Wan Design

In this scenario I will be providing information associated with the creation of a WAN for ACME Manufacturing. This business has several locations spread out all over America and requires a WAN to connect their locations in America with their newly build plant in China. With the headquarters and engineering offices in Atlanta, which are right across the street from each other, the plan would make sense to connect all communication here.There are also distribution offices in New York, Chicago, and Phoenix which will have to be connected to this network to attend the weekly company meetings and have access to information stored at headquarters. For the headquarters and engineering offices in Atlanta a LAN setup with routers and Ethernet wires will be introduced. This choice is based on higher speeds for the network as well as a significant reduction in cost. For the offices in New York, Chicago, and Phoenix a Satellite link will be added to ensure communication with the network located at the headquarters in Atlanta.A satellite link will be made available to China as well to ensure that all locations have access to the main headquarters. Having all offices linked to a central location will allow interactions to be achieved for orders, manufacturing, communication, and other correspondence. This will allow the information and communication to be delivered at a higher standard than other means. Because we will be connecting all of the locations to a central location in Atlanta we will be using a Star Topology. A Star Topology will allow everyoffice a direct link to headquarters and will centralize the network management making it easier for an administrator to monitor. I have listed an example diagram of the Star Topology Below: With this Star Topology and the vast distances that would have to be reached to ensure communication with all locations ACME Manufacturing will have to lease T1 lines. This will ensure High Bandwidth speed and promote a more successful inte raction time for fulfilling orders and maintaining communication between headquarters, distribution, and the newly constructed plant.A T1 transmission can reach speeds of 1. 544Mbps and maintain up to 24 digitally transformed voice channels. (Techterms. com, 2013) In the interest of Telecommunications ACME Manufacturing would benefit the most from a VOIP. VOIP’s have become a new method for businesses of all sizes to interact and communicate with each other. With a reduced cost in cabling and hardware needed for setting up the service it brings great benefits to a business. Often the same cables utilized to make up a network can be used to create a VOIP and communicate efficiently.With this form of telecommunication ACME Manufacturing is sure to increase production, maintain a better relationship with customers, and decrease the overall expenses with a low maintenance system. Virtual meetings will be made easier as the VOIP is utilized by all locations that are connected to t he main headquarters. When addressing IP Addressing a Class C would be appropriate, supposing the network mask pertains to every subnet and using the same network IP address. (Regan, 2004) A VLAN will be advantageous to ACME Manufacturing because of the link it will provide to all six locations.Because the buildings are separated physically from each other a Virtual Network will allow the buildings to be grouped virtually which will increase the efficiency of the network. This virtual grouping will allow for better communication and increased productivity between all locations. I have assessed the hardware needs associated with this network and have come up with some suggestions which will operate the network in the most efficient way. First, A number of Mainframe Computer Systems will be installed at each location which will serve as the brain for each location.After the initial link is made with the central headquarters the Mainframe computers will be linked to routers and switche s. Routers and switches will be utilized to route network signals to all areas of this large network. Telephony systems will be introduced to serve the VOIP located at each location to assist with communication needs. Wireless technologies will also be needed to assist with mobility and other devices such as printers, laptops, fax machines, etc. Lastly, a physical firewall will be enforced at each location to protect the network from internal and external intruders.The wireless technologies for ACME Manufacturing will be specific to the needs of the company. For example the teleconferencing between the six locations may require wireless webcams and headsets which will need to be ran on a wireless signal. These technologies may also need to utilize the satellite signals to better communicate across large physical distances. Wi-Fi may also be introduced within each building to increase mobility and productivity. The Wi-Fi technologies will be worth it because the benefit will outweigh the extra cost as the technology is easy to set up and maintain.The Router protocols implemented will be a OSPF which stands for (open shortest path first). Because of the large network being introduced this protocol will be the most useful. This protocol operates on Internal Gateway Protocols by routing the most direct path and using the bandwidth most optimally. This not only reduces the use of bandwidth but also offers an ease of maintenance for administrators. (Techterms. com) The last area to be assessed will be the security of the network. This is by no means the less important as the security of this size will be difficult.Physical firewalls should be setup on each mainframe at each location to control the flow of incoming and outgoing information. Antivirus and Malware software should be implemented to help seek and destroy malicious attacks. Encryption will be used in the form of users supplying unique usernames and difficult passwords in order to gain entry into the netwo rk. Also, a physical form of protection will be introduced into vital places like server rooms and admin offices in the form of physical security cameras and in some cases guards.A team should be formed at each location to ensure the security of the network and combat any unauthorized entry. No network security system is obsolete but all bases should be covered. With these recommendations I have supplied I believe that the ACME Manufacturing company will be happy with their network. It will allow communication and distribution orders from each location and all will be connected to the main headquarters. The increase in productivity and communication will surely lead to an increase in sales and success.

Ascorbic acid content of fruit juice Essay

OBJECTIVE To determine ascorbic acid content in a sample of fruit juice by using titration method with 0.001M 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, C12H7O2NCl2. INTRODUCTION image00.png Structure of Ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid, the chemical term for vitamin C, are found naturally in fruits and green vegetables. It is a dietary requirement for normal metabolism, formation of collagen, wound healing, and tissue repair. Ascorbic acid is often used as an antioxidant to help prevent free radical damage in the skin, builds resistance to infection, aids in the prevention treatment of the common cold, and aids in the absorption of iron. Yet, vitamin C cannot be synthesized by the body, and needs to be ingested. A lack of vitamin C can cause abnormalities of the spine, scurvy, and a reduction in the ability of the body to heal wounds. The determining factors as to whether organic substances can be determined in an aqueous medium depend primarily on the functional groups that characterise the redox properties. The determination of ascorbic acid content is based on the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid: C6H8O6→ C6H6O6 + 2e- + 2H+ image01.png The redox potential depends on the pH and without adequate buffering the pH at the electrode surface can be displaced by the oxidation reaction of the ascorbic acid leading to peak broadening. Vitamin C is found in fruit drinks such as orange juice and also other sources like vegetables, liver and kidney meat. Vitamin C in food can be destroyed by cooking, leaching out from fruits and vegetable during washing, and being oxidized when expose to the air. Thus, food that rich in vitamin C needs to be stored and prepared well. PROCEDURE 1. Standardization of 0.001M 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution. 25.00mL aliquot of ascorbic acid solution was pipette into a 100mL conical flask. 0.001M 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution is titrated until a faint colour persisted for at least 15 seconds. The molarity of the dye solution is calculated by the result obtained. 2. Ascorbic acid concentration of fruit juice is determined. 5mL of fruit juice was pipette into a 100mL conical flask. 10mL of 5M acetic acid, 5mL of acetone (prevent interference of SO2) and 30mL of water was added, then the mixture was allowed to stand for 5 minutes and titrated with 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol solution. 3. CuSO4 and bubbling to air. 2 flasks is set up and filled with 25mL of fruit juice in each flask. 1mg of copper sulfate is added to one of the flasks and both are put to bubbled air for 20 minutes. The titration is repeated at the completion of the 20 minutes of air bubbling. DCPIP is a chemical compound used as a redox dye. This dye is blue in base (DCPIP-) and pink in acid (DCPIPH) and the pink form can be reduced by ascorbic acid to a colorless form (DCPIPH2). image03.png Titration with 0.001M 2,6- dichlorophenolindophenol solution Reaction 1: DCPIP- (blue) +H+→ DCPIPH (pink) Reaction 2: DCPIPH (pink) + Ascorbic acid → DCPIPH2 (clear) +Dehydroascorbate If a drop of blue DCPIP dye is added to a low pH solution (pH

Explain the problems of religious language Essay

Explain the problems of religious language. (30) Some words used within religious language may be viewed as contradictory to our inherent beliefs and logical view as human beings one example of this would be the story of the ‘virgin Mary’ as there is no logical explanation to how she gave birth. Many of the words used in religious language are also metaphysical and have no physical representation therefore it is very hard for us as humans to fully comprehend the ideas they are expressing. An example of this is ‘God is timeless’ as we as humans live in a world where time is very much present so humans’ attempting to understand the phrase causes problems as it is outside of our past experiences. Many of the metaphysical questions within religious language can be problematic as it can not be answered through science or our logic for example ‘why were we created? ’ or ‘how did we get here? ’. Some scholars argue that our human language is not enough to describe religion thus we are doing God an injustice by attempting to explain it in human language, and that we should not expect that applying worldly language to religion to be adequate for our understanding of it. Similarly some argue that we should not even attempt to understand language hence why synagogues have no pictures of God. It may be argued that by giving God human-esk characteristics we are athromorphising god. Another key factor to religious language causing problems is that it is very difficult to interpret whether something should be taken literally or non-literally one example of this is God turning water into wine some interpreters may view it in its literal form whilst others may state that he turned a simple resource into something much more complex. Even if somebodies interpretation is completely correct there is still no real way of proving this. Something else which also causes confusion within religious language is the same words having different contexts for example ‘spirit’ one context is alcohol the other is God (the holy SPIRIT) these are to very different things and would cause great confusion if interpreted incorrectly. Another inherent problem of religious language is the argument that Russell put forward when he stated we should not believe a statement which has no evidence to back itself up with and religious texts offer very little of this evidence. Ayer also stated that ‘if it is not analytical and cannot be tested, then best to call it cognitively meaningfulness’ this ideology would be problematic for religious believers as religion cannot be tested.

