Reaction Paper in the Movie Jose Rizal

The movie tells the life story of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. A three-hour epic on the life and struggles of his poet and patriotisms. It covers his life fromhis childhood to his execution at the hands of the Spanish forces occupying thePhilippines in the late 19th century. We are also thrown into the world of Rizal's novels (filmed in black and white), so we get a glimpse of how he viewed Filipino society under the Spanish heal. The film also through a series of flashback showing Rizal as a genius, a writer, a doctor, an artist, a lover, a friend, a brother and a son, thus giving a rich texture of Rizal’s character.The movie introduces us to the life of subjugation of the Filipino people under the rule of the Spanish friars. From the execution of three Filipino priests in 1872 for alleged subversion to the harsh and unequal treatment of Filipino students in the schools, this film is a stinging indictment of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. I als o commend the film for its bravery in showing the evil tyranny of the Catholic Church during that time. Considering that the Philippines is a Catholic nation that is like butchering a sacred cow but alas, Abaya works her magic in depicting the suffering of the Filipinos because of the friars.This is by far the best Filipino movie that I have seen so far. I would urge anyone reading this who likes movies, to either rent it or buy it. I particularly love the last scene of the film when Rizal fell in the ground facing the sky, having his last breath looking at a beautiful sunrise- a metaphor depicting that Rizal did not die in vain. He did not die for nothing. He did not die defeated. Rather he died victorious because his death is the torch that lights Philippine independence, that ignites Philippine RevolutionOne of the strengths of Jose Rizal is the incorporation of the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in the life of Rizal and of the Filipinos in general. This only shows that the two books are reflections of the lives of the Filipinos during the Spanish regime. But the thought and noble ideas of the book do not only live in the past but also in the present manifesting the universality and immortality of Rizal's ideas. The beautiful transition of Rizal's time and the setting of the two novels is really impressive.

Dining Feature

It was an intelligent idea to go against conformity, and Open this kind Of restaurant – not a Korean dining place. Singling is a slang term for Singapore and Western (English). Its menu holds Asian cuisines that are not commonly around the metro and Western delicacies which the Filipinos are quite used to. The restaurant had a unique attack on food; it is the first to introduce Singapore dishes in the streets of Marking, and mind you, its menu is usually the mall-worthy and overpriced type of menu, but hey, they offer food at a very reasonable price.Walking along Lilac street, a residential and dining road in Barraging Conception Dos in Marking, it is quite noticeable that Singling Cafe is a newly opened cafe because for those who know the place, the stall they are now occupying has long been vacant, and with long, I meant really really long. Another is when you look from the outside, their accent of red and black details over light brown wooden furniture looks unique compared to the other 3 restaurants beside it. Entering the empty restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, what greeted me was an edgy and laid back interior design.All pieces of furniture are wooden, a few chairs and the frame of a huge mirror are wooden but are colored red. Their menu is along the counter and also on top of all tables. They also have a chalkboard menu that holds the drinks they have. I took a seat on the left side of the diner just across their gigantic mirror with red wooden frame. At my back is a wooden wall with white small frames with photos of food that they offer. The menu on the table is only printed in bond paper, but a clipboard holds it and makes it a little more presentable.I decided to order 4 dishes, ND below are my reviews on the four: MME Green (PH 168. 00) – The first dish that arrived is the MME Green, a Singapore dish. The dish looks kind of orange with noticeable bite-sized chicken, and it had a green accent because of the cabbages which are crunchy â⠂¬â€œ fresh, indeed! It came out with a strong seafood and spicy smell, but when once tasted it, it turned out not too spicy and not too neutral. It is spiced just right. You can easily water down the spiciness. No wonder that the noodles are quite firm because they are fried yellow noodles.I was just mind of confused looking for shrimps and seafood pieces, but there were not any. I, then, wondered where the strong seafood smell might come from. The dish was so oriental because of the spices incorporated in it. Juicy Lucy Burger (PH 198. 00) – This dish is the shish in Singling. This burger is their best-selling Western dish. The burger bun was presented in a unique way. It was like joint panels formed like a flower. Outside the burger were cabbage strips, a tomato slice and a cucumber slice topped with Thousand Islands dressing.These vegetables were also in the burger, but the tomato ND the cucumber were doubled, and instead of cabbage strips, the burger had a whole crunchy cabbage leaf. The vegetables and the % pound beef patty are drizzled with mustard. The patty looks ordinary, but once you begin eating it, little by little you can notice the melted cheese inside it. It is not a usual patty, I swear, it was spicy and cheesy at the same time. The cheese compliments the spiciness of the patty (with spiciness I meant full of spices). Braised Pork Belly with Steamed Rice (PH 188. 0) – The Braised pork belly and the Rice were served separately. The dish looked plainly presented with pork Cuts, brown sauce and spring onions that added a green accent to it. Its sauce is brownish and smooth. It is quite salty and resembles the taste of Showing's Sad Sauce. The pork was still quite tough making it hard to chew. The rice goes well with the dish because it helps lessen the saltiness of the sauce. However, it is disgusting that I have already swallowed the rice yet the pork stayed in my mouth because it was difficult to chew. Cereal Shrimp (PH 298. 0) -? Looking through the menu, this dish struck me cause I have not yet tried Shrimps with Cereals. The dish was served with 3 Fried shrimps and a significant amount of oats as topping. With the oats almost overwhelming the shrimps, the dish was significantly color light brown with orange and green touches because of the shrimps and the curry leaves respectively. Began peeling the shrimps and noticed that it looks well-cooked even from the outside, and I just verified it when I tasted it. It tasted like plain shrimp until I tried it with the oats. It tasted buttery, and the oats were crunchy.

