Ted Bundy Research Paper Example

Ted Bundy Paper A personality disorder is another cause of the career criminal. People with personality disorders are often involved in repeated episodes of disruptive or difficult behavior. Others often consider these people overbearing, dramatic, or even obnoxious (AGS). Ted Bundy is a narcissistic and a sociopath. Ted Bundy could be considered narcissist. He exposes a few of the Narcissistic diagnostic features in his personality. These features are as follows: Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, need for admiration, extreme self-involvement, and lack of empathy for others. Individuals with this disorder are usually arrogantly self-assured and confident. They expect to be noticed as superior. Many highly successful individuals might be considered narcissistic. However, this disorder is only diagnosed when these behaviors become persistent and very disabling or distressing. (Long). After Stephanie Brooks left Ted Bundy when she graduated, he showed a number of these disorder features. He shows a lot of self-importance when he goes back to University of Washington and throws himself into his studies to get outstanding grades. He also shows a need for admiration by getting himself into the upper rings of society by becoming a campaigner. We will write a custom essay sample on Ted Bundy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ted Bundy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ted Bundy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He also shows features of an extended definition by another source that describes a narcissistic behavior as A pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with ones self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of ones gratification, dominance and ambition (Ratzlaff). Not only did his modus operandi, he also shows his obsession in other ways. All of his victims share the basic same traits. They all were between the age of 17 and 26 and were from middle class families. Most were attending college or a university. And almost all of the women were brunettes with their hair parted down the middle. All of the women were attractive and had an average weight between 100 and 140 pounds. This was basically a vague description of Stephanie Brooks. Later he won her back and made her believe that he was going to marry her and just like she broke it off he broke it off. He shows some features of a sociopathic person. Some of the features that are associated with sociopathic behavior are Sense of entitlement; Unremorseful; Apathetic to others; Unconscionable behavior; Blameful of others; Manipulative and conning; Affectively cold; Disparate understanding; Socially irresponsible; Disregardful of obligations; Nonconforming to norms; Irresponsible (Kelly). Ted felt a sense of entitlement. He always felt that he should have had Stephanie Brooks. Ted even felt a sense of entitlement while he was in jail. He always complained about only have 2 meals instead of 3 meals a day. Ted was very manipulative not only when he murdered and raped those women; he was also very manipulative in his personal life. He was always manipulating people for money, sex, or whatever hey wanted. Ted also did not conform to norms. Ted was always a wonderer. He would leave for days at a time and drive through different states on just a whim. There are three features that can define a career criminal. The past criminality predicts future criminality, the earlier the onset of the criminal behavior, the better predictor of future criminal behavior, and for the high rate of criminality, there are usually drugs or alcohol involved. Ted Bundy is a narcissistic and a sociopath and he had some criminal behavior at a young age. By his own account in the interview with Dr. James Dobson he had looked at pornographic material when he was younger. And this started his fantasy about doing these sexual acts toward women. By obtaining these pornographic materials would be considered a status offense because if any person above the age of 18 had these materials it would not be criminal. Bundy also stole skis and equipment and forged ski-lift tickets to support his love of skiing. The next feature is that the Earlier the onset of this criminal activity, the better predictor of the onset of future criminal behavior. Number of early first experiences of problem behaviors was linearly associated with increased frequency of delinquency among the predominantly White and middle-class high school students (Mason). Before Ted was even out of high school, Bundy was a compulsive thief, a shoplifter, and on his way to becoming an amateur criminal. Also, it is believed that he acted out his fantasy, that he developed watching these pornographic materials, at the early age of 14. During this time he was a paperboy and an eight year old Ann Marie Burr went missing in the middle of the night and her body has never been recovered. There is often alcohol or drugs involved. Bundy often used alcohol before the commission of his crimes. Ofenders had used either alcohol alone or alcohol with other drugs in approximately 37 percent of violent victimizations in which victims were able to describe substance use by the offenders(Greenfeld). He admitted in his interview with Dr. James Dobson that he used alcohol before the vicious acts against these women. He said that it would lower his inhibition and it made it easier to commit these crimes. It was a cutoff for Ted Bundy when he would drink the alcohol. He would just say screw it and drink the alcohol which would lower his inhibition and would make it easier to commit the acts. This is evident when Carol DaRonch stated that she had smelt alcohol on his breath when he tried to kidnap her. There are a few occasions where Bundy and a Criminal Justice agency intrude. One intervention is where is arrested and brought to trial the first time for the abduction of Carol DaRonch. During this trial Ted was very confidant that they would not find him guilty of the crime. He was so confident that he represented himself in the trial. He thought that they would never be able to be convicted. Another intervention is when he was pulled over in Florida with the stolen Volts Wagon. He ended up wrestling with the officer and was eventually subdued by the officer. When he was place in the vehicle Ted said that he wished the officer had killed him. The police had a hard time identifying him because all the identification he has was stolen. The Criminal Justice agencies handled Ted Bundy very well. Even though he escaped twice they still handled him very well. They did not stomp all over his rights even though he was being held over for trial for horrible things and the fact that he was an escape risk. The court responded to every request that Ted had with a great deal of fairness. He was given access to the law library when he was defending himself. Also, he was given access to a phone to make long distance phone calls, which other inmates were not allowed to do. When he was arrested for the final time the officer had to fight with Bundy in order to get him under control. The officer showed a lot of poise by not using more force than what was necessary. Some officers might have used more force than that to subdue the subject.