American Probation and Parole Association Research Proposal

American Probation and Parole Association - Research Proposal Example This is because the traditional custodial sentences are likely to cause more wrong for the offender and the society when compared with probation. Probation therefore keeps a person under the control and management of a probation officer who has the duty to ensure that the offender complies with the terms and requirements placed on him by the courts. A similar form of probation is handed down to convicted prisoners who have spent a portion of their jail terms. This is known as a parole. A parole is â€Å"a planned community release and supervision of incarcerated offenders before the expiration of their full prison sentences† (Siegel and Worall, 2012 p67). These two forms of punishments imposed by the courts are meant to promote the integration of offenders back into society and also prevent the unnecessary incarceration of persons in overcrowded jails. The America Probation and Parole Association (APPA) is the national association of parole and probation officers charged with the supervision of offenders who are placed on parole or probation. They are considered to be part of the correctional system, however, they play a significant role in the criminal justice system because they are a link between the correctional system and the legal system (Banks, 2004). The fudamental duties of probational officers include: 1. Supervising offenders 2. Maintaining contacts with parolees and probationers. 3. Provide counseling services for parolees and probationers. 4. Resolve conflict involving the treatment, integration and surveillance of parolees and probationers. 5. Writing reports about probation and paroles for the courts (Banks, 2004). The APPA members are required to exhibition professionalism, uphold the law, work with objectivity, co-operate with relevant professionals, recognize and practice the principles of APPA and maintain public faith in the criminal justice system (Banks, 2004). From these ideals and standards, APPA members and officers are required to work according to very high standards and provide a very effective service to the society. However, in reality, there are significant issues that stand in their way. A lot of these problems are identified in journals and books that were presented by professionals who are related to the criminal justice industry. Some of them are explored below in the literature review. Literature Review â€Å"Probation officers supervise two-thirds of all correctional clientele in the United States† (Petersilia, 1997 p149). This means that they have a lot of work to do. And relative to prison officers, they are more burdened in terms of workload (Petersilia, 1997). However, in spite of their effort, they have a limited budget that is much lower than what the prison officers and correctional service officers receive. Also, they are ill-equipped and as such, felons go unsupervised. This gives them an image as lenient officers in the criminal justice system. Petersilia and Turner (1993) studi ed the intensive supervision program that was instituted in the early 1980s closely. This program allowed parole and probation officers to undertake close survillance, urinalysis testing, treatment and employment of convicted offenders. This was a very strict method of

Story- english Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Story- english - Essay Example But the captain argues that they need it more, because if they run out of food on the spaceship they will be in trouble. The ships first mate is not pleased either, although it is not explained why. At the end of the page the captain sees something that makes him stop in his tracks. One thing that drives me to this story is its setting. I like the fact that it takes place on another world, and will probably talk about things that cannot be experienced in real life. However, even though this is the case the characters are described realistically and have human problems, so it seems like the story will still relate to real life in that way. I also like the description used. Even though many terms are vague or made up, they still sound important and can be figured out by how the story describes them, like the â€Å"Optus† or the â€Å"Martian go-birds.† The story starts with action, in the captain and his men taking the natives food, and also with some tension between the various characters. The action and the way its described are good because they pull me into the story right away. The tension is just as important because it means something interesting is probably going to happen in the story later on and it makes me want to keep

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies ZTE Computer Tablet Market Entry Research Paper

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies ZTE Computer Tablet Market Entry in the US - Research Paper Example â€Å"According to leaked screenshots leaked by an Amazon source of its internal inventory management system Alaska, and published by Cult of Android, the Kindle Fire is on its way to outselling even the Apple iPad† (Barbara, 2011). Kindle Fire’s Tablet recent robust performance in the market is a positive development in marketing computer tablet in the US because it demonstrates that Apple’s Ipad is not invincible to the competition as initially perceived. This is an encouraging development for ZTE because it manifests that given with a right product and strategy mix, it is possible that ZTE can outsold Apple’s Ipad. This development tells that ZTE’s aggressive marketing objective in 2015 is realistic and doable. ZTE is not new in the U.S. market. It currently sells smartphones, feature phones, modems and devices within the U. S. market and has worked with U.S. carriers like AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA (Khariff, 2011). In terms of brand recall, ZTE is no longer a stranger to American consumers. Such that when it introduces its tablet computers in the American market, it already has brand awareness where it can capitalize to gain more market share. ZTE Corporation is the second largest manufacturer of mobile phone gear in China. Being such, it has the advantage of scale to be able to sell its products at a lower cost. In contrast, Apple Inc is only the fourth selling computer brand in its own domestic market (America) dominating only the computer tablet market segment. This leading position is even currently threatened by Amazon’s Kindle Fire Tablet’s recent robust sales performance. ZTE also had a successful launch of its tablet outside the U.S., offering global tablet markets Google Android based tablets, like the one used in the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tablet (Khariff, 2011). Considering these factors in competition, the possibility that ZTE’s inexpensive product offerings will establish them as the tablet PC market share leader by 2015 as predicted by TechGadgetWeb.com (2011). ZTE however has to employ the right marketing mix to successfully penetrate the US market and become a market share leader by 2015. To be able to employ the right marketing mix, it is necessary to elaborate the aspects of marketing mix which are; Table I Place Distribution and retail channels, online presence, geographic considerations, public appearances and performances (also an aspect of promotion), and delivery Promotion Marketing materials, initial offerings, social media /internet, press and PR, advertising, relationship marketing and public appearances and performances Price Market penetration goals, competition, customer buying power, regional and segment differences, current economic conditions (Source: www.businessmate.org) Place For ZTE to successfully enter the US market, ZTE has to capitalize on its existing marketing channels. Currently, it has a partnership with five majore carriers in the US that includes Verizon, the dominant US mobile phone carrier. Capitalizing on the existing network of this mobile phone carriers provides ZTE an easy penetration in US the market. The major carriers in the US has an established marketing network that makes it ideal for a new entrant like ZTE as a place of distribution for its products. ZTE’s exposure to Verizon and other mobile phone carr

Communication eassy 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Communication eassy 7 - Essay Example The stock market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression would be played out on the airwaves of the radio for everyone to develop a common myth. Yet, radio was relatively slow to catch on. With little governmental control, the media giants of CBS and NBC struggled to reshape society, and only succeeded due to the commitment of a few visionary men. By 1910 radio had become a curiosity and few outside the military and marine ship operators understood its true potential. Yet, over the next 50 years it would transform our society from a loosely disconnected fabric of social groups to a cohesive group with a national identity. To understand the transformation it is necessary to examine the rapid social change of the 1920s. Entertainment, news, economics, politics, and technology all went through a rapid modernization (Crowley and Heyer 218). One of the driving forces behind this movement was the radio. People became connected in a way that was previously unknown. Newsprint could not incite the emotion and texture that sound gave to the stories and events. Through the 1940s, radio got more people involved in electoral politics by making them feel like they were a part of the democratic process (Bartlett 91, Crowley and Heyer 225). Radio became a mass outlet for ideas and products. It cultivated the concepts of fashion and fad. The country began to view themselves as a cohesive unit, with common values, common goals, and shared ideals. When we view the media giants of NBC and CBS it is easy to believe that the radio propelled these companies to success. However, quite the opposite is true. The fact is that these companies made the radio popular rather than the radio making the companies successful. In 1916 the American Marconi Company rejected David Sarnoff for offering the idea of a home radio to provide musical entertainment (Crowley and Heyer, 234). Sarnoff would leave Marconi and spend years

Hip hop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hip hop - Essay Example It was very entertaining using dictionaries to write rhymes and rapping about science and issues that affected the society.Hip hop is made up of four basic elements: DJing,MCing, Breakdancing and Aerosol Art (Graffiti).AfrikaBambaatana, popularly known as ‘Godfather of Hip-hop,’ pioneered the first artistic battles that incorporated the four elements of hip-hop as a tactic in substituting violent disputes. Discussion In the recent times, gangster rap has grown to become mainstream and thus influencing children so much that they don’t have interest in listening to hip-hop that fails to mention pimping, smoking of blunts or drinking(Holmes&Brad,2008). Media on the other hand has played a major role in fusinggangster rap and hip-hop. Gangster rap is classified under MCing, and this is just one –fourth of what hip-hop is made up of. It is therefore not logical to define hip-hop basing on gangster rap since it does not address the contribution made by the other three elements. However, gangster rap has been glamorized by the corporate media(Holmes & Brad, 2008). They have managed to use it in marketing of their products and labeling it ‘Hip-hop.’ It is beyond any doubt that in our recent society, hip-hop has proved to be very marketable hence being used as a marketing strategy for selling products ranging from clothes to shoes to liquor to dolls, just mention but a few. Most corporate companies which use hip-hop to advertise and promote their products have led to the emergence of postmodern generation of youths with massive buying power. These corporate companies are on the fore front in theorizing pedagogies of consumptions as a way of appropriating the differences facing the youths in different locations and sites. For instance, Co-cola Company used a famous song ‘Waving Flag’ by a Somali born musician K’naan. The song received lots of attention from the youth all over the world because of its strong mess age and entertaining rhythm. Coca-Cola Company must have chosen the song because of its richness in culture and the energy. The song mixes the Ethiopian culture with that of other parts of the world. K’naan’s song is rich in language and very interestingly combines the Canadian accent with the Somali accent. In this case, the song has managed to bring the two languages together and thus the youths coming from the two locations appreciate each other’s language as well as culture. Being a Somali born and living in Canada,K’Naan has managed to bring people from different races together with his song. The song was unanimously acclaimed by people from different races since it did not look down upon other races. Coke successfully managed to use K’Naan’s song as a campaign song for the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament in Africa. The music captured the host-continent’s spirit and the celebratory mood associated with soccer in stadiums. Coke wan ted a song that could cross borders easily and capture people’s heart. They needed a song that would be in line with its world marketing strategy, a song that would open happiness and bring joy to its target group. The artist was also to have an inspiring backstory(Duane, 2010). Coke’s marketing team fell in love with K’Naan, his multinational upbringing and the sweeping melody and chorus of his song, â€Å"Waving’ Flag†. The song talked of K’

Fashion and Consumer Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion and Consumer Culture - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and Consumer Culture" concerns the consumerism and fashion. Factors include religion, beliefs, climate, gender, and economic and cultural situation, among others. Though fashion may change as dictated by society, clothes are more than just about warmth and protection. In fact, clothes have become a representation of particular cultures that create them. Clothes are considered consumer goods. But then again, more than being consumer goods, it defines the cultural class that wears them. It is one of those consumer goods that are being used as tools for social mobility as stated in the ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ theory by 19th Century economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen. In his book ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study in the Evolution of Institutions, he says that luxury goods are tools to display economic power, and that such display of discretionary economic power is a means of attaining or maintaining a particular social sta tus. Moreover, as an elaboration, these consumer goods have become tools to provoke envy from other people. Ultimately, consumer goods, and fashion is one of them, is a means of displaying a buyer’s superior socio-economic status. In the article ‘Consumption and the Consumer Society’, it says that the average United States resident consumes 275 lbs. of meat, uses 635 lbs. of paper and uses energy equivalent to 7.8 metrics tons of oil. Forty-five years ago consumption was about half of current statistics. In the U.S. there are 2 persons.

