Ice breaker Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ice breaker - Article Example It is a novel idea to subdivide larger groups into smaller ones so as to get more of the benefits and attain the goals quicker. Considerations in splitting the group are to enhance the generation of new ideas and talk about problems from different perspectives. Further, the grouping may be to attain a different mix of the particular groups. Ways of dividing a large group may include favorite drinks or dinners, their hobbies, their wear, complexion and even their favorite flavors. However, the list is not exclusive and can include other options beyond this scope. In addition, the inclusion process should cater for accessibility, communication, use of labels, acknowledging the difference and previous evaluation. Gaming is an important form of meeting whose participants include both those with or without disabilities. The idea behind it is to master the art of being a leader, cooperation, accepting defeat, working in shifts, cooperation, accommodating others and observing the terms and conditions. Further, you learn how to respect choices made by colleagues and better your skills. The point is to learn and adapt the situation around especially for the students who have disabilities. Other activities that are beneficial to this course is dividing the groups, chicken impulse, circling the circle and creating first impressions. Further, developing the art or knowing each other, marshmallow tower, paper pieces and thrashing your ego are very necessary. They all advance group solidarity, participation and establishing means of ice breaking when in different

Biculturism and Marginalization Essay Example for Free

Biculturism and Marginalization Essay * Ross-Sheriff (2011) commented that international migration patterns have * changed as a consequence of broad social, political, economic, and environmental * trends and explained the causes of the driving forces were including war, * globalization, urbanization, and changing cultural norms regarding social roles and * responsibilities (Ross-Sheriff, 2011). With these complex trends of migration * patterns, Van Hear (2010) viewed migration as a process which was an integral part * of broader social transformations, but which also had its own internal dynamics with * other factors related to the migrating process, shaping social transformation in their * own way. Migration was also linked in complex ways to class, gender, generation, * ethnicity and other social factors, which were embodied in positions in home and host * communities, and in work and domestic relationships, all of which might be * transformed in the course of the migratory process (Van Hear, 2010). To understand this complex process of migration, especially under changing circumstances of one culture to another, it might be useful to build conceptual tools for understanding these transitory processes in migration studies and in social science more widely (Van hear, 2010). They also include mediating agents and transitions that need also to be accounted for, as well as intersections among class, gender, generation, ethnicity and other social ruptures as well as the main driving forces of migration (Van Hear, 2010). Of course there were other important concepts such as relations between time and space, between dynamics or processes and outcomes, and between structure and agency that needed to get attention (Van Hear, 2010). However, it is impossible to discuss all different theoretical concepts involved in different types of migration process in the current limited study. Rather, this study tried to focus on psychological impacts such as ethnic identity and self-esteem on migration through acculturation processes particularly on family- related migration because different patterns of migration produced different communities and resulted in producing different migrant identities including varying levels of psychological distress (Jones, 2008). Further, few empirical studies have focused on migrant adults populations. Most migrants identification related literatures tended to relate more for adolescents or young children because identity formation might be particularly challenging in this cohort, especially when the values and beliefs of their natal culture differed significantly from those of the host society (Sodowsky, Kwan, Pannu, 1995; as cited in Farver, Narang, Bhadha, 2002). Therefore, this study focused on ethnic identity and self-identification issues of adult migrants’ themselves within a family structure according to different theoretical models relevant to adaptation of new cultures, because family was the basic instrument in the society (Nesdale, Rooney, Smith, 1997). In fact, most cultural acquisition theories developed and evolved in 1990s. when international migration became a key issue in international politics at the beginning of 1990s. As Castle (2002) argued that migration, development and international relations were closely connected as migration was a major factor of transformation for both sending and receiving countries for different types of migrants (Castle, 2002). With this perspective, this study generally focused on those migration culture acquisition theories developed in 1990 rather then looking at current perspectives in the most recent literatures, which actually have evolved from these original theories in 1990s (Castle, 2002). As the findings from these research studies has had been mixed or sometimes contradictory, it was important to understand the exact nature of the relationship between migrant ethnic identification and the acculturation process both need to be specified and assessed properly with coherent measurements and theoretical assumptions (Nesdale et al. , 1997). Important theoretical concepts: ethnic identity, acculturation, biculturism, and marginalisation. According to Phinney (1990; as cited in Farver, Narang Bhadha., 2002), ethnic identity and acculturation were related but separate constructs. Ethnic identity involves an individual’s self-identification as a group member, a sense of belonging to an ethnic group, attitudes toward ethnic group of membership, and degree of ethnic group involvement (Farver et al. , 2002). The term acculturation was defined in anthropology as those phenomena, which resulted when groups of individuals having different cultures came into continuous first-hand contact with subsequent changes in the original pattern of either or both groups (Redfield, Linton, Herskovits, 1936; as cited in Birman, 1994). Although acculturation was a neutral term in this context (that is, change might take place in either or both groups), in practice, acculturation tended to induce more changes in one of the groups than in the other (Berry, 1990a; as cited in Berry, 1997) Berry (1997) argued that in all plural societies, cultural groups and their individual members, in both dominant and non-dominant situations, must deal with the issue of how to acculturate. According to Berry (1997), four acculturation strategies were introduced: assimilation, separation, marginalization, and integration. When individuals do not wish to maintain their cultural identity and seek daily interaction with other new cultures, the assimilation strategy is defined. In contrast, when individuals place a value on holding on to their original culture, and at the same time wish to avoid interaction with others, then the separation is defined (Berry, 1997). When there is an interest in both maintaining one’s original culture, while in daily interactions with other groups, integration is the option; here, there is some degree of cultural integrity maintained, while at the same time seeking to participate as an integral part of the larger social network (Berry, 1997). Last, when there is little possibility or interest in cultural maintenance (often for reasons of enforced cultural loss), and little interest in having relations with others (often for reasons of exclusion or discrimination) then marginalization is defined (Berry, 1997). However, this acculturation categories model has been criticized methodologically (Rudmin, 2003, 2009; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) because all four of Berry’s categories were represented in the same way by creating the two by two matrix of acculturation categories between high and low. However, the cut off point between high and low was arbitrary and would differ across samples, making comparisons across studies difficult, resulting in the fact that all four categories existed and were equally valid (Rudmin, 2003; as cited in Schwartz et al., 2010) and suggesting that not all of Berry’s categories might exist in a given sample or population, and that some categories might have multiple subtypes (Schwartz et al. , 2010). In particular, Berry (1997) viewed the term â€Å"biculturism† as referring to acculturation that involved the individual simultaneously in the two cultures that were in contact in integrative ways, which appeared to be a consistent predictor of more positive outcomes than the three alternatives of assimilation, separation, or marginalization. Berry and his colleagues (Sam Berry, 1995) assessed the acculturation strategies of various immigrant groups in North America and the results showed that bicultural individuals experienced less acculturative stress, anxiety and fewer psychological problems significantly, while marginalized individuals suffered the most psychological distress, including problems with self-identification and cultural alienation, which adversely affected their self-esteem (Farver et al. , 2002). However, Shiraev and Levy (2007) explained acculturative stress as a negative feeling that a marginalized person might experience as a distressing psychological reaction to any unfamiliar cultural environment based on the assumption that person and groups undergoing any social and cultural change should experience a certain amount of psychological distress. Generally, many early definitions of acculturation focused on exposure to two cultures simultaneously as a culture shock, which was a reactive state of specific pathology or deficit, rather than taking advantage of being bicultural (Berry Annis, 1974; Shiraev et al., 2007). The validity of marginalization as an approach to acculturation by Berry (1997) was also questioned (Del Pilar Udasco, 2004; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). Schawartz et al. argued that the likelihood that a person would develop a cultural sense of self without drawing on either the heritage or receiving cultural contexts would be less likely to. The marginalization approach might be true only for the small segment of migrants who rejected both their heritage and receiving cultures (Berry, 2006b). Indeed, studies using empirically based clustering methods have found small or nonexistent marginalization groups and scales that attempted to measure marginalization typically had poor reliability and validity compared with scales for the other categories (Cuellar, Arnold, Maldonado, 1995; Unger et al. , 2002; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). As described earlier, the impact of migrant ethnic identity on psychological distress had comparatively diverse points of views if they were either negative or positive reactions, depending on different theoretical frames. For example, Social Identity Theory (Tajfel Turner, 2001) and Self-Categorization Theory (Turner, 1987) emphasized more on the importance to individuals of their identification with particular social groups. Social Identity Theory (Tajfel Turner, 2001; as cited in Yip, Gee, Takeuchi, 2008) viewed a possible explanation for why ethnic identity might buffer the effects of discrimination. According to this theory,individuals chose from an array of possible social identity groups and, once those groups were chosen, individuals focused on the positive aspects of their in-group, which helped to boost their own esteem, suggesting that ethnic identity was more important to their overall identity (Yip et al. , 2009). In contrast, if ethnicity was a central component of ones identity, it might actually exacerbate the effects of discrimination, resulting in a greater negative impact on mental health, according to self-categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, Wetherell, 1987; as cited in Yip et al., 2008), suggesting that people should be more in tune with environmental cues that were relevant to an important aspect of their identity. That is, experiences of racial discrimination might be such a cue relevant to their ethnic identity. Indeed, research suggested that African American adults and adolescents who reported strong racial centrality were also more likely to report experiences of racial discrimination (Neblett, Shelton, Sellers, 2004; Sellers, Caldwell, Schmeelk-Cone, Zimmerman, 2003; Sellers Shelton, 2003; as cited in Yip et al., 2008). However, despite this emphasis by social theorists, they tended to forget the larger literature that involved with both ethnicity and the acculturation process (Liebkind, 1993; 1996; as cited in Nesdale, Rooney Smith, 1997). First of all, these different findings resulted from lack of inclusion of acculturation itself as a variable methodologically when acculturation was considered as a phenomenon in research designs (Sam and Berry, 2006). Without including acculturation as a variable, the explanations for human behavior similarities and differences across populations would remain incomplete (Sam et al. , 2006). Second, a further criticism of the acculturation literatures was that the same two acculturation processes, and the same four-acculturation categories, characterized all migrants equally—regardless of the type of migrant, the countries of origin and settlement, and the ethnic group in question, according to Berry’s (1980) model and other similar approaches (Sam et al., 2006). Finally, the vast majority of studies in the acculturation literature have focused on behavioral acculturation (Schwartz et al. , 2010). That is, most widely used acculturation measures included primarily (or only) items assessing language use and other cultural practices (e. g. , Cuellar, Arnold, Maldonado, 1995; Stephenson, 2000; Szapocznik, Kurtines, Fernandez, 1980; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) due to accepting the fact that cultural practices might provide only a fair proxy for cultural adaptation (Schwartz et al., 2010). Theoretical frameworks for acculturation research Shiraev Levy (2007) claimed that cross-cultural psychologists usually used three approaches to examine human activities in various cultural settings. They were the sociobiological approach, the sociological approach and eco-cultural approach (Shiraev et al. , 2007). In particular, the eco-cultural approach emphasized both the environment and the individual were seen as open and interchanging systems (Shiraev et al., 2007), introducing John Berry whom originally developed this theory further in contemporary cross-cultural psychology. Shiraev et al. (2007) also pointed out that specialists should to be able to explain how, why, and to what extent people differed from one another, when ecological, biological, cultural, and acculturation factors were identified and taken into consideration (Berry, J. W. , Poortinga, Y. H. , Segall, M. H. , Dasen. P. R. ,1992; as cited in Shiraev et al. , 2007). In related to the concerns pointed by Shiraev et al. (2007), Berry (1997) argued earlier there were important links between cultural context and individual behavioural development, demonstrating what happened to individuals who developed in one cultural context when attempting to re-establish their lives in another one through his acculturation research framework, by confirming the fact that acculturation was one of the most complex areas of research in cross-cultural psychology because the process involved more than one culture and in two distinct senses (Berry, 1997). According to Berry (1997), the concept of acculturation was employed to refer to the cultural changes resulting from different ethnic groups encountered, while the concepts of psychological acculturation and adaptation were employed to refer to the psychological changes and eventual outcomes that occur as a result of individuals experiencing acculturation. In another words, acculturation phenomena resulted from contact between two or more cultures and research on acculturation had to be comparative in order to understand variations in psychological outcomes that were the result of cultural variations in the two groups in contact (Berry, 1997). In particular, this framework viewed the integration model of