The Geology of Bricks

The Geology of Bricks The common brick is one of our greatest inventions, an artificial stone. Brickmaking transforms low-strength mud into strong materials that can endure for centuries when properly cared for. Clay Bricks The main ingredient of bricks is clay, a group of surface minerals that arise from the weathering of igneous rocks. By itself, clay is not useless- making bricks of plain clay and drying them in the sun makes a sturdy building stone. Having some sand in the mix helps keep these bricks from cracking. Sundried clay is little different from soft shale. Many of the most ancient buildings in the early Middle East were made of sun-dried bricks. These generally lasted about a generation before the bricks deteriorated from neglect, earthquakes or the weather. With old buildings melted into piles of clay, the ancient cities were periodically levelled and new cities built on top. Over the centuries these city mounds, called tells, grew to considerable size. Making sun-dried bricks with a little straw or dung helps bind the clay and yields the equally ancient product called adobe. Fired Bricks The ancient Persians and Assyrians made stronger bricks by roasting them in kilns. The process takes several days, raising the temperature above 1000 Â °C for a day or so, then cooling gradually. (This is much hotter than the mild roasting or calcination used to make top dressing for baseball fields.) The Romans advanced the technology, as they did with concrete and metallurgy, and spread fired brick to every part of their empire. Brickmaking has been basically the same ever since. Until the 19th century, every locality with a clay deposit built its own brickworks because transport was so expensive. With the rise of chemistry and the Industrial Revolution, bricks joined steel, glass and concrete as sophisticated building materials. Today brick is made in many formulations and colors for a variety of demanding structural and cosmetic applications. Chemistry of Brick Firing Over the period of firing, brick clay becomes a metamorphic rock. Clay minerals break down, release chemically bound water, and change into a mixture of two minerals, quartz and mullite. The quartz crystallizes very little in that time, remaining in a glassy state. The key mineral is mullite (3AlO3 Â · 2SiO2), a blended compound of silica and alumina that is quite rare in nature. It is named for its occurrence on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. Not only is mullite hard and tough, but it also grows in long, thin crystals that function like the straw in adobe, binding the mix in an interlocking grip. Iron is a lesser ingredient that oxidizes into hematite, accounting for the red color of most bricks. Other elements including sodium, calcium and potassium help the silica melt more easily- that is, they act as a flux. All of these are natural parts of many clay deposits. Is There Natural Brick? Earth is full of surprises- consider the natural nuclear reactors that once existed in Africa- but could it naturally produce true brick? There are two kinds of contact metamorphism to consider. First, what if very hot magma or erupted lava engulfed a body of dried clay in a way that allows the moisture to escape? I would give three reasons that rule this out: 1. Lavas are rarely as hot as 1100 Â °C.2. Lavas would cool quickly once they engulf surface rocks.3. Natural clays and buried shales are wet, which would draw even more heat from lava. The only igneous rock with enough energy to even have a chance to fire proper brick would be the superhot lava known as komatiite, thought to have reached 1600 Â °C. But the Earths interior has not reached that temperature since the Early Proterozoic Era more than 2 billion years ago. And at that time there was no oxygen in the air, making the chemistry even more unlikely. On the Isle of Mull, mullite appears in mudstones that have been baked in lava flows. (It also has been found in pseudotachylites, where friction on faults heats dry rock to melting.) These are probably a far cry from real brick, but you should go there yourself to make sure. Second, what if an actual fire could bake the right kind of sandy shale? In fact, that does happen in coal country. Forest fires can start coal beds burning, and once started these coal-seam fires may go on for centuries. Sure enough, shale overlying coal fires can turn into a red clinkery rock thats close enough to true brick. Unfortunately, this occurrence has become common as human-caused fires start in coal mines and culm piles. A significant fraction of global greenhouse-gas emissions arises from coal fires. Today we outdo nature in this obscure geochemical stunt.