Memorial to Imaginary Choson King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memorial to Imaginary Choson King - Essay Example The largest population of Korea comprises of secondary people with the citizens being recognized as the owners of the country, since they influence the future. In this case, discrimination can result to rebel against the king, which may lead to undesired outcomes. Therefore, the secondary status groups act as a buffer between the ruling aristocracy and the numerous numbers of commoners; thus, they are significant for facilitating social stability. Prohibition against Remarriage of Women Marriage has been considered as an affair between two people, which should last beyond the death of the husband. In fact, the Confucians have an emphasis on exclusiveness of marital relationships; the legislators argue that there is need to prohibit remarriage of women, as a custom, during the Koryo. This is a form of discrimination, since there is no sound base for barring women from remarrying after the death of their husband. Moreover, there is the law that constraints the sons and grandsons of wom en, who have been married thrice from attaining a bureaucratic position, taking national examinations and receiving a post in administrative offices. This hinders them from effectively contributing to the economic development of the country. Discrimination can be considered sensitive, given that it is addressed in the State Code of 1485 without a direct outlaw of remarriage in women. In fact, sons and grandsons of remarried women are denied a chance to be eligible for civil military office. Therefore, the law hinders them from involvement in higher or lower civil service examinations. Consequently, it results to legal implications and facilitate the impossibility for remarriages in women. Nevertheless, women who have been remarried twice are not mentioned in this law, since the law is based on the basic law and ritual decorum related to human feelings. Therefore, this law is discriminating against poor women who live without supportive relatives, whereby they have trouble in maintai ning their chastity in a situation of being windowed in their early years. In this case, they are bound to make a decision of marrying for the second time, and there is no harm on ritual decorum. Therefore, laws barring their sons and grandsons from receiving high office should be expunged. Discrimination against Secondary Sons Since the beginning of the dynasty, there was a distinction between the main wife and concubines, which led to severe implications on the social status of the concubine’s sons. Consequently, the sons have been regarded as superfluous member in relation to the main descendant line, since their mothers are in the lower status in the society, which is attributed to being socially despised. They have been barred from examinations and becoming officials due to their personal initiatives; there are structural constrains of lineal consideration because of social imbalances. Barring secondary sons and their descendants from taking civil service examination and attaining a bureaucratic position is not a traditional law in Choson society. In fact, the law was compiled along with the State Code [1485], and since then, the law has been passed for a century. In fact, this form of discrimination has never been experienced in other counties such as China or other territories surrounding Choson society. Nevertheless, the reason behind barring of secondary sons from taking bureaucratic position is inappropriate maternal line in their generations. Consequently, they end up being frustrated and dying in the countryside, whereby their talents end up being wasted to the society. Peasants and Slaves Social differentiation has been accepted by the Confucians, whereby there are four categories comprising of

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study - Term Paper Example The study was based on the hypothesis that black and white people differed in their response to the disease. Before the study was initiated in 1928, the U.S Public Health Services (PHS) had already completed a study in Mississippi in which 25% of the participants who were all black had tested positive for the disease. The PHS intended to expand and continue the study in rural black population and set up a treatment program with aid from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Though the study initially intended to improve the health of the African American population by providing doses of metals which was used to treat the disease during that period, the coming of the great depression drastically lowered the funds for the project. And it was then that the PHS decided to conduct a study based on the aforementioned hypothesis that racial variation plays a role in the effects of syphilis. The objective of the study was to compare the natural progression of syphilis in untreated poor African American s who were followed up for a period of 40 years with a healthy control population who were free of the disease. While the initial study was designed to last for a year and where participants with syphilis were given minimal treatment which would have definitely not cured them, the extended study examined men with untreated syphilis over the 40 year period and in case they died during that period their bodies autopsied to study the exact course of the infection (Angell, 1997; Sugarman, 2002).  

Same Sex Marriage Content Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Same Sex Marriage Content Analysis Paper Essay Homosexuality is a global topic of debate. The topic of homosexuality has been discussed constantly throughout various media outlets and is a hot topic in the republican primary. A number of debates have been argued in regard to the rights of homosexuals. One of the most hotly debated subjects is the rights of homosexual couples. This controversial topic has been widely debated for a number of years. However, the trend toward globally accepting same-sex marriage is on the rise. States such as Massachusetts have passed laws to make the union of same-sex marriages legal. Other states have taken initial steps toward accepting same-sex marriage. Whereas others are considering laws and constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage within state borders. Some opponents of same-sex marriage argue that these unions should be prohibited due to the fact spouses cannot produce children in the way God intended. Additionally, those who contest same-sex marriages believe legalization of these unions would cause irreparable harm to our society as we know it. Given the significance of the issue, the value of widespread debate of the reasons for and against legalizing same sex-marriage should be apparent. Aside from societal and religious conventions, marriage entails legally imposed responsibilities. This paper intends to look into the content involved in this hot topic to see how religious views, politically focused stances, political and legal pressures, as well as our current presidents flipped flopped stance on such a controversial subject and how they appear in the media. Historically, as a nation the concept of separate but equal doesn’t work. Offering same-sex couples several of the rights married couples are afforded without allowing them to be married is unjust. If same-sex couples are to have equal rights, civil unions are not enough. Same-sex couples deserve the same right to marry that heterosexual couples currently possess. Although, same-sex couples live in relationships that are based on the same core values that heterosexual couples commit to which is a strong and loving relationship. Same-sex couples are still denied the right to go into a marriage with their partner of choice; they continue to be denied the human rights, legal and economic stability provided by the recognized institution of marriage. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples Marriage is a right that currently cannot be exercised by all due to an individual’s sexual preference. Same-sex couples are repetitively discriminated based on societies resistance to amend the definition of marriage past sexual preference. Based on the material that I have covered so far I expect to find more cases where same sex marriage is still a hot topic where people will still be fighting for their rights. In the political arena, especially with the fight for republican nominee in the upcoming election, I hope to see politicians fighting for same sex marriage but I feel as if some will say its not right and bring in the hot topic of religion into the equation. Some of the media outlets that I have chosen to investigate the subject of same sex marriages come from online news sources Huffington post, CNN, and New York Times. I chose these because I felt that it would give me a wide range of viewpoints and opinions based on different reporters. Most of the articles come from February 2012 to the present. In some of the articles it occasionally referenced to previous cases all the way back to 2008 with proposition 8 in California. To help organize my research, it helped to divide the information up into a series of categories that I later broke down even further by the content and tones expressed and by paragraph. The four categories that I was able to narrow it down to were: 1. Religious views and stand points based on different religions a. Example: Catholics, Mormons, Christians 2. Politically focused standpoints / Directed towards the Republican primary b. Example: What different politicians are saying such as how Rick Santorum said â€Å"It would ‘Invalidate’ marriages† 3. Obama’s views and things he has done to defend / support his stance c. Example: Laws and proposals put into act or being worked on and previous laws like Proposal 8 in California 4. Political and legal pressures from citizens if favor of same sex marriages d. What citizens feel on the subject around the country and why some are opposing it rather than accepting the idea and the ideas that come with it The rules that I used to help choose what category the content and tones the articles I read fell under were fairly simple. Something such â€Å"Surprisingly speeches were encouraging to organizers of the movement† would be marked as something positive. A paragraph with something like â€Å"Activists were under attack in Washington† would be noted as a negative. A main goal through out this process was to make sure I remained constant. This provided for the most and accurate results throughout the content analysis process. CHART INSERT HERE The first category, Religious Views, almost everything I read was written in a neutral context by the author and took up 14.192% of the content in my categories that I was looking into. When it came down to what was being covered I found that most organizations to either be positive or very negative. The only neutral stance I found was the Mormons. Catholics and Republicans seemed to be very against the idea saying that it would infringe on people rights and is against the constitution. Almost all of that articles that I read towards faith based organizations at first preached against same sex marriage left and right with negative tones. The Catholic and some Christian religions refuse to defend the rights of those who love differently than what their beliefs suggest. In an article from the Huffington Post Greene suggests, â€Å"The need to discredit or destroy a taboo object of desire is enacted in the violent attack on gay men and women and transgender persons.† The argument against same sex marriage has just as much to do about â€Å"disgust† as it does religious affiliation. The idea that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman is a core religious belief for a significant number of Americans and could be picked up in a suttle undertone in some of the articles. Consequently, many religious leaders argue that marriage, as a social institution must remain in the intended concept of that between a man and a woman, for the means of bearing and raising children. Sider (2010) contends, â€Å"Legalizing gay marriage would weaken the connection between marriage and procreation.† Within today’s scientific arena, Sider and other religious figures views are constantly challenged. Women no longer need a male figure in their lives in order to bear children. Conversely, homosexual couples can have children without either party having to bear them. Moreover, Sider contends that the issue of same-sex-marriage has become a legal concern for religious institutions. Citing two cases Sweden and Canada in which pastors have been charged with hate crimes; Sider (2010) anticipates legal action imminent against clergy here in the United States. Ryan (2009) argues that traditional families hardly exist today. The role of women is no longer that of a servant, but one in which has equal say or are head of household. Thus, the argument that marriage is a religious institution is a flawed concept. Mainly, due to the fact in American culture â€Å"traditional marriage’ had been based on ownership within your religion. Due to the discrepancies between the definitions of â€Å"marriage† the legal and political argument of discrimination has been proposed by same sex-couples. My second category focused in on politically focused standpoint. This category took up 26.315% of my findings but I feel as if this percentage was so high because of the Republican primaries that are currently taking place. Normally I thought that this number would be slightly lower. Oppressive and discriminatory experiences have been a part of cultural history. In order to move beyond the mere categorization of groups as independent entities, this learner believes that we must encourage other to explore similarities, differences and controversies among and between diverse populations. As counselors, we must be expected to address these issues in several contexts; personal values, professional policy and practice. Conservative faith traditions have definitely had an impact on the social institution of marriage. This learner has observed throughout this course that as a counselor one must develop multicultural competencies. The third category covered in my analysis focused in on President Obama and his stance on same sex marriages. This category took up 27.192% of the content based on the categories I was looking into. I found that Barack Obama, the President of the United States, has recently decided to no longer defend the DOMA. In The Christian Century (2011), the president is stated to have said that DOMA is â€Å"unconstitutional when applied to same-sex couples married legally under state law† in a letter to Congress. The Christian Century (2011) also states that Congress has also repealed the â€Å"military’s ban on openly gay members†, and the Supreme Court has â€Å"declared that laws criminalizing homosexual conduct are unconstitutional†. Same-sex marriages are on the way into the law. What hurt can it really do? Denying same-sex couples to marry is denying those couples religious freedom. It is stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution that a person’s religious views or lack thereof must be protected. Marriage is a religious act as well as a legal act. In the same sense that a Christian marriage, or rather an opposite-sex marriage, is respected by law after taking place in a church, a same-sex marriage should be equally accepted and respected by those same laws. Just because Christians, and other religions groups, may be against homosexuality does not mean the government needs to adopt those views as well. The final category was based on political and legal pressures that are being felt by citizens and government officials. This wasn’t surprising to me that this category took up the highest percentage at 31.518%. When couples get married they are showing society of their romantic and legal commitment to one another. Why should this right be any different for same-sex couples? Heterosexual couples often take for granted basic rights that are denied same-sex couples such as, the ability to make medical decisions for their spouse. Basic right such as that, are not afforded to same-sex couples. Hence, the legal battle to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions has continued to gain momentum. After going through all of the articles the results and breakdown of what I found were fairly accurate to what I had expected to see percentage wise. The amount of positive, neutral, and negative statements and views wasn’t. It seemed that some writers wanted to speak out negatively about the subject but for the newspapers sake wouldn’t directly say anything negative.