Rating Systems for Films Essay

Movies have been around since the 1890’s for entertainment, artistic brilliance, enlightenment and historical record. During that time period parents would take their children to the movies they thought were rated PG but found content in the films to adult for their children’s eyes and were outraged. Then later on different religious groups started protesting cinemas due to their explicit content full of sex and violence. So avoid censorship picture producers had to form their own rating guidelines. Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America In the early 1920’s filmmakers began to realize that the clean movies they were producing no longer interested America so they began adding more sex and violence into their movies. In 1922, the presidents from major motion picture studios which were Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer, Jesse Lasky and Joseph Schenck made the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America to stop censorship from the government, rating and safeguarding the movies that were made. The portrayal of sex and violence in cinema began to threaten the morality in America, in the 1930’s Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America made a strict set of guidelines called the Production Code, which followed movie content for two decades (Doherty). â€Å"The Production Code stayed in place and was reasonably effective for the next 30 years or so until it was replaced by the rating system we have today†. (Censorship in Hollywood) Moviemakers had to tailor their films to fit the requirements of the production code or have their movie banned from being played. Since the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America wanted to self-censor all movies that were made, they had to submit all movies made for approval before they were distributed. In 1945, the creator of The Production Code, William hays was succeeded from the role of president by Eric Johnson. During Johnson Presidency he â€Å"added to his mission the promotion of American films, which were gaining in popularity overseas in the post-World War II era.†(MPPA) Later Johnsons changed the organization to â€Å"The Motion Picture Association of America.† Then when Johnson died the MPPA’s presidency was empty for about three years. In the late 1960’s cinema  started to change. New types of filmmaking and filmmakers from different countries started to take place in America. Since America started expanding the society’s freedom and the way of life, the MPPA’s strict self-regulation censorship wouldn’t last. In 1966, Jack Valenti was named MPAA President and many revisions were made to the Hays Code since America was changing social mores. Jack Valenti â€Å"founded the voluntary film rating system giving creative and artistic freedoms to filmmakers while fulfilling its core purpose of informing parents about the content of films so they can determine what movies are appropriate for their kids.†(MPPA) Now the MPPA gets the help of multiple parents to see which content fits in each category. What each rating means Each movie is rated and put into one of the five different categories depending on what content is being portrayed in each different film. Films are even sometimes labeled under the â€Å"Not yet Rated† category because the MPPA has yet to rate the film. â€Å"G- General Audiences. All Ages Admitted† means it contains no type of language, nudity, sex, violence or anything that would offend parents of young children. â€Å"PG — Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children.† Means that it should be looked over and approved by parents before letting their children attend. There may be some content with brief profanity, violence and or nudity. There’s no drug use and minimal themes call for parent supervision. â€Å"PG-13 — Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.† Means parents should determine whether or not their children under 13 should view this movie. There may be violence but not realistic. Minimal language and drug use and there may be brief nudity but nothing sexual. â€Å"A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category†(MPPA) â€Å"R — Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.† Means it may include adult themes, language, intense violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse and other graphic content. Children under than 17 not allowed and parents are advised not to bring their children. â€Å"NC-17 — No One 17 and Under Admitted.† Means no one under 17 admitted. Parents consider this movie to adult like. The content is only  appropriate for adult audience. Studies from Harvard University of health show that the MPPA allows more violent and explicit content then they have before, saying that â€Å"movie raters have grown more lenient in their standards.† (Waxman) The study shows that MPPA ratings have vague and confusing descriptions on what content is actually showing. Some of the ratings depending on content still haven’t changed â€Å"a movie rated PG or PG-13 today has more sexual or violent content than a similarly rated movie in the past.† (Waxman) Movie ratings changed depending on what society views as acceptable content in each rating. For example, â€Å"Disney’s 1994 movie †The Santa Clause† was rated PG, while the 2002 sequel, †The Santa Clause 2,† which had comparable content, was rated G. (Waxman) Rich Taylor, a spokesman from the MPPA says that â€Å"the standards for judging acceptable depictions of sex and violence in American society were constantly changing, and that it would not be surprising if that changed for movie ratings as well.†(Waxman) Overall the rating system was made to avoid censorship from the government and for the MPPA to have freedom to rate their movies. If it wasn’t for the outraged parents and all the protesting against cinema the rating system might not have been the same. Though the current rating system today allows more sex and violence into PG and PG-13 movies it’s only based on the judging system from society. â€Å"Motion Pictures and Their Impact on Society in the Year 2001.† MIDCONTINENT PERSPECTIVES: Midwest Research Institute Kansas City, Missouri. April 25, 1978. Web. December 9th 2012 The Numbers Guy. â€Å"Let’s Rate the Ranking Systems of Film Reviews† Wall Street Journal. January (2009) Web. December 9th 2012 Tickle, Jennifer, etal. â€Å"Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Risk Behaviors in Film: How Well Do MPAA Ratings Distinguish Content?† December, 1 2011. Web. December 10th 2012 Waxman, Sharon. â€Å"Study Finds Film Ratings Are Growing More Lenient† NY Times. Web July 14th 2004 December 9th 2012 Wilson, Barbara J. â€Å"What’s Wrong with the Ratings† 2002. Web. December 13th 2012

Robbery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Robbery - Essay Example This is even though both theories profess to be ones that posit their assumptions based on the criminal event - human ecology. The study ends with advice on how the inclusion of all people from all walks of life can enable a successful precautionary as well as preventive approach to crime as a whole and robbery in particular. Though some very elaborate theories are often proposed to explain robberies in the negative contexts of mental health and social problems the main and very down-to-earth explanations come from the perpetrators themselves - money, thrills, drugs and peer influences. These reasons, some of them quite trifling, are the principal propellants that induce persons to attempt to take by force things of some value from other persons. As representative of overall international demographical trends Canadian statistics reveal that robbery is almost the exclusive preserve of the young male. In Canada just 5 % of those accused of robbery are female, about two-thirds of those accused are below 25 and almost no accused is above 50. Also, approximately 16 % of those accused are young offenders (Research Division, Correctional Service of Canada, 1995). Though the derived statistics is slightly dated study of recent literature reveals that the trends persist to the present day for most countries, incl uding the USA. Another alarming trend revealed by statistics for robbery is that it is the crime most feared by victims. This is even though is constitutes about 10 % of all violent crimes committed in Canada (Research Division, Correctional Service of Canada, 1995). This is because robbery involves a high probability of suffering physical harm from a total stranger and it can happen to anyone anywhere, at any time. Robbery offenders are also more likely to use weapons than other offenders. About one quarter of robberies involve usage of fire-arms, one quarter involves usage of other weapons like clubs and knives and one half involves usage or threat of some sort of physical force. Also, what is alarmingly important, from the victims' point of view, is that almost one quarter of robbery victims in Canada sustained some sort of minor physical injury with about 4 % being treated medically either at the scene of the crime or at a medical facility after transportation there from the scene of crime (Res earch Division, Correctional Service of Canada, 1995). Another good indicator of the seriousness of the crime is that almost 80 % of offenders accused of robberies are incarcerated while, for offenders of other crimes convicted at Canadian federal courts during the same period, the figure is only 23 %. Statistics for those sentenced for two years or more in prison reveal that 20 % are there for robbery offenses. A December 31, 1994, survey revealed that almost one third of all federal offenders were identified as robbery ones (Research Division, Correctional Service of Canada, 1995). As mentioned earlier the statistic is slightly old but not much has

