and Jewish Israelis will never solve this problem. After the failure of Arab world war against the establishment of Israeli state, UN took the responsibility of looking after the displaced Arabs, as a result of this war. Accordingly, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established in 1949 for this purpose. However, it is a fact now that the number of such displaced persons, now Palestinian refugees, has gone up many times. While many refugees in the world would like to seek asylum and settlement in prosperous lands across the globe, the case seems to be different here. Therefore, the problem of Palestinians as refugees needs investigating from different angles. However, the solution can become visible only after considering that humanitarian issues should not be dictated by man-made dogmas like religion and

Industrial uses for hemp Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Industrial uses for hemp - Research Paper Example Due to this reason, hemp cultivation has been banned by the federal law in the United States, with China being the largest legal cultivator of hemp for industrial use. This, surprisingly, is a great loss as hemp has great industrial uses. Hemp is used to make about 25000 different products. Apart from the traditional uses in well-known products like rope, twine, nets, canvas bags and carpets, the fiber from the hemp plant can also be used in the production of textiles for apparel, diapers, sheets, towels, tents, drapes, knapsacks and shoes. Surprisingly enough, the first Levi's jeans were made out of hemp fibers and were stronger and possessed better quality. Hemp oil possesses the property of oxidizing as soon as it comes in contact with direct air, and if not stored properly, can become rancid. The proper way of storing the oil is to place it in a dark glass bottle and refrigerate or freeze. Due to this quality, hemp oil is used in manufacturing oil-based paints. They help the pain t to quickly dry out and yet have an oily/wet effect when sealed open. Linseed oil possesses the same quality and is used in the paint industry as a substitute. Hemp oil is also a great moisturizer, and is thus used in the production of moisturizing creams and is used in the cosmetic industry to make creams, lipsticks, foundations, mascaras etc. Its healing and inflammatory properties trigger its use in the production of lip balms and freckle, anti-blemish creams for facial purposes. Hemp is also used to create ropes of varying strengths. Hemp, in its natural form, appears very similar to the linen cloth. Its twigs are braided together to make ropes. The strengths of the ropes can be varied by changing proportions of the organic fibers being used in making the rope. Hemp happens to be a strong fiber and thus as its proportion is increased, the rope gains more strength. Hemp is also used to manufacture cloth, blending it with other fibers to like cotton and silk to add strength to th e cloth and give it a more ever lasting effect. Hemp, in its neat form, with very little addition of other organic fibers, is used to make everlasting fabric, making it strong and difficult to tear apart. Hemp seeds are an essential for the animal/bird feed industry. According to a survey in 2003, it was discovered that more than 95% of hemps sold in the entire European Union is used as animal or bird feed. Hemp seed is also used by pharmaceuticals as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Its use dates back to the third millennium BC, where hemp was used as a healer to accelerate the healing of all kinds of burns; injuries from the use of fire or lifting hot sum and substance, strong sun burns due to excessive exposure to the sun, etc. It was also used to treat rheumatism, ulcers, asthma, insomnia, migraine and other health problems. Hemp also possesses high nutritional value, and includes high amounts of dietary fiber, calcium and iron. Another unique property of the plant is that i t does not trigger any kind of allergies. Hemp oil can also be used as a supplement to those who are under-nutritioned, relieving symptoms of eczema and the seed contains a high content of omega-3. Surprisingly enough, hemp is also used to make building material, for instance, concrete-like blocks made out of hemp and lime are used as insulators in buildings. Very recently, The Renewable House in the UK, was made using hemp-based materials. Hemp also has the ability to be used as fuel.