Ethical, Legal and Professional Duties of Nurses

Ethical, Legal and Professional Duties of Nurses Introduction: Nurses are subject to a large number of ethical, legal and professional duties which are so many to be discussed in this essay so that is why only main important ethical and legal duties will be discussed in this essay. According to the scenario, these main ethical and legal duties will be respect of patients autonomy and the duty of care which is given to all the patients. These duties are professional and legal in New Zealand and even all over the world which when breached can lead to legal implications. These duties are ethical duties as well because ethical considerations arise when these duties are breached, considerations such as when can these duties be contemplated, so there for these duties are ethical duties as well. In this essay, the whole critical discussion will be about the professional, ethical and legal issues that arise according to the given scenario. According to nursing council of New Zealand, nursing profession is bounded by its own code of ethics. Ethics is defined as the branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality, that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, justice, virtue, etc. In this critical discussion, Autonomy will be the main aspect, autonomy of patient and judgement of health professional in betterment of the patient. The competencies and codes related to the above scenario according to nurse perspective are that the nurses should act ethically maintaining the standards of practice and nurses should respect the rights of the clients. These codes used in this scenario actually mean that a nurse should acknowledge and allows the individuality of a person, should act in a culturally safe manner, should use knowledge and skills for the benefit of the patients, nurse is responsible for maintain standards in her professional practice and should practice in her own scope of practice. A registered nurse is actually defined as the person who uses nursing knowledge and critical nursing judgement to assess health needs of a patient so that the best health care can be provided and advises people to self manage their health. In this scenario, the patient states the pain score as 8/10 after three hours of having morphine and the doctor thinks the patient has become dependent on morphine. Being a nurse one should ask the patent to wait for another hour so that he can have another dose of morphine and then nurse should assess if the patient is actually dependent on morphine or he is actually in pain. As a nurse, she needs to have courage, honesty and should maintain the advocacy role. In this scenario, it is very critical to decide that if the patient has become dependent on morphine or is it the doctor who thinks the patient has become dependent, being a registered nurse; one should maintain the autonomy of the patient keeping the standards of health care provided to the patient. Autonomy refers to the human capacity for self-determination and independence (Journal of clinical oncology:2001). Autonomy has two aspects, one from the nurses view and another one from patients perspective, so n this essay we will discuss autonomy issues from perspectives of nurse and the patient. In this case Mr. S is making constant requests for having 40mgs of morphine which is prescribed to him every 4hours PRN. He also states that the morphine is not actually relieving his pain and after three hours of having morphine he asks for another dose. Doctors think that the patient has become dependent on morphine so the doctors prescribe him for a placebo of normal saline instead. There is a case study which is concerning about issues in autonomy of patients which is mainly focused on nurses perception of patients autonomy and category of regaining autonomy in patients. The autonomy of patients is usually affected by circumstances such as family, health care provider, community etc. It is believed that the autonomy issue can only be resolved by a team effort, which can include processes of health education, self management etc (Proot et al: 2002). The main point of concern in this scenario is that the patient is given a placebo instead of the morphine, so that the patient would not ask for morphine again and again. The justification for giving placebos is that in the judgement of the giver, the act is beneficial to the patient (Rumbold. G, 1999). This point has both positive and negative impacts on the patient and on the health practitioners and the nurses. This is also according to Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 that the patient should be safe.The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 provides a framework for the regulation of health practitioners in order to protect the public where there is a risk of harm from the practice of the profession (Ministry of health: 2010). The positive point is that if the patient has become dependent on the morphine, which is not good according to the patients health, which is why prescribing a placebo would be a better alternative for patients health. This is t he good point of this scenario according to the nurses perspective as the nurse would always work for the better health of the patient which can only become positive results for them instead of them being dependent on any medication. There is another positive point according to the nurse perspective which could be a main concern that the patient is demanding morphine repeatedly to make him feel satisfied and relieved from pain, but according to the nurses assessment, the patient feels satisfied and relieved mentally but that is not true, actually the patient has become mentally stuck that morphine s the only medication which can heal his pain. So, giving him placebo is a better option. There are some negative points as well. According to the New Zealand legislation, this action of nurses comes against The Human Rights Act 1993, which states that every individual has a right to know the truth. In this scenario, the patient is unknown of the fact that he has been administered for a saline instead of morphine. According to a nurse, the biggest ethical, legal and the professional issue here is autonomy of the patient. Autonomy is a very powerful aspect of ethical framework of almost all over the world. Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy (Autonomy: 2010, July). In these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a patient to make an informed decision. In moral and political philosophy, autonomy is often used as the basis for determining moral responsibility for ones actions (Autonomy: 2010, July). Autonomy means to respect rights of others to determine a course of action. So in this scenario, according to the right of autonomy based on standards of ethics, nurses should respect the patients decision and should respect of what they want. Health professionals have no right to deny patients decision. Nurses should respect patients decisions and their autonomy to develop a trustworthy and professional relationship. According to this scenario, the patients auto nomy should be respected as the patient states the pain score of 8/10 after three hours of having morphine. Mr. S has a right to decide if the morphine is relieving his pain or not and the health professionals are meant to respect his decision as patient is the person who is suffering from a very severe pain. Nurses should provide proper education to the patient and should inform about the consequences of having morphine repeatedly so that the patient can chose the best possible intervention for him. The patient also has the right to have the informed consent about any medication which is prescribed to him. If he is given an unknown medication without his consent, it comes against legal issues and can cause legal implications. In Mr. S case, if placebo of saline instead of morphine is administered to the patient without his consent, then he has the right of action to say that the medication was given to him without the consent and it can make legal implications. So, before prescribing or administering any medication to the patient, doctors or nurses should have full consent of the patient. Therefore informed consent is an ethical, legal and a professional duty of nurses and even every health professional. Consent is very effective in abiding ethical and legal duties. Sometimes, according to a nurse, it can be effective for a patient not being informed about the medication, to get positive outcomes for patients health. It is effective according to the nurse, but it is actually enabling patients decision and his condition. In some cases if a patient is unable to express what he wants, only then a nurse can decide what is best for the patient but a person like Mr. S, who can state his condition must be informed of the placebo of saline. The nurse has a duty to prevent the patient from anything worse happening to the patient but if the patient is not mentally ill, he/ she should have full right to take any decision for them. If the patient says that morphine is not relieving his pain it means that it is not really working for him. It is not good to say that the patient has become dependent on morphine. For example, if nurse administer Mr. S a placebo of saline instead of morphine, his pain can go worst which is not good for the patient and it is not the best practice of a nurse. The New Zealand legislation says that a person has a right to be informed and a right to have freedom. It is under Human Right Act of 1993 which when applied ensures that a person has a right to decide what they want without any interference of any other person. In this act there is a point of having informed medical treatment and a person has right to chose if they want the treatment or not. Ethical issues and changes in society are responsible for nurse-client relationship. The role of the nurse is to maintain clients autonomy, maintain and improve health and promote a professional relationship of trust. The key ethical principles of respect for persons, autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and veracity should be inclusive in the models of the provider-patient relationship (Margret. M, 1998, para. 1 ). There are some contracts in nurse-client relationship which are boundaries, confidentiality and therapeutic nurse behaviours. Therapeutic nurse behaviours are self awareness, being genuine, respectful, culturally safe, responsible and ethical practice. These are the things which are expected from a nurse by a client and the society. All these contracts are applicable internationally. Nurses being culturally safe with clients have become the nursing practice more powerful. This concept of cultural safety was first introduced from New Zealand and is now used all over the world. Cultural safety is to keep own culture in mind and respecting others culture and practicing in the same manner. Conclusion In this essay, we looked at the case of Mr. S who is in severe pain and is in need of another dose of morphine. He states pain score of 8/10 and doctors think that the patient is dependent on morphine which he would never realise that is healing his pain or not. Mr. S condition successfully states the ethical, legal and professional issues that surrounds nurses and patients autonomy as patients need of morphine would be conveyed by the nurse to the doctor. Here patients condition has been critically discussed and the main influence is on patients autonomy and informed consent of the patient. Nurses roles and the code of ethics have also been discussed in the essay.