Reading and writing skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading and writing skills - Essay Example The audience also influences the tone of the piece of writing, for instance when I am writing an email to a friend, I will assume a friendly tone, full of jokes unlike when I was writing to a prospective manager of a given company. Furthermore, the writing format will be different as in one will be official while the other one will be formal. After taking care of the interest of the audience, I would make an outline for the piece of writing. This will be important especially when the piece is a long one, notably it will help in reducing the task to a manageable piece of writing. Similarly writing has to involve the interest, actions and the attention of the readers. In doing this I try as much as possible to arouse the interest of the readers as much as possible. For instance, I will include jokes in the writing. Theme of writing of the story is another thing that puts most of the writers off the track. It is important that the writer develop a coherent and an interesting theme so that the audience or the assigner eliminates informed attitudes toward the message in question. On the same note, it is important that the writer maintain the use of a simple language taking keen interest of the plights of his audience. The purpose of writing a piece of art is primarily to communicate with the audience (Jones& Jay, 65). However, the way in which we do the communication is important as it reflects the intention of the communicator. The writer must first of all convince the instructor that he understands the theme he is writing about. This goes along side with the originality and creativity in writing. Moreover, development of the plots is another element that helps in achieving the beauty values in writing. A good writer should always aim at being original in his or her work and, free from plagiarism. However, in an event where he chooses to quote another authors work the he has to acknowledge that author.

The marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children Essay

The marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children. Setting the research agenda - Essay Example 182-84). In that context, four issues in marketing that need more research to help correct where the problem is and save the children from childhood conditions arise, which include: This paper analyses the article on the basis of the four issues, which includes supporting the available evidences. According to Hastings (2003), in the UK, children are exposed to widespread advertising, and the advertised diet does not meet health standards recommended by healthcare experts (p. 5). In the same perspective, a study by Kelly, Baur, Bauman, King, Chapman, and Smith (2011) noted that sport sponsorship by food firms is extensive and investment of the industry in this marketing is enhanced. Companies in this group include KFC, and McDonalds amongst others. According to Hastings, McDermott, Angus, Stead and Thomas (2006), corporate sponsorship of organizations and events represents a kind of food and beverage where children are highly exposed. According to IEG sponsorship report (2010), sponsorship represents the fastest expanding kinds of marketing with industry spending on the entire sponsorship promotions augmenting by 22% from 2007 to a worldwide value of US$46.3 bil lion. It further indicates that this growth in spending on sponsorship surpasses that of other sales and advertising promotions. Kelly and colleagues (2006) sought to explain why children are very exposed and found in the study by Story and French (2004) that children are Key stakeholders in their parents’ choices. Story and French (2004) found that children are seen by the food industry as a pivotal market sector, as they influence their own purchases and their parents. According to them, developing brand loyalty at that young stage of life also looks for guaranteeing lifelong product purchases. Therefore, it is necessary for the food and beverage companies to advertise to children as they are Key stakeholders. However,

Symbolism or Theme of the Story of Peter Pan Research Paper

Symbolism or Theme of the Story of Peter Pan - Research Paper Example The essay hereby aims to discuss the various symbolisms used in the story: ranging from the shadow, the manifestation of illusion, the kiss, acorn, crocodile, ticking clock and childhood. There are diverse forms of symbolism in the story. There is initially the shadow – the cause of Peter Pan’s sadness in trying to catch it and to have it reunited to himself. The shadow has been known to symbolize mystery and it cannot be seen without a form of illumination. It could also be interpreted as an alter ego: something integral to oneself that could exemplify characteristics and traits that parallel exactly one’s identity; but when viewed more closely, from an illumined wall or blank space, it could reflect an exact opposite of oneself. For Peter Pan, the shadow could symbolize escaping from fantasy into reality: from a magical world at Neverland, to the real world where children grow old. As such, Peter Pan’s sadness of losing it and trying to catch it manifest s his desire to remain eternally young and to live forever in a land of adventure and magic. By Wendy’s being able to catch it and tie it to Peter Pan by sewing the shadow to him, Wendy established a strong bond of attachment which assisted in regaining Peter Pan’s embodiment of freedom, youth, vitality, and carefreeness. Another symbolism was Peter Pan’s indication that he should not be touched. It indicates that Peter Pan was elusive and seems like just an illusion to many. As emphasized by Bjornsdottir, â€Å"not being able to touch him is a confirmation that he is an idea or concept and does not really exist† (12). This symbolism was also stressed in the message that indicates adults could not see him, as cited: â€Å"In his author’s comments he writes: â€Å"You can’t see Peter if you are old. They think he is a draught at the corner† (5.2 151). The comment refers to the people in the street who are too old to see Peter as he ho vers above it at Wendy’s window† (Bjornsdottir 14). The symbol of illusion persisted throughout the story as indicative of Peter Pan’s supposed magical persona which the author could have intended to remain the ultimate mystery in the main character’s identity: fleeting, elusive, dreamlike. Furthermore, there is symbolism in the kiss that was supposedly given to Wendy. According to Linwood, â€Å"the kiss represents not only Wendy's affection for Peter and her maturity beyond his, but also her compassion towards Peter in his moment of weakness. In exchange, Peter gives her an acorn† (par. 4). The acorn again is another symbol for strength and a token of appreciation for Wendy’s assisting him in catching his shadow. As a result, it was instrumental in saving Wendy’s life when it was disclosed that â€Å"the acorn on the chain around her neck, stops the arrow which Tootles fired at her on Tinkerbell’s command† (Linwood par. 5). Through the kiss which symbolized their affection for each other, it was revealed in further stories about Wendy when she eventually became old that despite aging, she could still apparently see him as he tries to visit Wendy’s grandchildren. In another scene, there is also symbolism in the crocodile that apparently ate Hook’s arm when Peter Pan supposedly cut it off in one of their previous encounters. The crocodile symbolizes death. It was reported to be following Hook ever since his arm was eaten by this