acculturation strategies the most desirable among other strategies, considering it the same as the biculturalism model (Berry, 1997). For example, Berry and his colleagues (Berry, 1980; Berry, J. W. , Kim, U. , Power, S. , Young, M, Bujaki, M. , 1989; Berry, Kim, Minde, Mok, 1987; Sam Berry, 1995 as cited in Farver et al., 2002) Assessed the acculturation strategies of various immigrant groups in North America and the result showed that integration was the most psychologically adaptive attitude, arguing that integrated or bicultural individuals experienced less acculturative stress and anxiety and manifested fewer psychological problems than those who were marginalized, separated, or assimilated, whereas marginalized individuals suffered the most psychological distress, including problems with self-identification and cultural alienation, which also affected their self-esteem (Farver et al., 2002). However, Phinney, Cantu, and Kurtz (1997) found that American identity was associated with self-esteem only for non-Hispanic Whites, but not for other ethnic groups. These mixed results as explained above raised two issues in the acculturation literatures. First of all, cultural practices might offer only a substitute for cultural adpatations, as Portes and Rumbaut (2001 as cited in Schwartz et al., 2010) mentioned that many Asian American young adults in their sample were not proficient in their native languages, even though they still perceived their identification with their parents’ countries of origin and maintained many of their values (Schwarz et al. , 2010). Secondly, most researchers on biculturism did not sufficiently define an accurate operational definition of biculturism so that interpretation of those research results were problematic (Birman, 1994). Indeed, one finding in the United States, was that self-identification as American was markedly higher in non-Hispanic Whites than in ethnic minority groups (e. g. , Devos Banaji, 2005; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) and many White Americans did not perceived themselves as members of an ethnic group (Schildkraut, 2007; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). In brief, different operational definition problems of acculturation arose from different theoretical models of acculturation regarding to their assumptions (LaFromboise, Coleman, Gerton, 1993). LaFromboise et al. (1993) assumed acculturation as one of substitutes among the biculturism models. Biculturism as defined in this theory was viewed as the alternation model, which implied an individual in two culture contacts could be competent in both cultures without losing one of the cultures’ competencies in distinct cultural contexts as alternation model, whereas, fusion model meant a blended cultural identity, consisting of a synthesis of aspects of both cultures (LaFromboise et al., 1993). However, Berry’s (1997) integrating approach of biculturism differed from the bicultural model (LaFromboise et al. , 1993; as cited in Birman, 1994) and it emphasized more on the relationship between the two cultural groups based on its implicit assumption that one of two cultures were higher than the other within a single social structure (LaFromboise et al. , 1993). Benet-Martinez and colleagues found that â€Å"blended† bicultural individuals tended to report higher self-esteem and lower psychological distress than a marginal population (Chen et al. , 2008 as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) because the consistent availability of both cultural flows within the person’s everyday life increased the ease of activating the correct cultural schema in accordance with their environmental situations (Schwartz et al. , 2010). In contrast, Tadmor, Tetlock, and Peng (2009) argued that the bicultural model considered those marginal individuals in positive ways, when there was little interest in cultural maintenance and little interest in having relations with others, suggesting positive aspects of being a marginal person might be (1) sharing his or her condition with others of the same original culture; (2) engaging in institutional practices that were shared by other marginal people; (3) experiencing no major frustration from social expectations; and (4) still perceiving himself or herself to be a member of a group (LaFromboise et al., 1993). According to Sam and Berry (2006), many studies of how migrants coped with intercultural contacts had discrepancies in the ways in which they were operationalized and measured. As no standardized or widely accepted acculturation measures existed, it was necessary to design a clear and explicit formulation of acculturation instrument in order to assess acculturation adequately (Sam et al. , 2006). Further Sam and Berry (2006) pointed out that most empirical studies widely used a self-report type of questionnaires that had been recognized limitations such as social desirability, emphasizing obtaining divergent validation by source of information other than the respondents’ reports. Therefore, it is vital to understand each theory within its specific assumptions and not to generalize across all situations regardless of their similar findings (LaFromboise et al. , 1993). As this study discovered migrants’ acculturation processes so far within specific theoretical frameworks, literature findings in different research were mixed as to whether individuals could be highly acculturated and at the same time be strongly identified with their ethnic group (Farver, Narang, Bhadha. , 2002). These confusing problems initially evolved because of the context in which migration arrangements and their acculturation processes were fundamentally transformed and increasingly uncertain due to globalization (Landolt Da, 2005). Shiraev Levy (2007) suggested a new approach to cross-cultural psychology in the twenty-first century, which was linked to the concept of globalization. Globalization was defined as a proliferation of cross-border flow and transnational networks due to new technologies of communication and transport that allowed frequent and multi-directional streams of people, ideas and cultural symbols (Castle, 2010). Castle also argued that globalization leads to major changes in the character of international migration. In other words, the context for migrant incorporation has already changed radically and will continue to do so. The rise of multiculturalism itself rather than assimilation or biculturism is one sign of this, but is not the end of the story: new forms of identity and belonging go beyond multiculturalism (Castle, 2010). Even though there is limited empirical evidence for clear statements for globalization, there probably are highly cosmopolitan groups who feel at home everywhere such as global business and professional elites might correspond with this image. But most members of transnational communities fall between these extremes, and probably have contradictory and fluctuating identities (Castle, 2002). Conclusions This study explored that a special case of cultural psychology was the study of how individuals respond to situations where they were in transition between their original culture and another that differed from it in some respects in terms of acculturation, especially within a specific theoretical frame that could apply to the specific situation (Adler Gielen, 1994). There was no single theory widely accepted by all social scientists to agree with the emergence and perpetuation of international migration patterns in the world under globalization (Van Hear, 2010),suggesting that the contemporary migrating context in which such migrating arrangements were realized fundamentally kept transforming so that it became increasingly uncertain (Landolt and Da, 2005). Although the topic of cultural contact and individual’ change has attracted considerable attention in contemporary cross-cultural psychology, the field has been characterized by a lack of theoretical coherence, definitional problems with key constructs, and single sample studies that limit the external validity of empirical cross-cultural research (Ward and Kenney, 1994). As acculturation is a process which takes place over time, and which results in changes both in the culture and in the individual culture changes, it would be ideal o compare two sets of data are compared over time using the same people. However, in practice, it is impossible in most acculturation research settings (Sam et al. , 2006). Instead, a common alternative to longitudinal research is cross-sectional research in which a time-related variable, such as length of residence or generational status can be used for the generalizability of acculturation theories (Sam et al., 2006). In general, researchers of migrating studies need to be aware that it is the selective nature of the sample that happens across all migrating research. That is, individuals who chose to migrate would be different from those who do not (Sodowsky, G. , Kwan, K. , Pannu, R. , 1995; as cited in Farver et al. , 1997). Finally, acculturation research generally focused on immigrants assumed to be permanently settled in their new host countries. As a result, the terms â€Å"migrants† or â€Å"international migrants† referred to the same type of migrants collectively. Moreover, many countries were both sending and receiving countries for different types of migrants, or in the process of transition from one type to the other (Castel, 2002). Therefore, where applicable, it is viable to design acculturation research studies classifying different types of migrants. References Adler, L. L. , Gielen, U. P. (Eds. ). (1994). Cross-cultural topics in psychology. Westport: Praeger Publishers. Berry, J. W. (1980). Social and cultural change. In Triandis, H. C. , Brislin, R. (Eds. ). Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (pp. 211-279). Boston: Allyn Bacon. Berry, J.W. , Kim, U. , Power, S. , Young, M, Bujaki, M. (1989). Acculturation attitudes in plural societies. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 38, 185-206 Berry, (1990a). Psychology of acculturation. In Berman, J. (Eds. ). Cross-cultural perspectives: Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (pp. 201-234). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaption. Applied Psychology: An international review, 46(1), 5-68. Berry, J. W. , Annis, R. (1974). A cculturation stress. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 5(4), 382-397. Berry, J. W. , Kim, U., Minde, T. , Mok, D. (1987). Comparative studies of acculturative stress. International Migration Review, 21, 591-511. Berry, J. W. , Poortinga, Y. H. , Segall, M. H. , Dasen. P. R. (1992). Cross-cultural Psychology: Research and application. New York: Cambridge university Press. Birman, D. (1994). Acculturation and human diversity in a multicultural society. In Trickett, E. J. , Watts, R. J. , Birman D, (Eds. ). Perspectives on people in context (pp. 261-284). San Franscisco: Jossey-Bass Inc. Castele, S. (2002). Migration and community formation under conditions of globalization. The Center for Migration Studies of New York, 36(4), 1143- 1168. Cuellar, I. , Arnold, B. , Maldonado, R. (1995). Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II: a revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Science, 17, 275-304. doi: 10. 1177/07399863950173001 DelPilar, J. A. , Udasco, J. O. (2004). Deculturation: Its lack of validity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, 169-176. doi: 10. 1037/1099- 9809. 10. 2. 169 Devos, T. , Banaji, M. R. (2005). American = White? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 447-466. doi: 10. 1037/0022-3514. 88. 3. 447 Farver, J. A. , Narang, S. K. , Bhadha, B. R. (2002). East meets west: Ethnic identity, acculturation, and conflict in Asian Indian families. Journal of Family Psychology, 16(3), 338-350. doi: 10. 1037//0893-3200. 16. 3. 338 Jones, A. (2008). A silent but mighty river: the costs of women’s economic migration. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 33(4), 761-807. Landolt, D. , Da, W. W. (2005). The Spatially Ruptured Practices of Migrant Families: A Comparison of Immigrants from El Salvador and the Peoples Republic of China. Current Sociology, 53, 625-652. doi: 10. 1177/0011392105052719. LaFromboise. , T. , Coleman. , H. , Gerton (1993). Psychological impact of biculturism: Evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 114(3), 394-412. Liebkind, K. (1993). Self-reported ethnic identity, depression and anxiety among youth Vietnamese refugees and their parents. Journal of Refugee Studies, 6, 25-39. Neblett, E, Shelton, J. N. , Sellers, R. M. (2004). The role of racial identity in managing daily racial hassles. In Philogene, G. (Eds. ). Race and identity: The legacy of Kenneth Clark. Washington DC: American Psychological Association Press. Nesdale. , D. , Rooney. , R. , Smith. , L. (1997). Migrant ethnic identity and psychological distress. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 28(5), 569-588. doi: 10. 1177/0022022197285004 Phinney, J. S. (1990). When we talk about American ethic groups, what do we mean? American Psychologist, 51, 918-917. Phinney, J. S. , Ong, A. D. (2007). Conceptualization and measurement of ethnic identity: Current status and future directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 271-281. doi: 10. 1037/0022-0167. 54. 3. 271 Portes, A. , Rumbaut, R. G. (2001). Legacies: The story of the immigrant second generation. Berkerly: University of California Press. Redfield, R. , Linton, R. , Herskovits, M. J. (1936) memorandum on the study of acculturation. American Anthropologist, 38, 149-152. Ross-Sheriff, F. (2011). Global migration and gender. Journal of Women and Social Works, 26(3), 233-238a. doi: 10. 1177/0886109911417692 Rudmin, F. W. (2003). Critical history of the acculturation psychology of assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. Review of General Psychology, 7, 3-37. doi: 10. 1177/01461670731197 Sam, D. , Berry, J. W. (1995). Acculturative stress among young immigrants in Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 36, 10-24. Sam, D. , Berry, J. W. (2006). The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology [Electronic version]. Retrieved from http://www. qut. eblib. com. au. ezp01. library. qut. edu. au/patron. Schildkraut, D. J. (2007). Defining American identity in the 21st century: How much â€Å"there† is there? Journal of Politics, 69, 597-615. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1468-2508. 2007. 00562. x Schwartz, S. J. , Unger, J. B. , Zamboanga, B. L. , Szapocznik, J. (2010). Rethinking the concept of acculturation: Implications for the theory and research. American Psychologist, 65(4), 237-251. doi: 10. 1037/a0019330 Sellers, R.M. , Caldwell, C. H. , Schmeelk-Cone, K. H. Zimmerman, M. A. (2003). Racial identity, racial discrimination, perceived stress, and psychological distress among African American young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44(3), 302-317. Seller, R. M. , Shelton, R. M. (2000). The role of racial identity in perceived racial discrimination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 1079-1092. Shiraev, E. , Levy, D. (2007). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications. Boston: Pearson Education Inc. Sodowsky, G. , Kwan, K. , Pannu, R., (1995). Ethnic identity of Asians in the United States. In J. Ponterotto (Ed. ), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 110- 130). Newbury Park: Sage. Stephenson, M. (2000). Development and validation of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). Psychological Assessment, 12, 77-88. doi: 10. 1037/1040-3590. 12. 1. 77 Szapocznik, J. , Kurtines, W. , Fernandez, T. (1980). Bicultural involvement and adjustment in Hispanic-American youths. International Journal of Interculture Relations, 4, 353-365. Tadmor, C. T. , Tedlock, P. E. , Peng, K. (2009). Acculturation strategies and integrative complexity: The congnitive implications of biculturism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40, 105-139. doi: 10. 1177/0022022108326279 Tajfel, H. , Turner, J. C. (2001). An Integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In Hogg, M. , Abrams, D. (Eds. ). The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 94-109). New York: Psychology Press. Turner, J. C. , Hogg, M. A. , Oakes, P. J. , Reicher, S. D. Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford: Balckwell. Unger, J. B. , Gallagher, P. , Shakib, S. , Ritt-Olson, A. , Palmer, P. H. , Johnson, C. A. (2002). 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Craig Waddell’s Perils of a Modern Cassandra and the Ehrlichs’ The Population Bomb :: Perils of a Modern Cassandra Population Bomb