Television Violence :: essays research papers

Television Violence The article â€Å"Television Violence: The Power and the Peril† is an article written by George Gerbner in 1994 that covers information about television violence over a period of twenty one years. Gerbner’s purpose in this article is to address the audience about the problems that exist in television today. This article covers a very big controversy that has brewed up in our society. The controversy is that there is way too much violence on television, and therefore it could be affecting the way that we think and act on a regular basis. In this article Gerbner presents the audience with poll results and statistics about what we actually see on television.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought Gerbner’s article was a very affective piece about television violence. Although I thought this article seemed to a little repetitive and confusing at times, I think Gerbner does a good job in presenting the audience with bunches of facts about what we are actually watching on our television. The most appealing thing about this article in my opinion is the fact that the study in this article was a study that took over twenty years. In twenty one years of research, someone can get a real feeling of what is actually happening. Gerbner is real effective in getting his point across about the abundance of violence on television. Cherry 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, I think Gerbner is most affective in this article with the facts and evidence from the Cultural Indicators project (CI), which began in 1967. This shows that â€Å"by 1994 its computer archive contained observations on 2,816 programs and 34,882 characters coded according to many thematic, demographic and action categories† (Gerbner 15). From this study they were able to break down characters in shows from their behavior, their ethnic background, or even their social status. This study shows that â€Å"average viewer of prime time television drama sees in a typical week an average of 21 criminals arrayed against an army of 41 public and private law enforcers. There are 14 doctors, 6 nurses, 6 lawyers, and 2 judges to handle them† (Gerbner 16). To go with these characters, there is â€Å"an average of 150 acts of violence and about 15 murders† (Gerbner 16) that happen every week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gerbner’s article is also affective because he does not fail to leave anything out. Every counter argument that could be derived from this article, I think is covered by Gerbner. Television Violence :: essays research papers Television Violence The article â€Å"Television Violence: The Power and the Peril† is an article written by George Gerbner in 1994 that covers information about television violence over a period of twenty one years. Gerbner’s purpose in this article is to address the audience about the problems that exist in television today. This article covers a very big controversy that has brewed up in our society. The controversy is that there is way too much violence on television, and therefore it could be affecting the way that we think and act on a regular basis. In this article Gerbner presents the audience with poll results and statistics about what we actually see on television.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought Gerbner’s article was a very affective piece about television violence. Although I thought this article seemed to a little repetitive and confusing at times, I think Gerbner does a good job in presenting the audience with bunches of facts about what we are actually watching on our television. The most appealing thing about this article in my opinion is the fact that the study in this article was a study that took over twenty years. In twenty one years of research, someone can get a real feeling of what is actually happening. Gerbner is real effective in getting his point across about the abundance of violence on television. Cherry 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, I think Gerbner is most affective in this article with the facts and evidence from the Cultural Indicators project (CI), which began in 1967. This shows that â€Å"by 1994 its computer archive contained observations on 2,816 programs and 34,882 characters coded according to many thematic, demographic and action categories† (Gerbner 15). From this study they were able to break down characters in shows from their behavior, their ethnic background, or even their social status. This study shows that â€Å"average viewer of prime time television drama sees in a typical week an average of 21 criminals arrayed against an army of 41 public and private law enforcers. There are 14 doctors, 6 nurses, 6 lawyers, and 2 judges to handle them† (Gerbner 16). To go with these characters, there is â€Å"an average of 150 acts of violence and about 15 murders† (Gerbner 16) that happen every week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gerbner’s article is also affective because he does not fail to leave anything out. Every counter argument that could be derived from this article, I think is covered by Gerbner.

Karl Marxs The Communist Manifesto Essay -- Communist Manifesto Essays

Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx explains the history of all societies as the history of class conflicts, he claims that the power and direction of all societies is determined by the modes of production, as such when the mode of production no longer suits the relations of society there is a revolution. He predicts that a revolution is coming between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, and calls its coming inevitable. Marx argues that the bourgeoisies are no longer fit to rule, nor is their rule sustainable, as such the proletariat will overthrow them and end all class antagonisms with the creation of a classless society. However, Marx does not give enough credit to nationalism, nor does he ascribe to the possibility of compromise between the classes. Due to this he predicts a class war which never, and might never, take place. The first section of the Communist Manifesto describes the history of all society as the history of class conflicts. Claiming, that every society is essentially divided into, the oppressors and the oppressed. Furthermore, Marx adds, in the past, societies were organized in more complex combinations and hierarchies, but modern society is being split into two ‘hostile camps’. There has always been a continuous conflict between the different classes; the end result of these conflicts is always, either the total suppression of the oppressed classes, or a revolution, which leads to an overhaul of society. He blames the cause for the separation of modern society into only two groups, on the fall of feudalism. These new class antagonisms are between the proletariat, and the bourgeoisie. Marx views the rise of the bourgeoisie in Europe as the result of a couple of factors; firstly, he believes that, the initial elements of the bourgeoisie, were developed by the chartered burghers who evolved from the serfs of the medieval ages. Next, following the great colonization of the 16th and 17th centuries the market expanded, leading to a great need for increased production. This great demand could not be sufficed by the feudal guilds, as such they were replaced with manufacturing. However, the markets and the demand kept increasing and the manufacturing system could no longer keep up, as such it also was replaced, by Modern Industry. The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century and th... ... the revolutionary parties. These sorts of compromises happened, and different socialist parties left behind the ideas of radical revolution and instead pursued gradual improvement through unions and parliament. Thus the previously constant decrease in workers state did not continue, rather the workers started getting more rights, for example universal male suffrage. Also they fought for, and won, social and economic improvements, for example more employment stability, higher wages and laws such as the Ten Hour Act of 1847 and the Factory Act of 1833. Such reformations, the increase in the power of Unions and the ability of the workers to vote led to sustainable compromises between the classes, as such no class war took place. Marx’s description of European society as driven by economics and divided by class lines is correct. However he fails to see the great influence of nationalism and he does not entertain the idea of compromise between the classes, because of this he wrongly predicts the destruction of the capitalist system and the bourgeoisies by the proletariat. Works Cited: McLellan, David. Karl Marx: Selected Writings (Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1977)

Local Taxidermy Essay

What is taxidermy? Well should I say what is stuffing? Taxidermy is really a big thing in this small world. Taxidermy has been around for a very long time, it takes many difficult steps to becoming a good taxidermist, all the different types of taxidermy, therefore it will take carefulness, time and patience for me to mount a deer head for my product. When taxidermy first came around it was used by the Indians for clothing and even used for shelter. In this research paper you will find that taxidermy is very important to the human life, because even today people still wear clothing that is made from animal skin. Taxidermy is a general term showing the many methods of reproducing a life-like three dimensional representation of an animal for permanent display. The actual skin from an animal (including the fur, feathers or scales) is took and mounted over an artificial armature. In other cases, the specimen is completely done with man made materials. Taxidermy is derived from two ancient Greek words: taxis, Meaning movement, and derma, meaning skin. Therefore translated, taxidermy means the movement of skin. Taxidermy can be done on all species of animals including humans. A brief history of Taxidermy, Thousands of years ago when man first hunted for his food, he found that the skins of his prey, when treated with certain substances, could be preserved and used for clothing and shelter. The first taxidermists were primitive hunter-gatherers who crudely formed animal skins over mud and rock for use in their hunting rituals. Over the years, as methods increased these skins improved and the need for tanned skins increased, the tanner became one of the most important members of the tribe. Without him there would be no clothing. As the demand for quality leather and skins increased, the methods became more and more sophisticated. By the 1700s almost every town had a tannery business. In the 1800s, hunters began bringing their trophies to upholstery shops, where the upholster would sew up the animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton. That’s where the term â€Å"stuffing† or a â€Å"stuffed animal† evolved from this crude form of taxidermy. This practice produced some terrible looking mounts and gave taxidermy a bad reputation which still haunts the industry to this day. Professional taxidermists still shudder and take offense at the term stuffing, the perfered word is mounting. In the early 20th century, taxidermy began to evolve into its modern form under the leadership of great artists such as Carl E. Akeley, William T. Horneday, Coloman Jonas and Leon Pray. These and other talented pioneers developed anatomically accurate mounts which incorporated every detail right down to each muscle and tendon of the animal. In artistically pleasing poses. They invented new techniques for mounting that allowed them to portray animals with lifelike accuracy. They created mounts in realistic settings and poses that were more appropriate for the species. This was quite a change from the crude, snarling caricatures that were popularly offered as hunting trophies. To actual trophies that show exactly the realistic look of the animal. Taxidermy in the latter part of the twentieth century has developed into a full-fledged form of wildlife art, and the successful taxidermists of today must also be considered as very fine artists in their own right. There are many different methods used today for producing mounts of different species. The taxidermist today can take pride in their works as their work is just as nice as the paintings that hang on house holds. To becoming a non forgettable taxidermists it takes practice. The modern practice of taxidermy incorporates many crafts, such as carpentry, woodworking, tanning, molding and casting. It also contains artist talent, so it takes someone that will put their time into something that they won’t except till it reaches their high explatations. In a deer head mount, the only natural parts of the animal are the antlers and the skin, the teeth can be used if they are in good dental shape, but most are artificial. The other organs are shaped by the taxidermists materials. The eyes are made from glass, the eyelids are sculpted from clay, the nose and mouth are made from epoxy or wax. The form is made from polyurethane foam. To practice taxidermy one must be extremely familiar with anatomy, dissection, sculpture, and painting as well as tanning. Today most of the parts used are not even from the real parts of the animal at all. They are completely recreated from man made materials. This is for those who that believe in the catch and release. This is usually done on fish, the only thing they are required to do is take a picture and take some measurements of the fish. Then take the picture and the measurements to a local taxidermy, the taxidermy will then take the materials and sculpture a real life like mount of the fish, Some even say that if you take the artificial fish and set it beside a real one and you wont even tell the difference. But the good thing is the hunter or fisherman can feel good about what he has done because the fish that he caught is still living plus he has a trophy on his wall that reminds him of what he caught. A taxidermy will first take the trophy and freeze it until it is time to be mounted. The taxidermist the removes the skin, to be tanned and treated for later use. The remaining muscle fibers and bones are measured and posed. The carcass is then molded and plaster. The carcass is then removed and the mold is used to produce a cast of the animal called a mannequin. Mannequins can also be made by sculpting the animal first clay. There are many companies that produce stock forms in many sizes that can be used. Glass eyes are then usually added to the display, and possibly also artificial teeth, depending on the subject’s original dental condition. An increasingly popular trend is to freeze dry the animal. This can be done with reptiles, birds, and small mammals such as cats, large mice and some types of dogs. Freeze drying is expensive and time consuming. The equipment is expensive and requires much upkeep. Large specimens can be required to spend as long as six months in the freeze dryer, although is the preferred technique for pets. There are many different types of taxidermy, for instant a Rogue taxidermy is the creation of stuffed animals which do not have real, live counterparts, be of the taxidermists’s imagination, or be endangered or extinct species. They can be made from the parts of mythical animals or they may be artificially created. Rogue taxidermy is often seen in side shows and dime museums among genuine freak animals. The other type of taxidermy is known as Anthropomorphic taxidermy its where stuffed animals are dressed as people or displayed as if engaged in human activities. This style was popular in Victorian and Edwardian times but can still be found today. The style was popularized by Human Plouequet, taxidermist in Stuttgart. Germany, when he exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Just where can you see taxidermy at? Well taxidermy is everywhere they are displayed in museums, educational institutions, businesses, restaurants, and homes. Therefore to become a taxidermist you must need some experience, you can gain this experience threw schooling. From there you will learn the basics of taxidermy, like how to measure the different parts of the animal, how to be accurate at ordering the right size form for the species. You will also learn how to tan a hide and learn the steps to putting the cape on the form. This is all important because you want to make sure that the specie looks very life like. Which if you like to rush threw things and be able to finish them without the hassle of waiting then taxidermy is not for you. Taxidermy takes patience and time, it can take a taxidermist up to six months to finish a trophy. Of course a taxidermist could do it a lot faster if they didn’t care what it looks like at the end but no they want their work to look as life like as possible. Because anyone that is a hunter or fisherman knows that having something to remind them of there trophy is a memory that will always stick with them. So when they pay a very large amount of money to get their trophy done they would expect it to look life like and give them that memory of the day it was taken or caught.