Difference between Beneficence and Nonmaleficence with Examples Coursework

Difference between Beneficence and Nonmaleficence with Examples - Coursework Example In contrast, the aspect of nonmaleficence signifies refraining physicians to provide ineffective treatments to the patients. The concept of beneficence is recognized as a core value of healthcare ethics. Nevertheless, it is regarded as a principle of delivering proper healthcare services to the patients. Beneficence has the potentiality to provide enough support to the healthcare experts in the context of preventing the patients from any sort of harm. On the other hand, the principle of nonmaleficence is used as guidance for the physicians while treating the patients. At certain times, the beneficial therapy or beneficence can also provide harm to the patients and make them to face serious risks (Hsu, 2011). For instance, a nurse may encourage a patient to quit smoking and start an exercise program, which can be related to beneficence practice. On the other hand, a nurse may also make patients to stop consuming medicines that can be harmful for them in long run. This practice is related to nonmaleficence action (Hsu, 2011).

Identify design mechanism that (1) Engages the audience in the story, Essay

Identify design mechanism that (1) Engages the audience in the story, (2) Enhances a visual message, and (3) Provides any histor - Essay Example Conflict arises when the two characters fall madly in love with each other before knowing about their families’ long lived dispute. The two fights for their love and finds ways to be together despite all odds. The story ends in a tragic note when a misunderstanding of their plan of escape led to Romeo’s suicide, which then led to Juliet taking her own life too. Romeo and Juliet is said to be â€Å"a timeless love story that's been done again and again† (Jernigan). It is commonly presented in local and international theaters either as a traditional live performance or on the silver screen. Famous movie versions of the text include George Cukor’s version in 1936, Franco Zeffirelli’s version in 1968, and the most recent version was Baz Luhrmann’ version in 1996 starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes (Luhrmann). Shakespeare’s language is used in Luhrmann’s filmed version in an interesting, trendy, contemporary setting. The film features a composition of romance, action, violence, and music, executing a strong 90’s vibe.   Principles of design are concepts used to organize elements that make up a composition. It affects the expression of text content and the process of message communication (Jirousek). It is essential in film production and is interestingly applied in Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Principles of design include balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis and unity. The opening scene of the movie shows a vintage television news broadcast of a lady saying the famous lines; â€Å"Two households both alike in dignity in fair Verona where we lay our †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is the text’s prologue made into the movie introduction. These lines are repeatedly shown while an introduction of supporting characters and antagonists is being made. This design mechanism falls under the concept of emphasis, which is defined as a compositional device made to draw attention to specific details, b ecause that area is meant to be seen. Emphasis can also be considered a way of delivering of a text’s focal point (Moore). In the aforementioned prologue movie introduction scene, emphasis is made to deliver the message on how heavy the conflict is between Capulet and Montague. The repeated lines not only tell the story of the wrath between the families, but screenshots of the church, war, violence and chaos over the city tells how the wrath between the families affect the societies their living in. Moreover, big establishments, random sign boards, religious images and other related icons suggest the living age of where the story is set. These elements also reflect the current culture of the setting displayed, i.e. for example, the constant flashing of religious monuments, the crucifix inside the Montague’s limousine and the Tybalt of Capulet’s shirt all suggest the religious underlying context in the film, despite all the violence happening between the two part ies. This could also be seen as the director’s way of inflicting the original setting of which the text was made. A further discussion of this will be made in the latter part of this paper. In the opening scene, the rhythm of the whole movie is also presented. Moore describes rhythm as a principle of design which tackles a repetition of recurrent themes, like simply painting a pattern in which a beat is designed for a certain flow of storytelling to be achieved. The rhythm of the

Nuts and Bolts in Language Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nuts and Bolts in Language Learning - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the important part of teaching is students’ receptivity. Are all the students attentive to what is being taught? It is not possible to keep all the students engaged all the time. Nonetheless, if the content of the delivery or discussion generates curiosity, it is bound to keep the students riveted to the oration.As the study highlights  any experienced teacher of the English as a Second Language (ESL) will understand the importance of techniques, models or materials s/he has acquired in her/his arsenal by training, peer discussions, or personal observation. These are prized possessions and the reward for helping students successfully overcome the hazards in language learning.  Teaching of second language is altogether a different genre. One can teach the first language, science, mathematics, and social sciences since these basically involve concepts, illustrations and practical exercises, the common denominator being that the teacher a nd student share a common legacy of a known language. However, teaching second language requires different mettle where the teacher carries heavy responsibility in addressing not only a language but tradition and culture. For instance, an innocent word in one language may mean something grand or awful in the second language.  Textbooks, workbooks, and other study material are needed in ESL. Along with these, a dash of creativity goes a long way to make the students feel comfortable and capable of learning the language. Use of popular songs like Jack and Jill went up the hill, Twinkle twinkle little star, There is a hold in the bucket, dear Lisa, etc. is one effective way for ESL students to pick English words rapidly through rote actions. Ideally, to begin use a few four line rhymes to break the ice and set the ball rolling. Art and craft is another effective method of creatively teaching ESL. Interact with the students to select some 10-15 English proverbs and have each student write one of these artistically on thick paper sheets of different colors which could be pinned on notice boards or other prominent places as eye-catching posters. This technique could be gradually upgraded to picture reading where students are given pictures of gardens, small bridges serving as walk over between streamlets, etc. and encouraged to describe the scenery in say, 100 words. Teachers and study materials must