Growth Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Growth Analysis - Essay Example Its continued innovation, which is marked by continued research and development activities has enabled it grasp customer needs and services (Ignatiuk, 2009). The move by dell Inc to develop modern technologies like the blue ray disc technology puts it strategically to the demands and preferences of global customers (Ignatiuk, 2009). Since Dell Inc sells a range of products, it has competitive advantage of economies of scale. The use of communication technology strategically puts it at a better position to create a collaborative relationship with its customers and network partners (Sigismund et al., 2009). The use of proactive marketing staff helps keep the company’s long-term objectives active. Since loyal customers are part of primary asset for organizations, Dell Inc has continued to create customer loyalty over years. This comes in terms of catering for customer needs by offering customized systems that cater for their needs. It is also noted that customer service and support is equally enhanced in Dell operations including online services. Diversification of the market is evident in several ways. Dell has been able to open up manufacturing centers in various parts of the world. This can be argued to be a key factor of targeting new and more customers (Sadler & Craig, 2003). It is also argued that its strategic management and objectives and the organizational culture reflects its mission and vision statements. With the mission of Dell being to be the most successful at bringing the finest customer experience in the market it serves, and the vision being to interact with customers in the global community and serving their needs with the changing technologies, it is apparent that dell has worked hard to accomplish

Block diagram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Block diagram - Essay Example The block digram of the YAMAHA DM1000 shown above can be divided into functional blocks as below: 1) Analog inputs and outputs section. The input section has input conectors 1_16 through which to connect the microphone and line level sources, and 1_4 OMNI IN connectors though which line level sources are connected.SLOT(1_2) are used to offer AD/DA conversion and digital I/O interfaces.SLOT1 has 1-18 lines connected to the input patch. SLOT 2 has 1-18 also connected to the input patch( bus bar). Both slots are connected together to surround monitor. The sorround has a Pan function which places the sound image within a two-dimensional by using a multichannel playback system and so pans the image to the front, rear,left and right in relation (Collins 2011). The XLR connectors are wired in the sequence that follows:pin1 to ground,pin 2 to hot(+) and pin 3 to cold (-). Inputs 1-16 accept line-level and microphone signals in the range -60dB to +40dB. These inputs have a switchable +48V pow ering for use with condenser type microphones and the direct buses and the swiches turn the phantom power ON/OFF. The signal then passes through PAD switches which attenuate it by 20dB and through rotary gain controls used to adjust input sensitivity which range from +40dB to -40Db when PAD is on and from -16dB to -60dB when its off. The signal passes through the AD which convert the analogue signal into digital form. LED signal indicators light up when the input signal level is 20 dB below the nominal value and the PEAK indicators light up when input signal level is 3dB below clipping. The signal is then passed to the INPUT PATCH via the connectors 1-16. 2) Input chanel section This iswhere the signal level and tone inputs are adjusted and roputed to Bus 1-8,Stero Bus,SOLO Bus and Aux Busses.The signal flows as follows: The phase (Ð ¤) section switches the phase of the input signals. Signal passes on to the gate which is a dynamic processor for gating or for ducking. The signal th en pass through a metering unit. From here, its passed through a Compressor that has a dynamic processor used as a compressor,expander or limiter. It can be a pre-Equalizer, pre-fader or post fader. The signal then goes through the attenuator which attenuates or amplifies the signal to be fed to the Equalizer. The 4-band equalizer is parametric and features four band, i.e. high, high-mid, low-mid, and low and is connected to a metering unit. The signal the flows to the Input Delay that enables the signal to be delayed so as top fine tune the timing between channels or as a delay effect with feedback. The On/Off switches allows for the channel to be turned on or off (mute). The Level adjusts the input level of the Input Channel signal (Collins 2011). The INSERT is used to patch input signals to external devices through the on-board I/O connectors or I/O cards or to insert the internal effect processors. The Meter switches the metering position of the signal levels that are then displ ayed on the meter page. The PAN section adjusts the settings of the signals routed from the input channels to the Stero Bus. The AUX Send level adjusts the level of the signals routed to Auxilliary Out 1-8 either from the pre-fader or from the post-fader. These Channel parameters are stored in the channel libraries as appropriate. 3) Input patching Here the input signals presnt at the input ports 1-16, OMNI IN 1-4 and inputs to the SLOTS 1 are patched

English-Rule Only Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English-Rule Only - Research Paper Example Advantages of the Rule The subject that only English should be used at work places creates very strong feelings. Some individuals may believe that it is wrong to speak in a language that others do not understand. In the same way, speakers of languages other than English may believe that complaints against the usage of another language stem from racism or unnecessary suspicion of what is being spoken. But the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations state that a restriction to speaking English at all times is disadvantageous to an individual’s employment opportunity on the basis of national origin. The commission believes that English-only rules create an atmosphere of inferiority, isolation and intimidation which is based on national origin that could result in discriminatory working environment (Bothwell-Marketing-Inc, 2011). EEOC regulation clearly states that the rule English-only rule is permissible only where the employer can show that the rule is justified by the necessity of the business. Spun Steak offered a justification that the non-Spanish speaking employees felt bad because they were being insulted in Spanish. The company also noted there were some safety benefits to using a language common to most employees. Employers in areas where the rule applied pointed to safety issues, customer service, and business related justifications which are related to their businesses. But opponents say that the U.S has been a country of immigrants coming from various cultures speaking different languages. In the past the new migrants wanted to quickly assimilate into the local culture and adopt the local language. This helped them in their integration with the local society. However currently, many new migrants foster separate almost ghetto-like communities which interact on a limited basis with the outside. As many of them fail to learn English they do not gain the ability to interact outside their own community and thus cannot easily integrate in the society. This inability to communicate is the basis of mistrust, fear and war among the different cultures (ask-Vile, 2006). Statistics show that about 215 million Americans speak English while only 2 million people speak Spanish (Juggle, 2011). There are already 26 states where English is the only official language Most of the migrants also state that they think everyone should learn English if they are to live in the United States. English is spoken in Congress, courthouses, national parks, and Presidential speeches. It is also spoken in almost every business corner. Every where the English language is spoken (Juggle, 2011). But accounting office report that was released shows that 99.94 percent of all federal government documents are produced in English. The English proponents argue that more than 300 languages are

Pancraititis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pancraititis - Essay Example Pancreatitis is the result of an inappropriate release of trypsin, which results in a wide variety of digestion enzymes activating, including autodigestion of the pancreas which causes inflammation, as well as bleeding and can damage the pancreas extensively. Anti-inflammatory agents are released by the body to try and mediate the inflammation of the pancreas. When this happens, other organs can become dysfunctional. In the worst cases, kidney (renal) failure may occur, the patient may go into shock, or acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, can occur. The discovery of the mechanisms that cause exocrine parenchyma to lessen has not yet been discovered yet. How pancreatic acinar and ductal cells occur has not yet been discovered though a lot of effort has been put in to establish the facts. A lot of ideas have been presented by different pathologists on pancreatitis but none of them has seriously been absorbed ((Shrikhande et.al., n.d). Though there is one concept that has been adopted by these doctors. They claim that if alcohol is consumed in large quantities, it leads to a reduced production of lithostatin responsible for the stability of pancreatic juice. This then restricts the formation of protein plugs. It is this restriction of the formation of protein plugs that causes this disease. According to Cheema and Aldeen (2010), there are two levels of pancreatitis: mild, and severe. Mild pancreatitis is defined as a localized reaction. According to Cheema and Aldeen, â€Å"Mild pancreatitis occurs in about 80% of patients, is self-limited, and resolves without complication† (p 1). The remaining 20% of the patients with pancreatitis will develop severe pancreatitis. What this means is that the occurrence of the disease resolves without complication or major medical intervention. On the other hand, severe pancreatitis is diagnosed by the presence of complicating factors. In severe

