Religion can be used to promote hate and this results in violent acts, Annotated Bibliography

Religion can be used to promote hate and this results in violent acts, including rape and murder of our LGBTQI neighbors - Annotated Bibliography Example This source is a book. The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality will be used two ways. The first is to show what types of myths exist about the Bible and homosexuality. The Bible only mentions homosexuality several times in the Bible. The first time was when angels visited Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus the name Sodomites were given to homosexuals. The Bible does not speak of domestic partners in a homosexual relationship. A mob wanted to rape the male angels. On this account most Christians think homosexuality is equal to rape. Justin Cannon does his best to show that one account does not represent all homosexuals. This source will be useful in laying a foundation for religious bias against the LGBTQI community. It will also show that homosexuals can also be Christian. This resource is a book. Candace Chellew-Hodge shares her experiences as a gay Christian. This is a biography about how the author dealt with hatred from religious zealots. She shows how her religion, Christianity, can be used against the LGBTQI community. This book also shows specific incidents of hatred and violence against members of the LGBTQI community. Despite the violence and hatred against the LGBTQI community due to religion, many LGBTQI individuals still retain their belief in their religion. This source will also show that even LGBTQI individuals that are Christian do not escape violence of discrimination. Sexuality or being defined as a LGBTQI community member is more important to the opposition than the individual’s religion or beliefs. This book is another source that studies homosexuality and the Bible. Dwyer numbered all of the references of homosexuality in the Bible to seven. Each circumstance is examined individually. Like the case of homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, Dwyer presents each instance. This source is important to show that Christianity does not promote violence. Everyone is a sinner, no matter their sexuality. If Jesus

Place attachment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Place attachment - Research Paper Example The paper outlines all the thoughts from different books about the place attachment of people. There are various factors that contribute to create a bond between individuals and their living places. Apart from cultural and social values religion plays a vital role to build up a relationship of people with their living region. In 2004 Mazumdar and Mazumdar presented a study of sacred places to show relationship between place attachment and religion. Religion strongly influences people`s lifestyle, and their daily practices specifically worship places and communal gatherings help people develop a strong bond with the area and other people living in the same community. The study shows that religious people like to live near their worship places, which facilitates them during worship and consequently an attachment is developed with the place mainly for religious purposes. Additionally, when a strong relation is formed with the other people come for collective prayers place attachment increases. This study explores that religion attachment also contribute to build an attachment with the new place which seem more attractive and religious to people with respect to their own religious rituals and practices. Architectural fame and popularity of the religious places has significance importance on other hand that attracts people from regions to visit or migrate to particular locations. Researchers highlighted examples from different religions including Islam, Hinduism and Christianity to view place attachment from a wider spectrum.

Formal Analysis Essay Example for Free

Formal Analysis Essay â€Å"My spirit takes journey, my spirit takes flight, could not have risen otherwise I am not running I am choosing. † Alike is an intelligent and poetically talented 17 year old girl. On the surface, Dee Rees’s Pariah (2011), is the coming of age story of African-American lesbian, Alike. Growing up in a traditional household that is sexually repressed and a society that is hateful towards her for being homosexual she finds solace in poetry and academics. Through her plight, the film intelligently layers the dark themes associated with the struggles of a gay teenager growing up in the inner city- gender, sexuality, family relations, hate, religion, ignorance, etc. But the film is very hopeful in that it contrasts the dark themes with pleasant moments of optimism. I am analyzing one of the final scenes in the Dee Rees’s Pariah (2011). The scene [@ 01:15:11] where Alike is reconciling with Arthur, her father, on the rooftop of Laura’s building. The rooftop scene encompasses the beauty of the morals of the narrative really well and at the same time contrasts the dark themes of the film in a manner that compliments the overall aesthetic of the production. The scene’s Mise en Scene sets the tone for the conclusion of the narrative. The scene takes place on the rooftop of Lauras apartment building overlooking the sun setting over Brooklyn. Throughout the film we see Alike deep in thought several times; on the bus, in school, at the club- in all these circumstances the film utilizes dark, incandescent lighting and shadows to extenuate the tone of the emotions and events Alike is reflecting on. In this scene however the lighting comes from the bright, vibrant yellow-orange sunset. The film uses this in order to help visualize an appreciation of Alike’s silver lining; almost as if to say that Alike see’s the art and the beauty that came of her pain and suffering- this is expressed in the poem she reads against the montage of her leaving for California. Alike’s outfit shows a more developed sense of style. This expresses to the audience that she has grown and maturated from the sequence of events that have taken place in the narrative. The social blocking of the conversation between Alike and Arthur brings Arthur down to a more human level. Although Arthur is angled slightly above Alike to maintain his domineering male complex, this is the first time in the film we see him venerable. Alike and Arthur face the opposite direction on an equal plane, this is supposed to demonstrate naturalistic interaction between the two as well as give a sense of the subjective perspective of the film. The cinematography in this scene is utilized to expresses the subjective point of view of Alike. The scene starts with a close up shot of Alike followed by a hand held long shot overlooking the sky Arthur and Laura entering. Shift in focus in depth of field demonstrates the importances of Alike’s line â€Å"I’m not running, I’m choosing,† and Arthur’s reaction to it. We see that Arthur is man enough to accept his daughter for who she is and that he is not going to try to get her to run away from who she is, unlike his wife. The color balances of the yellow/orange spectrum is displayed in an aesthetically pleasing manner to help provide a strong sense of optimism, which is also complimented by the background noise of the wind and birds. The scenes in which Nina and Alike are bonding is a very optimistic time for Alike as well. And in those scenes the yellow/orange color spectrum is used to illustrate this but in a much darker tone. The reason for the darker tone being is that Alike’s optimism was eventually destroyed after Nina tells her she’s â€Å"not really gay. † Therefore, in using brighter tones in the rooftop scene, we get more of a sense of closure as an audience. The rooftop scene encompasses the beauty layered in within the dark ominous narrative of Pariah. The film is very aesthetically pleasing and has many layers to it. It does not follow a formulaic structure like most â€Å"coming of age† films do but instead uses poetry and pays attention to metaphoric details in order to tell Alike’s story. Alike’s growth from the confusion of her sexuality and identity is illustrated eloquently though the use of light, blocking, depth of field, and audio.