The Significance Of Mass Extinction Events Environmental Sciences Essay

The Significance Of Mass Extinction Events Environmental Sciences Essay There are two types of extinctions those that are at background levels and those that are characterised as mass extinctions. A mass extinction can be defined as a relatively rapid extinction of a geographically widespread and diverse group of organism. In the history of earth there have been about five major extinction events in the invertebrate record. These are known as the big five. They include the end Ordovician, late Devonian, end Permian, end Triassic and end Cretaceous. The end Permian was probably the most devastating extinctions, where 80-90% of marine species went extinct and on land there was major changes in plant assemblages (Futuyma 2009). A mass extinction is thought to occur due to the organisms failing to adapt to changes in the environment. Therefore a mass extinction can be seen as being selective. It can be trait selective where the cause of the mass extinction (extrinsic factor) is affecting a certain biological trait (intrinsic factors) of an organism or group of organisms, making it less or more prone to the mass extinction event. For example a plant will be more prone to a global warming event if it has narrow leaves preventing it from overheating. It can also be taxonomic selective, where a taxa is actively selected upon due to the cause of the mass extinction as maybe some taxonomic groups suffer more from the extinction then other groups, however taxonomic selectivity is minor with some exceptions such as the dinosaurs (Raup 1994). A mass extinction may also be geographical selective, acting on one or more parts of the world. Evolution significance A lot of study has been done on the causes of mass extinction events and less on the causes it may have in term of evolution (Erwin 2001). The extinction of a widespread species will require an environmental shock , either physical or biological, which the species has not previously encountered or is so rapid that adaption via natural selection or migration is prevented (Raup 1994). Survivors of the mass extinction are those that are maybe pre-adapted to the unexpected stress of the extinction. An example of one is described in (Raup 1986) where if there was ionising radiation, it would kill all mammals exposed but would have less of an effect on most insects and plants. This means that extinctions are highly selective but does not contribute to the general success a species has in terms of normal times. However if this was a reoccurring event caused by the same crisis each time, then the evolution of a mechanism to cope would form through natural selection (Raup 1986). Factors affecting survival The diversity we see today are the survivors of mass extinctions. There have been suggestions to what can cause one species to survive while others go extinct during a mass extinction event. One is the generalisation of the species. It is more likely that less specific species will cope better under the stress then more adapted, specific species. For example if a species is highly adapted and specific to a certain food type or restricted to a location due to having narrow environmental tolerances, it will be impacted on more harshly then an species that is maybe more geographically widespread (i.e. environmental generalists), being able to adapt or survive in different locations, or has a wide range of suitable food sources (Erwin 1998). However this also depends on how long the extinction goes on for. If it is prolonged then ecological specialists will be removed and generalists will most likely survive . Other factor to why a species might survive an event, could be due to its location at the time. Depending geographically where the species is located will determine it its survival , for example in the early Permian where max diversity at low latitudes, shifted to max diversity at middle to high latitudes by the late Triassic this is evidence of ice climate to a hot one (Rees 2002).This is because lower latitude taxa( in particular tropical ecosystems) might be under more pressure and at a higher risk of extinction then higher latitude taxa (Erwin 1998) during a global warming event. This is because a global warming event causes the tropical ever-wet biome to become narrower due to the expanding of precipitation globally. Body size may also play its role on survival. It was proposed that large body size (or long generation times) would suffer greater in extinctions(Erwin 2001). Large body size can be seen as a type of specialization by some(McKinney 1997) and has lead to the agreement that the effect body size on extinction is different between taxa. For example small body size of freshwater fish promotes extinctions because they are inefficient at dispersal. Large body size on the other hand has two patterns; one is between closely related species where large body size makes the species less likely to go extinct. This is because maybe larger body size will give that species greater competitive advantages and so become more abundant. The other patter is seen between distantly related taxa this time large body size increases the risk of extinction because of the liabilities of having such a large body. (McKinney 1997). In terms of evolution, the survivors body sizes are those that will propagate after the extinction, potentially affecting future species size diversity. Effect on Evolution It is evident that almost all of the species that have lived on Earth have died out (Newman et al 1994). The cause of this is extinction, and so it plays an important role in the evolution of life (Raup 1986). After any extinction event, be it mass or background, there will always be a loss of populations and species resulting in an overall decrease is diversity. However during recovery there is a repopulation event, after which species become available to new open niches for testing and adaption. This is different than usual gradual adaption, but none the less has contributed greatly to the diversity of life we have on earth today. The evolution of one species evolving to the new niche can cause not only the extinction of the ancestor but also cause a dominos effect, where a number of other species will evolve in conjunction as a result. This causes an avalanche effect thought the ecosystem (Newman et al 1994). Ecological significance Mass extinctions essentially reset the evolutionary clock, wiping the slate clean, they create new evolutionary opportunities and can even redirect the course of evolution (Erwin D 2001) (Futuyma 2009) but this consequentially affects the ecosystem, as both organisms and environment affect one another. Studies have shown that the mass extinction events are followed by a survival interval in which there is no diversification, followed by a recovery phase which has a rapid diversification phase- an interval of exponential growth (Erwin D 2001). When looking at the fossil record at the extinction horizon there is usually a gap in the sediments void of fossils, and above this a species poor assemblage of survivors (Erwin D1998). The survivors are often abundant and geographically widespread consisting of opportunistic taxa. Described below are two examples of such a case. Example 1: The Cretaceous-Tertiary( K-T) extinction which occurred 65mya was associated with an impact of a large bolide. In the sediments it was characterised by a layer consisting of iridium and shocked quarts succeeded by a bed rich in fern spores. From new-Zealand sediments there is evidence of fungal