The USSR Under Stalin Essay Example for Free

The USSR Under Stalin Essay 1)a) Evidence in Source D that suggests that Stalins motive for the mass arrests of the late 1930s was to obtain slave labor is that â€Å"the mass arrest of the late 1930s may have been carried out to satisfy Stalins desire for slave labor,† and â€Å"more prison laborers were urgently needed.† b) In Source D, â€Å"absurd inefficiency† means that the overpopulation of the prison laborers in the camps made them disorganized and made it difficult for the camp commanders to be able handle them all. 2) In both Sources B and E, Stalins view of industrialization as a war economy is expressed as: Both sources share the view that the purpose of industrialization was for the making of a war economy, â€Å"to prepare for war against the capitalist enemies abroad.† However, for Source B, the view for the Five Year Plans is that, â€Å"Essentially the Plan was a huge propaganda project, aimed at convincing the Soviet people that they were engaged in a great industrial enterprise of their own making.† It was a propaganda project promoting industrialization for the purpose of war, but the Soviet people werent aware of the â€Å"war† part, only the industrialization. In Source E, since it is a poster that is used for the purpose of propaganda, it instead puts the Five Year Plan in a better light, showing that the Five Year Plan will be successful in the future, that it will surely benefit the U.S.S.R. in the future, and that the U.S.S.R. will be prepared to defeat its enemies abroad (the capitalist enemies) in case of future wars. 3) The origin of Source A is that its a speech by Stalin, 1st March 1927, to workers in the Stalin workshops of the October Railway. The purpose of this speech is to spread his view of the U.S.S.R. being able to industrialize on its own to the workers of the workshops, saying it with confidence. Filling the workers up with confidence will give them the will to work more for the sake of the industry. The value of this speech is that this is a primary source and its a speech by Stalin himself, so it clearly expresses his views on the U.S.S.R. industrializing on its own. The limitations of this speech is that it only shows Stalins perspective and it doesnt show the views of the public or of the workers on his view on industrialization. He was trying to express his idea in a confident way to the workers to convince them that this is to solely benefit the U.S.S.R. The origin of Source C is its an extract from Women in Soviet Society: Equality, Development, and Social Change by Gail Warshofsky Lapidus, Berkeley, 1978. The purpose of this extract is to tell of the reason for the increased employment of women. It was necessary to hire women to work because of the rapid expansion of the economy, so there was a need for more workers. It wasnt for the purpose of economic equality. The value of this is that it shows us that eventually everyone in the society, including women, were required to work to follow Stalins Five Years Plan. It shows us the economic status of women during this time period. The limitation of this source is that we dont know the publics opinion or a womans view on the increased employment of women. It is a secondary source since it is an extract from a book that was written after the time of Stalin Russia. 4) Stalins methods for a â€Å"change-over from a peasant country to an industrial one† include: In Source A, he expresses his view in that the U.S.S.R., unlike other countries like Great Britain and Germany, can industrialize on its own. He says it in a confident tone to instill that confidence in the workers in the Stalin workshops so that they will be convinced that industrialization for the means of production is beneficial for the U.S.S.R. as a whole. In Source B, Stalin declared that â€Å"he was promoting a war on the inefficiences of Russias past, a war on the class enemies within, and as preparation for the capitalist enemies abroad.† The U.S.S.R. â€Å"adopted a similar industrial pattern in its drive toward modernization,† but it would â€Å"take the path of socialism† instead of capitalism. The Plan itself â€Å"was a huge propaganda project, aimed at convincing the Soviet people that they were engaged in a great industrial enterprise of their own making.† In Source C, due to the rapid urban development in the U.S.S.R., â€Å"A new perspective emerged in official documents, one that viewed the increased employment of women not in terms of its effects on women but as essential to the fulfillment of the economic plans.† The purpose was to â€Å"ensure the fulfillment of the production program of the Five Year Plan, it was necessary to draw more wives of workers into production.† In Source D, it says that â€Å"the mass arrests of the late 1930s may have been carried out to satisfy Stalins desire for slave labor† because â€Å"more prison laborers were urgently needed.† There were camps where mass number of slave laborers were kept. The more the slave laborers, the more the work, and the faster the Five Year Plans goals would be achieved. In Source E, the poster is for the purpose of propaganda, showing Stalins idea in a â€Å"good light† to the Soviet public by showing the people that the Five Year Plan would be successful in the future, that the U.S.S.R. would be powerful in terms of military due to the mass industrialization, so that it could defeat its enemies abroad in future wars. Other methods that Stalin used to change the U.S.S.R. from a â€Å"peasant country into an industrial one† that werent mentioned in the Sources were: Stalin made all industry and services nationalized, managers were given predetermined output quotas by central planners, and trade unions were converted into mechanisms for increasing worker productivity. Many new industrial centers were developed and thousands of new plants were built throughout the country. Stalin, a pro-Socialist, used collectivization to improve agricultural productivity so that the surplus would be sufficiently large enough to feed the growing urban labor force, all for the sake of industrialization. Collectivization was also expected to free many peasants so that they would go into industrial work. However, Stalins forcefulness on collectivization on the peasants (who fiercely resisted) resulted in a disruption in agricultural productivity, but it still helped achieve Stalins goal of rapid industrialization.