Political Theories in Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Political Theories in Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins Karamveer Lalh From the beginning of Mockingjay, we are confronted with the prospect of a brutal conflict between the Districts and the Capitol for control of Panem. For both parties, the conflict is critical. For the capitol it is an opportunity to extinguish the flames of rebellion, and for the districts, it is an opportunity to win their freedom. In order to achieve these ends, control of the country is critical in order to either maintain, or acquire the power necessary to achieve their objectives. Power can be most simply defined as the influence that A has on B in order for B to do a task b that B would not ordinarily do without the influence, whether consciously or subconsciously of A. In Mockingjay, the interactions Collins develops all use power in its most basic form, and this effects every major interaction between the societies, individuals, and governments presented in the novel. These two societies, The Capitol, and The Districts (primarily District 13), provide the framework for the power structures within the novel to exist. District 13 is a highly regimented autocratic society, with each citizen having responsibility and purpose. It is unknown to us the exact government structure and mechanisms of District 13, but it is known that President Coin exerts near unlimited executive power over District 13. We are introduced to the makeup of this society when Katniss and the other refugees from District 12 arrive at District 13 where they are immediately instructed to conform to their new role. German sociologist Max Weber suggests that classes, status groups, and political parties are considered to be associated with power, attempting to achieve one’s will, even in the face of opposition from others. We see that District 13’s power structure is imposed on the newcomers rather swiftly, and met with mixed reactions. Most, such as Katniss’s mother, are grateful for District 13’s ‘generosity’ and conform quickly falling into the status group of â€Å"nurse† which is a valuable to the functioning of District 13, and is then accorded the privileges of that group as a reward for fulfilling her responsibilities. Others, such as Katniss, are more reluctant to do so. In the case of Katniss, we know that she does not need to conform to the expectati ons imposed on her by District 13, because she has power as a symbol. For Coin, being able to control or influence Katniss by winning her favour is more valuable to her goals than the possibility of alienating her by forcing her to conform to the societal expectations that would otherwise be imposed on her. It is important to consider why the District 12 refugees conform to the expectations of their new society. Weber argues that status honour is a more important source of group social action than is class or relation to markets. Status groups can do this in various ways. Status may be a means of maintaining the position of a group that does have privilege. The status group may be closed, with privileges available only to those in the group, and denied to those outside the group. Further, a status group may lead to the development of parties to further some specific interests of the status group. Thus, status groups may become the means by which power or authority is exercised. Social honour may be accorded those who behave in the manner considered desirable by the status group. In this way, the ends of a status group may be furthered. Social approval is a means of achieving the ends of the group while social disapproval may be used as a means of disciplining those who do not behave in the approved manner. (Weber 1920) Therefore, in order for the citizens of District 12 to be accepted into their new society, they must act in a way that would gain them entrance into new status groups within District 13. Due to Katniss’s privilege as the Mockingjay, and the alignment of Coin’s goals, Katniss finds herself in a far higher status group that affords her more freedoms that would not normally be available to most other citizens of Districts 12 and 13. The premise of the story is that there is a brewing civil war between the rebelling Districts (led by District 13) and the loyalists (led by The Capitol). The rebel vs. government relationship is important when discussing traditional vs. revolutionary power, which was outlined by Bertrand Russell. For Russell, all topics in the social sciences are merely examinations of the different forms of power – chiefly the economic, military, cultural, and civil forms. (Russell 1938, 35) Although Russell discusses many aspects of power in his book, a couple concepts stand out when discussing the power dynamics in Mockingjay. One of these is the concept of traditional power. By traditional power, Russell has in mind ways in which people will appeal to the force of habit to justify a political regime: traditional power is psychological and not historical. For many of the districts, rule by the capitol is a given, and their rule had gone more or less unquestioned since the first rebellion, with the apparent destruction of District 13. As Russell claims, traditional power need not be based on actual history, but rather be based on imagined or fabricated history. This falls in line with Capitol propaganda, which suggests District 13 was destroyed for disobeying their rule. Thus, the districts are quite content to submitting to Capitol rule. When District 13 deems itself formidable enough to wage another war, it quickly gains the support of many of the districts. With this, the traditional power of the Capitol begins to end alongside a corresponding change in creeds, heavily influenced by Katniss as the Mockingjay, and President Coin. If the traditional creeds are doubted without any alternative, then the traditional authority relies more and more on the use of naked power, or power by coercion. For the Capitol, this is presented as the games during times of peace, and as force used to supress the dissenting elements of the population in times of turmoil. Where the traditional creeds are wholly replaced with alternative ones, traditional power gives rise to revolutionary power: the goal of the rebel forces. Russell also tackles role of leadership within power, which is especially relevant within Mockingjay as it explores the dynamic between two powerful leaders, Snow and Coin. Russell claims that this impulse to power is not only explicitly present in leaders, but also sometimes implicitly in those who follow. It is clear that leaders may pursue and profit from enacting their own agenda, but in a genuinely cooperative enterprise, the followers seem to gain vicariously from the achievements of the leader, or at least believe the propaganda that is being fed to them. The existence of implicit power, he explains, is why people are capable of tolerating social inequality for an extended period of time (Russell 1938, 16). To extend upon this point, Noam Chomsky suggests that individuals use their individual agency to abrogate their responsibility to think and will actions for themselves. (Chomsky 1999, 53) Although this definition is very broad, it can be used to explain the popular uprisings that occurred whenever the District 13 armed forces entered into a new district, where they were generally greeted as liberators instead of conquerors. Chomsky asserts that authority, unless justified, is inherently illegitimate, and that the burden of proof is on those in authority. If this burden cannot be met, the authority in question should be dismantled. After the introduction of District 13 propaganda, this begins to reflect the view of the majority of the districts. This damages the legitimacy of the Capitol in the eyes of the districts, despite the once effective Capitol counter propaganda proclaiming that they bring security and stability. Institutions such as the hunger games and repressive rule primarily promote this illusion of security. The name of the country: â€Å"Panem†, itself is an allusion to the doctrine of the Roman Empire: panem et circenses, (bread and circuses) which suggests that a distracted populace that’s well fed and entertained will not be willing to rise against the existing power structure, despite any other greivances. (Collins 2010) While the form of government Panem had prior to President Snow is not stated, it is clear that Snow is a demagogue and likely the office of President grants Snow absolute power. Mayors within the districts act simply as governors, ensuring the districts fulfill their quotas of goods to the Capitol and serve no representative roles as a parliamentarian or senator. As a result, the massive poverty, starvation, and brutality witnessed in the districts is either enforced, or ignored. This concept of direct power that Snow expresses is the one-dimensional view of power. This is called the pluralist approach and emphasizes the exercise of power through decision-making and observable behaviour. Robert Dahl, a major proponent of this view, defines power as occurring in a situation where A has power over B to the extent he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do (Lukes 1974). As power therefore is defined in terms of B and the extent to which A prevails is determined by its hi gher ratio of successes and defeats over B. This kind of overt power is the most observable by an outside party. In the context of the novel, it describes almost all interactions between the governments and their people, be that between Snow and his troops, or Coin and her apparent influence over Katniss. This critique of the behaviourial focus and the recognition of unobservable factors of power is discussed in the two-dimensional view of power developed by Bachrach and Baratz by which power is exercised not just upon participants within the decision making process but also towards the exclusion of certain participants and issues altogether (Lukes 1974). The first dimension claims there is an open system and although admitting that political resources are not distributed equally, they are not centralized in one group’s hands. The second approach however, sees a monopolistic system of inequalities created and maintained by the dominant power. The elite have the means and the political resources to prevent political action that would not benefit themselves. Therefore, the elite determine the agenda of both decision-making and non-decision making. In doing so, they establish their dominance and the subordinance of those on the bottom of the power hierarchy. The capitol, and more directly, Snow, was able to maintain power via use of both legitimate, and during the war, illegitimate means. The government made extensive use of propaganda during the conflict, and maintained the doctrine of panem et circenses to pacify and control the populations. In order to maintain order during the second rebellion, the 13th district, at least in the view of the Capitol, deployed an array of conventional weapons, using unconventional tactics, in order to attack capitol forces and loyalists representing illegitimate power. Although the two dimensional approach to power delves deeper than the first into the nature of power and powerlessness by involving analyses of potential issues, grievances, nondecision-making and non-participation, Lukes finds that it is inadequate because it emphasizes observable conflict only. Nonetheless, an affinity between the two results in their belief that where there is conflict, there is an element of power in both decision-making and nondecision-making. Barach and Baratz (Lukes 1974) states that if there is no conflict, overt or covert, the presumption must be that there is consensus on the prevailing allocation of values, in which case nondecision-making is impossible. Here, there is no consideration of latent conflict or attention as to how interests not consciously articulated may fit into the power relationship. Lukes identifies manipulation and authority as two forms of power, which do not necessarily involve evident conflict. People abide by the power of authority b ecause they either respect or accept its legitimacy. Compliance to the power of manipulation often goes unrecognized by the conformer because focus is placed on irrelevant matters and the key aim is downplayed. In neither is there observable conflict, but latent conflict occurs because the individual may be agreeing to something contrary to their interests without even knowing. The example that best illustrates this in the novel is that the Capitol government is aware of the citizens of the districts suffering, and primarily enforces suffering, (ex: The Hunger Games), as a means of control, and to essentially use the district citizens as slaves to provide for the Capitols exorbitant greed. District 2 is of particular note, as they are viewed favourably by the Capitol and typically are more receptive to Capitol policies than other districts, and earnestly believe in serving the Capitol loyally, despite the repressive and subservient nature of their relationship with the Capitol. This is likely not in their interests. The third dimension of power seeks to identify how A gets B to believe and choose to act in a way that reinforces the bias of the system, advancing the cause of A and impairing that of B, usually in the form of compliance. (Lukes 1974) Such processes can take place in a direct and intended way through media and communication. A takes control of the information channels and B is socialized into accepting, believing, and even supporting the political notions instilled by A. The shaping of individuals conceptions can also take place indirectly or even unintentionally through ones membership in a social structure. Patterns of behaviour, norms and accepted standards apparent in the action and inaction of the group are automatically adopted. This is relevant when examining the District 13 government and what power it holds. President Coin holds significant executive power over the citizens of 13, as well as other rebel forces. In essence, Coin mirrors Snow especially in regards to the power structure of both governments. Both rule over largely ignorant societies who assume that their leaders have the best interests of the entire nation in mind when they follow them. This, according to Lukes is the highest form of power: one where the subjugated do not consciously realize they are actively being controlled by a higher power. In contrast, Katniss retains power in herself in this form as she has the ability to influence the opinions of the populations of other districts, in her role as the Mockingjay. These districts follow Katniss because she symbolizes their cause: freedom from oppressive rule. As for what Collins views as the most effective form of power, it is quite clear that her purpose in writing the novel is by no means a treatise on power, rather a soft sci-fi thriller with an otherwise strong and complex female lead. Collin’s inclusion of power is instead a reflection of Russell’s perspective that all relationships and conflicts can be viewed as a power relationship. With that in mind, Collins chose Katniss to be the primary agent in the novel, thus she is the individual that wields the most power, especially as a propaganda tool, as the war is one where the legitimacy of both governments are called into question. Both sides in the conflict are aware of this, and by using primarily Peeta as a pawn, they are able to have an influence over Katniss. Another potentially useful example is the influence that Snow still had on Katniss immediately before he was scheduled to be executed, or the huge influence Katniss as the Mockingjay had over the general popul ation by appearing as a symbol to unite behind. Therefore, it can be said that Collins implicitly demonstrates that the third dimension of power, or power over shaping opinions, is the most significant form of power. References Chomsky, Noam. 1999. Profit over People: neoliberalism and global order. New York: Seven Stories Press. Collins, Suzanne. 2010. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic. Lukes, Steven. 1974. Power: A Radical View. Palgrave MacMillan. Russell, Bertrand. 1938. Power: A New Social Analysis. London: George Allen Unwin LTD. Weber, Max. 1920. Politics as a Vocation.

