Blasphemies and Discrimination in The Chrysalids :: The Chrysalids

John Wyrndham the author of The Chrysalids is an extraordinary writer who has created this book in the state of two totally different worlds. Wyrndham has based this book on the different views toward blasphemies and how the characters all have a different approach on the subject. The three greatest ranges in different reactions to Blasphemes would come from the characters: Joseph Strorm, Aunt Harriet, and Sophie Wender. Joseph Strorm is the character in the novel that has the greatest disliking toward Blasphemies. Joseph is the father of David Strorm. He is a strong believer in God and his life is based around his religion: "The Norm is the Image of God." (p.27) In the book the reader gets the idea that Joseph is not a very good father and is very strict: "I'll deal with this. The boy's is lying. Go to your room." (p.51) He is a cruel and inhumane person to anyone who has or is involved with a deviation. The reader would see this attitude when Aunt Harriet visits the Strorms and brings her deviant child with her: "Send her away. Tell her to leave the house - and take that with her." (p.71) Joseph did not show any sympathy at all toward his own sister in law. Aunt Harriet is the sister of David's mother Mrs. Strorm. She enters the story half way through the book, where she goes to Mrs. Strorm seeking help. Yet the help she is looking for is not something Mrs. Strorm agrees with: "Nothing much! You have the effrontery to bring your monster into my house, and tell me it's nothing much!" (p.70) Aunt Harriet is very loving, strong, and she fights for what she thinks is the right thing: "I shall pray God to send into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate." (p.73) Aunt Harriet is also the proof of what happens to people who have a deviation or are trying to protect someone with a deviation: "Aunt Harriet's body has been found in a river, no one mentioned a baby†¦." (p.74) She is a very will hearted woman who is one of the very few people in this time that has the will to speak her mind. Sophie Wender is also another female fighter in this book. David and Sophie are close childhood friends when she is separated from the community because she has a sixth toe.

Theoretical Application

There is a criminal phenomenon that has been under continuous study by criminologists and has also pre-occupied American society, â€Å"criminal gangs†. When the general public thinks of the term â€Å"gangs†, the thought inevitably evokes feelings and images predominately associated with criminal activity that aids to the dilapidation of their neighborhoods and social settings. The term gangs and the crime associated are often viewed differently by the media and law enforcement personnel and even more distinctively by politicians. There is little debate that understanding what a gang is or is not facilitates the identification of variant types of gangs and subsequently aids in developing policies and tactics for communities to address their gang problems. These problems associated with the criminal phenomenon of gang activity range from petty thefts and graffiti â€Å"tagging† to drug use, distribution and homicide. The ailments to a neighborhood caused and/or associated with gang activity are of a social disorder that is no longer considered a localized issue. Gangs have become broadly interconnected with separate chapters across the United States and even have a presence transnationally. Gangs are a criminological problem because the dilemmas of gang activity have grown beyond large cities and urban environments and found a home also in smaller cities and suburban life. According to an FBI study, criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities and gang members are migrating from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding the gangs’ influence in most regions (2009 National Gang Threat Assessment). The various criminal street gangs in the United States range from small neighborhood-oriented petty units to much larger international and commercial gang oriented establishments. Gangs present a nationwide problem and the related issues are magnified by the continuous recruitment of local youth into gangs which are transnational and internationally based. Many suburban and rural communities are facing an increase in criminal acts attributed to gangs and their immediate influence on the social structure of the neighborhoods they reside in. Los Angeles is one such city that has long been plagued by the presence of criminal gangs. In 1993, gang members were involved as suspects or victims in about one-third of all homicides and historically, between 1980 and 1989, the homicide rate in Los Angeles was more than double the rate for the State of California (Meehan and O’Carroll). Los Angeles has been a focal point for many studies conducted regarding the phenomenon of gang activity. As noted, the gang phenomenon has been a focal study of criminological researchers. Various research theories have been employed in an attempt to