Rhetorical Strategy in Craig Waddell’s Perils of a Modern Cassandra and the Ehrlichs’ The Population Bomb In Perils of a Modern Cassandra, Craig Waddell suggests that the Ehrlichs should revise their rhetorical strategy in The Population Bomb because it is ineffective in attracting readers to their argument. Particularly problematic are the Ehrlichs’ alienating attitude towards non-educated non-environmentalists in his audience, a lack of both an inviting ethos, and a lack of compassion for the reader. Since the goal of a book is usually to inform or persuade readers, the Ehrlichs’ book does not serve its purpose and is therefore ineffective. The same â€Å"ineffective argument† problem can be seen in Betrayal of Science and Reason, since many of the Ehrlichs’ key ideas on environmental problems (along with their contestable use of rhetoric) in The Population Bomb are mirrored in Betrayal of Science and Reason. The following passages were taken from Betrayal of Science and Reason to demonstrate what Waddell sees as problems in the Ehrlichs’ rhetoric:â€Å"†¦Paul began to appear on radio and television to condemn the behavior of human beings in general. The possible public response worried him less than his colleagues’ reactions because, as is the case for most scientists, Paul’s ego rewards come mostly from the approval of his peers† (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 8). This passage supports Waddell’s claim by showing that one of the Ehrlichs is lacking in compassion toward humankind. When reading this passage, the reader gets a sense of ethos that revolves mostly around Paul Ehrlich’s ego, and consequently, the reader feels that the entire environmentalist argument of the book was written to satisfy his ego. This is because Paul Ehrlich liked the approval of his educated, environmentalist peers, and therefore, he really did not need to care about others in his audience. â€Å"Anti-science as promoted by the brownlash is not a unique phenomenon in our society; the largely successful efforts of creationists to keep Americans ignorant of evolution is another example, which is perhaps not entirely unrelated† (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 12). This is a good example of how the Ehrlichs inadvertently alienate large sections of their actual, not invoked, audience. The Ehrlichs may have invoked an audience full of educated, environmentalist readers, but this is not the audience who is reading Betrayal of Science and Reason. There are also creationists who might happen to harbor some environmentalist sentiment and who might want to share a stronger environmentalist view given that the Ehrlichs’ argument is persuasive enough.