Corporations Law in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporations Law in Australia - Essay Example A limited liability company, also called a limited liability corporation, usually functions on a smaller scale than a limited liability partnership (Wikipedia 2008), hence, it's method of management and, therefore, it's level of limited liability, though in many aspects the same, does differ from that of a partnership. A company is generally run by the managers, who are responsible for the general functioning of the corporation. Hence, although they are protected by limited liability in that they are just responsible for their investments, they do have to manage any monetary issues that may be faced by the corporation which are beyond the fiscal capacity of the corporation (Wikipedia 2008). The tax liability level might also differ (Wikipedia 2008). On the other hand, a partnership functions on a larger scale, hence, it's method of management and operation differs, giving it different protection under the liability. A partnership is directly run by its investors (Wikipedia 2008), who are all protected by the liability clause, and generally are not responsible for monetary issues beyond their investment. Whereas they are subject to tax payment, the partnership itself, in some cases, maybe tax transparent (Wikipedia 2008), that is, exempted from paying taxes. Hence, the liability of the partners is decreased. Q3: In the context of corporate law, there have been, and still are, many incidents where the law has to be defined and determined in order to solve court cases. In the process, many a time an established act of law is challenged, clauses are redefined and established, or new stipulates are formed. A case in point is the Salomon v Salomon & Co. [1897] A.C. 22 (H.L.). Following is a discussion of the case, and the act that was formed as result of this case. Aron Salomon, a leather merchant, formed a company after establishing a successful business of leather goods (Wikipedia 2008). His decision was supported by his family who formed the shareholders in his company, a total of seven shareholders as per the corporate law of the time. Aron Salomon remained the company's principal shareholder and its principal creditor, and was the managing director of the company (Wikipedia 2008). He established Salomon & Co. Ltd., a limited liability company that was under the protection of the limited liability clause of the corporate law. He held the majority of the shares, and the whole company was practically a family business. However, it went into liquidation (Wikipedia 2008). The liquidator filed a case against Mr. Salomon and the company, and the judge seconded the appeal on the grounds that Mr. Salomon had established the company merely to transfer his business into the corporation in order to obtain limited liabilit

IT Enters a New Learning Environment Essay Example for Free

IT Enters a New Learning Environment Essay It is most helpful to see useful models of school learning that is ideal to achieving instructional goals through preferred application of educational technology. These are the models of Meaningful Learning, Discovery learning, Generative Learning and Constructivism. Meaningful Learning If the traditional learning environment gives stress focus to rote learning and simple memorization, meaningful learning gives focus to new experience departs from that is related to what the learners already knows. New experience departs from the learning of a sequence of words but attention to meaning. It assumes that: ââ€"  Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning. ââ€"  Students are wiling to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In the learning process, the learner is encouraged to recognize relevant personal experiences. A reward structure is set so that the learner will have both interest and confidence, and this incentive system sets a positive environment to learning. Facts that are subsequently assimilated are subjected to the learner’s understanding and application. In the classroom, hands-on activities are introduced so as to simulate learning in everyday living. Discovery Learning Discovery learning is differentiated from reception learning in which ideas are presented directly to student in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment task. To make a contrast, in discovery learning student from tasks to uncover what is to be learned. New ideas and new decision are generated in the learning process, regardless of the need to move on and depart from organized setoff activities previously set. In discovery learning, it is important that the student become personally engaged and not subjected by the teacher to procedures he/she is not allowed to depart from. In applying technology, the computer can present a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concept and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. But the computer has other uses rather than delivering tutorials. In a computer simulation process, for example, the learner himself is made to identify key concept by interacting with a responsive virtual environment. Generative Learning In generative learning, we have active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge. Generative learning is viewed as different from the simple process of storing information. Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. The area of language comprehension offers examples of this type of generative learning activities, such as in writing paragraph summaries, developing answers and questions, drawing pictures, creating paragraph titles, organizing ideas/concepts, and others. In sum, generative learning gives emphasis to what can be done with pieces of information, not only on access to them. Constructivism In constructivism, the learner builds a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. The most accepted principles constructivism’s are: ââ€"  Learning consists in what a person can actively assemble for himself and not what he can receive passively. ââ€"  the role of learning is to help the individual live/adapt to his personal world. These two principles in turn lead to three practical implications: ââ€"  the learner is directly responsible for learning. He creates personal understanding and transforms information into knowledge. The teacher plays an indirect role by modeling effective learning, assisting, facilitating and encouraging learners. ââ€"  the context of meaningful learning consists in the learner â€Å"connecting† his school activity with real life. ââ€"  the purpose of education is the acquisition of practical and personal knowledge, not abstract or universal truths. To review, there are common t hemes to these four learning domains. They are given below: Learners ââ€"  are active, purposeful learners. ââ€"  set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. ââ€"  make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. ââ€"  seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. ââ€"  build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences. LB#6: IT Enters a New Learning Environment. Effective teachers best interact with students in innovative learning activities, while integrating technology to the teaching-learning process. In Meaningful learning * Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning * Students are willing to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In Discovery learning Ideas are presented directly to students in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment or task. In applying technology, the computer can preset a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concepts and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. In Generative Learning Active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge.Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. In Constructivism The learner builders a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. Learners: are active, purposeful learners. Set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. Make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. Seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. Build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences.