identify social origins and the implications of gang activity. There is an abundance of facts that pertain to gang crime and the related byproduct of this type of criminal activity. But what are the explanation(s) as to how and why these facts became measurable and accountable? In other words, what are possible causes and explanations to the creation and survival of gangs and its members respectively? Many different scientific theories could be employed to propose answers about the relationships between observable events in gang phenomena. To provide an explanation to this phenomenon, a review of gang related issues found in Celeste Freman’s â€Å"G-Dog and the Homeboys† is coupled with the contention that such issues are the result of a cultural imbalance between the socially accepted pursuit of wealth and the less desired value of hard work, honesty, and education. Such an explanation is most appropriately found when applying the criminology based Strain Theory. This theory is derived from exploring the social structures in America and the accompanying opportunities available to pursue socially supported norms like the pursuit of wealth or status, often referred to as the American Dream. Ultimately, the result on individuals to acquire wealth or status creates undue stress propelling some to seek results through non-institutionalized means. This is a practice and a sub-culture that is readily accepted within gang phenomenon. The Strain Theory, originally presented by Robert K. Merton, has been used in various studies to support the premise that the American Dream concept and the pressure to achieve some resemblance of it serves as a causation of crime. It is not uncommon to see reporting of individuals resulting to unconventional means like crime to obtain what they cannot through conventional means. The Strain Theory makes an effort to justify factors found in low-income and industrial neighborhoods. It presents these factors as barriers to opportunity and directly attributes them to crime and the formation of gangs. The Strain Theory is part of the Positivist School of Criminology thought and supposes actions are observable and not socially created. Strain Theory consists of elements from social disorganization and an individual lack of norms, termed â€Å"anomie†. The social disorganization and anomie theories are derived from different research platforms but all have common arguments. The proposed thought is that the less there exists of solidarity, cohesion, or integration within a group, community or society, the higher will be crime, the rate of crime, and deviance (Akers and Sellers). What drives someone to commit such unconventional acts in pursuit of wealth or status? Merton’s position concerning an individual pursuing non-institutional means is derived from a person’s â€Å"attitude† toward the pursuit of cultural goals such as wealth and status. Merton presented manners that an individual may resort to from undergoing strain caused by the limited access to resources needed to obtain these institutional goals. The way an individual responds or the adaptive manners is dependent on their acceptance or rejection toward social goals, the American Dream and status, and the opportunity available to attain them. Not having available resources and opportunity will directly attribute to gang association and membership recruitment. A study of Strain Theory regarding attributing factors of gang membership identified the stigma of poverty status to have a positive effect on gang membership and may even aid to the perception of blocked opportunities (Vowell and May). A neighborhood that is ripe with social problems, low income housing, and little opportunity offers a higher potential for juvenile delinquency and assimilation of like minds such as gangs. Evidence to this is noted in the study of Strain Theory which found evidence that living in a neighborhood where social problems and physical deterioration were perceived to be a problem and was positively related to delinquency. Additionally, this study noted that general strain leads to delinquent involvement by weakening the conventional social bond and strengthening the unconventional bond with delinquent peers (Paternoster and Mazerolle). This presents the likelihood of individuals finding similar non-institutional means to obtain social goals from gang membership. Gangs do offer knowledge of non-institutional means and in many cases offer the peer support to an individual pursing what they desire, often it is a derivative of the American Dream. The Strain Theory provides a plausible reason why most crime is fixated in certain areas of urban cities, supported by the assertion that social culture and structure must be weighed as equal parts. The theory by Merton emphasizes that society places more importance on the success of an individual achieving wealth or status than on the socially accepted means by which this success is obtained. All classes of American society have been inundated through the media, politics, education, and marketing that success