spores across the boundary. The fungal rich interval provides evidence for a survival period of opportunistic taxa. Post impact the humidity was most likely high while there was reduced solar luminosity caused by the increase in atmospheric sulphur aerosols and dust. This kind of environment would have favoured saprophytic life (along with the availability of dead plant matter) leading to the dominance for fungal species for a few years (Vajda et al 2004). The recovery phase usually ends with the reappearance of clades which would have appeared to have disappeared due to the mass extinction crisis (Erwin D 1998). Example 2: is during the end Permian mass extinction (caused by an environmental change due to flood basal volcanism as Pangaea was moving northward) , where there was an initial disappearance of conifers during the crisis with lycopsids and mosses becoming dominant in the survival phase. Lycopsids could survive the crisis because they were capable of surviving the harsh conditions and UV-B radiation caused by the increased release of volcanic substances (Visscher 2004). None the less, the dominance of lycopsids was not permanent and after the survival period conifers were dominating once again at the recovery phase. The plants in this time did not go extinct but rather, the gymnosperm died back while the lycopides became abundant but were able to make a comeback after the event. Interestingly is that mass extinction event at each of the boundaries is offset between fauna and flora(asynchronous), as they are both impacted differently both evolutionary and ecologically by mass extinction events. Plants It is clear that plants, unlike animals, rarely go extinct during a mass extinction but rather there is a change of dominance. Plants are unique to animals in that they are highly adapted to their environment, this is due to the fact that they are not mobile, and any movement for example through migration can take up to thousands of years. Owing to this they are linked and adapted supremely through their roots to the lithosphere and hydrosphere of the geosphere and via their aerial parts such as leaves, shoots and reproductive structures to the atmosphere. For this reason in all the mass extinction events we see hardly any extinction of plants and rather a turnover of dominance and this had two distinct effects on evolution and ecology. If the environmental change is slow plants can migrate however if the change is faster than the migration rate we see turnover, change in ecosystems and extinction. The Triassic -Jurassic mass extinction was the 3rd largest in the history of Earth and was caused most likely by flood basalt volcanism causing rises in CO 2 and consequently raising temperatures. There was a 30% extinction of marine generas, a massive disappearance of corals and reed organisms while on land we had 50% extinction of tetrapod species. However in contrast only one family of plants became extinct.- peltaspermaceae and instead we see a major turnover(95%) of fossil plants (McElwain et al 1999). By looking at presence absence data the full effect the crisis had on ecology would not be seen. For example in East Greenland, high diversity plants such as Podozamites and bennettites( Pterophyllum , Anomozamites) were replaced by the lower diversity Czekanowskia, Sphenobaiera and Todites in the Jurassic (McElwain et al 2007).The Triassic dominant plant here went from making up 75% of the relative abundance data of the plant community to less than 10% in the Jurassic (McElwain e t al 2007).This completely altered the ecology-the die back of dominant species can lead to available space and suitable conditions for other species. Animals Animals on the other hand are not as uniquely linked to their environment as plants are and so they are highly affected to environmental chance, even shift in the ecological change of plant can have detrimental exponential effects on the animals as plants are the bottom of the food chain effecting most higher taxa. Both marine and terrestrial extinction are however synchronic showing high levels of global extinction of higher taxonomic groups during the mass extinction event (McElwain et al 2007). Future events and conclusion How does the future or current extinction threatening us have an effect on the ecology and evolution of current species? So far human activity has been causing dramatic decreases in diversity and aiding in the change of climate and ultimately ecosystems. Proposed by (Myers et al 2001) is that this extinction will not only alter the biological diversity but also the evolutionary processes which diversity is generated. From the past mass extinctions we can understand that following it, there is re-diversification (or recovery) and ecological reorganization (approximately taking up to 5 million years (Erwin 2001)). The current crisis is estimated to have the following effects on evolution : 1) Due to fragmentation of species ranges, gene flow will be disturbed, 2) With population decline there will also be a decrease in gene pools 3) Addition of invasive species into new areas will cause founder effects ( as we are already seeing today) causing imbalanced ecological interactions, such as competition for space and predation ultimately disrupting food chains. This all contributed to the loss of biodiversity globally. Another concern is how this crisis will affect the recovery process. One concern is the depletion of the evolutionary powerhouse i.e. the tropics which is one of the key biomes on earth which is notorious for it explosions of evolutionary processes and life. This will be lost due to the increasing global warming and human activity. So far the tropics have become drier and an estimated 10-25% of rainforest species (5-10% of earth species diversity!) will be extinct in the next 30 years (Futuyma 2009). This decline could cause consequence to the re-diversification after the extinction crisis. It is clear that what will probably survive this extinction will most likely be species that are adapted to or can cope with human environments. More pressing is the effect of increasing of atmospheric CO2 and temperature levels. What kind of plants are likely to survive? How will this affect the food chain of other species, and indeed the final effect it will have on the human race? From the fossil record of the previous mass extinctions of global warming, leaves were shown to become more dissected to cope with the increasing temperatures. This is because an increased in atmospheric CO2 means less stomata required on the leafs surface but this also causes less transpiration leading to overheating of the leaves, a way to adapt to this is to have dissected leaves as those seen at the T-J boundary. Atmospheric CO2 levels on plants is thought to cause a secondary effects which include reduced water recycling in the environment such as precipitation and water runoff. Since the 1960s there has been an increase in global surface run off by about 30% and this can impact significantly on marine systems causing eutrophication (Gedney et al. 2006). In conclusion, it is evident the pass mass extinction cause dramatic changes in evolution, setting out new path and space for new forms of life and niches, but consequently this leads to ecological changes also. From the past mass extinctions, we can learn how the current crisis will take hold and maybe ways to prevent it. Currently it has been estimated that survivors of this extinction based on fossil records would be r-strategists and opportunist species leading to a pest-weed ecology (Myers et al 2001).