My Losing Season

Conroy was born on October 26, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia, to a young career military officer from Chicago and a Southern beauty from Alabama, whom Pat often credits for his love of language. He was the first of seven children.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Since the family had to move many times to different military bases around the South, Pat changed schools frequently, finally attending the Citadel Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina, upon his father's insistence. While still a student, he wrote and then published his first book, THE BOO, a tribute to a beloved teacher.† (Book Reporter)Now that I have given you a brief rundown of Conroy’s life, lets take a look at his newest book entitled, â€Å"A Losing Season’, the book centers around Conroy’s â€Å"a painfully detailed memoir of his senior year on the 1966-67 Citadel Bulldogs basketball squad that soldiered through an ignominious 8-17 season.Call it a requiem for all the runners-up who, like Conroy, turne d defeat on the playing field into victory in other aspects of their lives. Author PhotoAs a fast, street-hardened 5-foot-10 point guard, Conroy was a fiery competitor who always believed he could play above his physical limitations and frequently did.Like his teammates, Conroy didn't lose well. Unlike the others, however, he found a way to learn something from each defeat that would make him a better ballplayer. His steely resolve in the face of such a spirit-crushing season ultimately gave him the self-confidence to become one of America's best-loved writers. If losing builds character, Pat Conroy is your poster boy for also-rans.† (BookPage)To conclude, Conroy’s book is an inspiration to others who think that losing is basically the end of the world, when in reality it can lead to   more positive things in thier lives later on down the road.Referencehttp://www.bookpage.com/0210bp/pat_conroy.htmlhttp://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-conroy-pat.asp

Impact of Media Technology on Learning Behavior

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Son of Saddam essays

Son of Saddam essays Sports Illustrated, 3.24.03, Vol. 98, Issue 12 This is my Iraq. Embarrassing Iraq embarrasses me, these are the words spoken by Iraqs head of Olympic committee and soccer federation Uday Hussein, Saddam Husseins eldest son. The war between Iran and Iraq went on for eight years, killing 100s of thousands of young Iraqis, demoralizing the youths. Saddam thought success in sports would help regain national pride and lift the spirits of Iraq. Uday was placed in power of the Olympic committee in 1984 by his father with the hopes of Iraqi sports being respectable again. After a losing 2-0 in a friendly soccer match between Iraq and Jordan, which had no significance in World Cup standings or rankings, just a chance for teams to practice against another team, Uday took four of the star players to prison. Upon arriving at prison, these players were striped of their shirts, feet bound together with their knees drawn over their heads over a bar lying on their backs. The soccer players were then dragged over pavement and concrete, painfully pulling and ripping the skin off their backs. They were then pulled through a sandpit then made to climb a ladder and jump in a vat of raw sewage, trying to infect their wounds as much as humanly possible. The following days the prisoners feet were caned, 20 lashings a day, breaking the smaller bones and causing massive swelling, leaving victims unable to walk for some time. Asking the guards how they can possibly carry out these punishments, they simply laughed and said it would be done to them if they refused to car ry the punishments out. Following a boxing match in which an Iraqi lost and was knocked out in the first round, Uday and Iraqi secret service agents escorted the boxer into his office. In sport you can win or lose. I told you to not come home if you didnt win, said Uday, This is how you box. He then threw punc ...