What Is Employee Engagement Management Essay

What Is Employee Engagement Management Essay In todays global world, in spite of the availability of modern and advance technology the human resource of an organization can not be ignored. It is in fact the talent of the employees that determines the success of an organization. The retention of talent helps organizations to gain competitive edge over rivals. Thus, every organization in 21st century is conscious about the engagement of its employees as it enhances employee performance and plays an important role in the achievement of desirable outcomes as productivity, profitability and turnover. Thus the purpose of writing this paper is to explore the drivers of employee engagement. The study also looks at Gallups employee engagement questionnaire that helps measure the level of employees engagement. What is employee engagement? The term employee engagement needs to be clearly understood by every organization. Some organizations perceive it as job satisfaction others say its the emotional attachment towards the organization. William H. Kahn (1990) defined employee engagement as the harnessing of organization members selves to their work roles; in engagement people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively and emotionally during role performance. Therefore to build an engaged workforce employees must be both emotionally and cognitively involved in job activities. There are a number of external and internal factors that help measure the level of employee engagement. External factors include organization environment; its culture and values, manager-subordinate relationship, relationships with co-workers, monetary benefits and appraisals. Whereas internal factors include the personal values of employee, personality type and commitment to work. Gallups research on employee engagement shows that there is a strong relationship between well being of an employee and the level of their engagement. An engaged employee is efficient an effective for the organizational outcomes. Review of Literature It is the manger who must create an environment for the employees to be both cognitively and emotionally engaged. And self efficacy may positively affect and enhance employee engagement- management effectiveness relationship. (Luthans Peterson, 2002). Research shows a strong relationship between employee engagement and desired outcomes of an organization such as productivity, employee retention, safety and customer service. (Beverly and Philip, 2006). There is considerable difference between job engagement and organization engagement. There several predictors of job engagement and organization engagement and both are related to individual consequences. (Alan, 2006). For a successful business employees should be engaged through effective communication. Therefore an organization should give priority to its human resource so that its employees can stand by in competition. (Nitin Vazirani, 2007). Amanda Ferguson in Employee Engagement; either it exists or if it does exist then how does it relate to performance. According to Amanda there is no proper and consistent definition of employee engagement and it measured the finding of Gallup organization i.e. what ever engagement might be, unfortunately the longer employee stay with an organization less engaged they become. William H. Macey and Benjamin Schneider in the Meaning of Employee Engagement wrote that an organization should establish conditions for the physical, emotional and behavioral employee engagement as it the key to competitive edge. Dr. Ram and Dr. Prabhakar (2011), in The role of Employee Engagement in work related outcomes studied that if an organization manages the engagement of its workforce it will resultantly enhance the motivation of its employees, increase their productivity, and decrease employee turnover rate. He also found that organizations that have an environment of learning and develop its employees have more engaged workforce. The level of employee engagement is determinant of productivi ty, employee motivation and retention. Markos and Sridevi (2010) wrote Employee Engagement; the key to Improving Performance in which they studied employee engagement positively affects the desired outcomes of an organization. Organizations with an engaged workforce can achieve its performance outcomes such as productivity, profitability, growth and customer satisfaction. Employee engagement has direct effect on productivity and growth. If employees are engaged they will try level best to fulfill their job responsibilities which will consequently lead to not only increase in organization productivity but will also enhance the self performance of employee. In the world of globalization only those organizations which have highly engaged workers can survive and grow. (Al-Aamri 2010). If an organization communicates effectively that change is necessary then employees can be engaged in their work, which will help the organization in implementation of its change strategy. (Sonenshien and Dholakia). Mentoring has a strong direct effect on every dimension of employee engagement. For the purpose of mentoring a web-based system should be adopted by an organization as it is the low cost method to monitor and improve the attitudes of employees. (Triple Creek, Employee Engagement research). How employees feel about their job as a direct impact on their work experience and it also effects the organization outcomes such as customer satisfaction, sales and profit. (Bulgarella 2005) Conclusion and Recommendations The term employee engagement is not yet defined properly and its definition is not consistent. Most of the research conducted on employee engagement considers its antecedents and consequences. The main focus of researchers has been the drivers of engagement and disengagement. But an organization can engage its employees only if the employees have the desired attitude. Therefore an organization should train its employees to change their attitudes if they want to properly manage workforce engagement. Further we reviewed the Gallups employee engagement questionnaire which is very much influential in business research as it can be used effectively for the empirical measurement of employee engagement.