beyond beef :: essays research papers

Jeremy Rifkin’s book, Beyond Beef, is an indictment against the cattle culture that has come to shape our world. America’s obsession with beef has led to increased hunger, disease and environmental destruction. Rifkin, without a doubt, is anti beef and with painstaking verisimilitude attempts to shed light on the horrific conditions which are brought about by the entire industry. Furthermore, his book is somewhat of a continuity of Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle, the first attempt made at exposing the exploitations of the meat slaughtering industry. Ironically and rather unfortunately, the present situation is that while the poor nations of the world are starving their own populations to produce and export beef, the rich, who are able to afford beef, are dying from diseases. Rifkin has several chapters dedicated to the host of illnesses those beef eating individuals are susceptible to. The titles include, â€Å"Sacrifice to Slaughter,† "Cows Devour People, â€Å"and "Marbled Specks of Death." One point he makes is that because of the widespread use of antibiotics among the cattle industry, the â€Å"human population is increasingly vulnerable to mor virulent strains of disease-causing bacteria† (12). Rifkin further attests that beef, but ranks second as the food posing the greatest cancer risk. The reason is simple: beef is the most dangerous food for herbicide contamination and ranks third in insecticide contamination. Eighty percent of all herbicides in the United States are sprayed on corn a nd soybeans which are used primarily as feed for cattle and other livestock. When consumed by the animals, the pesticides accumulate in their bodies. The pesticides are then passed along to the consumer in the finished cuts of beef. Large feedlots have other sources of potential chemical contamination in beef including use of â€Å"industrial sewage and oils in feedlot mixtures and aerial spraying of insecticides on feedlot cattle† (13). Furthermore, Rifkin indicts the human civilization and sheds light into the barbarous actions of men in the early development of the cattle culture. One of the most effective is in the chapter, "The Great Bovine Switch," an expose of the atrocities committed by the United States Army and cattlemen. Rifkin states that the cattle culture was responsible for the demise of many Indians, When we get rid of all the Indians and buffalo, the cattle... Will fill this country...These men [the buffalo hunters] have done...more to settle the vexed Indian question than the entire regular army has done in the last thirty years.