Free Essays on Produced Water Treatment

Produced Water Treatment – Future Technology Polymer modified bentonite or organoclay, ET Ventures - ET #1, made by binding amine polymer with bentonite clay, this converts the clay to an oil-wet, hydrocarbon adsorbent material. Able to adsorb 88% of its own weight in hydrocarbons and 100% by volume. Combined with granular activated carbon treatment gives non-detectable levels of pet. hc's ,oil and grease, and soluble hydrocarbons (EPA methods 418.1 ,413.2 & 8020 respectivley). Units are nearly maintenance free. Spent ET #1 has shown to adsorb volatile hydrocarbons tighly enough to pass the EPA’s TCLP test. This allows the product to be disposed of as non-hazardous waste. However until more experience is gained with the use of ET #1, operators should conduct their own TCLP test prior to disposal. The TCLP test, or the Toxicity Characteristic Leachate Procedure, is used to identify toxic chemicals capable of leaching into groundwater. The spent product can be returned to manufacturer for cost of freight. Alternatively, s ome manufacturers add activated carbon to the organoclay allowing the spent product to be burned as fuel in boilers. Research is still needed to prove this treatment method, for example, it is not know weather the product will concentrate heavy metals or weather the metals will be bound tight enough to pass the TCLP test. Because of the large volume of produced water, the cost of its management has a strong potential impact on the profitability of the domestic natural gas industry, and in some cases, the regulation of produced water disposal can shutdown production operations. Currently, about 60% of the produced water is disposed of through deep well injection at a cost of $0.50 to $1.75/bbl in wells that cost $400,000 to $3,000,000 to install. Furthermore, this option is coming under increasing regulatory scrutiny and is likely to be even more expensive in the future.Researchers at ANL have been using a new... Free Essays on Produced Water Treatment Free Essays on Produced Water Treatment Produced Water Treatment – Future Technology Polymer modified bentonite or organoclay, ET Ventures - ET #1, made by binding amine polymer with bentonite clay, this converts the clay to an oil-wet, hydrocarbon adsorbent material. Able to adsorb 88% of its own weight in hydrocarbons and 100% by volume. Combined with granular activated carbon treatment gives non-detectable levels of pet. hc's ,oil and grease, and soluble hydrocarbons (EPA methods 418.1 ,413.2 & 8020 respectivley). Units are nearly maintenance free. Spent ET #1 has shown to adsorb volatile hydrocarbons tighly enough to pass the EPA’s TCLP test. This allows the product to be disposed of as non-hazardous waste. However until more experience is gained with the use of ET #1, operators should conduct their own TCLP test prior to disposal. The TCLP test, or the Toxicity Characteristic Leachate Procedure, is used to identify toxic chemicals capable of leaching into groundwater. The spent product can be returned to manufacturer for cost of freight. Alternatively, s ome manufacturers add activated carbon to the organoclay allowing the spent product to be burned as fuel in boilers. Research is still needed to prove this treatment method, for example, it is not know weather the product will concentrate heavy metals or weather the metals will be bound tight enough to pass the TCLP test. Because of the large volume of produced water, the cost of its management has a strong potential impact on the profitability of the domestic natural gas industry, and in some cases, the regulation of produced water disposal can shutdown production operations. Currently, about 60% of the produced water is disposed of through deep well injection at a cost of $0.50 to $1.75/bbl in wells that cost $400,000 to $3,000,000 to install. Furthermore, this option is coming under increasing regulatory scrutiny and is likely to be even more expensive in the future.Researchers at ANL have been using a new...

Rope-a-Dope and International Affairs

Rope-a-Dope and International Affairs Rope-a-Dope and International Affairs Rope-a-Dope and International Affairs By Maeve Maddox The other day I began listening to an interview between NPR’s Scott Simon and Dennis Ross, a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. My attention was stopped cold by this sentence in Simon’s opening remarks: I apologize for using a sports analogy, but what about the chances that this might be the rope-a-dope strategy for Iran? I don’t know how I’ve managed to go so long without encountering this expression, but I hadn’t a clue as to what Simon meant by â€Å"the rope-a-dope strategy.† The expression originated in 1974 when the boxer Muhammad Ali introduced the tactic in his fight with George Foreman. Besides its use to describe a boxing maneuver, apparently the expression is commonly used in political writing. My only excuse for remaining ignorant of it for so long is that my interest in politics is on a par with my interest in sports. Neither the OED nor Merriam-Webster Unabridged has an entry for â€Å"rope-a-dope,† but I found this definition at the free online Oxford Dictionaries: rope-a-dope noun: (US informal) A boxing tactic of pretending to be trapped against the ropes, goading an opponent to throw tiring ineffective punches. The expression has been applied to the delaying tactics favored by Iran at least since 2006: Many fear that the Iranians are engaged in a game of â€Å"rope-a-dope,† absorbing our best efforts to stop their nuclear program while buying time to get themselves over the nuclear know-how threshold. –US Senate report, 2006 One problem with using sports analogies in general reporting is that not all readers are familiar with them. Another is that the writers who use the expressions may not use them to mean the same thing. And a third is that the more such an expression is used, the more the original meaning is likely to shift. These seem to be the most common interpretations of â€Å"the rope-a-dope strategy†: -provoking an opponent to energy-wasting rage -pretending to be weaker than one is -distracting an opponent from one’s true purpose -employing delaying tactics In the case of Iran, â€Å"rope-a-dope† equates to â€Å"delaying tactics†: delaying tactics: an action or strategy designed to defer or postpone something in order to gain an advantage for oneself. For the sake of sports-challenged listeners, Simon could have said, â€Å"What about the chances that this might be a delaying tactic on the part of Iran?† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names"Latter," not "Ladder"10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing

Can the market solve the ozone problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Can the market solve the ozone problem - Essay Example However, it is not entirely impossible to say that a market solution is not possible to address the ozone problem. Although prices may be high, the market will still be free, with no official obstacles to the depletion of the natural resources or the pollution of clean environment. Since natural environment are consumed on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, contemporaries may be willing to pay a great deal and use these resources rather than trouble with conservation. (p. 135) In light of this, it is fundamental that in order to capture the full effect of pollution, there should be the existence of some link between the present and the future. How can we achieve this? The answer lies not in the agents of the market - the population in today’s generation – but on the firm, which has the capacity to live forever. This starts with the owner of the firms, there is a potential of taking responsibility by looking beyond their lifetimes. An owner is in a better position to see the ozone problem in terms of its long-term effect than what is currently experienced from the perspective of his firm. It is safe to say that, as an owner, he must take care that the firm survives for his predecessors and heirs. The consequences of future environmental damage are reflected in the firm’s price – maximizing value requires consideration of all future effects of today’s actions. The quality of the environment, wrote Partha Dasgupta and Karl- GÃ ¶ran Maler (1997), is part of the capital stock, just like bridges and buildings and that there is every reason to treat the environment along with other capital as relevant input in a firm’s production function. (p. 38) This is one of the major factors in the market solution to the ozone problem. The above argument underscores the uniqueness of the ozone depletion as an environmental problem for businesses. The effect of the ozone has a wider net

The World of Prison Staff Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The World of Prison Staff - Research Paper Example It is a general observation that in people oriented occupations fatigue and passivity results into burnouts. Positions in criminal justice system, like that of a correctional officer in prison, is stressful than other people oriented jobs, from many angles. It is a job of adversarial nature where, interaction is mostly negative. Correctional officers are required to supervise inmates who are not willing to be there and they are also required to make them co operate. Stress is more pronounced in female officers than males, due to working in male dominated environment and work-home conflict. Officers with more experience (12 years or more) or prolonged duration of duty (one year at a stretch) feel more stress than others. Similar is the case with older age officers. Two variables increase stress consistently; these are dangerousness of the job and role problems. Correctional officers have to perform two conflicting roles of ensuring custody of prisoners and taking care of their needs a s well. Conflicting roles at times create stress. Nature of job is definitely dangerous as prisoners are often criminal and dangerous. Educated and minority race officers face more stress due to maladjustment. If correctional officers remain satisfied within their organization’s strength, job satisfaction comes naturally. ... The general stress is the result of experiences in the workplace and occupational stress is due to nature of the job. The contributing variables towards stress of correctional officers can be divided into individual (gender, educational and correctional experience, role problems and perception of dangers), organizational (supervisory & peer support, administrative strength and job satisfaction) and jail factors (training, direct supervision and jail unit). Stress related to age and race is not significant. There is interesting evidence in studies, which suggest that results of stress related to correctional officers are, similar and these are independent of jail, prison or setting. By nature, the job of correctional officers is dangerous requiring him to maintain order and ensure custody and well-being of inmates. In addition to normal functions, they have to perform court related duties, which results into conflict in duties, and added stress. Officers experience lowest level of str ess in strict custody capacity. Improved communication with supervisors and focused performance of job can significantly reduce stress. If the jail is made organizationally sound, workforce feel more relaxed. If the correctional officer believes that he has more control over the work environment his stress is significantly reduced. When an officer has some say in policymaking, his supervisors hear him attentively, and sincerely, he enjoys his work more and feels relaxed. It is important that officers must have authority in their jobs and they should be rewarded on good performance in the form of salary increase and promotions. Job satisfaction is directly proportional to stress in jail environment, if it is not there, the situation leads to burnout. Job satisfaction not

Problem of obesity in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem of obesity in America - Essay Example Studies have shown that obesity leads to type two diabetes, heart diseases and heat attacks, hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, and Dyslipidemia. It is therefore imperative that healthier lifestyles are inculcated among young children ever since their childhood. Therefore, it is high time that obesity rate in US is reduced through effective measures and policies, and for this, one needs to have a thorough understanding of the reasons for obesity in the state. Genetics, changed life style of people, unhealthy eating habits, lack of required physical exercises, and food addiction are generally found to be the major causes for obesity. The consumption of high calorie snacks and fast food items can also lead to overweight and obesity. It is proved that most of the obesity cases are genetically inherited. Therefore, the children of obese parents are more likely to be obese compared to those of lean parents. But one cannot negate the other factors as there is a great increase of obesity rat e among people who cannot blame their inheritance for being so. The modern fast food culture, unhygienic food habits and people’s unwillingness or lack of time to take proper exercises to maintain their physical fitness have all immensely contributed to obesity in the United States.