Music Gives Me the Blues Essay -- Music History

Music Gives Me the Blues â€Å"The Blues are the roots; everything else is the fruits†-Willie Dixon. The blues has deep roots in American history, particularly African-American history. How can something so simple become a massive tree whose roots transcended through different genres? According to Biography.com, W.C. Handy, â€Å"the father of the Blues,† brought the Blues to the mainstream in1912 with the hit â€Å"Memphis Blues.† After the public heard the twelve note structure with the deep bass lines, the tree began to bear fruit. The Blues tree produced pioneers in all forms of music, from the haunting sound of Robert Johnson to the â€Å"King of the Juke Box† Louis Jordan. After all, where would other forms of music be if the â€Å"Carter Family† did not hook up with Lesley Riddle, Jelly â€Å"Roll† Morton did not get the message, and the â€Å"King† did not have the Blues? Art Menius said, â€Å"The African-American music of the rural south provided the source for gospel, jazz, and blues, while the often ignored black contribution to country music and hillbilly music went far beyond providing the banjo and Charley Pride.† In 1928, A.P. Carter, the patriarch of the legendary Carter Family, the first family of country music, met a blues guitarist by the name of Lesley â€Å"Esley† Riddle. Lesley Riddle had created a unique picking and sliding technique on the guitar while he was recovering from an accident on the job. The Carter Family was looking for a new sound of music, and they were so overwhelmed by the sound that Lesley produced, they wanted him to teach them how to play that way. Lesley Riddle influenced Maybelle Carter’s style of guitar playing called the â€Å"Carter Scratch,† which became legendary. According to birthplaceofcountrymusic.org, Riddle’s influe... ...ey cannot deny that the Blues has influenced different genres from the cotton fields to the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. Works Consulted â€Å"African American Roots.† Birthplaceofcountrymusic.org Web. 14 Nov. 2010 â€Å"A History of Blues Music.† Scaruffi.com. Web. 14 Nov. 2010 â€Å"Rock ‘n’ Roll Timeline 1877 to 1959.† Digitaldreamdoor.com. Web. 28 Nov. 2010 â€Å"Jazz/Blues Crossover.† Allmusic.com. 28 Nov. 2010 â€Å"Jelly Roll Morton.† Redhotjazz.com. 28 Nov. 2010 â€Å"Jazz History Lyrics-Jazz History.† 28 Nov. 2010 â€Å"The History of Rock and Roll.† History-of-rock.com. 28 Nov. 2010 Newfield, Jack. â€Å"Who Really Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll?† New York Sun. New York Sun, 21 Sep. 2004. Web. 28 Nov. 2010 Berlin, Edward A., A Biography of Scott Joplin. Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation, 1998. Web. 28 Nov. 2010 â€Å"The Classic Blues, 1900-1920s.† Calliope.org.Web. 28 Nov. 2010

Affective Gaming Essay -- essays research papers

Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of the Mario and Zelda franchises, tells us that he designs his games around a series of specific emotional experiences. Console manufacturer Sony have christened the PlayStation 2's CPU the ‘emotion engine'. Clearly the gaming community understands the importance of emotion in games, so why do most games offer the player such a shallow emotional play experience? The reason is partly due to the relative immaturity of the games industry. Whereas the film industry has a mature and well developed structure for how the auteur might evoke tears in the eyes of the audience, the digital games industry is still in the process of writing the rule book. With digital gaming being a visual medium, you might expect techniques for eliciting emotion to be transferable across media. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. The film director has complete control over the image appearing on the cinema screen – the camera angle, the sequential order of each scene, and the pacing of a scene. In contrast, the game designer hands control of such things to the player. The player will choose the camera angle best suited to getting Mario across the tight rope, as well as the direction and pace at which the game progresses. Interactive media needs to find their own rules for supporting emotion in games, and they have a couple of neat tricks which set them apart from the competition. Evoking an emotional response in the player The interactive nature of digital games provides new and very different possibilities for eliciting emotions. For example, whereas the movie goer simply watches the narrative world unfold, the game player gets to interacts with it - and each environment has the potential to evoke a different emotional response. For example, a large building with towering marble pillars is generally considered much more imposing and makes people feel smaller and more uncomfortable than a small room with a sofa and a blazing wood-fire. At Glasgow Caledonian University we are currently looking specifically at those environments which are renowned for producing supernatural experiences. By modelling and adapting reputedly haunted places in Edinburgh, UK we have been able to create game environments which evoke ghostlike experience for approximately 60% of people who experience it. Reported experiences include the feeling a ghost breathing on the... ... how to control their avatar. With the arrival of online gaming it is often the case that a player's opponent is not physically present, thus diluting the social experience of multiplayer gaming. However, if the software could determine the player's affective state, an on-screen persona could be adapted to reflect the player's emotional state. 3. AFFECTIVE GAME-MECHANICS Knowing the affective state of the player allows for novel game mechanics based around the player's emotions. An example of such can be found in Zen Warriors, a game currently in pre-development at Glasgow Caledonian University. Zen Warrior is a fighting game where, to perform their finishing move, the player has to switch from fast paced aggression, to a Zen-like state of inner calm. These are exciting times. Games have taken the huge aesthetic leap from two dimensions to three dimensions. The next evolutionary step is for games to elicit deeper and more varied emotion in players. And we are still only writing the first chapter of the rule book. -- Jonathan Sykes Jonathan Sykes currently heads the eMotion Laboratory at Glasgow Caledonian University, where he investigates emotional engagement with technology.

A belief is knowledge if it coheres with other accepted beliefs Essay

Explain and illustrate one criticism of the view that a belief is knowledge if it coheres with other accepted beliefs Coherentism is the Philosophical idea that truths should not be looked at individually. They should rather be looked at, as a whole. The coherence theory can be put into two parts. These are the coherent theory of truth and the coherent theory of justification. The coherent theory is that truth is different to justified belief. Truth is infallible. It is, what it is, that being correct. Whether it is contingent truth, which may, or may not, be true at a certain time; or a universal truth, which is taken to be always true, everywhere. In contrast the theory of justification, only involves beliefs; although these beliefs have to be coherent when looked at together as a whole. As an example of this, we can look at the example of my Aunt Dotty. An envelope comes to my House. However, there is no letter inside of it. I come to the conclusion that the only person absent-minded enough to forget to put the letter inside the envelope is my Aunt Dotty. However, she lives in Exeter; when looking at the postmark, I see it comes from Edinburgh; also the handwriting on the envelope is not that of my Aunt Dotty. My theory that the envelope came from my Aunt Dotty, who just forgot to put in the letter does not cohere. The separate beliefs do not seem to form together in a coherent way. However, I also remember that my brother was taking my Aunt Dotty to Edinburgh. Furthermore, the writing on the envelope seems to be that of my brother. From this I come to the conclusion that my Aunt Dotty forgot to put the letter in the envelope, and then asked my brother to write the address for her. I would be justified in my son you’re a whale belief of this, as all of my beliefs relating to it fit together in a coherent way. However, that is not to say that my coherent belief is the truth. It may not be the truth. It is just a justified belief. This theory of coherent beliefs perceived and regarded as a whole is called holism. Coherentism dictates that if we want the greatest understanding of what could be considered to be the real world possible, then our beliefs need to be as comprehensive as possible. Furthermore, for Coherentism to work successfully, our beliefs must be non-contradictory and consistent. In traditional Coherentism it is not the set that is justified, but rather the beliefs that make them up. It is from this that the most common flaw, with Coherentism is found. There may not be just one set of justifiable beliefs, relating to a certain number of beliefs. There can be multiple sets. Furthermore, internally all of these beliefs may be individually coherent. One example of this is the science fiction film. In such a film there can be many coherent worlds. However, these worlds are far from the reality of the perceived real world. The problem with the theory of coherence is that if we can only take one thing to be true – as if there were more than one they would undoubtedly we contradictory – it then follows that only one thing can be completely justified as being adequate to believe. In contrast in Coherentism, there can apparently be many sets of justified beliefs. In response, Coherentists argue that there can only be one coherent set. F.H. Bradley, the noted Coherentist, writes: ‘My object is to have a world as comprehensive and coherent as possible, and, in order to attain this object, I have not only to reflect but to perpetually have to recourse to the materials of sense. I must go to this source both to verify the matter which is old and also to increase it by what is new. And in this way I must depend upon the judgements of perception.’ This shows that it is Bradley’s aim to find the most coherent and therefore, hopefully, the only truly coherent set. Richard Wollheim late goes on to say that Bradley thought that Coherence should be a test of justification, rather that a test of any individual belief. Although, only ‘those that have some initial inclination or motive to believe in,’ so as a result of this coherence has the ‘function†¦ to discriminate within those judgements and to eliminate some in favour of others’. In line with Bradley’s defence of Coherentism is that of Jonathan Dancy. He says ‘in general, if we find ourselves scrutinising something we believe, we retain it unless we find something against it, just on the grounds that it is a belief already’. So, if we take Bradley’s response, together with that of Dancy, we are shown that Coherentists do not intend for there to be multiple sets of coherent beliefs, as a result of the coherent theory. Rather, Coherentism is intended as a means of testing existing beliefs, as well as those that can be later added. Donald Davidson, another noted Coherentist, also attempted to defend Coherentism. To do so, he gave as an example, the case of the Radical Interpreter. Imagine that there is a speaker of English, who comes across a group of people speaking a language that no one outside of that group understands. The language is called L. How can our speaker of English, the Radical Interpreter, be able to understand L. Davidson’s answer is that he will have to use what is called the Principle of Charity. The Principle of Charity dictates that the Radical Interpreter will have to assume that what the speakers of L say are true. That is to say, true by the standard of the Radical Interpreter. The speakers of L and the Radical Interpreter have to share the same standards of truth in order to have something in common. If this were not the case, it would be difficult for the Radical Interpreter and speakers of L to see where they disagree. Although, even if they do share the same standards of truth, they may, however both be wrong. The question then arises of what guarantee the Radical Interpreter has, that his and the speakers of L’s standards are not mistaken. Davidson gives the answer to imagine an interpreter to our Radical Interpreter. This interpreter is the Omniscient Interpreter. If the Omniscient Interpreter is to successfully interpret our Radical Interpreter, then he must use the same standards of truth used by our Radical Interpreter and the speakers of L. So the Omniscient Interpreter, like our Radical Interpreter, will have to assume that they use the same standards of truth. However, because the Omniscient Interpreter knows everything, it must follow that his standard of truth is true. Therefore, it follows that if the standards of truth used are roughly common to all parties, then neither the Radical Interpreter nor the speakers of L can be completely mistaken. As a result of this, our interpreter can assume that the majority of his basic beliefs are justified, as are those of the speakers of L. It then follows that there can be no place to believe that there can be more than one set of coherent Beliefs. From this, Davidson believes the Coherentist can dismiss the argument against him. It seems that in the previous defences of Coherentism, the Coherentists have adapted there argument, to suit the criticism of those attempting to undermine it. That is to say, that they are adapting the argument to suit the focus of the criticism. For example, when criticised that Coherentism allows for multiple sets of belief, Bradley, showed that the aim is to have only the most coherent belief. This may show the simple sophistication of the argument. It allows for only the most coherent argument and therefore the most likely to be the truth, to be accepted. Rather, the Coherentist would normally only accept the most coherent argument, rather than the least. To give an example of this; say I woke up one morning. My window was smashed and my television was gone. One set of coherent beliefs is that I have been burgled and my television stolen. My Dad has gone, so he may be contacting the Police. Another set of coherent beliefs, may be that my dad has lost his mind and jumped out of the window with the television. One of these beliefs is more coherent that the other. My father has not history of mental illness, so I can suppose that we have been burgled. Although, both sets are coherent, one is more coherent than the other, so I accept the most coherent as my Belief.