Marketing, Customer Value, and the Lin Essay

INTRODUCTION In today’s economy, firms are no longer the center of business. In order to survive, companies need to acknowledge the fact that business now revolves around customers (Keith, 1960). As a result, marketing becomes one of the most prominent philosophies in business. Therefore, to get a better understanding of today’s business, this essay will be discussing about three important concepts. These concepts are marketing as a business philosophy, the understanding of customer value, followed by the link between marketing and customer value. In addition, this essay will be using the Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example of the concepts’ application. MARKETING Marketing as a business philosophy has grew astoundingly for the past few decades. It becomes one of the influential subjects that being thoroughly explored in the society. Many have tried to define marketing in different ways. Based on a marketing expert Philip Kotler (1983), marketing is defined as a â€Å"human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes† (p. 7). Marketing exists in order to know what the customers wants and what are their needs, and satisfy those wants and needs through transactions. According to Kotler (1983), there are various philosophies that can guide the business conducts exchange and achieves desired outcomes. Using Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example, philosophies that will be discussed here are product philosophy and marketing philosophy. Product Philosophy According to Kotler (1983), product philosophy assumes that customers will choose to buy high quality products, and thus organizations should focus on the product design and its quality.  Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is an example of product philosophy application in business. In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros partnered to open a new type of cinema in Melbourne’s Crown Casino—â€Å"Gold Class† cinema (Wikipedia, 2014). This new luxury cinema format was then expanded to other Village Cinemas 1 throughout Australia and around the world. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a premium venue, offering personalized service level with smaller and private cinemas. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema focuses highly on its products’ quality by improving the art projection and its sound systems as well as adding recliner to its seats (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). All these new high quality products were prove as how â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema highly values the quality of its products. However, product concept will not be enough for Village Cinema to become successful. The purpose of a cinema is to entertain customers. Yet, entertainment as human’s needs can actually be satisfied by something else such as sport events or music concerts. Thus, Village Cinema needs to apply marketing philosophy to complement the product philosophy. Marketing Philosophy To understand marketing philosophy, it is important to know the purpose of business in advance. Peter F. Drucker (1999) stated, â€Å"there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer† (p. 35). Marketing concept focuses on identifying what the customer needs, what products can attract customers and how to promote them effectively (Kotler, 1983). By putting marketing philosophy in practice, business can serve what consumers want and will generate greater profit. Village Cinemas developed the â€Å"Gold Class† concept even further in order to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"widen the appeal of going to movies† and â€Å"attract broader demographic† (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). They put marketing philosophy into practice by analyzing what action should be undertaken in order to satisfy the customers’ need of being served. In addition to entertainment, human likes to be given personal service. Thus, Village Cinemas improve the â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas by providing entertainment with high quality products and giving a personalized service at the same time. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas â€Å"boast a full service bar, lounge and gourmet food with personal waiter service during each screening† (Village Cinemas, n.d.). As the pioneer of this concept, Village Cinema has successfully embraced the marketing philosophy where business should focus on the customer and to provide what they want. 2 CUSTOMER VALUE Zeithaml (1988, as cited in Smith & Colgate, 2007, p. 8) defined customer value as being â€Å"what customers get from the purchase and use of a product versus what they pay.† According to Drucker (1999), customer value determines what the business will produce and whether it will prosper or not. Clearly, customers will prefer to consume the product that offers them most benefits with least costs possible. Based on their researches, Smith and Colgate (2007) proposed four major values of customer that applicable to consumer and to customer value creation strategy. According to Smith and Colgate (2007), functional value is concerned about the purpose and usefulness of a product. Experiential value is concerned with the customers’ feelings created by the product whereas symbolic value is concerned about the psychological meaning of a product to customers. On the other hand, cost is related to the both direct and indirect costs of using the product. The following table shows customer value creation strategy with Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as the example. Functional Correct /- Movies, sound systems, and seats has high quality accurate – attribute creativity) Product characteristic (quality, customization, – Given appropriate attributes when necessary (e.g.: 3D glasses when watching 3D movies) – All food and beverages menu should be available when ordered Appropriate – Movie delivered without any disturbance performance – Being served with high quality service – Seat recliner move accordingly – Ordered food and beverages come correctly and within appropriate time length. Appropriate – Everything function effectively and appropriately as it outcomes should be – Cinema should be able to entertain and serve the 3 customers – Foods and beverages should be able to satisfy customers Experiential Sensory – More specialised and high quality theatre design for â€Å"Gold Class† customers than other normal customers in order to improve aesthetic value – Food plating should be appealing – Foods and beverages should smell and taste good Emotional – The movie watched will bring pleasure and enjoyment, (fun, excitement, happy, adventurous, sad, humorous or any other emotional feeling) – Customers should feel satisfied after being entertained and served personally Social – The design of â€Å"Gold Class† theatre have fewer seats and intimate setting, which could lead to a love bonding between partners or loved ones – Friendship and love bonding with families and friends by watching movie in â€Å"Gold Class† cinema together Epistemic – Some high quality movies provided by the â€Å"Gold Class† cinemas might provide knowledge and educational movie, fantasy, or any other experiences depend on the movie genre Symbolic Self identity – Staff and system interaction can make customer feel / worth better about their own selves. – Personalised service can make customer feel exclusive Personal Watching with the meaning loved one and become unforgettable memories – Irreplaceable quality time with family or friends every week in the cinema Self – Customers can express their taste of movie and expression preference of way to spend their leisure time Social – Customers can gain prestige and status by watching 4 meaning movie in â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema in front of their friends – The term â€Å"Gold Class† itself can boost up the customer’s image and self esteem when they enter the special theatre in front of crowd – As the ticket is expensive, customers will be known as rich by other, which can make them feel exclusive Conditional meaning Cost – People will think only those with higher disposable income or rich background can watch in this cinema Economic – The price of the ticket, food and beverages – The transportation cost or any other indirect cost Psychologi- – Some psychological relationship cost such as cal attachment or addiction – Equity conflict for customers who think highly of how some people can’t afford to enjoy the privilege Personal – Energy, effort and time spent to queue or click the investment order button through internet Risk – Low personal and operational risk as Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a well-known brand – High financial risk as the price is higher than other theatre 5 LINK BETWEEN MARKETING AND CUSTOMER VALUE Whatever the market or the business operating at, marketing has one common theme— to ‘create perceived customer value that is superior to alternatives available while at the same time creating value for the business’ (Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans, & Armstrong. 2010, p. 4). When marketing philosophy is applied in a business, customer value will play a really important role. Creation of the customer value is critical for marketing, especially when the business is going to develop new products and services (Smith & Colgate, 2007). Customer value represents customer point of view, and marketing needs it in order to manage a profitable relationships between business and customers. With marketing philosophy, business needs to know what customers consider important in a product—what customers value in a product—and to develop those products according to customers’ preferences. Compared to marketing philosophy, customer value doesn’t really influence product philosophy. In this case, business assumes that customers will prefer to buy high quality product with reasonable price, thus marketing effort is not much needed (Kotler, 1983). However, Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema still considers customers value as critical to their business. Village Cinema didn’t only focus on the product quality, yet they deliver a personalized and high quality service as well in order to satisfy the customers. Village Cinema knows that customers want to be entertained and personally served in the same time. Thus, the importance of customer value was demonstrated by applying marketing philosophy in their business and develop â€Å"Gold Class† concept. CONCLUSION To conclude, marketing is highly linked with customer value. Despite having different philosophies, every business should not take customer value lightly if they want to survive in today’s competition. Even if some businesses like Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema embrace more than one philosophy, they still need to address customer value as a really important concept that can influence their business outcome. REFERENCE LIST Drucker, P. F. (1999). The Practice of Management. Oxford, London: Butterworth Heinemann. Keith, R. J. (1960). The Marketing Revolution. Journal of Marketing, 24(3), 35-38. Retrieved from http://www,jstor.org/stable/1248704 Kotler, P. (1983). Marketing and Human Needs. Marketing in Australia (pp. 3-27). Melbourne, VIC: Prentice-Hall of Australia. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Burton, S., Deans, K., & Armstrong, G. (2010). Marketing (8th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. Smith, J. B. & Colgate, M. (2007). Customer Value Creation: A Practical Framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 15(1), 7-23. Doi: 10.2753/mtp10696679150101 Village Cinemas. (n. d.) Gold Class. Retrieved from http://villagecinemas.com.au/goldclass Village Roadshow Limited. (n.d.) Cinema Exhibition. Retrieved from http://www.villageroadshow.com.au/Company-Profile/Exhibition.htm Wikipedia. (2014). Village Cinemas. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Cinemas