Employment Law Compliance Essay

Our client, Bradley Stonefield, is planning to open a limousine service, Landslide Limousines, in the Austin, Texas area. Mr. Stonefield plans to hire approximately twenty-five people to provide first class transportation to a variety of clientele. Before Mr. Stonefield begins hiring it is imperative that he has an understanding of applicable employment laws. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) is a well-known and widely used federal anti-discrimination law (LaMance, n. d. ). Title VII make it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone based on their race, religion, national origin or sex (U. S. EEOC, 2014). The Act also made it illegal for employers to retaliate against a person who files a complaint of discrimination or participates in a discrimination investigation (U. S. EEOC, 2014). An employer who violates Title VII may find themselves subjected to a number of legal consequences such as having to pay large sums for damages and being required to readjust the company’s policies (LaMance, n. d. ). To avoid violating Title VII Mr. Stonefield and his managers should treat all employees and applicants equally without regard to any characteristics except job performance (HR Specialist, 2013). The Texas Payday Law covers all business entities in the state of Texas, regardless of size except public employers such as the state or federal government (TWC, 2013). This law gives the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) the authority to enforce wage laws and investigate wage claims (TWC, 2013). Texas Payday Law covers compensation for services rendered, commissions and bonuses, and certain other fringe benefits according to a written agreement with or policy of the employer (TWC, 2013). The law states that employers must pay employees for all hours worked and these wages must be received by the employee no later than payday (TWC, 2013). If the employer lays off, discharges or fires an employee they must pay all wages owed to that employee within six calendar days of the date of separation (TWC, 2013). If an employee voluntarily quits or retires their final payment of wages is due to them on the payday following the date of separation (TWC, 2013). If an employer violates the Texas Payday Law they may be fined the lesser of the wages claimed or $1,000 (TWC, 2013). To avoid violating this law Mr. Stonefield should make sure that employees are paid for all hours worked and that all wages due are paid to employees on time. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act applies to all employers that employ twenty or more employees (U. S. EEOC, 2008). The Act states that it is â€Å"unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his or her age with respect to any term, condition or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments and training† (U. S. EEOC, 2008). Violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act can cause the business to incur legal liability and require payment of large monetary judgments (Mayfair, n. d. ). Mr. Stonefield and his managers can avoid violating this Act by never taking a person’s age or proximity to retirement into consideration when making decisions about hiring, firing, pay, benefits or promotions (HR Specialist, 2013). The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 prohibits an employer from knowingly hire, recruit or refer for pay any person who is unauthorized to work in the United States (Boston University, n. d. ). If an employer violates this law they can be fined from $100 to $1,000 and the fine is not just for the employer but also for each employee working for them illegally (Boston University, n. d. ). There is also the possibility of imprisonment for employers that are deemed to show a pattern of violating this Act (Boston University, n. d. ). To avoid violating the Immigration Reform and Control Act Mr. Stonefield must verify the identity and employment eligibility of each employee he hires. He must complete and retain a complete INS Form I-9 documenting this verification (Boston University, n. d. ). Conclusion It is important that Mr. Stonefield and his management team understand that labor laws were passed in order to provide protection for both employees and employers. That is why the government puts so much emphasis on making sure organizations take them seriously by enforcing the laws with strict consequences for noncompliance. Staying in compliance with these laws is not only important to avoid legal penalties but will also protect the business from gaining a negative public image that can be extremely damaging to their bottom line.