Indias Elderly Face Growing Neglect Essay

The news which comes in the national news paper that elderly parents are being harassed, neglected, and even thrown out of the home, makes a citizen of India shameful and sad. This country was renowned for its good treatment to elderly as well as to the young since ages. The reason was the profound ethical and religious teaching which was prevalent in this country from ages. India being a land of multi lingual and multi religious back ground never one could have thought to see that elderly parents one day could be regarded as unwanted stranger in their own house. But, from a decade or two this unnatural phenomena suddenly appears with such a magnitude that one find himself bewildered how to accept it. Unfortunately this is a real hard fact through which the nation is passing. According to a survey 40% senior citizen living with their families are facing â€Å"emotional and physical abuse. † It is reported that one old grand mother is being thrown out in the garbage by her son and grand son where she ultimately died. India was land where elders were treated with respect and dignity. Mother and father in a house were just like a king and queen where they were treated as a commander of the house not by force but by the way of love and affection which was flourishing in the house. How this sudden change in the attitude of son of the same soil has appeared so abruptly. It is not the soil which has changed but the air and atmosphere of the land has gradually infested with foreign culture and artificial light and glamour as projected through the television and electronic media which has eroded the Indian culture of patience, gratitude and sacrifice. These qualities have been replaced by selfishness, impatience and greed. The basic cord which was binding the family life in the Indian societies was contentment, but now with even economical growth in the country the false sense of competition and show off added by gradually increasing cost of living in major cities in particular and through out India in general has added up towards the swing of this abnormal behavior of neglecting the parents in their old age. But the core cause for this type of behavior is the off shoot of a general apathy towards one religion in general The western cultural weaknesses of individualism at its height make its roads in our society which eroded our family bondage. According to a Non Governmental Organization (. NGO) namely ‘Help Age’ there is about 70 million pensioners in India. The frequent cases of old age abuse and harassment force Indian government to pass a bill â€Å"The maintenance, and welfare of parents and senior citizen Bill. This bill provides up to three months’ imprisonment for those who do not take care of their parents. But only one six cases comes to light, the study showed. This is simply because few parents would like to bring their children to court due to our old values and tradition. They will face the bad behavior of their children and tolerate it but feel shame to go to court. Anticipating the growing problem of old age abuse the government has already sanctioned to open 600 elderly home through out the country. One thing we must keep in mind whatever the government or the society try to accommodate this old age problem, providing all the facilities, it can not give the mental satisfaction which a senior citizen find from the love and affection of their children. The report which the Help Age India gives is more disturbing. It says â€Å"At Help Age India, 30 years ago when we started supporting old age homes, every body said this was western concept. Today every body accepts this not a western concept, this is the reality. †

Preschool Observation Essay

There is growth and development in a child if he or she shows the necessary skills or milestones for his or her age. This essay is a case study of a pre-school child. An observation was done to determine whether the child has matured intellectually, emotionally and physically with her age. The child, who is two years and nine months old, was observed while she was in her play room with her mother one hour before her bed time. Below is an account of the observation. The child is kneeling on the floor and is opening a box of toys. She places blocks and cubes on the floor. Her mother joins to play with her. When her mother asks her what she is taking out of the box, she answers, â€Å"Toys. † After emptying the box, she chooses blocks with colors yellow, orange and red and she starts to form objects out of it. First, she lines up the longer orange blocks. Then, she stacks these blocks together by putting shorter blocks which are colored yellow and red on top of the orange blocks. The resulting object is like a train. Afterwards, she disassembles it and creates another object which looks like a phone and she pretends to talk to someone else with it. Next, she takes the red and orange blocks and forms a square using three longer blocks supported by one longer block and two shorter blocks underneath. The shape is not recognized by her mother so she asks her, to which she replies â€Å"toys. † Then she tries to tell a story as she makes gestures and actions and she tries to explain but only the words â€Å"she,† â€Å"ride,† and â€Å"ice cream† are intelligible. After explaining, she says, â€Å"Look at this†¦ These are toys†¦ Place this here† as she places a cube on top of the object. After a few minutes, a cat’s cry is heard from another room. She recognizes it and says â€Å"Cat†¦ Cat meow. † A little later, she gets a cloth and wipes her nose. Her mother asks what is wrong and she says, â€Å"Mommy, nose† to probably mean that she has a running nose. After a while, she counts from one to ten the blocks she formed into an object. Then, her mother asks her the color of a block and she answers â€Å"red† but she cannot recognize the colors pink and blue when she was asked. After that, her mother asks how old she is and she quickly answers â€Å"Two† and shows her two fingers. By and by, she sees a picture book, which is an atlas for children, on the shelf. She points at it and articulates â€Å"Book†¦ Read book. † Her mother gives her the book. She starts to turn the pages one by one and she recognizes pictures of a cow, earth, water, stars, bird, fish, and a dog especially when her mother points out a picture and asks her the names for those pictures. Her mother also teaches her the names of a few of the pictures such as a whale and a bear. She is quick to remember the image of a bear because when she was near the end of the book, she suddenly asks, â€Å"Where bear? † and she turns back the pages of the book to find it. She exclaims, â€Å"It’s here! † when she found it. Her mother tries to help her turn the pages of the book but she exclaims, â€Å"Wait! † and continues to turn the pages on her own. There was a time when she mentions the word â€Å"heavy† referring to the heavy pages of the book. She pretends to read the words written on paper and looks at the pictures most of the time. Furthermore, she turns back to the pages she has already seen again and again. She also recognizes pictures of babies because when her mother asked her what can be seen on the page with baby pictures, she responds, â€Å"Baby. † Her mother then asks her how many babies there are and she accurately counts from one to three. Since it was almost her bedtime, her mother tells her to go to sleep, she says, â€Å"Wait. No sleep† but yawns. Then, she stands up, says â€Å"Me sleep,† goes to the door of her bedroom and opens it. Once inside the bedroom, her mother undresses her and dresses her up for sleeping. While dressing up, she tries to help by lifting her arms to fit to the sleeves of the shirt and lifting her legs to put on the pajamas. After that she says, â€Å"Mommy, milk. † So, her mother gets her milk, gives it to her and she drinks it from a cup. Based on the observation, the child displays the common developmental milestones of a two to three-year old preschool in terms of her cognitive, socio-emotional and motor skills. These are enumerated below: Primarily, the child exhibits the following cognitive skills of most two-year old children: (1) uses more than 100 words; (2) likes to take things apart; (3) uses 2 to 3 word sentences; (4) refers to self as â€Å"me†; (5) verbalizes desires; (6) enjoys looking at one book over and over; (7) points to body parts (Powell & Smith); (8) recognizes familiar pictures; and (9) asks for items by name (Developmental Checklist). Moreover, she demonstrates what other three-year children can do such as: (1) naming pictures of a book; (2) naming at least one color; and (3) knowing and telling her age (Goodbye Babyhood). Aside from these skills, it is observed that she can recognize animal sounds and she can already count from numbers one to ten. Furthermore, the child demonstrates the following socio-emotional skills: (1) shows awareness of parental approval; (2) displays independence to do things on her own; and (3) likes to imitate adult activities such as talking on the phone (Miss Independent). In addition to this, she can already perform motor skills such as: (1) opening a box; (2) building or stacking up small blocks; (3) using toys appropriately; (4) using a cup well; (4) dresses up with help (Miss Independent); and (5) turning pages of a book two to three at a time (Developmental Checklist). In conclusion, the preschool child who has been observed is on the right track in the growth milestones children of her age range develop. She has progressed in her cognitive, socio-emotional and motor skills as a two-year old child. Works Cited â€Å"Developmental Checklist for Infants and Toddlers. † Jacksonville Medicine. March 2000. University of Florida, Jacksonville Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers. 11 March 2009.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Fifteen