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) Essay - 1

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) - Essay Example In the mid nineties the company launched the Newton hand held personal digital assistant, and in 2001 the company launched the successful iPod which was a device that offered music, as well as some gaming and storage functions. Finally the case highlighted that Apple already had some telecommunications experience in a joint venture with Motorola launching the ROKR which was an iTunes compatible mobile device. With the natural progression of technology, market penetration and with online infrastructure (Notably iTunes) it is the case that people were already familiar with Apple’s hand held devices and software applications and as such there was massive positive reception of the phone upon its release. Why it May be Beneficial: It is the case that carriers are often the point of sale for the devices, in addition to this many carriers have to handle customer care issues as well as make constant upgrades to their infrastructure networks to accommodate changes in technology. Furthermore it may be the case that manufacturers work in close conjunction with the carriers to develop software and applications that are mutually beneficial. Why it May be Detrimental: It is simply the case that by partnering with a company that has the latest and most advanced technology already brings a significant amount of business for a carrier. It is also the case that by having exclusive distribution rights (As is the case with iPhone and AT&T mobility) the company may gain competitive customers but there may be a conflict of interest between the two companies, in that the specialization of the Apple is software and hardware development and those carriers are simply the service companies. Lastly by locking in a partnership with one carrier for a long period of time it is the case that the future partnership with the company is unknown and other carriers may be better suited to accommodate the needs of customers and Apple. According to the case

Supply Chain Management. Webinar summaries Essay

Supply Chain Management. Webinar summaries - Essay Example The session will include a set of video case study segments which have been filmed at the fulfilment centre in Von Maur. Challenges with order fulfilment The current challenges faced by Von Maur with order fulfilment are those to do with accuracy, productivity, speed, and flexibility in seasonality, services and products. Out of these primary hurdles in order fulfilment experienced by Von Maur are those related to providing services with respect to free shipping, free returns, free gift wrap and acknowledging offers and store coupons, speed wherein products have to be shipped the same day, selecting online inventory to the offerings in the store and offering more than brick-and-mortar stores and lastly its growth is unpredictable. Reasons for selecting mobile robotic warehouse automation (KIVA) Traditional automation ties operation to a fixed SKU set, location, workflow and order profile. On the other hand, mobile-robotic fulfilment provides picking, packing and shipping orders by ro bots, pickers stay in ergonomic work stations, delivery of inventory to stations are carried out by robots and above all robots and shelves are mobile. Also the parts of mobile robotic warehouse automation contain human operators, bots, stations, pods and software. The advantage of this system is that all activities like picking, packing, shipping, replenishment, inventory control and return are simultaneously conducted. As of now, orders received before 11 A.M. are shipped the same day, Von Maur online stocks and sells 95 per cent of items available in Von Maur stores, personnel enjoy working in the eCommerce business, this online shop will provide more items than those available in Von Maur stores starting the end of summer. Solution items The system was designed prior to the decision to erect a building by Von Maur for the eCommerce Division. Integration of Kiva Software with Von Maur’s home grown eCommerce order management software, deploying solutions took around 30 days , during the peak seasons temporary workers are hired for the back/wrap areas. Bots are automatically recharged at charging stations. Recap of the outcomes The operation is 4 times productive than when the store did not adapt the mobile-robotic automation system. During average volumes, at least 15 pickers are placed by Kiva. Inaccurate orders hardly exist and the store chain can add solution capacity in future. The eCommerce Division is rapidly growing and is keeping pace with its retail outlets. Kiva – Mobile robotic warehouse automation Kiva automated warehouse operations software help in productively, accurately, flexibly and portably picking, packing and shipping orders. Van Maur is a traditional company having a progressive thinking system. The eCommerce division contains only 35 personnel but despite this they effectively handle operations and this has led to growth in online sales of Van Maur products. Webinar 2: Global Mission Strategies - Webinar by World Trade Grou p Plant Location International (PLI) is the international Center of Excellence for IBM and focuses on economic development and international location strategies. It contains a team of 25 consultants, above 50 years of experience for advising governments and multinationals, having around 3000 projects globally, developed robust analytical and methodological tools and closely operates with IBM’s international network of operations and business strategy consultants and subject and industry matter experts. Global location trends It has been observed that recent crisis impacted foreign

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) Essay - 1

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) - Essay Example In the mid nineties the company launched the Newton hand held personal digital assistant, and in 2001 the company launched the successful iPod which was a device that offered music, as well as some gaming and storage functions. Finally the case highlighted that Apple already had some telecommunications experience in a joint venture with Motorola launching the ROKR which was an iTunes compatible mobile device. With the natural progression of technology, market penetration and with online infrastructure (Notably iTunes) it is the case that people were already familiar with Apple’s hand held devices and software applications and as such there was massive positive reception of the phone upon its release. Why it May be Beneficial: It is the case that carriers are often the point of sale for the devices, in addition to this many carriers have to handle customer care issues as well as make constant upgrades to their infrastructure networks to accommodate changes in technology. Furthermore it may be the case that manufacturers work in close conjunction with the carriers to develop software and applications that are mutually beneficial. Why it May be Detrimental: It is simply the case that by partnering with a company that has the latest and most advanced technology already brings a significant amount of business for a carrier. It is also the case that by having exclusive distribution rights (As is the case with iPhone and AT&T mobility) the company may gain competitive customers but there may be a conflict of interest between the two companies, in that the specialization of the Apple is software and hardware development and those carriers are simply the service companies. Lastly by locking in a partnership with one carrier for a long period of time it is the case that the future partnership with the company is unknown and other carriers may be better suited to accommodate the needs of customers and Apple. According to the case

The impact of piracy on maritime trade and fishing industry Research Paper

The impact of piracy on maritime trade and fishing industry - Research Paper Example The researcher states that at the close of the year 2010, there were at least 600 seafarers who were captives of pirates in international waters. Piracy is a crime that without doubt has far reaching effects on one of the largest trade transport network. It is clear that a lot of money is lost as a result of piracy but the question that begs is, exactly how much is lost? According to Bowden, piracy costs at least seven billion dollars a year although the figure could go even up to twelve billion. We are all affected by maritime piracy whether directly or indirectly. In fact, even the countries that contribute to piracy like Somalia still face the negative impacts of piracy. For starters, there is a huge humanitarian crisis in the region as a result of the hijack of ships. Most of the ships that are hijacked are often taking food and medical supplies to hunger stricken people in Somalia and other neighboring countries in the region. Sea transport is the leading in freight and cargo ha uling across nations. In fact It is estimated that maritime trade accounts of at least 80 percent of the world’s trade. This is one of the oldest forms of transport but it has consistency grown over the years. Maritime transport has in fact doubled every decade ever since the Second World War. The onset of a globalised market has been one of the main catapults that has steered maritime transport to the position it enjoys today. In recent yeas however, one of the oldest crimes against this mode of transport has revived and increased steadily. Piracy is now threatening this trade especially in the horn of Africa where pirates operating from Somalia have perfected the art of hijacking ships. Since sea transport is very important for all of us, there is a need to compute just how much piracy costs the trade instead of dealing with mere estimates. Organizations have tried doing some research aimed at getting the most reliable estimates but the hugest challenge has been gathering o f reliable data owing to logistical challenges. There are a variety of scholars that have done an analysis of the costs of the maritime trade. However, they have not looked at both sides of the coin. The most commonly computed cost of piracy in maritime trade is the cost of the cargo that is lost together with the ransom fees that are paid t the captors I order to release the crew and the ships. However, there are many other costs involved that need to be considered as well. This paper will start by looking at the primary effects of maritime piracy but it will also go a step further and discuss the other secondary effects of maritime piracy that have been largely ignored by many people. Past initiatives There have been some initiatives in the recent past that were geared at trying to compute the cost of piracy on maritime trade. The most notable of these are Peter Chalk’s RAND institute in collaboration with the International Maritime Bureau which together put a rough estimat e in the range of one to six billion dollars per annum (Chalk, 12; Rosenberg, 222). However, most of the studies have concentrated on the first order costs of piracy namely, the ransoms that have to be paid to free the captives, security mechanisms that have to be beefed and the increased naval costs. However, there are not many that have considered the secondary costs which could be even higher, Secondary costs of piracy includes the inflation on commodity prices as well as the international investment in regional economies among others. The bottle necks in computing the real cost According to a recent actuarial scientific study on maritime trade and piracy, the challenge to the actuaries involved in pricing maritime insurance products is considerable†¦information about the attacks issued by shipping owners is often vague. Understandably, shipping owners don’