is the most important social value. Yet, the opportunities to attain this success are limited in the lower-class of society and thus provide a breeding ground for gang creation and advancement. When these opportunities are pursued, they are expected to be sought out in truthful and socially accepted ways. Unfortunately for our society, more emphasis is placed on obtaining the American Dream and the success of wealth than the manner in which it is accomplished. There is a dominant belief in the American Dream or social status and this belief is one that encompasses all classes of society. However, equal opportunity, the socially recognized need to attain the American Dream or status is unfortunately distorted among the lower-class of society. There is an outcry from these citizens who consider resources available to capture their goals as distorted when compared to other classes creating a springboard of stress. Even though all citizens of our society believe and measure their success by obtaining some portion of the wealth and status, some are not provided the standard resources to meet the expectations demanded to acquire it. Building on the strain theory, Albert K. Cohen pursued a position where male deviant behavior was in response to â€Å"blocked opportunities† and was an assimilating attribute of the lower-class subculture produced from social structure strain (Vowell, & May). The deviance provoked behavior was due to the inability to gain social prominence. This is similar to Merton’s variation of Strain. However, Merton centered on material wealth rather than a position in society or status. Middle-class citizens are accepted and supported in work and education environments because of they typically are able to meet social expectations required of them for status or of wealth. Unlike the middle-class, the lower-class populous finds it difficult to meet socially accepted standards due to the limited access to available resources and result to deviant behavior. This is often materialized by the formation and acceptance into the social subculture of gangs where the rejected find common ideology and share in access to unconventional means such as crime. It is in this subculture of gangs that the unconventional measure to achieve a certain status or respect is found. The Strain Theory proposed that the deviant assimilation is carried out by identifying the opportunities that are also legal means, not just the illegal ones. In essence, the premise is made that an individual is not driven to conduct criminal behavior solely by the singular desire to acquire wealth or status but also there is a learned behavior of criminal means and acts derived from the social environment they are reside in and ultimately exposed to. This can be expounded on within a gang environment producing criminal acts of different sorts to foster the pursuit of status and wealth. As mentioned, the issues of gang activity in Los Angeles present an overwhelming constraint on positive social development brought on by criminal activity. The criminal acts carried out by the likes of gang members within the Los Angeles neighborhoods highlighted in G-Dog and the Home Boys are a result of the absent non-supportive family structure needed. Employment opportunities, when provided by Father Greg (G-Dog), are ridden with social hurdles. To even pursue the opportunity, they must first escape beyond the concrete island their gang resides on and â€Å"trespass† into those areas marked as enemy territory. Such enormous impediments can seem overwhelming and result in an individual retreating into the fold of his fellow â€Å"homies†, dismissing the potential of an opportunity. This hurdle is secondary to the perceived reprisal waiting in the wings of the Los Angeles Police Department and the subsequent sentiment fellow gang members have of abandonment. The various gangs, primarily Clarence Street Locos, viewed by Fremont over the shoulder of Father Greg all were comprised of members who were predominately juvenile, from a broken or deteriorating family structure, out of or were recoiling from school and education, jobless and possessed little belief in the prospect of a future without the support of their fellow gang members. Whether the East L. A. Dukes, Capones, The Mob Crew, East Coast Crips or another Latino or African American gang, the predominant make-up of its membership were part of an unskilled and poor community searching for a sense of belonging and a way for survival. Members like Dreamer, Turtle, Ghost, Droopy, Ghost, Oso, Silent, etc. , all battled a daily routine of gang life in and out of the projects. Members of the community of gang ridden neighborhoods of Pico Gardens and Aliso Village had little to offer its inhabitants. These predominately Latino immigrant ommunities possessed little in way of educational or employment opportunities. There were little options for jobs and instead the community youth found themselves marketing the gang arenas for membership. Most of the Clarence Street gang members became role models for