As soon as he left Elena at her house, Stefan went to the woods. He took Old Creek Road, driving under the sullen clouds-through which no patch of sky could be seen, to the place where he had parked on the first day of school. Leaving the car, he tried to retrace his steps exactly to the clearing where he had seen the crow. His hunter's instincts helped him, recalling the shape of this bush and that knotted root, until he stood in the open place ringed with ancient oak trees. Here. Under this blanket of dingy-brown leaves, some of the rabbit's bones might even remain. Taking a long breath to still himself, to gather his Powers, he cast out a probing, demanding thought. And for the first time since he'd come to Fell's Church, he felt the flicker of a reply. But it seemed faint and wavering, and he could not locate it in space. He sighed and turned around-and stopped dead. Damon stood before him, arms crossed over his chest, lounging against the largest oak tree. He looked as if he might have been there for hours. â€Å"So,† said Stefan heavily, â€Å"it is true. It's been a long time, brother.† â€Å"Not as long as you think, brother .† Stefan remembered that voice, that velvety, ironical voice. â€Å"I've kept track of you over the years,† Damon said calmly. He flicked a bit of bark from the sleeve of his leather jacket as casually as he had once arranged his brocade cuffs. â€Å"But then, you wouldn't know that, would you? Ah, no, your Powers are as weak as ever.† â€Å"Be careful, Damon,† Stefan said softly, dangerously. â€Å"Be very careful tonight. I'm not in a tolerant mood.† â€Å"St. Stefan in a pique? Imagine. You're distressed, I suppose, because of my little excursions into your territory. I only did it because I wanted to be close to you. Brothers should be close.† â€Å"Youkilled tonight. And you tried to make me think I'd done it.† â€Å"Are you quite sure you didn't? Perhaps we did it together. Careful!† he said as Stefan stepped toward him. â€Å"My mood is not the most tolerant tonight, either. I only had a wizened little history teacher; you had a pretty girl.† The fury inside Stefan coalesced, seeming to focus in one bright burning spot, like a sun inside him. â€Å"Keep away from Elena,† he whispered with such menace that Damon actually tilted his head back slightly. â€Å"Keep away from her, Damon. I know you've been spying on her, watching her. But no more. Go near her again and you'll regret it.† â€Å"You always were selfish. Your one fault. Not willing to share anything, are you?† Suddenly, Damon's lips curved in a singularly beautiful smile. â€Å"But fortunately the lovely Elena is more generous. Didn't she tell you about our little liaisons? Why, the first time we met she almost gave herself to me on the spot.† â€Å"That's a lie!† â€Å"Oh, no, dear brother. I never lie about anything important. Or do I mean unimportant? Anyway, your beauteous damsel nearly swooned into my arms. I think she likes men in black.† As Stefan stared at him, trying to control his breathing, Damon added, almost gently, â€Å"You're wrong about her, you know. You think she's sweet and docile, like Katherine. She isn't. She's not your type at all, my saintly brother. She has a spirit and a fire in her that you wouldn't know what to do with.† â€Å"And you would, I suppose.† Damon uncrossed his arms and slowly smiled again. â€Å"Oh, yes.† Stefan wanted to leap for him, to smash that beautiful, arrogant smile, to tear Damon's throat out. He said, in a barely controlled voice, â€Å"You're right about one thing. She's strong. Strong enough to fight you off. And now that she knows what you really are, she will. All she feels for you now is disgust.† Damon's eyebrows lifted. â€Å"Does she, now? We'll see about that. Perhaps she'll find that real darkness is more to her taste than feeble twilight. I, at least, can admit the truth about my nature. But I worry about you, little brother. You're looking weak and ill-fed. She's a tease, is she?† Kill him, something in Stefan's mind demanded. Kill him, snap his neck, rip his throat to bloody shreds. But he knew Damon had fed very well tonight. His brother's dark aura was swollen, pulsing, almost shining with the life essence he had taken. â€Å"Yes, I drank deeply,† Damon said pleasantly, as if he knew what was in Stefan's mind. He sighed and ran his tongue over his lips in satisfied remembrance. â€Å"He was small, but there was a surprising amount of juice in him. Not pretty like Elena, and he certainly didn't smell as good. But it's always exhilarating to feel the new blood singing inside you.† Damon breathed expansively, stepping away from the tree and looking around. Stefan remembered those graceful movements, too, each gesture controlled and precise. The centuries had only refined Damon's natural poise. â€Å"It makes me feel like doing this,† said Damon, moving to a sapling a few yards away. It was half again as tall as he was, and when he grasped it his fingers did not meet around the trunk. But Stefan saw the quick breath and the ripple of muscles under Damon's thin black shirt, and then the tree tore loose from the ground, its roots dangling. Stefan could smell the pungent dampness of disturbed earth. â€Å"I didn't like it there anyway,† said Damon, and heaved it as far away as the still-entangled roots would allow. Then he smiled engagingly. â€Å"It also makes me feel like doingthis .† There was a shimmer of motion, and then Damon was gone. Stefan looked around but could see no sign of him. â€Å"Up here, brother.† The voice came from overhead, and when Stefan looked up he saw Damon perching among the spreading branches of the oak tree. There was a rustle of tawny brown leaves, and he disappeared again. â€Å"Back here, brother.† Stefan spun at the tap on his shoulder, only to see nothing behind him. â€Å"Right here, brother.† He spun again. â€Å"No, try here.† Furious, Stefan whipped the other way, trying to catch hold of Damon. But his fingers grasped only air. Here, Stefan . This time the voice was in his mind, and the Power of it shook him to the core. It took enormous strength to project thoughts that clearly. Slowly, he turned around once more, to see Damon back in his original position, leaning against the big oak tree. But this time the humor in those dark eyes had faded. They were black and fathomless, and Damon's lips were set in a straight line. What more proof do you need, Stefan? I'm as much stronger than you as you are stronger than these pitiful humans. I'm faster than you, too, and I have other Powers you've scarcely heard of. The Old Powers, Stefan. And I'm not afraid to use them. If you fight me, I'll use them against you. â€Å"Is that what you came here for? To torture me?† I've been merciful with you, brother. Many times you've been mine for the killing, but I've always spared your life. But this time is different. Damon stepped away from the tree again and spoke aloud. â€Å"I am warning you, Stefan, don't oppose me. It doesn't matter what I came here for. What I want now is Elena. And if you try to stop me from taking her, I will kill you.† â€Å"You can try,† said Stefan. The hot pinpoint of fury inside him burned brighter than ever, pouring forth its brilliance like a whole galaxy of stars. He knew, somehow, that it threatened Damon's darkness. â€Å"You think I can't do it? You never learn, do you, little brother?† Stefan had just enough time to note Damon's weary shake of the head when there was another blur of motion and he felt strong hands seize him. He was fighting instantly, violently, trying with all his strength to throw them off. But they were like hands of steel. He lashed out savagely, trying to strike at the vulnerable area under Damon's jaw. It did no good; his arms were pinioned behind him, his body immobilized. He was as helpless as a bird under the claws of a lean and expert cat. He went limp for an instant, making himself a deadweight, and then he suddenly surged with all his muscles, trying to break free, trying to get a blow in. The cruel hands only tightened on him, making his struggles useless. Pathetic. You always were stubborn. Perhaps this will convince you . Stefan looked into his brother's face, pale as the frosted-glass windows at the boarding house, and at those black bottomless eyes. Then he felt fingers grasp his hair, jerk his head back, exposing his throat. His struggles redoubled, became frantic. Don't bother , came the voice in his head, and then he felt the sharp rending pain of teeth. He felt the humiliation and helplessness of the hunter's victim, of the hunted, of the prey. And then the pain of blood being drawn out against his will. He refused to give in to it, and the pain grew worse, a feeling as if his soul was tearing loose like the sapling. It stabbed through him like spears of fire, concentrating on the punctures in his flesh where Damon's teeth had sunk in. Agony flamed up his jaw and cheek and down his chest and shoulder. He felt a wave of vertigo and realized he was losing consciousness. Then, abruptly, the hands released him and he fell to the ground, onto a bed of damp and moldering oak leaves. Gasping for breath, he painfully got to his hands and knees. â€Å"You see, little brother, I'm stronger than you. Strong enough to take you, take your blood and your life if I wish it. Leave Elena to me, or I will.† Stefan looked up. Damon was standing with head thrown back, legs slightly apart, like a conqueror putting his foot on the neck of the conquered. Those night-black eyes were hot with triumph, and Stefan's blood was on his lips. Hatred filled Stefan, such hatred as he had never known before. It was as if all his earlier hatred of Damon had been a drop of water to this crashing, foaming ocean. Many times in the last long centuries he had regretted what he had done to his brother, when he'd wished with all his soul to change it. Now he only wanted to do it again. â€Å"Elena is not yours,† he ground out, getting to his feet, trying not to show what an effort it cost him. â€Å"And she never will be.† Concentrating on each step, putting one foot in front of the other, he began walking away. His entire body hurt, and the shame he felt was even greater than the physical ache. There were bits of wet leaves and crumbs of earth adhering to his clothes, but he did not brush them off. He fought to keep moving, to hold out against the weakness that lapped at his limbs. You never learn, brother. Stefan did not look back or try to reply. He gritted his teeth and kept his legs moving. Another step. And another step. And another step. If he could just sit down for a moment, rest†¦ Another step, and another step. The car couldn't be far now. Leaves crackled under his feet, and then he heard leaves crackle behind him. He tried to turn quickly, but his reflexes were almost gone. And the sharp motion was too much for him. Darkness filled him, filled his body and his mind, and he was falling. He fell forever into the black of absolute night. And then, mercifully, he knew no more.