Erich Maria Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front essays

Erich Maria Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front essays The famous novel All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque relates the terrible experience of the First World War, its disasters and cruelty, from the perspective of a nineteen year old soldier, called Paul Bamer, who fights on the front accompanied by his former schoolmates. The war is described in all its absurdity, as a crashing experience for a human being and the very title of the novel speaks about the most terrible aspect of the war- human life itself is the target of the war and thus, it becomes meaningless. The death and the lives of the thousands of people that fight in the war are unimportant in the face of the political conflict. The war is seen as a trespassing against human condition itself because the experience is unendurable and devastating for all of its participants. Almost all the characters of novel whom we become acquainted with die, but death is not the only absurdity of the war. First of all, as the characters discuss it themselves the war is absurd as a strategy for resolving a political conflict, since the people that actually die on the front in the savage experience are, for their most part, ordinary people that do not have the chance to give their opinion or take part in the conflict, and also because of fact that the war is usually the absurd and exaggerated result of a misunderstanding caused by the different politics of two nations, of which neither is completely right: Apart from its absurd causes the war has even more absurd consequences on the lives of all those involved. As the terrible experiences of Paul and his comrades are presented, all the friends of Paul, and at the end he himself die, but this is not the only consequence. The novel is intentionally related from the subjective point of view of one character, instead of merely presenting objectively the series of deaths and slaughters that take place on the western front. Seeing through the eyes of Paul we ...

Chinese film review essays

Chinese film review essays The most exciting event in contemporary Chinese cinema was the emergence of the Fifth Generation filmmakers in the early 1980s. These young filmmakers, who graduated from Beijing Film Academy when it reopened after the Cultural Revolution, were given the opportunity to make films at minor studios in the interiors of China. They immediately set themselves the task of modernizing Chinese cinema. Reinforced by a number of middle-aged filmmakers, they helped create what is now generally known as the Chinese new Wave, a cinema noted for its artistic inventiveness, its reappropriation of the rich culture heritage of the nation and eagerness to deal with social issues (www.usc.edu/isd/archives/asianfilm/china/newcinema.html). It is not my purpose here to offer a comprehensive review of the Fifth generation and the role they have played in shaping the course of Chinese cinema. The following notes constitute an attempt to understand them and to identify historical perspectives as well as cult ural perspective through a formal feature of the films e.g. thematic concerns, techniques, symbols, and the characters in the film. Among Chinese cinemas, there are The Family, Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, and Yellow earth that can be good examples. I shall therefore examine four movies which are The Family, Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, and Yellow earth respectively through all aspects as stated. The Family is considered as a classic work which is well-illustrated about the conflict between the old generation and the young generation in the family. Moreover, this film is associated with the May Fourth Movement which can be understood to encompass the year between 1917 and 1921 (www.orpheus.ucsd.edu). The novel which it was based on was written by an active participant of the movement. For the first illustration, movie depicts patriarchal-structured family. The head of the family is an old man named master Kao, he holds tightly...

The Relationship between Culture and Technology Research Paper

The Relationship between Culture and Technology - Research Paper Example The topic is based on the development and forms of old media which indicates the technological development in the old era. This will be compared with the temporary social network technologies such as the Facebook. This will be developed with the intention to observe the technological development along the time and the cultural change relied on the technological development. Furthermore, this paper will provide the understanding of cultural changes such as what individual’s daily life changes along with the technological development. This will examine the individual’s lifestyle in today’s world and what has changed and their relations with technologies. Thus, this current study will summarize the media development and the relationship between technological and cultural change. Overall, this present study is based on the relationship between old and new media technologies and their associated cultural practices. According to Mesch (2009), new media shapes many ways to communicate and interact with each other. It is identified that interactivity is considered as central to new media which include letters to the editor, radio and television talk shows, computer and technological programme and listener participation in such programs. In accordance of Pinchot, Paullet, and Rota (2010), it is identified that old media interactivity was less as radios, television and newspapers did not measure the preferences and opinions of people as communication was considered as conversation. Grossman (2008) argues that people were provided what the media idea and thought is right for them but in today’s world, the interactivity degree has enhanced that does not necessarily mean. This means that every media has few interactivity components or elements which mostly do as it is examined by computers which can converse back these days.

Resisting Disability Epithets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Resisting Disability Epithets - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that the organization, Hermit Life and Auto, could be deduced to offer insurance services (both life and automobiles) to various clients across the United States. Its communication culture manifests an abundance of expressing disability slur or disability epithet, defined as â€Å"an abusive or contemptuous word or phrase†¦commonly used as a simple synonym for a term of abuse or slur†, with frequent references to words such as â€Å"spazzos† and â€Å"retards† within their communication patterns. The main party involved in Stacey, who is disturbed by the communication culture, particularly due to her being â€Å"the mother of a child with an intellectual disability†. She felt that by being tolerant of other personnel’s constant disregard for respectful and irresponsible use of disability epithet, the communication culture would be construed as an unprofessional representation of the high quality of services they are expec ted to offer to diverse clients â€Å"regardless of race, religion, political or cultural differences, sexual orientation, or mental and /or physical disability†. In this regard, a letter was drafted and written by Stacey with the aim of presenting the issues to her colleagues to ultimately put a stop to the use of disability epithet within the communication culture in the organization.