their siblings and continuously offered â€Å"veterano† advice for participating in gang life. This type of life was all that seemed to be obtainable, due in n o small part to the lack of opportunities. This then became the only way they knew to get what they wanted in life. The lack of opportunity is magnified without a solid role model and father figure in their home. This was a constant variable throughout the insights collected by Freeman provided by individual gang members. When there was a father figure present, it was one that showed little compassion or even interest into their life. The lifestyle as a gang member was the opportunity that was available to them and is what filled the void of family and acceptance. Their daily struggle is evident in the simple but deadly decisions they had to make; visible in determining a roundabout path to a party or through an enemy’s territory. The homicides that occur, the decisions to â€Å"hit back†, the dishonorable choices made when confronted by another gang, the fear of police, the need to find employment, the hopelessness of education, the constrained choices to sleep in cars or homeless shelters, etc. , all are attributing factors of stress that result from a lack of opportunity when pursuing a life of normalcy. â€Å"Gangs come into existence and flourish because the needs of the young people in a neighborhood or culture or family are not being met. The gang, in essence, fills the void† (Gardner). The American Dream and the need for status present the same â€Å"needs† often sought after by unconventional means through gang activity. No doubt Father Greg’s commitment witnessed by his numerous attempts to help over and over again through mental and economic support created opportunities otherwise unavailable. Not to mention his eventual creation of Homeboy Industries and the overwhelming economic advantage it offered in reducing negative employment and neighborhood induced stress. Gang Phenomenon is a socially adaptive instrument that offers the mechanism to fill the needs, such as the wealth and status, of the deprived juveniles. The gang and its members discussed in G-Dog and the Home Boys sought nontraditional means that were socially unacceptable but filled the emptiness caused by the lack of opportunities in the lower-class communities they resided in. As long as there is apparent or perceived blocked opportunities and unequal resources in the lower-class, gangs and their related criminal activity will be a continuing issue for America. BIBLIOGRAPHY Akers, Robert, & C. S Sellers. (2009). â€Å"Criminological Theories, Introduction, Evaluation and Application†. New York: Oxford University Press. Fremon, Celeste. (2004) G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles. University of New Mexico Press. Gardner, Sandra. (1992). Street Gangs in America. Franklin Watts, New York, NY. Meehan, Patrick and Patrick O’Carroll. (1992). â€Å"Gangs, Drugs, and Homicide in Los Angeles. † American Journal of Diseases of Children 146. Paternoster, Raymond and Paul Mazerolle. (1994). General Strain Theory and Delinquency: â€Å"A Replication and Extension†. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Volume 31. The National Gang Intelligence Center. (2009). Product No. 2009-M0335-001. â€Å"National Gang Threat Assessment. † Vowell, Paul and David May. (2000). Another Look at Classic Strain Theory: â€Å"Poverty Status, Perceived Blocked Opportunity, and Gang Membership as Predictors of Adolescent Violent Behavior†. Sociological Inquiry. Volume 70.

Van Helsing and the Unorthodox Monster Narrative

Rebecca Scheinert Monsters and Myths September 16th 2012 Van Helsing and Unorthodox Monster Narrative Monsters have become a regular fixture in the contemporary movie industry but it is important to remember these supernatural creatures were born from ancestors in nineteenth century gothic literature. These creatures were a cultural product of the social, scientific, and psychological concerns of a society that had lost its faith in religion. Each monster was a manifestation of a ubiquitous fear that remains relevant today.In the 2004 film rendition of Van Helsing, the director Stephen Sommers calls upon the famed vampire hunter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to restore order to a world interweaving the plots of Frankenstein, and The Wolfman. The hero of Van Helsing has been stripped of any memory of his character’s history and triumphs but must seek to vanquish his enemy aided only my the folklore of 19th century Eastern Europe. Without a sense of identity, Van Helsing acc epts this task joined by the beautiful Anna Valerious who is cursed by her ancestors’ promise to destroy Dracula.The duo must face endless threats, apply knowledge of the occult, and confront their inner demons to reach the climatic final battle with Dracula where they must cling to their disappearing humanity in a world of monsters. Although Van Helsing and Dracula are dramatic foils for one another, their similarities become as apparent as their differences as the storyline