Minority Cultures in Mississippi Essay

The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of African American and Mexican American cultures in my region and their importance to United States society, as well as relating their similarities and differences to each other and my own culture. This will be done in an effort to develop skills that assist me in providing my future students the opportunity to value diversity and overcome cultural barriers and biases. This paper covers various aspects of each culture, beginning with the beliefs and traditions of each culture. In addition to those areas, the facets of religion, holidays, and foods of great significance to each culture are explored. Finally, the most meaningful area in relation to my teaching success is analyzed. The area of education is considered, focusing on educational aspirations as well as the professions of members of these cultures due to their educational backgrounds. After examining all of the aspects, the cultures will be compared and contrasted in an effort to learn how to overcome cultural differences. African American Family Life Family life is one of the most important aspects in the African American culture. This belief stems from both their African roots and early slavery. Keeping family members close was important in both tribal Africa and among slaves. Your family is believed to give you strength and support; this belief is still widely practiced today. African American families frequently visit both immediate as well as extended family. In fact, neighborhood barbeques and parties are a common occurrence. African American families also hold family reunions yearly, which include several surnames of families who may be closely related or as distant as fourteenth cousins or more. Often times, non-relatives are also invited and treated as family. Many African American neighborhoods are close-knit communities who often spend much of their spare time socializing with one another. Because of this closeness, many non-relatives become known as â€Å"play† family. These â€Å"play† family members have become such good friends to the family that they are treated as members of the extended family. The elderly are regarded as the head of the family and are given the utmost respect. To the African American culture, living a long life means the person is very wise and is often the first source for advice. An elder is believed to have led a fulfilled life and the funeral, therefore, is often celebrated as a joyous occasion. To the African American culture, death is simply passing from one realm of life to another. They believe their loved one is leaving the evils of this world behind for a utopia, so there is often a party after the burial service. African American Hairstyles and Names Many African American beliefs and traditions can be traced back to their original African roots. Locks and braiding are two of these. They are widely practiced hairstyles among African Americans today. Both types of hairstyles were started by tribes in Africa. Locks, commonly called dread-locks, are common among the tribes of South Africa. Because water is scarce and dust is prevalent in that area, locks are popular due to their ease of maintenance. Braiding, on the other hand, is an aspect of worth among Western African tribes. Often, the men of tribes there receive a braided lock for achieving a substantial accomplishment. Both of these traditional African hairstyles made their way to the United States with the slaves and are still of great importance to African American culture today, as a method of displaying pride in their historical roots. Another aspect of African American culture with ties to Africa is naming children. Children are often given names with African roots. However, the members of the African American culture have also developed a set of names, which are uniquely African American. They often add the prefixes of La-, Le-, and Da- to their children’s names, which is exclusive only to their culture. African American Music African American culture has given United States society various styles of music in the form of religious hymns and spirituals, jazz, blues, and hip-hop. Spirituals began with slaves on the plantations. They were often used to send secret messages between each other because the plantation owners could not understand their meanings. These songs were religious folk songs based on African music styles and were improvisational. The spirituals used various musical aspects from smooth flowing styles, which led to the sensual sounds of jazz, to sadness and despair, which led to the blues, to spoken-word singsong, which eventually led to hip-hop. â€Å"Ethnomusicologists trace hip-hop’s roots to the dance, drum, and song of West African griots, or storytellers, its pairing of word and music, and the manifestation of the painful journey of slaves who survived the middle passage† (McBride, 2007, p. 102). African American Language The American English language was also greatly influenced by the African American culture, especially in the Southern United States. â€Å"African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a variation of the American English language closely associated with the speech of African Americans† (Coulmas, 2005, p. 177). AAVE is considered by many as slang, and it is in prevalent use by African Americans, as well as other cultures, all over the United States today. African American Religion The Black Church has historically been a source of hope and strength for the African American community. Religion is an essential and integral part of their lives, with approximately 85 percent of African Americans belonging to a Protestant denomination. In the African American society, God is viewed as the source of both good health and serious illness. The most common method of treating illness in the African American culture is prayer. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African American women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. The Black Church is one of intense enthusiasm and high emotion. African American author W. E. B. DuBois perhaps captured the spirit of the Black Church best by stating, â€Å"Even in the midst of preaching, the worshipers carried on a dialogue with the preacher by shouting approvals or calling out remarks aimed at encouraging him to work harder to reach his point† (DuBois, 2005, pp. 184 – 185). It is not uncommon to hear an African American congregation shouting â€Å"Amen! † or â€Å"Preach it, Brother! † or â€Å"You tell ‘em, Reverend† in agreeance with their pastor or to hear the choir echoing â€Å"Well? † behind the pulpit to advance the pastor’s next words. The entire world could learn from the African American culture’s passion for Christ. African American Holidays The African American culture has several holidays which not only help its members connect to their historical roots but assist the rest of society in identifying the significant impact African Americans have had on shaping the United States. One way this is done is through Black History Month. Each February, television networks and schools throughout the United States celebrate the contributions of various African Americans to the world. One of the individuals focused on during Black History Month is Martin Luther King Jr. , whose quest for equality, peace, and civil rights was so powerful in shaping American society that his birthday is another important holiday in the African American culture. Now recognized as a national federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated nationwide on January 15. Another significant holiday is Juneteenth. The news of the Emancipation Proclamation signing reached the slaves of the South on June 19, 1865, and the slaves responded by having a huge celebration. Today, Juneteenth allows African Americans the opportunity to celebrate freedom and is celebrated all over the United States with food, storytelling, games, music, and African American culture. â€Å"Each year, over thirteen million African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa† (Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, 2003, p. 57). This holiday uses customs from the harvest celebrations of Africa and was developed to help African Americans celebrate their heritage. This holiday lasts seven days and focuses on seven principles of the Swahili people. Upon a unity mat sits a candleholder with seven candles, and one candle is lit each day to represent one of the principles. Christmas is another important holiday for African Americans because of the Black Nativity play performed in many churches. Originally written by Langston Hughes, it is a retelling of the classic nativity story, only with an entirely African American cast and gospel style Christmas carols. A major performance of this play is held yearly in Boston at Tremont Temple by The National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA), who refer to Black Nativity as, â€Å"a legendary Christmas event and the Black community’s Christmas gift to the world† (NCAAA, 2008). African American Foods The foods of the African Americans also play an important role in most cultures of the United Stated. These foods, commonly referred to as soul food, have become widely popular throughout the United States. Many of these foods such as black-eyed peas, cornbread, greens, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and deep fried foods were originally eaten in Africa and made their way to the United States with the slaves. While others, such as chitlins, neck bones, and ham hocks, were created by the slaves out of necessity. During their time in captivity, they were only fed the scraps that their owners would not eat, ant they had to discover methods of cooking these items in such a way that they would be edible. African American Education and Employment African Americans in Mississippi unfortunately live in one of the poorest states in the country, and their education is influenced by that factor. The poor economic state of Mississippi greatly hinders the public school system here due to lack of funding. In the Mississippi Delta, where the population is almost entirely African American, â€Å"the economy is so depleted that obtaining a quality education is extremely difficult† (U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2001, p. 36). The lack of a quality education hinders Mississippi’s number of high school and college graduates, but for African Americans the number is extremely grave. Only 47. 3 percent of African American students in Mississippi will earn a high school diploma, and of that percentage, only 8. 8 percent of them will go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher† (U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2001, p. 36). It is a widely known fact that not graduating high school greatly influences a person’s financial and professional future. With less than half of the African American population of Mississippi graduating high school, the poverty level among these individuals is obviously high. The number of African American families living below poverty level is tremendous, especially in majority-black communities like one would find in the Mississippi Delta. â€Å"The percentage of black families with incomes below the poverty level runs from a low of 46. 4 percent in Washington County to a high of 68 percent in Tunica County, and most Mississippi counties are marked by double-digit unemployment rates† (U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2001, p. 1 – 2). The individuals who are employed are most likely employed in a position that pays the federal minimum wage rate, such as fast food or retail chains, due to the low high school graduation rate. Overall, the African American culture in Mississippi is at a great disadvantage when it comes to educational and professional success. Mexican American Family Life Family closeness is an important aspect of Mexican American culture, as well. Not only do the members of this culture spend a great deal of time with their families, but they often all live together under one roof. It is not uncommon for grandparents, parents, children, cousins, aunts, and uncles to all live in the same home. The entire family is involved in all aspects of each other’s lives, with the elders being the most respected and revered members of the family. Children are expected to honor their families no matter the circumstances. Their actions must never bring shame to their family, and traditional Mexican American families are very strict on their children in an effort to keep them from participating in dishonorable acts. These values of honor, respect, and family endearment are carried out in death as well. When a loved one passes away, they are dressed in special clothing and stay in the family home overnight. While in the family home, a wake is held, and friends and family bring food to serve at the wake. Only the family then accompanies the body to the grave. No service is held, but the family members sing religious Spanish hymns. â€Å"Most significant is the perspective on death held by many Mexican American Catholics that, rather than an end, death is seen as a new beginning† (Diaz-Stevens & Stevens Arroyo, 1998, p. 73). Because of this view, for years after the original wake, on the same date, those who attended it will reunite to celebrate the life and passing of their loved one. Mexican American Names and Language For the most part, Mexican Americans stay true to their original Mexican heritage and culture. While a few Mexican American families choose to name their children more traditional American names, the majority of parents choose names with Mexican ties and meanings, like Javier, Joaquin, Carmen, and Rosa. Another way, Mexican Americans stay connected to their heritage is through their language. Even fluent English speakers tend to speak Spanish with other members of their culture, as opposed to English. Mexican American parents who choose to teach their children to speak English teach them Spanish as well and most often speak to them in the Spanish language. Mexican Americans also choose to incorporate Spanish music and television into their daily lives. In fact, the interest is so high among Mexican Americans to have Spanish television in the United States that cable and satellite providers have special packages created especially for the