Biblical Worldview Essay Essay Example for Free

Biblical Worldview Essay Essay Introduction/Thesis The Bible’s New Testament book of Romans, chapters 1-8, provides a fundamental perspective and useful resource on how God desires to shape our worldview. A biblical worldview in a society that gravitates to a sinful nature can be a challenge. Paul, however, provides insight that may not encompass every theological truth, but provides the basis of establishing a biblical worldview. Specifically, these chapters provide the essence of how Christians should view the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. The Natural World Paul’s description of a worldview of the natural world is supported in the Bible several times. The book of Genesis begins with God’s creation of the heavens and earth as described in Genesis 1:1. Romans 1:20 also supports God as the master creator by explaining, â€Å"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.† (NLT) But, because of man’s sinful nature, people turn away from Him and deny His power and divinity. In Romans 1:21-23 Paul states, â€Å"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.† (NIV) Despite the evidence of God’s existence, people turned away from Him, worshipped idols, and continued to relish in sin. Human Identity God created man in His image and put mankind over the rest of His creation. In fact, God has ranked man just a little lower than the angels and has anointed us with His glory and honor (Psalms 8:5). So, why is it we have an identity crisis? It is because of sin, we have fallen out of God’s grace. Romans 3:10 states, â€Å"There is no one righteous, not even one.† (NIV) It is through Adam’s sin that we are all now held in God’s contempt. God understands man is bound by his sinful nature. But, Paul describes our  opportunity for redemption in Romans Chapter 8:1-2, â€Å"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.† (NIV) â€Å"Although the ‘law of sin and death’ is more powerful than our moral will-power, the ‘law of the Spirit of life’ more powerful than the ‘law of sin and death’. It has the power to liberate us.† (DeLashmutt) Through Jesus Christ, we are able to reclaim our human identity as God’s children. Human Relationships Human relationships have been tainted with sin since Adam and Eve. God has provided other human relationships as a gift to us. It’s through these human interactions we demonstrate God’s love through us. Though human nature leans toward sin, especially in dealing with human relationships. Our refusal to acknowledge God will allow us to fulfill our own sinful hearts and desires. These selfish motivations lead us to fulfill the desires of our heart instead of the desires of God’s heart. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul provides a detailed description of the wickedness and immorality of the people. Sin is what separated us from God and a relationship with Him in the first place. God restored this, however, through our gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus’s life and human relationships, as described in throughout the Gospel, provide a perfect example of the biblical perspective on human relationships. Culture The biblical worldview on culture that Paul describes in Romans is a society that has systematically imploded. Romans 1:26-31 provides explicit detail on the Roman culture at that time. Sin was running rampant through the society. People knew God and they rejected Him anyway. This type of sinful nature and blatant rejection of God spread throughout the culture. (Romans 1:32) People were determined to live in defiance of God and by their own legalistic views of the law. Paul stated that those under the law were lawless because the people abused the law to provide selfish gains or as a means to stand in judgement of another, especially the Gentiles. God meant for the law to be good, but man manipulated it to his own advantage. On the contrary, obedience demonstrates humility. Paul states in Romans 5:19, † For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,  so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.† (NIV) The philosophy in this scripture supports God’s desire for us to be the light in the world to shape our culture for His purpose and not our own. Paul maintains that the grace that we as Christians are under was achieved by one Man’s (Jesus’) righteous act (Rom. 5:18). (McCracken) Conclusion I believe that Paul’s epistle is just as relevant today and it was in his time. Paul’s thoughts and insight provide sound perspective for biblical worldviews for believers to mature in their faith. These biblical worldviews about our natural world, human identity, human relationship and culture are applicable to current believers because human nature has not changed. These messages are just as relevant to us today because there is still sin in the world that will not end until the Second Coming of Christ. In the meantime, we can use Romans 1-8 as a guide to align our biblical worldviews with God’s heart. Paul’s perspective on biblical worldviews, such as these, are just one of the many gems we can get from the Word. References DeLashmutt, G. Walking by the Spirit Part 1. Teaching Series from Romans. Retrieved on 5/1/15 from http://www.xenos.org/teachings/?teaching=527. McCracken, R. (April 20, 2014). The Difference Between Legalism and Obedience. Bible Study with Randy. Retrieved on May 2, 2015 from http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/2014/04/know-difference-legalism-obedience-romans-5-8/.