develops. In this final scene from Van Hesling, Stephen Sommers employs and distorts traditional monster mythology to prove to its viewers that the dichotomy between hero and monster is not mutually exclusive.Initially, the physical character of the scene is the vehicle that transports its viewers from the couch in 2012 to the recognized world of monster myths. The viewers’ acceptance of the setting is imperative because it invokes a â€Å"willing suspension of disbelief† from the audience in which the time-honored mythology of the classic monsters’ stories is embraced as historical fact (Tudor 121). The horror film genre employs setting conventionally â€Å"to facilitate our entry into the fiction† where the unbelievable characters and events are embraced (Tudor 122).For this particular scene, the audience finds the characters in an archetypical gothic setting, the laboratory where Frankenstein was created (Van Helsing). In the Gothic tradition, writers â€Å"built plots around restless spirits, ageless monsters, and unresolved sins of the past that reappear to bedevil modern characters† (Worland 12). Stephen Sommers places the characters in their imagined place and time by interweaving â€Å"Frankenstein’s middle-European village, Dracula’s Transylvanian mountains, and The Werewolf of London’s fog-shrouded setting† into a location familiar to the genre audience.In this scene, the nineteenth century stylized lab is tal l and imposing with rich architectural detail. In the darkness of night, moments before midnight as indicated by the baroque clock, clusters of fire and blue electrical charges are the only source light. The midnight hour is universal symbol for the time when monsters roam the earth while the men sleep (Philips 515). The evident destruction in the laboratory conveys that it has already failed terrifically. The setting is a reminder that in gothic horror the â€Å"stakes are high because the struggle is mortal and metaphysical† (Worland 17).This elaborate laboratory is paradoxical setting because the events are occurring in a time with scientific knowledge but in a part of the world that remains unchanged by industrialization. Furthermore, by combining Frankenstein and Dracula, the powers of science are directly conflicting with the religious themes of the legend of Dracula (Tudor 87). While inside the burning laboratory it is evident that both science and religion have failed the characters. The integration of the monster’s settings is only the first device Sommers plays with.Horror operates through the tried strategy of â€Å"placing stereotypical characters in cumulatively eventful situations† which is a structure the audience expects through out the movie (Tudor 112). The genre hero is titled by Andrew Tudor as the â€Å"expert† and given the responsibility of bringing the world or disorder back to order. When we enter this scene in the shambled laboratory, it is undeniably recognized as disorder. Tudor goes onto say that â€Å"Dracula’s traditional opponent, Van Helsing† is the common ancestor of all of the genre’s experts (114). The original bestows VanHelsing with the capability and knowledge to vanquish Dracula but was written as â€Å"scholastic and eccentric† as a fold to a vampires ruthless charm (114). Sommers introduces Van Helsing in this scene defeated by battle, fragile, limping, and gaspin g for breathe. Although he is introduced as man, the identifiable wolf scratches across his chest and the striking of the clock foreshadow his transformation into a werewolf monster. Sommers reminds the audience of the human expert and monster foil when Dracula enters as a flying monster and Van Helsing enters as a wounded human.The audience is aware they are rooting for Van Helsing and weary of Dracula. Furthermore, Van Helsing’s monster is a werewolf, who are seen as â€Å"demonic innocents† entangled in a â€Å"complex web of ritualistic expectations† (117). A werewolf is a sympathetic monster because the audience can compartmentalize the humanity from the lupine cruelty by his separate physical forms. Van Helsing reluctantly assumes his monster form writhing during his transformation. However, he embraces his fate by tearing off his jacket and engaging in battle.Van Helsing’s internal conflict between embracing his monster form to complete his task to vanquish Dracula and fearing the loss of his human control is illustrated when he frightens himself from his lupine form into his human form while choking Dracula. This narrative trick confounds an active audience who is inclined to remain loyal to the expert protagonist who has become what he is destined to destroy. In addition, the characterization of Dracula in the scene manipulates religious iconography to further the juxtaposition between religion and science that was introduced in the setting.In this scene Dracula exhibits the expected traits of a vampire when speaking in his human form. He is â€Å"elegant† â€Å"clean† â€Å"attractive† but â€Å"evil† and manipulative (116). Upon discovering Van Helsing is now a monster as well he tries to coerce