Hispanic people, which include channels from Mexico such as Telemundo and Univision. Mexican American Quinces Another tradition of Mexican American families is a quince. â€Å"No matter how Americanized a Latina is, chances are she will look forward to her quince. No matter how economically tight her parents might be, they will maintain the tradition† (Figueredo, 2002, p. 152). A quince is the Mexican equivalent to a sweet sixteen party combined with a debutant ball. The quince takes place on a girl’s fifteenth birthday and is very formal. The birthday girl has several female maids and male escorts in her court. The court makes its grand entrance, and the birthday girl and her father begin to waltz. Soon, the entire court joins in, and once the waltz is complete, the party continues, as would an American sweet sixteen party. Mexican American Religion Religion and prayer are very important to the Mexican American culture. â€Å"Approximately 80 percent of the Mexican American population is of the Catholic faith† (Figueredo, 2002, p. 166). Mexican Americans are a very superstitious people, frequently wearing medallions or amulets for protection. The prevention of illness and unfortunate events is believed to be accomplished with prayer, wearing religious relics, and keeping religious charms in the home. Many homes have shrines for prayer in them; these shrines contain religious statues, pictures of various saints, and prayer candles. The family members gather at these shrines, light the prayer candles and rigorously pray. Mexican American Holidays Holidays are of great significance in the Mexican culture, and many of the holidays celebrated in Mexico are still celebrated by Mexican Americans in the United States. Semana Santa celebrates the Christian holiday of Easter and runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. The most essential aspect of this holiday is attending mass on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. â€Å"Live representations of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion take place in many communities†¦people from the communities assume the roles of Jesus, Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. John, and many other characters† (Michigan State University, 2008). Cinco de Mayo is celebrated yearly on May 5 and commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. â€Å"This victory gave the Mexican people pride in their country and the spirit of freedom and is celebrated in various parts of Mexico and in U. S. cities with a significant Mexican American population† (Michigan State University, 2008). The Day of the Dead is a celebration that represents the unity between life and death. On October 31, relatives decorate the gravesite of their loved ones in preparation for the return of their loved one’s soul. They also decorate an altar at their home with photos of the loved one and some of the loved one’s favorite items. The Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe is a very important religious holiday among Mexican Americans. It is believed that a female appeared to an Indian, outside of Mexico City, and said she was the mother of God. She left an image of herself on his cactus-cloth. â€Å"It [the cloth] should have deteriorated in twenty years but shows no sign of decay 477 years later† (Michigan State University, 2008). She has become a prestigious religious figure for Mexican American Catholics, and her holiday is celebrated on December 12 each year by attending a special mass service. The Christmas holiday season for the Mexican American culture runs from December 16 through February 2 each year and is combined with traditional Christian aspects as well as special Mexican festivities. The first of these is Las Posadas, which is nine consecutive days of candlelight processions and parties. Neighborhood families gather to reenact the holy family’s night in Bethlehem. The breaking of the pinata is a very important aspect of this holiday. The second of these is Noche Buena, which is the peak of holiday festivities, with the celebration of a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. After the mass, the families enjoy a traditional Christmas supper, common to the United States, of turkey, ham, and other common Christmas dinner items. The family then opens gifts and celebrates with a pinata and sparklers. Christmas Day is traditionally set aside for rest. The final of these celebrations occurs on January 6 and is called Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos. This day celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men in Bethlehem. Mexican American children wake up to toys and other gifts. Rosca de Reyes is served on this day, which is a crown-shaped sweet bread decorated with jewel-like candied fruits and a tiny plastic baby hidden inside. Whoever finds the baby in their piece is required to host a party before the Christmas holiday season ends on February 2. Mexican American Foods â€Å"Tex-Mex is a term used to describe a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico† (Barrios Trevino, 2002, p. 3). Many dishes such as chili, fajitas, salsa, quesadillas, burritos, and nachos are not true Mexican dishes but were invented in the United States by Mexican Americans. Even dishes cooked here that originated in Mexico, like tacos, are not prepared in the same manner they would be in Mexico. While Mexican American Tex-Mex dishes are cooked to be hot, topped with tons of cheese, and served in large portions, true Mexican dishes are exactly the opposite. Therefore, Mexican Americans coined their own style of cooking and created some of the United States most loved dishes. Mexican American Education and Employment Unfortunately, the graduation rates for Mexican Americans are very low. The language barrier between the Mexican American culture and the English speaking population of the United States combined with the obligation on many Mexican Americans to work to help support family in Mexico no doubt contribute to this. â€Å"Only about half, 48. 7 percent, of the Mexican American population complete their high school education, and a mere 15. 4 percent of those students earn at least a bachelor’s degree† (U. S. Dept of Commerce Bureau of the Census, 2003 p. 5). The majority of Mexican Americans gain employment at blue-collar jobs such as construction or in the restaurant industry. Many Mexican Americans come to the United States illegally, which causes them to look for employment with employers who will look past their status. Being here illegally or working a blue-collar job means that most Mexican Americans must settle for low wages of minimum wage or slightly higher. Similarities Between the Two Cultures Conducting this research led to the surprising discovery of several similarities. Both cultures desire to remain close to their families, both immediate and extended, by not only seeing each other often but also buy having parties and get-togethers. Both cultures rely greatly on the elderly members of their culture for their knowledge and advice and treat them with the utmost respect and endearment. While the actual proceedings of the funeral are quite different, the cultures are the same in that they see death as a new beginning and, therefore, a cause for celebration. Both cultures are also proud of their heritage. This can be seen in everything from their celebratory traditions during certain holidays to giving their children names, which are unique to their culture. Another similarity is the strong part religion and prayer play in the lives of the members of each culture. In both cultures, prayer is believed to provide comfort and protection. Finally, the most disheartening theme which is common among both cultures is the high dropout rate among high school students and the fact that most members of each culture are employed in low paying positions either due to a lack of education or opportunity. Differences Among the Two Cultures As suspected, the research also led to the discovery of many differences among the cultures as well. As previously mentioned, the burial process of a loved one is quite different among the cultures. African Americans tend to have elaborate, celebratory services honoring the life of their loved one and invite all friends and family members to the burial service. The body is usually sent to a funeral home for preparation and burial. Mexican Americans, on the other hand, keep the body in their home and invite friends and family to pay their respects during a wake. The body is initially prepared by the family for the wake, and only family members attend the actual burial. Although African American families work hard to keep their families close, only their immediate family lives in the home with them unless circumstances cause otherwise, while Mexican Americans quite often live in a home with many relatives of both their immediate and extended family. Their religions and religious practices are also very different. Most all African Americans are of a Protestant denomination, while most all Mexican Americans are Catholic. The Catholic services of Mexican Americans tend to be very quiet and solemn, while African American services are very loud, emotional affairs, with frequent shouts of praise and singing. Shrines are also very important to Mexican American prayer, while African Americans choose to pray almost anywhere. They do not feel the need to pray at a particular place or around particular items. Another major difference is in the types of foods each culture consumes. African Americans tend to eat a lot of vegetables and fried foods, heavy in salt. Mexican Americans, however, eat meals, which include a lot of meat and tortillas with very few vegetables, which include tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers. Applying the Project to the Classroom Recognizing the characteristics of each culture, along with the similarities and differences in each culture, will assist one in overcoming cultural barriers and biases. The information in this project will prove to be very useful inside a classroom. It could be used in several ways, the first being to teach students about each culture. The second way would be to teach students how the cultures are alike or different. The final way would help students compare the cultures to their own. One way this information could be applied is by teaching students about a holiday unique to one of the cultures. For example, on or close to December 16, the teacher could ask the students to come to school dressed as a character from the nativity story such as an angel, a Wise Man, or a shepherd. Then, after studying about Las Posadas and even having a Mexican American student tell a story about the holiday if possible, the students could parade up and down the hallways of the school and end their festivities by taking turns trying to break a pinata. Another way this information could be applied is to have the children write a story about a family celebration or gathering and then having each student read their story aloud. By doing this, each child will have the opportunity to see similarities and differences between each cultural group represented in the classroom. This would also help minority groups such as African Americans and Mexican Americans identify with majority students and move toward forming bonds. A final way this information could be applied is by studying the foods eaten by both cultures. The teacher could read a story about the foods of both cultures and explain the origins of each culture’s foods. During this lesson, the students should sample various foods from both cultures. By doing this, the students will not only be learning about another culture and receiving the opportunity to try something new but will also most likely discover that they have already had many of the foods from both cultures but were unaware of it. Each culture has aspects, which are unique only to that culture. However, both cultures also have aspects, which can be related to one’s own culture. In any event, both cultures are uniquely beautiful and contribute to the United States society and culture as a whole and should therefore not only be respected but also treasured. In its own way, each culture, combined with all of the other cultures of the United States people make our nation the greatly extraordinary country that it is. ? References Barrios Trevino, D. (2002). Los Barrios family cookbook: Tex-Mex recipes from the heart of San Antonio. New York, NY: Villard Books. (Primary Source) Coulmas, F. (2005). Sociolinguistics: The study of speakers’ choices. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. (Secondary Source) Diaz-Stevens, A. M. & Stevens Arroyo, A. M. (1998). Recognizing the Latino resurgence in U. S. religion. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. (Secondary Source) DuBois, W. E. B. (2005). The souls of black folk. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. (Primary Source) Figueredo, D. H. (2002). The complete idiot’s guide to Latino history and culture. New York, NY: Alpha Books. (Secondary Source) McBride, J (2007, April). Hip hop planet. National Geographic, 211(4), 100-118. (Secondary Source) Michigan State University Teaching Hispanic Cultures of the Americas Institute (2008). Learning about Hispanic cultures through the study of Latino and Mexican holidays, celebrations and traditions. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from http://www. educ. msu. edu/teachglobal/Americas/module1. html (Primary Source) National Center of Afro-American Artists (2008). Black nativity. Retrieved June 27, 2009, from http://www. blacknativity. org/about/index. html (Secondary Source) Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences (2003). Guide to exploring African American culture. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from http://pubs. cas. psu. edu/FreePubs/pdfs/agrs92. pdf (Primary Source) U. S. Commission on Civil Rights (2001). Racial and ethnic tensions in American communities: Poverty, inequality, and discrimination the Mississippi delta report. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from http://www. usccr. gov/pubs/msdelta/main. htm (Primary Source) U. S. Dept of Commerce Bureau of the Census (2003). We the American: Hispanics. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from http://www. census. gov/apsd/wepeople/we-2r. pdf (Primary Source)