Film Review King Arthur

Film Review King Arthur Film Review King Arthur The film I will be reviewing is called King Arthur. King Arthur is from the action epic genre and is a brilliant well put together film which will help many audiences in many ways and would be bound to sell. I will also include a historical context showing how King Arthur was related to the Roman invasion of Britain and how it also affected the characters involved. The maker of the film is Jerry Bruckheimer. The actors that star in the film are Clive Owen as king Arthur, Keira Knightley as Guinevere, Ray Winstone as Bors, Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot Stellan Skarsgà ¥rd, Stephen Dillane. Clive Owen has a reputation for providing top class films. Back in 1990, he performed as the wisecracking, sharp-suited wheeler-dealer Stephen Crane in the hit show Chancer; he was described as â€Å"the hottest thing on TV†. Keira Knightley also has a reputation for providing top films such as her earliest Bend It like Beckham to in 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean. After performing in those still only 18 she also preformed in Love Actually and then continued Pirates of the Caribbean. From this we can see that all the actors and actresses are excellent and great performers so therefore my expectations only followed by their reputation. The film is all about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It came out in 2004 and lasts for 140 minutes. There is a lot of history of this film as King Arthur is a legend. Similar to Robin Hood King Arthur has many different versions such as an older version and this newer version. In my opinion the film is a great one attracting a wide audience of historians, people with an interest in King Arthur and action packed viewers. King Arthur is believed by some as a myth but most believe he was a real king and that he really did make England proud. This film is set around 409 A.D. This time was when the Roman Empire controlled most of Britain. King Arthur, who is partly Roman and an ally to Rome, was mainly British and loved his country that every battle in this film he would fight would be for him and his knights of the round tables freedom. As an agreement all these British villages had to send their children and some adults to fight for Rome. Similar to subscription and they had to serve a certain amount of time where they would earn their freedom. Later on after a few years in around 410 A.D the Roman invasion had ended because Rome had redrawn from Britain due to other opposing enemies and also due to the attack of the Saxons and Scots. The film begins with a well worded description of the legend of King Arthur which reads â€Å"Historians agree that the classical 15th Century King Arthur and his knight’s rose from a similar individual who lived in a period often called the Dark Ages†. The picture comes awake with a Roman army on horseback often called the â€Å"Praetorian† an elite roman horseback army. The beginning of the film is very important because it sets the scene to what the whole film is about which in this case is about the Roman Britain Empire and its connection with King Arthur. We see at the start a map which shows how far the Roman Empire extended which was from Saudi Arabia to Britain and this is a key point in understanding why Rome called for King Arthur and his knights to carry out so many missions. The reason being that Rome was not satisfied with their land they kept on wanting more and more so leaders like King Arthur were sent on missions to keep the Empire strong. This s hows the outline of the film and the reason as to what the film is about. One key point that we notice in the film is that Lancelot who is one of Arthur’s knights is the narrator and speaks in 1st person â€Å"I was such a son† he said when at the start the roman army came to recruit him on the grounds similar to conscription. So he was off to fight for Rome. Then the scene changes and we see King Arthur as a young boy who is presented as a bright future leader both wealthy and important as we can tell by his freedom of movement. Arthur sees the young knights including Lancelot on horseback and asks who they are and he is told they may someday be his knights little does he know that one day they will. This is a use of dramatic irony as we know it is to happen by the role of Lancelot as one of his knights but the character himself is unaware. After this scene there is a gap which says â€Å"15 years later† then they are all shown as grown men and we notice that there conscription was supposed to be for 15 years therefore the director lives the audience to find this out for themselves. Then we see the characters for the first time as men and their first mission is to protect the bishop from the forest Woads who Merlin (an old friend of Arthur’s) leads. The Woads attack some Roman troops so Arthur and his knights pace to the scene and upon arrival witness the deaths of these Roman soldiers. The Knights take up their swords and fight off the Woads for now as Merlin looks on from the forest. After the attack the Bishop appears dead with an arrow straight through his head however Arthur spots it is not the bishop but a fake. The real Bishop appears and they talk about the great Samaritan Knights that Arthur leads. After they arrive at the castle where all the knights expect their freedom from the subscription that they are bound to. However the Bishop revels that the pope has one more mission for them and all of the knights including King Arthur disapprove after 15 long years of fighting however the mission is to rescue the pope’s favourite godchild and pupil so therefore on their last day of subscription they must go on this mission. As to be expected all the Knights don’t want to go but after a talk from King Arthur unwillingly for Arthur they approve. So after the disapproval of the mission the scene changes and we see who the knights will come up against. Saxons from the north. They were very strong at the time and the opposition to the Romans. When Rome left in 410 A.D it was the Saxons that took over England. We then see the Saxons killing innocent women. This demonstrates the brutality of the Saxons. Then the Knights get on their horseback and ride off towards their mission. They cut through the forest where they are being tracked by Merlin’s knights. Aware of the movement of the Saxons Merlin traps Arthur and the Knights in the forest and they agree to fight the Saxons together. After reaching their mission point they find Alecto the godchild of the pope. Arthur finds a secret door blocked up and his Knight uses his axe to break it down. Inside they find injured Woad. The Woad is called Guinevere who by legend is the eventually the wife of King Arthur therefore this is an important step because this is the entrance of a main character played by Keira Knightley. After a disagreement with the townsman leader the father of Alecto the knights take off away from the Saxons. The Saxons continue to get closer and closer. Then they reach the ice and they finally intercept with the Saxons. Ready and prepared to fight the main scene unfolds. The odds start at 7 Samaritan knights against 200 Saxons. The fight starts with the 7 using their long bows to cut off the wings of the 200 it forces them to stay together putting more weight on the ice eventually the ice begins to break however their out of range and the ice hasn’t broken. Dagenot one of the knights runs forward with his axe and breaks the ice covered by the other 6 with their longbows. Unfortunately he is shot with arrows 3 times and dies however their mission is a success in one way but a loss in another. The next scene begins back at the castle where they are greeted by the Bishop who is happy to see Alecto. They are given their freedom but Bors and all the others are unhappy due to the loss of Daganot. They buried Daganot and looked on in a sad manner. Then we see the final scene which is where the Saxons have risen to Hadrian’s Wall and are ready to attack the Emperor and the knights. However the Romans are leaving and the knights are free but King Arthur says he must stay and fight. None of the knights stay but when they see the bravery of Arthur on his own they race to back up. Then the first Saxon army attack behind the castle gates therefore the Saxon leader can’t see who is winning and only a few of his army come out and they believe there was only six knights however the Woads have joined and they all worked together and Arthur was there leader. The final Saxon army attacked and lost to King Arthur in a great battle and casualties were lost such as Bors and Lancelot which who were two of Arthur’s Samaritan knights. Also the narrator was Lancelot so we notice it is told by a character that later dies this is a technique to have a greater influence of understanding the times of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The battle ends and Arthur wins and they bury the dead and Lancelot’s request to be cremated takes place. The film ends as Guinevere and Arthur get married and Britain is in safe hands. My opinions of the movie are that it is a good exciting film. The film is entertaining and the storyline keeps the audience in suspense. Another good opinion of the film is that the historical context makes the audience want to see the film because they want to know more about Roman British Empire so they are more likely to see the film. One part I like is where at the start the knights defeat the Woads even though there are only a few knights. I like this part because it makes the knights look strong and therefore impresses me as the audience. Another part I liked is when Daganot takes his axe and destroys the ice so that the Saxons can’t cross the line. However I found this sad because Daganot gets killed in this part of the film. Another action packed part is the last scene where there is a big battle. This scene is action packed and therefore entertaining in the film. Compared to films like Gladiator this film is better because it gives a more historical outlook on the fil m. Therefore I think it is more successful and more entertaining. I think in the film that when the character of Lancelot died it was disappointing because historians know that he was a great warrior therefore the way he died was unexpected and I believe it was better to keep him alive. Therefore if I was directing the film I would have not killed off Lancelot however I like the way that the character of Daganot was killed because he was made to look like a hero. The character I am critical of is Guinevere because in the story of King Arthur she was supposed to be a high class lady from a good family however in this story she is presented as Woad like a rebel whom I think is unrealistic and completely changes the character. Therefore I dislike the character. The parts which are successful are the opening scene where the few knights fight many Woads. This is successful because it sets the tone of the film and lets the audience know how skilled the knights are and how they grew up to become knights. Another part which is successful is where Daganot smashes open the door with an axe. This is successful because it allows the audience to see how strong the knights are again and also get the audience more involved to see what is inside because the breaking down of the door is like footsteps of a massive army because the audience wants to see what will happen next. Therefore in both ways it is successful. In conclusion I recommend the film and would give it 8 out of 10. The reasons for this are because it is a successful film in the way it attracts and entertains the audience such as the start where the knights fight many Woads. It is an interesting film where there is a great historical context such as the history and leadership of King Arthur himself and Roman Britain. The reason I would only give the film an 8 out of 10 is because there were parts I disliked such as that Lancelot got killed and that Guinevere was made to look different then the real story. Therefore in conclusion I would give the film an 8 out of 10 and recommend it to people as a good film because it has many good features and covers the historical part of King Arthur as well as the entertaining action packed fighting in the film therefore I recommend it.

Comparing Tradition and Change in Amy Tans The Kitchen Gods Wife and

Tradition and Change in The Kitchen God's Wife and The Joy Luck Club  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the novels The Kitchen God's Wife and The Joy Luck Club, author Amy Tan conveys the message of tradition and change. Each novel contains sections about mothers talking and relating their stories to their daughters. The daughters in The Joy Luck Club hear stories about loss and happiness, and joy and hate. Each of the four mothers tell these stories to their daughters as lessons, or offerings for their futures. They tell the stories to show how lucky their daughters have been, yet how their lives will never be the same as their own lives have been. They try to help their daughters on some level with these stories. Yet they comprehend the fact that they could never understand their mothers. The main character, Pearl, in The Kitchen God's Wife talks about her life and her mother. Pearl, and her mother Winnie, the other half of the mother/daughter pair attend a funeral as Pearl narrates. They then go to Winnie's home, as Winnie dotes on Pearl and her two daughters . Pearl's heart breaks as she notices all the small intricacies of her mother, and all the little things that her mother does to illustrate her love. As Pearl and her family drive away from her mother's house, Winnie begins to narrate, to her daughter about her life, her hardships, and her loves. Through these two novels, the five mother/daughter pairs and the perception of mother to daughter, the theme of mother daughter relationships is distinctly portrayed. Pearl views her mother in many different ways. Often, through her mother's movements, or appearance, she will view her mother as fragile, yet strong and knowing, "...I imagine my mother's parchment like skin, furious... ...ire. "Amy Tan." The Bloomsbury Guide to Womens Literature. Pg1065 Great Britian: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1992. Cheng, Scarlet. "Amy Tan Redux." Belles Letters. Fall, 1991, pp 15, 19.(on GaleNet) Davidson, Cathy N. and Linda Wagner-Matlin. "Amy Tan." The Oxford Companion to Womens Writing in the United States. Pg 869. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Graham, Judith. "Amy Tan." Current Biography Yearbook. pg559 New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1992. See, Carolyn. "Drowning in America, Starving for China." in Los Angeles Times Book Review. March 12, 1989, pp1, 11.(on GaleNet) Shear, Walter. "Generational Differences and the Diaspora in The Joy Luck Club." in <>Critique. Volume 34, No3, Spring 1993 pp 193-99.(on GaleNet) Willard, Nancy. "Tiger Spirits." in The Women's Review of Books. Vol.6, Nos. 10-11, July 1989, pg12.(on GaleNet)