him into joining his fight. Dracula sees all monsters as equals on the side of evil united against humanity and the greater good, as â€Å"a part of the same great game† (Van Helsing). Dracula is a satanic character, the of the evil side in the eternal battle between good and evil.This character parallel is supplemented by the physical characterization of Dracula in his monster form. Sommers employs the standard devil veneer with horns, wings, and red coloring as a universal symbol for evil. Dracula is charming and sophisticated in his human form but as a monster he is the hideous disconfigured archetype for evil. This proves to the viewer the humans can be monsters and the monsters can appear as humans. The naked eye cannot discern between what is evil and what is good, even when the monster is as obvious and Judeo-Christian devil.In these cases, Sommer’s is manipulating with the monster iconography by transforming orthodox characters. Monster iconography has â€Å"developed through statements, repetition, and variations that the audience has come to understand† (Worland 18). There is an expected viewer response of hatred for monsters and empathy for humans, which the director is playing upon. Through this device, he makes the social commentary that any man has the ability to become a monster and there is a monster in all of us.At the same time, he is loyal to the narrative by making the expert an empathetic monster and Dracula a deceiving monster. Ultimately, the audience’s psychological response to the scene is necessary for Sommers to manipulate the genre’s traditions and mythology effectively. Through out the scene there is a shock cycle of tension construction and release. Within the smaller context of a singular scene, the microscopic shock cycle will build and release pressure, keeping viewers engaged until end (Tudor 109).There is relief with the â€Å"grotesque and painful end† of Dracula. Rick Worland titles this event a â€Å"bad death† that challenges the traditional conceptions of mortality and the social good (8). The audience does not feel sadness for the revolting murder of Dracula but they ex perience devastation at the loss of Anna. Although Anna’s death is more troubling to the audience, the producers do not let us see her â€Å"bad death†. Anna is mauled by Van Helsing as a werewolf as well but in a moment of suspense and ambiguity we can only see the back of the werewolf’s body.While the audience watches this genre for the suspense and gore, it is still troublesome to see the end of the heroine. The audience can digest her death as a necessary sacrifice and the final shock rather than cruel an unusual when they are spared the visual impact of her death. This can also be looked at through a Freudian perspective. Freud advocated a â€Å"resonation of the return of any actions or desires repressed by the dominant social order† through experiences such as watching horror movies or nightmares (Worland 15).All of the audience members have felt repression, whether it is from an external societal source or an internal repression of feelings or mem ories. The monster is a manifestation of this repression. All varieties of repression can be overcome by vicariously living through this scene because the monster is both a triumphant hero and a defeated antagonist. In the end there is silence and the tension is released because both monster threats has been nullified. Antithetically, because of the dual bad deaths, the audience is left to contemplate if the ends justified the means.The audience has released their feelings of repression through the shock cycle but is left to contemplate the questionable victory and the tragic death long after the scene is complete. At the heart of this scene, Sommers challenges viewers to question the traditional protagonist and antagonist relationship in the movie and with the audience. He does this by presenting characters and settings that elicit expectations for the course of the scene’s plotline. Then, by choosing a different path, there is a psychological response from the engaged viewe r.Over the course of the brief scene, there are series of surprises that are not from the blood and gore but from the distortion of century old stories. At the conclusion of the scene, the audience has worked through feelings of repression by witnessing the destruction of two monsters and the death of two characters but are more importantly inspired to question what the true manifestation of good and evil are. Works Cited Phillips, William H. Film: An Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 1999. Print. Tudor, Andrew. Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Oxford [England: B. Blackwell, 1989. Print. Van Helsing . Dir. Stephen Sommers. Perf. Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. Universal, 2004. DVD. Van Helsing . YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. ;http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=jr60kvuKw3w;. Worland, Rick. The Horror Film: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. , 2007. Print.