Student Outlook on the SATs essays

Student Outlook on the SAT's essays The Sat, scholastic assessment test, is used for colleges to measure what a student may be able to do on any given day. Colleges use it as a basis for whom they accept to their college. The SAT is administered by the ETS, or educational testing service. Overall, the SAT is a long, grueling test that tends to cause mostly anxiety among the test-takers. The SAT is a three hour-long test including two ten-minute breaks after Section Two and Section Four. The SAT is divided into 7 sections, which can appear in any order. The sections include: two thirty-minute Verbal sections with analogies, sentence completions, and critical reading, one fifteen minute Verbal section with critical reading, one thirty minute math section with quantitative comparisons and grid-ins, one thirty minute section with regular math, and another fifteen minute section with regular math. Included among the different sections is a thirty-minute experimental section, which could be either math or verbal, but this section does not affect the test-takers score. The SAT is scored on a scale up to 1600, where you can gain a point for a correct answer, but lose a fraction of a point for an incorrect answer. You neither gain nor lose points for omitting a question. Also included in your score is an automatic 200 points on both your Math and Verbal sections. Additionally, at least a C on the SAT is equivalent to an 1100 on the test. The SAT is administered by in a students high school years, but anybody can sign up to take the test. After a survey of random high school students, grades nine through twelve, results proved that older students tend to recognize the importance of the SATs while younger students didnt understand the test as well. Many students believe that the SAT is not an accurate view of how a student will succeed or perform at college level. Students also agreed that colleges should not consider S...

Auschwitz Facts

Auschwitz Facts Auschwitz, the largest and deadliest camp in the Nazi concentration and death camp system, was located in and around the small town of Oswiecim, Poland (37 miles west of Krakow).  The complex consisted of three large camps and 45 smaller sub-camps.   The Main Camp, also known as Auschwitz I, was established in April 1940 and was primarily used to house prisoners who were forced laborers.   Auschwitz-Birkenau, also known as Auschwitz II, was located less than two miles away.  It was established in October 1941 and was used as both a concentration and death camp.   Buna-Monowitz, also known as Auschwitz III and â€Å"Buna,† was established in October 1942.  Its purpose was to house laborers for neighboring industrial facilities.   In total, it is estimated that 1.1 million of the 1.3 million individuals deported to Auschwitz were killed.  The Soviet Army liberated the Auschwitz complex on January 27, 1945. Auschwitz I – Main Camp The initial environs where the camp was created had formerly been a Polish army barracks.The first prisoners were primarily Germans, transferred from the Sachsenhausen Camp (near Berlin) and Polish political prisoners transferred from Dachau and Tarnow.Auschwitz I had a single gas chamber and crematorium; however, it was not heavily utilized.  After Auschwitz-Birkenau became operational, the facility was turned into a bomb shelter for Nazi officials who were located in offices in the vicinity.At its peak, Auschwitz I contained over 18,000 prisoners – mostly men.Prisoners in all of the Auschwitz camps were forced to wear striped attire and have their heads shaved.  The latter was presumably for sanitation but also served the purpose of dehumanizing the victims.  As the Eastern Front came closer, the striped uniforms often fell by the wayside and other attire was substituted.All of the Auschwitz camps implemented a tattoo system for prisoners who remained in the camp syste m.  This differed from other camps which often required the number on the uniform only. Block 10 was known as the â€Å"Krankenbau† or hospital barrack.  It had blacked out windows on the first floor to hide evidence of medical experiments that were being performed on prisoners within the building by doctors such as Josef Mengele and Carl Clauberg.Block 11 was the camp prison.  The basement contained the first experimental gas chamber, which was tested on Soviet prisoners of war.  Between Blocks 10 and 11, a closed courtyard contained an execution wall (the â€Å"Black Wall†), where prisoners were shot.The infamous â€Å"Arbeit Macht Frei† (â€Å"Work Shall Set You Free†) gate stands at the entrance of Auschwitz I.Camp Commandant Rudolf Hoess was hanged just outside Auschwitz I on April 16, 1947. Auschwitz II Auschwitz Birkenau Built in an open, swampy field less than two miles from Auschwitz I and across the main set of railroad tracks.Construction on the camp initially began in October 1941 with the initial intended purpose of being a camp for 125,000 prisoners of war.Birkenau had approximately 1.1 million people pass through its gates during its nearly three-year existence.When individuals arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau, they were forced to undergo a Selektion, or sorting process, in which healthy adult persons who were desired for work were permitted to live while the remaining elderly, children and ill people were taken directly to the gas chambers.90% of all individuals who entered Birkenau perished – an estimated 1 million people total.9 out of every 10 people killed in Birkenau were Jewish.Over 50,000 Polish prisoners died in Birkenau and nearly 20,000 Gypsies.Separate camps were established within Birkenau for Jews from Theresienstadt and Gypsies.  The former was established in the event of a Red Cross visit but was liquidated in July 1944 when it was evident that this visit would not occur. In May 1944, a train spur was built into the camp to aid with the processing of the Hungarian Jews.  Prior to this point, victims were unloaded at a rail station between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II.Birkenau contained four, large, gas chambers, each of which could kill up to 6,000 individuals per day. These gas chambers were attached to crematoriums that would burn the masses of dead bodies. The gas chambers were disguised as shower facilities to deceive the victims in order to keep them calm and cooperative throughout the process.The gas chambers utilized pruissic acid, trade name â€Å"Zyklon B.†Ã‚  This gas was commonly known as a pesticide in orchards and for prisoner clothing.A portion of the camp, â€Å"F Lager,† was a medical facility that was used for experiments as well as limited medical treatment of camp prisoners.  It was staffed by Jewish prisoner-doctors and staff, as well as Nazi medical staff.  The latter was primarily focused on experimentation.Pr isoners in the camp often named sections of the camp themselves.  For example, the warehousing portion of the camp was known as â€Å"Kanada.†Ã‚  An area slated for camp expansion that was swampy and mosquito-ridden was called â€Å"Mexico.† An uprising occurred in Birkenau in October 1944.  Two of the crematoriums were destroyed during the uprising.  It was staged largely by members of Sonderkommando in Crematoriums 2 and 4.  (The Sonderkommando were groups of prisoners, mainly Jewish, who were forced to staff the gas chambers and crematoriums.  They received better food and treatment in return, but the gruesome, heartbreaking work caused them to have a four-month turnover rate, on average, before meeting the same fate as the victims they processed.) Auschwitz III Buna-Monowitz Located several miles from the main complex, Auschwitz III bordered the town of Monowice, home of the Buna synthetic rubber works.The initial purpose for the camp’s establishment in October 1942 was to house laborers who were leased out to the rubber works.  Much of its initial construction was funded by IG Farben, a company that benefited from this slave labor.Also contained a special Labor Education Department to reeducate non-Jewish prisoners who did not follow camp structure and policy.Monowitz, like Auschwitz I and Birkenau, was surrounded by electrified barbed wire.Elie Wiesel spent time in this camp after being processed through Birkenau with his father. The Auschwitz complex was the most notorious in the Nazi camp system.  Today, it is a museum and educational center that hosts over 1 million visitors annually.