Earth science Essay

Speculations of the actual rate of global warming had been contradictory to the least. In fact, there have been arguments that the year 1998 and not 2005 is the warmest year recorded. However, based on the global climate simulation models, warming considerably larger in the Western Equatorial Pacific than in the East Equatorial Pacific. The authors also suggested that the increased East-West temperature gradient may have also increased the likelihood of El Nino such as those in 1983 and 1998. Global temperature is a gauge used for measuring and summarizing the state of global climate. Although the effects on climate are normally felt locally, its distribution nonetheless is congruent with that of the climate models. According to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Analysis, the estimated uncertainty of global mean temperature implies that we can only state that 2005 was probably the warmest year. This conclusion was based on satellite measurements of sea surface temperature since 1982, a ship-based analysis for earlier years and documented procedures for data over land. Also, this analysis has a 95 percent confidence. As mentioned earlier, 2005 is noted for its warmth and this is not due to the contribution of the El Nino phenomenon contrary to the one recorded in 1998 wherein 0. 2Â ° C was lifted from the trend line and considered to be the strongest in the century. Hence, global warming is tallied to be at 0. 6Â ° C in the past decades and 0. 8Â °C higher than in the past century. Contrary to what was speculated before, it is now incorrect to say that most global warming occurred before the 1940s. This may be attributed to the large fluctuations and yet slow warming over the century until 1975 which was then followed by a rapid warming, noted at 0. Â °C per decade. Hence, global warming is not just a concocted artefact due to the measurements in urban areas and used to scare people into being earth friendly but a real climate change. It is confirmed by surface temperature change inferred from borehole temperature profiles at remote locations, the rate of alpine glaciers around the world and progressively earlier breakup of ice on rivers and lakes. (10). Moreover, the fact that there is indeed a geographical distribution of warming gives proof that there is a real climate change. The largest warming recorded occurred not in urban areas but in remote regions including high latitudes. Furthermore, warming has also been documented in ocean areas, which are considerably far from the direct effects of humans. On the other hand, calculations made through the first global climate model, presented in the congressional testimony in 1988 was allegedly 300 percent wrong. However, further analysis indicated that the first transient climate simulations proved to be quite accurate and certainly not wrong by 300 percent.

Cross Cultural Organizational Behaviour-&ltFear and Trembling&gt Assignment

Cross Cultural Organizational Behaviour-<Fear and Trembling> - Assignment Example In human resource management, the Herzberg’s two-factor theory states that both job dissatisfaction and job satisfaction exist, but work independently of another. This means it is guided by the fundamentals of attitudes and motivation to integrate practicality when enhancing workers’ productivity. The theory was advanced by Frederick Herzberg and it continues to streamline the human resource management in terms of recognition, advancement, achievement and even responsibility. On that account, the movie Fear and Trembling directed by Alain Corneau attempts to evoke Herzberg’s two-factor theory in particular scenes with emphasis on its numerous characters. This is exemplified in Amelie’s return to Japan after many years seeking a reconnection and a means of integration, but the circumstances and conditions are difficult. On that perspective, the protagonist’s behavior is an epitome of a reformed attitude and motivation to perform her duties in a diffe rent way that evokes a sense of responsibility and recognition. Amelie also intends to increase her satisfaction in serving her nation, but the retrogressive forces such as those depicted by Ms Mori acted by Kaori Tsuji are hell-bent on questioning her willingness to work. In the same account, the lead character’s embodiment of humility in facing her tasks as a translator at an import/export company does not favor her because she barely remembers the Japanese cultural norms (Sheldrake 164). Unfortunately, this negates her intentions that Herzberg asserts that are guided by higher-level gratification and other forms of psychological needs rather than mere competence. Contrastingly, Ms Mori’s callous trait represents the two-factor model of failing to offer the worker the set of job characteristics that will spur satisfaction. Instead, she belittles Amelia particularly in the scene where the protagonist requests for better work conditions to fully integrate in her native country. This clearly demonstrates Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory of diminishing one’s job attitudes and eventual productivity. It is also evident when Ms Mori delegates Amelie to become a bathroom attendant not as a means of recognizing her efforts but as a revenge tactic to demoralize her efforts. The scene provokes a sense of defeat in the motivated worker and is further manifested when Amelie angrily tells refuses to renew her contract. Such a scenario in any job setting is a replication of worker subjugation and exploitation that cannot be prevented thus Herzberg’s conclusion on the two-sidedness of job satisfaction in various firms. According to Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, the plight of Amelie in the import/export company remains evident in the scene where the main character finally meets the company’s president. The office evokes a sense of cultural Japan when people addressed the Emperor and was a sign of reverence and contentment. In th e work context, it displays a renewed hope and motivation in the incompetent translator who has been thoroughly humiliated by Ms Mori in her quest to crush any form of productivity. Additionally, Ms Mori’s retrogressive display of converting a former translator to a bathroom attendant clearly proves her failure to distinguish the building blocks of Herzberg's

Case Analysis Part IV Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case Analysis Part IV - Lab Report Example Therefore, nondelivery of the certificate does not intervene in any way with passing the title. The same conclusion has been reached by the Court in the case of Wood Chevrolet Co. v. Bank of the Southeast3, where it was held that: â€Å"†¦non-delivery of a certificate of title at the time of a sale does not prevent the passage of title from the seller to the buyer.... This is true even where a state's certificate of title act provides that no title can be acquired in an automobile until the certificate of title has been issued.†. In conclusion, title to the car passed to Mann at the moment of physical possesion of the car being transferred to him. CHAPTER 17 CASE 3 I believe that in this case, Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, Inc. must be held liable for the damages caused to Young and it should certainly cover the damages caused to the plaintiff. Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, Inc. has certainly breached the contract concluded with Young. Due to the fact that Frankâ₠¬â„¢s Nursery & Crafts, Inc. ... v. Johnson4, the Court held that, in order to avoid the injured party not recovering her losses, â€Å"Ohio law allows a damaged lost volume seller to recover its lost profits from the breached sale in addition to traditional breach of contract damages†, thus applying the lost volume seller theory. According to Goldberg, V.P., â€Å" In cases in which the seller is a retailer, the conclusion is (a) yes, the seller does suffer damages, (b) the damages are the market price of the service of selling the goods, (c) the market price of selling is approximately the gross margin, (d) even though the damages are incurred, full compensation would probably be inefficient, and (e) the law ought to encourage the parties to use nonrefundable deposits as liquidated damages.†5 Therefore, I believe that the Court ought to apply the lost volume seller theory in this case and, thus, reduce Young’s damages to minimum. CHAPTER 18 CASE 6 I strongly believe that the Benfers did have c ause of action against the retailer – Thomas, along with the manufacturer - Town & Country Mobile Homes, Inc. Thomas was the one who actually convinced the Benfers, by showing them a model mobile home, that the mobile home had the one-quarter-inch sheathing on the siding that made it better than cheaper units, by this intentionally misleading the couple and creating for them a misrepresentation on the product they were about to purchase. Moreover, Thomas, by knowingly proposing the Benfers a more expensive unit, which supposedly had the sheathing desired by the potential buyers, actually lied to them, by taking the price for a more expensive product and offering them a cheaper one. Moreover, by delivering to the purchasers the written warranty, which stated that the mobile home had the

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Communication - Essay Example With all that background of music and dancing and my unending passion for it, I opted to visit the town of San Francisco, Japan town for the celebratory concert of the â€Å"Japan Day Festival & Bon Odori.† I figured out that this would be the perfect subculture to observe. Every community has rituals and traditions that are cultural whereby the members of an â€Å"ethnic, religious, national, or racial community,† engage in some norms that would bring out their customary heritage. These rituals or traditions could include customary practices, religious celebrations and national holidays among others that are passed on from one generation to another. â€Å"Bon-Odori,† is simply a Japanese ritual event in which a dance (Odori) is held during Obon. Conversing with a friend I met over the festival, I realized that although there were a couple of reasons that the Japanese uphold in celebrating this festival, the prime cause for celebrating this festival was to receive spirits and send them off again. It is however worth noting that the religious aspect of the event has been mostly lost (Hori, Ichiro & Kitagawa 138). Therefore in the present days, the dance is usually held as an episode that will liven up the summer festivals. The festival was set to begin as from around noon, running all the way to around 10 o’clock at night. This family friendly event featured the performances from various Japanese and international musicians and artists such as Bay Area’s leading performers in taiko, martial arts, koto and many others that created maximum entertainment throughout the festival. In addition, complimenting all the music and dancing, was a collection of Japanese and Chinese traditional delicacies, which served as an ultimate ingredient to a precisely successful musical and cultural event. The day’s weather in San Francisco seemed to be in