Criminal Behavior Conditioning Essays

Criminal Behavior Conditioning Essays Criminal Behavior Conditioning Essay Criminal Behavior Conditioning Essay Dr. Terrie Moffitt provides consent to the detection and early intervention concept for developmental/behavioral issues. Since 1993, Dr. Moffitt has focused on two youth types- both developmental in nature- that lead to delinquency. Dr. Moffitt defined these problematic individuals as either life-course-persistent (LCP) offenders, or adolescent-limited (AL) offenders. Where the AL offenders exhibit shorter cycles of delinquency that begin and usually end within his/her adolescent years, the LCP offenders begin at much earlier age and continues into the adolescent years. Researchers agreed with Dr. Moffitt that high-risk youth can be identified at an early age with great accuracy (Dodge Pettit, 2003; Hill, Lochman, Coie, Greenberg, 2004; Lochman Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 1995). But an important factor to note, is that they begin to parallel influence/cause during his/her adolescent years of delinquency. It is not enough to simply review statistics or parental accounts because it may confuse anyone trying to identify the two types of offenders (Moffitt, Caspi, Dickson, Silva, Stanton, 1996). Since Dr. Moffitt first standardized her developmental theory, she also brought forth the significance of many different but interwoven variables including: genetics, social pressure, observation, and parental nurturing (Moffitt et al, 1993, 1996; Moffitt, 1995, 2005). Another comparable theory also contends that younger offenders are at greater risk of more serious criminal offending (Gerald Patterson 1982, 1986). This (Coercion Developmental) theory cites parental involvement as major factor in psychosocial related delinquency. In addition, negative transitions or inconsistent monitoring of the child will contribute to the onset of delinquency (Brennan et al. , 2003; Patterson, 1982). A child may use temperamental actions to gain control. This behavioral pattern continues until the adolescent develops a consistent interpersonal approach of coercion. Whatever the root cause of delinquency, finality comes in the form of treatment or incarceration. However, more restraining measures for the serious offender- out-of-home treatment or incarceration- are not as effective and are extremely expensive (Henggeler, 1996). Indeed, data show that incarceration may not even serve a community protection function (Henggeler 1996, p. 139). † One theory is that prevention programs or treatment that only focuses on one risk factor â€Å"is unlikely to lead to long-lasting change in delinquency because multiple other forces act to support anti- social development (Dodge Pettit, 2003). † Alternately, selective pre vention (or incarceration) is designed to corral these â€Å"at risk† youth. The principle with selective prevention/incarceration is that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The programs may range from family involvement to exterior intervention; regimented treatment to outdoor activities. However, it is important to begin the selective prevention/incarceration early in the child’s life and cross-examine multiple influential factors. Then, continue the same preventive measures to ensure new influences do not create new risks (Tremblay and Craig, 1995; Dodge Pettit, 2003). Dr Moffitt encourages programs designed at identifying the â€Å"at risk† youth before defining the subsequent delinquency. A similar theory involving multiple planes of identification is multi-systemic therapy (Henggeler Borduin, 1990; Henggeler, Melton, Smith, 1992; Scherer, Brondino, Henggeler, Melton, Hanley, 1994). When interpreting this therapy approach, multiple major factors come into play- school, family, counselors. Based on Dr. Moffitt’s developmental theories and mindset, I believe that she would have the same opinion of some researchers- utilize every social and genetic variable and create selective prevention/incarceration as a (best practice) approach to early detection of potential delinquency. In my freshman opinion, I feel that it requires a multitude of data to determine exact cause and effect. If you combine the following: National Crime Victimization Survey; broad-spectrum interviews of delinquents; Census interviews; marital patterns; religious or faith data; medical-intervention records; and psychosocial observation in the form of treatment, one may be able to create a better understanding in the patterns of delinquency. Unfortunately, research-to-date is small in comparison to the magnitude of influence. The relationship between parenting (disciplinary practice) and family (background) with delinquency is far too in-depth for a few hundred words to define. Parental styles, genetics, social interaction, socio-economic factors, religion, academic standards- the list goes on, and on- all factor into the potential to become an offender. Simply stated, exposure is the common denominator. While many factors can be a major, let us first address parental styles. There are four types of parental styles: authoritarian; permissive; authoritative; and neglecting (Diana Baumrind 1991a). While one parent chooses to control child’s life, another parent may be permissive and render no control. Even as a parent tries to be rational and reasonable, a different style is neglecting and detached from the child. Alone, no style is without imperfections. Other factors combine with the parenting style to create a more complex behavioral pattern. Coercive, easier methods of parenting require less administrative energy when compared with a style that emphasizes emotional interaction and patience. A pattern of too much corporal punishment to maintain control promotes a negative self-concept in the child or may carry the cycle of violence to another victim. Nonetheless, it is not easy to assume which styles provide more â€Å"at risk† factors than others without additional rationale. Parental practices that involve consistent interaction are additional strategies employed by some. A child may be pushed to achieve specific academic, social, or athletic goals across different contexts and situations (Hart, Nelson, Robinson, Olsen, McNeilly-Choque, 1998). A child may receive monetary gratuity designed to teach him/her to manage money. Some children thrive in other event-specific interaction- reading, attendance to sports or arts events, or giving time to school rooms and/or activities. Herein, lies factors that produce the advent of self-esteem and results may vary. Studies also reveal that observation has a responsive affect and often leads to social competence, peer acceptance, and less antisocial behavior (Hart et al. ,1998). An inviting parent that elevates care and affection or one that encourages higher educational are examples of styles hat promotes rather than demotes development. Secondly, a child’s socio-economic situation may hinder development into a non-offender. While the parent can deter negative behavior and reinforce positive outlook, the child may nevertheless fall prey to social environmental factors. Observation of deviant behaviors may possibly encourage the same. The nation’s economic crisis of 2009 resulted in many parents assuming second jobs- such as low-paying part-time work on weekends- to keep the family financially afloat (Bartol, 2008, 2011). This may necessitate â€Å"juggling† child care duties among day-care centers, relatives, babysitters, and neighbors. Likewise, caregiver styles and practices can escalate negative results. The early relationship between an infant and a caregiver largely determines the quality of social relationships later in life (Bowlby, 1969). Similar to the notion that â€Å"it takes a village to raise a child,† interaction with perceived models of authority and care can mold a child into positive results or into patterned delinquency. In addition, impoverished parents (or family), may create internal stresses and possibly abuse- both physical and mental. Further, the child’s development may digress into inadequate social, self-regulation, or temperament skill sets. Stress caused by poverty in urban settings is believed to diminish parents’ capacity for supportive and consistent parenting (Dodge, Greenberg, Malone, and Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2008; Hammond Yung, 1994). If anti-social peers reject someone who is already struggling, then there may be a compounded risk factor. As Terrie Moffitt (2005) provided, we know certain risk factors are closely linked to delinquency and criminal behavior, but how or why they are linked is largely unknown. Thirdly, depending on the definition of â€Å"family,† the structure necessitates the parenting style. It is estimated that over 12 million American families with children are maintained by only one parent (U. S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Early studies based on official data found that delinquents were more likely than non delinquents to come from homes where parents were divorced r separated (Eaton Polk, 1961; Glueck Glueck, 1950; Monahan, 1957; Rodman Grams, 1967). This led to conclusions that the single-parent home- or the â€Å"broken home† as it was called- could be blamed for much delinquency and thus could be considered a risk factor (Bartol, 2011). More recently, researchers examine associated factors such as the quality of the relationship, economic status, and levels of emotional suppo rt provided to the family by other modeling adults- extended family members or community agents. However, there is definitive results that single-parent homes that are conflict-free produce children from that are less likely to be delinquent than those shaped in highly conflicted, but â€Å"intact† homes (Gove Crutchfield, 1982). A family of different origin, has become a normal part of today’s society. Many researchers agree to also define a family as persons related by blood or by legal arrangements- adoptions, legal guardianships, civil unions. Researchers also point out that long-term committed relationships- either as friends or as sexual partners- are also considered as family. No matter the style of the living arrangement, blood-relative, or single-parent family, the structure becomes the focal point. As Flynn (1983, p. 13) asserts, â€Å"One point is indisputably clear in the literature: A stable, secure, and mutually supportive family is exceedingly important in delinquency prevention. † Parental alcoholism elevates risk for a variety of negative child outcomes, including behavioral difficulties, antisocial behavior, and subsequent alcoholism (Loukas, Zucker, Fitzgerald, Krull, 2003; Zucker et al. , 2000). Interestingly, Loukas and her colleagues (2003) found that the presence of paternal alcoholism in the family may be more important than maternal alcoholism in contributing to a son’s antisocial behavior and maladjustment. The aggressive behavior that is demonstrated in domestic violence is clearly a form of parental psychopathology. Lastly, related to parental styles is the parental supervision or monitoring of children. In parental monitoring, â€Å"refers to parents’ awareness of their child’s peer associates, free-time activities, and physical whereabouts, when outside the home† (Snyder Patterson, 1987, pp. 25–26). Just as a â€Å"structured† or â€Å"broken† home dictates, so too is the amount and quality of parental monitoring is influenced by a number of things- divorce, finances, job loss, parental psychological disorders, substance abuse, or death. Monitoring appears to be especially important from about age nine to mid-adoles cence, an observation that has received substantial support from several studies (Laird, Pettit, Bates, Dodge, 2003). Will a Substantially-Recruited High School Football Player Alter His Tackling Style By Observing His Favorite NFL Player Doing the Same? In recent months, the National Football League (NFL) has mandated various penalties to players for purposely making violent tackles on unsuspecting opposing players. The penalties were usually a monetary fine imposed; growing by each offense. However, the rash of career-ending and life-threatening injuries was not subsiding. In fact, Rodney Harrison, a former NFL player and NBC Analyst who was penalized for illegal hits at several points in his career was quoted, â€Å"that the NFL has to do more than fine offenders if it really wants to change the big-hitting culture.. Harrison further added, Ive had plenty of hits like this and fining me $5 or $10 grand really didnt affect me. But I got to a point where they suspended me and I knew the effect on my teammates, the disappointment of me not being out there; not the $100,000 that got taken away from me, but the fact that I wasnt out there. Thats what they are going to have to do if they want to change the nature of these hits. You hav e to suspend guys. † The NFL is currently utilizing other methods of penalty- suspension- as a method of deterrence. Will a substantially-recruited high school football player model himself and alter his tackling style by simply observing his favorite NFL player doing the same? If not, what if he met both the victim of a violent tackle and the offender? The independent variables are equally the favorite NFL players that give violent hits, and ones that received violent (and injury resultant) hits. The dependent variables are talented defensive players (decisions) about to leave high school and are being heavily recruited into college. Both Ordinal and Ratio data will be collected. To determine a level of persuasion, Ordinal data will be necessary (influenced more severe tackling, same/unchanged tackling; influenced less severe tackling); for both observation from afar, and actual/perceived interaction with victim and offender. Ratio data will be collected to determine the percentages of players that felt their respective play (influenced/uninfluenced) somehow altered their ability to be recruited. The hypothetical result is to segment how violence may be altered when measured through observation of others and through social interaction with participants. This may be able to translate how offenders may be able to recant their violent tendencies if a â€Å"role model† also recants. Operant conditioning is fundamental to some criminal behavior. It is present in all humans and probably less-focused as a pre-cursor to progressive criminal behavior. Do this, get response; do that, get a different response. Now, which response was â€Å"better or worse† in the offender’s opinion? And, if for the worse, how bad and is the offender prepared? Unfortunately, smaller crimes or even lawful activities can often lead to greater severity of deviant behavior. For instance, a male interprets the â€Å"mixed† sexual signals of a female during intercourse as â€Å"okay† this time. In fact, without knowing, is reinforcing the mixed signal by continually giving positive overall feedback without focusing on the things that are not okay. Then, the male continues this activity(s) to other partners until someone finally signals the behavior as improper or deviant. The reaction up to this point may not replicate the reaction in the instant- rejection. The eventual offender reacts in an emotional manner now considered criminal- an aggravated assault. Somewhere the operant conditioning has misaligned the offender to think that it was always â€Å"okay. † Now, it is not okay and the offender is not prepared for the response. On another angle, the victim is married to the offender. He/she has typically submitted to the behaviors and finally decides the behavior to be deviant. He/she has continually obliged due to conditioned reasons and pre-conceived consequences. Hopefully, the offender will see the reasoning, understand, and agree to dismiss harmful aggression. However, he/she may not and now operant conditioning is present for both sides. Sutherland’s (1939) position of differential association theory centers a neutrality of initial human behavior. The criminal tendency is learned through association with other, â€Å"bad company. † Likewise, good behavior can be attributed to the association with positive influences of other’s actions. Over the course of observation of others within a group, a subject is more likely to duplicate the consensus of behavior- good or bad. This is due, in part, to the conceived definition of what may be right or wrong because others are doing the same. While a valued approach, this theory did not break down the types of learning from other’s actions. By simply boiler-plating that all will do as the majority does, leaves many influences on the table. Differential Association-Reinforcement (DAR) theory gives greater detail into the interactions with others. In especially deviant behaviors, a subject would also need to observe other factors- strength, frequency, reinforcements (positive and negative) all packaged in a stimuli. In other words, a subject may run with a â€Å"bad company,† but if they receive other positive reinforcements for other aspects, then he/she is not pre-destined to become deviant. The physiological factors associated with aggression have great range- from genetics that some researchers parallel with animal instincts to cognitive reasoning for choosing how to deal with the aggression. The genetic and animal approach can easily be identified by observation of humans. Humans can be territorially aggressive in protection mode, as well as, in social matters. This trait is â€Å"built-in† through years of development and remains unchanged. I believe it may also be defined as impulsive- stimuli will invoke a reaction. However, humans have also developed a â€Å"knack† for deciding what is, or is not, appropriate behavior. Through social interaction and learned behaviors, humans as a whole can discern if aggression is necessary and to what level it should or should not be levied. Equally important is the ability to observe punishment and negative consequences in order to draw conclusion on appropriate (aggressive) behavior. Medicinal and medically-invasive measure may also be taken in order to subside aggressions. Later it was proposed (Zillmann, 1988) that arousal carries substantial weight in factoring situational aggression. These factors may include sexual, negative excitement, or other stimuli that combine to create an aggressive behavior. Pre-existing conditions can intertwine with real-time observations and carryout immediate aggression. Other recent researchers add that skill-sets and gender help determine the aggressor’s initial reaction. Once the arousal is recognized, the person may react with reflexive response and/or cognitively think before reacting. The research is varied when relying on simple factors such as, driving (road rage), video games, and peer rejection. Social observation (socialization) also factors into the potential aggressor’s reaction. Therein, I believe genders have an internal â€Å"triage† that quickly determines the most valuable return on behavioral investment. In addition, if aggression becomes favor with the person, he/she must then determine the types of overt aggression are pointed threats of bodily harm, physical assault, rape, murder, or road rage and can be linked to childhood tendencies of similar behaviors. Covert aggression is indirect and most often, unders of covert aggression are passive-aggressive exchanges, disguised theft or fraud, internet or electronic hassle. Social and aggressive behavior is managed largely through daily experiences by cognitive scripts. â€Å"A script suggests what events are to happen in the environment, how the person should behave in response to these events, and what the likely outcome of those behaviors would be†(Huesmann, 1988, p. 15). Scripts may be learned through direct experience or observing significant others (Bushman Anderson, 2001). Once learned and established, the script is usually adhered becomes resistant to change into adulthood. However, each script is different and unique to each person, and to become established must be practiced from time to time (Bartol, 2011) Furthermore, an important role in determining which scripts are stored in memory is the â€Å"evaluation of the appropriateness. † (Huesmann, 1988, p. 19). Conflicting scripts that intrude someone’s personal standards are unlikely to be stored or utilized. According to Blackman, chronic criminality can be understood as â€Å"an attempt to maintain status or mastery of a social environment from which they feel alienated† (1998, p. 174). The well-rehearsed cognitive script of persistent, lifelong offenders, therefore, is to dominate- often in a hostile manner- social environments they perceive as hostile. The other model has been developed by Kenneth Dodge and his colleagues (Dodge, 1986; Dodge Coie,1987), and is called the hostile attribution model. Insomuch, there is a bias because youth (and adults) prone toward violence are more likely to interpret unsuspecting actions as hostile and threatening than are their less aggressive counterparts (Dodge, 1993b). People described as having hostile attribution bias â€Å"tend to view the world through blood-red tinted glasses. † (Dill, Anderson, Anderson, Deuser, 1997). Children with a hostile attribution bias are much more likely than the average child to misinterpret actions from others as aggression (Hubbard et al. , 2001). Also, the bias is present in both boys and girls (Vitale, Newman, Serin, Bolt, 2005). Similarly, Serin and Preston (2001, p. 259) conclude, â€Å"Aggressive juvenile offenders have been found to be deficient in social problems of reactive aggression include: anger expressions; temper tantrums; and vengeful hostility- â€Å"hot-blooded† aggressive acts. Reactive aggression appears to be a reaction to frustration and is associated with a lack of control due to high states of arousal. In general, reactive aggression is a hostile act displayed in response to a perceived threat or provocation. However, proactive aggression includes: bullying; domination; teasing; name-calling; and coercive acts- more â€Å"cold-blooded† aggressive actions. (Dodge, et al. 1997). In difference, proactive aggression is less emotional, and hopeful of rewards. In theory, the basis of proactive aggression is found in social learning that is controlled and maintained by reinforcement.

Management Papers and Essays

Management Papers and Essays In management communications either verbal or non-verbal play a big role. Therefore you as a future manager will be learned how to communicate your thoughts and orders on the paper as well. Manager should communicate their message clearly and right to the point so that no misunderstanding had occurred. While most of the communications go through written messages, it is very important for managers to write good memos or letters to their subordinates. If you have a business major in the university, be sure that you will be assigned to write management term papers, essays, research papers and thesis papers during semester. Term papers on management have the same style as any business papers. The difference is the topic that you will write about. Most probably your management term paper will evaluate your business communication skills and your ability to write effective and clear messages to your future subordinates in the form of memos and letters. In this section we will discuss how to write these types of documents and complete your management term paper successfully. Memo The principal difference between a memorandum (memo) and a letter is the audience. A memo is internal correspondence written to fellow employees, whereas a letter is external correspondence written to someone outside your company or organization. A memo reflects this difference in its format. When you write your management term paper, essay or research paper writing don’t forget about this difference and use appropriate format for your memos. The sender-receiver routing information in the upper left of a memos first page replaces the return and inside addresses, salutation, complimentary close, and signature found on a business letter. In most other respects, memos differ little from letters. Both are single-spaced with double-spacing between paragraphs and sections. It should have the following information: TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: TEXT OF MESSAGE: Letters Business letters are used for external correspondence. The standard business letter has six parts: 1. Heading, which includes the writers return address and the date 2. Inside address, giving the recipients name, title (if any), company or organization, street address, city, state, zip code 3. Salutation 4. Body 5. Complimentary close 6. Signature block, which includes a handwritten signature with the typed signature beneath it One of the widely used formats is full block style with the six parts labeled. Another common format- modified block style- places the heading, date, complimentary close, and signature block on the right side of the page (instead of flush left, as in the block style). The modified block format may use either indented or (lush-left (not indented) paragraphs. Simplified style, a more unusual format, replaces the salutation with a subject line and eliminates the complimentary close. Simplified format uses a full block style, with all parts flush at the left margin. This format is easy to type because no lab stops are needed. Furthermore, the subject is immediately clear, and the lack of salutation solves problems when the name of the recipient is not known. It is better to use simplified format in your management term paper, research paper or essay for routine requests or when personalization is unimportant. There are other business documents that you will need to learn and write during your management course. Business letters are not the only things that you as a future manager should know and that will be required from you during your education process. Your management papers will be also about different topics like leadership and motivation where you will need to make a research or state your personal opinion.

Guide to Map Reading for Beginners

Guide to Map Reading for Beginners In an age when mapping apps are commonplace, you may think that learning how to read a paper map is an obsolete skill. But if you enjoy hiking, camping, exploring the wilderness, or other outdoor activities, a good road or  topographic map is your still best friend. Unlike cell phones and GPS devices, there are no signals to lose or batteries to change with a paper map, making them far more reliable. This guide will introduce you to the basic elements of a map. Legend Cartographers, who design maps, use symbols to represent the different elements used. The legend, sometimes called a key, tells you how to interpret a maps symbols.  For instance, a square with a flag on top usually represents a school, and a dashed line represents a border. Note, however, that map symbols used in the United States are often used for different things in other countries. The symbol for a secondary highway used on a United States Geological Survey topographic map represents a railroad on Swiss maps. Title A maps title will tell you at a glance what the map is depicting. If youre looking at a road map of Utah, for example, you would expect to see interstate and state highways, plus major local roadways across the state. A USGS geological map, on the other hand, will depict specific scientific data for a region, such as groundwater supplies for a city. Regardless of the type of map youre using, it will have a title. Orientation A map isnt very useful if you dont know where you are relative to your position on it. Most cartographers align their maps so that the top of the page represents north and use a small arrow-shaped icon with an N beneath it to point you in the right direction. Some maps, such as topographic maps, will point to true north (the North Pole) and to magnetic north (where your compass points, to northern Canada). More elaborate maps may include a compass rose, depicting all four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). Scale A life-sized map would be impossibly large. Instead, cartographers use ratios to reduce a mapped region to a manageable size. The maps scale will tell you what ratio is being used or, more commonly, depict a given distance as the equivalent of a measurement, such as 1 inch representing 100 miles.  Ã‚   Other Elements Just as there are many types of color maps, there are also many different color schemes used by cartographers. The map user should look to the legend for an explanation of colors on a map.   Elevation, for example, is often represented as a sequence of dark greens (low elevation or even below sea level) to browns (hills) to white or gray (highest elevation). A neatline is the border of a map. It helps to define the edge of the map area and obviously keeps things looking organized. Cartographers may also use neatlines to define offsets, which are mini-maps of an expanded area of the map. Many road maps, for instance, contain offsets of major cities that show additional cartographic  detail like local roads and landmarks. If youre using a topographic map, which depicts changes of elevation in addition to roads and other landmarks, youll see wavy brown lines that meander around. These are called contour lines and represent a given elevation as it falls upon the contour of the landscape.