Programs Associated With Behavior Modification Psychology Essay

Programs Associated With Behavior Modification Psychology Essay This papers intent is not to address all of the programs associated with behavior modification, But simply to establish the some of the types of behavior modification programs available to probation and parole authorities. This report covers the basics of behavior modification, the theory behind it, as well as cognitive behavior modification. It touches on the use of evidence-based practices, motivational interviewing, as well as some of the types of programs available. Such as Boot Camps, Community Correction Centers, Day Reporting Centers, substance abuse programs, and lastly it talks about the very successful HOPE program in the state of Hawaii. Understanding behavior modification begins with the understanding of what is called Learning Theory. Learning Theory generally focuses on Ivan Pavlovs classical conditioning and B.F. Skinners operant conditioning. Both theories relay on the common belief that either through a stimulus or a strategic reinforcement, learned behavior could be altered. Under the belief of classical or reflex conditioning, the desired learning outcome is achieved through the creation of a conditioned response. Pavlov was able to create a conditioned response in dogs by associating the ringing of a bell with salivation. Every time the dogs were fed, a bell was rung. Soon the dogs were conditioned to expect food when the bell rang regardless of any food being present. You have to understand that Pavlov was actually studying the digestion of dogs, when he discovered that his dogs salivated when anyone walked in with a lab coat on. What he discovered was that whenever they fed the dogs, the person was wearing a lab. Pavlov followed up with the idea of ringing a bell whenever they were going to feed the dogs, the dogs soon learned to associate the bell ringing to them getting food. Hence, reflex conditioning. Although loosely related, operant conditioning is different from classical conditioning, in that a stimulus is not given for a conditioned response. Instead, operant conditioning applies a reward or a punishment after certain behaviors are observed. B.F. Skinner believed that behaviors in an individual were the result of contact with rewards and punishments within an environment. Operand conditioning happens when an animal learns to perform particular behaviors in order to obtain a fundamentally rewarding stimulus. B.F. Skinners work was in the field of psychology. He conditioned a pigeon to raise his head above a certain point in order to receive food. To put it another way, it is when a trained dog repeatedly comes when called in order to obtain a treat or reward. The down side to this type of learning is that after a while the dog expects a treat every time he comes when called. When he no longer receives the treat, with any type of frequency, the response becomes less and less fr equent this is called operant extinction. In general, when we engage in behavior that no longer pays off, we find ourselves less inclined to behave in that way again. Putting it another way, let us say we wear a wristwatch all the time, we do not notice that we look at it often. Now if you forgot that wristwatch we still look at our wrist, to see the time, after a while of not wearing the watch we look less and less at our wrist for the time. That is operant extinction. The majority of behavior modification in parole and probation is based on the principles of operant conditioning. Therefor I will discuss operant condition more in depth. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. In other words, behavior modification uses systematic reinforcement in order to encourage the learning of a desired behavior. Operant conditioning, works whether it is through reinforcement or through punishment. Anything that increases a behavior is considered reinforcement and anything that decreases behavior is considered punishment. The promise or possibility of a reward causes an increase in behavior, but operant conditioning can also be used to decrease a behavior as well. The elimination of an unwanted behavior thru the use of a punishment is often what is used in raising children, along with the reward system or the positive reinforcement. Unfortunately, most often than not the focus of attention is o n the child thru negative reinforcement, and not the positive reinforcement. It is the idea or the potential for punishment, which may lead the child to a decrease any disruptive behaviors. Through operant conditioning the environment builds the basic repertoire with which we keep our balance, walk, play games, handle instruments and tools, talk, write, sail a boat, drive a car, or fly a plane. A change in the environment-a new car, a new friend, a new field of interest, a new job, a new location-may find us unprepared, but our behavior usually adjusts quickly as we acquire new responses and discard old. (Skinner, 1953) There are four types of operant conditioning: Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Punishment, and Extinction. Both Positive and Negative Reinforcement strengthen behavior while both Punishment and Extinction weaken behavior. (Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction, 1999) In Positive Reinforcement, a particular behavior is strengthened by the consequence of experiencing a positive condition. For example, a hungry rat presses a bar in its cage and receives food. The food is a positive condition for the hungry rat. The rat presses the bar again, and again receives food. The rats behavior of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of receiving food. In Negative Reinforcement, a particular behavior is strengthened by the consequence of stopping or avoiding a negative condition. For example, another a rat is placed in a cage and immediately receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses a bar and the shock stops. The rat receives another shock, presses the bar again, and again the shock stops. The rats behavior of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of stopping the shock. In Punishment, a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of experiencing a negative condition. For example, yet another rat presses a bar in its cage and receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again receives a shock. The rats behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of receiving a shock. In Extinction, a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition or stopping a negative condition. For example, a rat presses a bar in its cage and nothing happens. Neither a positive nor a negative condition exists for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again nothing happens. The rats behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing anything positive or stopping anything negative. The mission statements of most corrections agencies emphasize two main tasks: holding offenders accountable to conditions (compliance), and encouraging positive behavior change (rehabilitation). (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) Methods include increasing a persons opportunities and capacity for positive actions (e.g., skills training, education, employment) or helping the person succeed at some new behavior (e.g., drug treatment). Many shifts in correctional philosophy have occurred over the years. During some periods, corrections professionals have emphasized deterrence strategies; during others, they have relied more on treatment and constructional strategies. No period has emphasized one strategy alone; the difference has been in the degree to which they relied on one or the other. (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) Among the range of offender programs designed to reintegrate offenders into society, those that are most common, seek to address the offenders way of thinking, their reasoning and their associated behaviors through what is termed cognitive behavioral techniques. Cognitive behaviorism is an approach that applies learning theory to mental events like thoughts and feelings. Cognitive behavior programs teach people new ways of thinking, and in so doing, help them to overcome various problems that stem from dysfunctional or bad thinking. Cognitive behavior techniques are widely viewed as offering considerable advantages over more traditional forms of intervention. Because this term is so broad it is difficult to define precisely, but it involves helping offenders to face up to the consequences of their actions, to understand their motives, and to develop new ways of controlling their behavior. (Vennard, Sugg, Hedderman, 1997) Cognitive behaviorism is not a separate psychological theory nor is it a method, it is a term given to a range of mediations or interventions derived from the following three psychological theories, Behaviorism, Cognitive theory, and Social learning theory. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Behaviorism, which stresses the role of external or environmental factors that shape an individuals actions so that, for offenders, for example, encouragement from peers and/or the lack of immediate punishment from authority figures rein forces criminal behavior à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a persons thought processes. It also looks at how these thought processes influence how we understand and interact with the world. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Social learning theory emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Thus, it focuses on learning by observation and modeling. Cognitive behavioral modification assumes that offenders are shaped by their environment and they have failed to acquire certain cognitive skills or have learned inappropriate ways of behaving. The therapy assumes that most people can become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviors and then make positive changes to them. A persons thoughts are often the result of experience, and behavior is often influenced and prompted by these thoughts. (Clark, 2010) The Cognitive behavioral approach does not attribute the causes of criminal behavior solely to individual or psychological factors. It also takes into account the social conditions, which affect individual development, and is not in conflict with sociological explanations of criminal activity, such as those, which view such behavior as acquired from influential delinquent peer groups. (Vennard, Sugg, Hedderman, 1997) Since it is considered that such these behaviors are learned rather than inherited, offender programs that are cog nitive based are intended to teach offenders to face up to what they have done, to understand their motives and to develop new coping strategies and ways of controlling their behavior. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been found effective with juvenile and adult offenders; substance abusing and violent offenders; and probationers, prisoners and parolees. In most cognitive behavioral therapy programs, offenders improve skills, means-ends problem solving, critical reasoning, moral reasoning, cognitive style, self-control, impulse management and self-efficacy. (Clark, 2010) Evidence-based practice (EBP) highlights the important role that agents have in offender outcome. For a treatment or program to be called evidence based, its effectiveness must be substantiated by a measurable outcome (e.g., decreased recidivism, increased public safety). In the past, rehabilitation was primarily the domain of mental health professionals, but EBP emphasizes that frontline staff, such as probation and parole officers, also have the opportunity to influence the change process. (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) Chronic behaviors are not resolved with some fixed amount or duration of treatment. As with substance abuse and mental health treatment, for example, an interim goal is to engage and retain the offender in treatment at an appropriate level of care and monitoring until the offender can successfully manage his or her own care and behavior. For many chronic offenders continuing care spans the period of at least six to nine months of intensive treatment fol lowed by a period of often longer aftercare. (Warren, 2007) The six principles of an effective EBP are: 1. The Risk Principle- The risk principle of effective intervention refers to the risk or probability that an offender will reoffend. It also identifies the risk level of those offenders who are the most appropriate targets of recidivism. Risk in this context does not refer to the seriousness of the crime or the likelihood that an offender will incur technical violations, but to the likelihood that the offender will commit another crime. 2. The Need Principle- Offenders typically have many needs, only some of which are associated with the risk of criminal behavior. The need principle of EBP identifies the most appropriate needs of offenders to target. Effective programs must target their criminogenic needs, i.e., those values, attitudes, or behaviors of the offender that are most closely associated with the likelihood of committing crime. The criminogenic needs most predictive of the likelihood of criminal behavior are: Low self-control, i.e., impulsive behavior Anti-social personality, i.e., callousness, lack of empathy Anti-social values, i.e., disassociation from the law-abiding community Criminal peers Substance abuse Dysfunctional family 3. Use of Risk/Needs Assessment Instruments-Determination of the degree of risk of reoffending that an offender presents, and of the offenders criminogenic needs, requires a careful assessment of relevant information about each offender. Often, determinations of risk are based solely on the nature of the offense committed and prior criminal history. Although both of these factors are legitimate risk factors, especially prior criminal history, they are not a sufficient basis for an accurate assessment. Offender characteristics are usually more predictive of whether an individual is likely to commit a future crime than offense characteristics. 4. The Treatment and Responsivity Principles- The treatment principle of EBP combines the research findings that cognitive-behavioral programs rooted in social-learning theory are the most effective in reducing recidivism. A clear set of consequences, both positive and negative, is helpful to people in developing their sense of self-control, of responsibility for their own behaviors. Related research on human behavior indicates that people respond better, and maintain learned behaviors longer, when approached with carrots rather than sticks, rewards rather than punishments. 5. Motivation and Trust- Motivation to change on the part of the offender is an important starting place for behavioral change. Behavior change will only take place if the offender chooses to do so. Effective treatment professionals and probation officers are therefore often trained in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢motivational interviewingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- (MI), a set of interpersonally sensitive communications techniques that effectively enhance intrinsic motivation for behavioral change by helping clients explore and resolve their ambivalence in a positive way. 6. Integration of Treatment and Community-Based Sanctions- Effectively utilize rehabilitation and treatment programs to reduce offender recidivism and promote public safety. Research clearly demonstrates that in the absence of treatment, neither punishment, nor incarceration, nor any other criminal sanction reduces recidivism, beyond the period of confinement, restraint, or surveillance. In fact, punishment and sanctions increase the likelihood of recidivism slightly, even when controlling for respective offender risk levels. Community-corrections programs based on EBP are not an alternative to appropriate punishment; they can often be combined with appropriate punishment. (Warren, 2007) Motivational interviewing grew out of the substance abuse and addiction treatment fields in the 1980s. At that time, research began to show that the widely accepted confrontational approaches to dealing with addicts simply were not successful. (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) Instead of confrontation, MI is a collaboration or partnership that is formed between the therapist and the person with the addiction, based on the addicts point of view and their experiences. This view of MI differences with earlier views on interventions. Previously, the idea was to confront the person with the addiction, and impose societys point of view about the persons addictive behavior. Today, this collaboration or partnership has the effect of building a rapport between the counselor and the person with the addiction, and allows the person with the addiction to develop trust towards the counselor, which was difficult in a confrontational atmosphere of the past. This does not mean that the cou nselor automatically agrees with the person with the addiction. Although the person with the addiction and their counselor may see things differently, the therapeutic process is focused on mutual understanding, not the counselor being right and the person with the addiction being wrong. A person is more likely to follow through with behavior he believes he has freely chosen and believes he can accomplish. MI is a person-centered method of fostering change by helping a person explore and resolve ambivalence. Rather than using external pressure, MI looks for ways to access internal motivation for change. It borrows from client-centered counseling in its emphasis on empathy, optimism, and respect for client choice. MI also draws from self-perception theory, which says that a person becomes more or less committed to an action based on the verbal stance he or she takes. Thus, an offender who talks about the benefits of change is more likely to make that change, whereas an offender who argues and defends the status quo is more likely to continue his present behavior. (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) Although MI suggests some tangible strategies, it is better thought of as a style of interaction that follows these basic principles: Express empathy. Empathy is about good rapport and a positive working environment. It is an attempt to understand the offenders mindset, even though the agent may not agree with the offenders point of view. Empathy also involves an effort to draw out concerns and reasons for change from the offender, instead of relying on the agents (or courts/boards) agenda as the sole persuasion strategy. Roll with resistance. Rolling with resistance means finding other ways to respond when the offender challenges the need for change. It is normal to have mixed feelings when thinking about change. Therefore, the agent does not argue with the offender. Develop discrepancy. Discrepancy is the feeling that ones current behavior is out of line with ones goals or values. Rather than telling the offender why he should change, the agent asks questions and makes statements to help the offender identify his own reasons for change. Support self-efficacy. A person is more likely to follow through with behavior that they believe they have freely chosen and believes they can accomplish. Therefore, the agent remains optimistic, reminds the offender of personal strengths and past successes, and affirms all efforts toward change. (Walters, Clark, Gingerich, Meltzer, 2007) The success of motivational interviewing is based on the belief that an offender that who talks about the benefits of change is more likely to make that change, whereas an offender who argues and defends the status quo is more likely to continue his present behavior. Shock Incarceration programs, popularly known as boot camps, are one of the most publicized intermediate sanction programs. Since the 1980s society has looked for ways to reduce the cost of housing offenders. The office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) thought they had the answer for teen offenders with juvenile boot camps. By 1996, 48 camps were in operation in several states. Congress had authorized $24.5 million for the states to open boot camps. By 1995, 52 juvenile boot camps were in operation housing an estimated 4,500 juveniles. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) These boot camps have five main purposes: Deterrence Incapacitation Rehabilitation Punishment Cost control. Programs vary in size, duration, location, control of entry, the level of post-program supervision and in the level of training, education, or treatment programming provided. All are relatively brief (most are three to four months) and are designed for offenders who have not yet served time in a state prison. The programs draw on the model of a military style of boot camp. They stress strict discipline, obedience, regimentation, drill and ceremony, and physical conditioning, sometimes including manual labor. Shock programs participants are expected to learn self-discipline, teamwork and develop improved self-respect. Program participants are housed separately from the general prison population, although in some programs they are within sight and earshot of general population inmates. Often times these programs also incorporate drug and alcohol counseling, GED requirements, and anger management programs, social skill building, etc. Community corrections center are non-prison sanctions that are imposed on convicted adults or adjudicated juveniles by a court instead of a prison sentence or by a parole board following release from prison. Community corrections programs are usually operated by probation and parole agencies and the programs can include general community supervision as well as day reporting centers, halfway houses and other residential facilities, work release, and other community programs. The centers ease the transition for parolees and inmates who are nearing release. The centers provide a structured environment and a variety of supportive services, including counseling, employment assistance and drug and alcohol treatment. Community-based residential settings offering structure, supervision, surveillance, drug/alcohol treatment, educational and vocational programs, employment counseling, socialization and life skills programs, and community work transition, and/or forms of treatment and programs. Housing stability has long been related to success for persons who are on probation and parole. Experts have debated whether homelessness contributes to arrests and vice versa, but most agree that procuring offenders housing decreases recidivism and increases offender compliance. Housing stability has been related to preventing relapse for persons with a substance abuse history. Reentry projects that have helped create housing options for offenders are finding that obtaining housing is related to employment, sobriety and other individual assets. The ability of individuals to obtain housing, sobriety and employment builds personal resiliency and community assets. (Shilton Vail, 2005) Common reentry services include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Housing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Education à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Employment assistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Peer mentoring or case management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Physical and mental health services à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Family reunification Over the last two decades, states have turned to community corrections programs to manage more offenders in the community in an effort to reduce prison and jail populations, reduce recidivism, and reduce costs within the criminal justice system. One type of community corrections program known as a day reporting center (DRC) has gained popularity as an alternative to incarceration as evidenced by the rapid increase in the number of programs operating nationwide. DRCs bring groups of parolees together from throughout a municipality or larger geographic area for supervision, services, and programming, and requires them to spend significant amounts of time together on a daily basis. (Boyle, Ragusa, Lanterman, Marcus, 2011) DRCs are non-residential facilities that offer offenders rehabilitative programming and daily supervision. Offenders assigned to DRCs generally report to the facility during daytime hours and return home at night when programming is complete. Typical DRCs can save age ncies on average of about $1,000 per offender, compared to the cost of incarceration. (Jones Lacey, 1999) To aid in reentry and reintegration, treatment programming available to offenders can include educational and/or vocational training, job placement services, drug abuse education and treatment, and life-skills training, among others. DRC programs offer an array of services designed to increase the success of the parolees reintegration into the community and parole adjustment. The services include, but are not limited to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Transitional/sober living environments (housing shall not exceed 6 months and is provided to ten-percent of the parolees served) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Individual and group counseling à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Random breathalyzer and urinalysis testing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Substance abuse education à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Anger management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Domestic violence prevention and awareness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Educational/GED preparation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Job readiness and job search assistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Cognitive and life skills development à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Budgeting and money management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Aftercare Commonly as a condition of probation or parole, offenders are required to participate in community-based substance abuse treatment programs. The most common substances of abuse reported by probation or parole admissions were alcohol, marijuana, and methamphetamines; more than one half reported more than one substance of abuse at admission. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , 2011) According to recent reports, 60 to 80 percent of prison and jail inmates, parolees, probationers, and arrestees were under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the commission of their offense, committed the offense to support a drug addiction, were charged with a drug- or alcohol-related crime, or are regular substance users. (Marlowe, 2003) Residential or In-Patient Programs usually require a commitment of at least 30 days and typically include room and board. Through intensive counseling and group interactions, addicts/alcoholics learn how to regain control of their lives using key recovery tools. Often, clients who have attempted outpatient treatment programs but have ultimately relapsed back into drug and alcohol use, or have found outpatient programs difficult to complete, achieve success in a residential program. Clients who require detoxification services due to concerns about withdrawal also benefit from residential programs, as detox services are often included as a part of a residential treatment program. The most effective programs regularly monitor clients substance use through random breathalyzer tests and urinalyses. Drug-free test results are met with rewards, such as reduced monitoring requirements, reduced criminal sanctions, or goods and services that support a productive lifestyle. Drug-positive results, on the other hand, are met with such sanctions as loss of privileges, increased counseling requirements, or a brief return to detention. Most drug and alcohol programs follow the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Drug Courts are a court supervised, treatment oriented program that targets non-violent participants whose major problems stem from substance abuse. The Drug Court Program is a voluntary program, which includes regular court appearances before the Drug Court Judge. Treatment includes drug testing, individual and group counseling, and regular attendance at 12-Step meetings. The probation officer and the treatment team may also assist with obtaining education and skills assessments and will provide referrals for vocational training, education, and/or job placement services. The program length, is usually determined by the participants progress, however should be no less than one year. Successful completion and graduation from the Drug Court Program may result in having probation terminated early. Hawaiis Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE), launched in 2004, by First Circuit Judge Steven Alm, is an experimental probation program that emphasizes the delivery of swift and certain punishment when a probationer violates conditions of probation. The HOPE program has seen remarkable success, and has gained the attention of several states, as a possible cost saving alternative in their states. The HOPE program has a strong theoretical basis. That swiftness and certainty outperform severity in the management of offending is a concept that dates back to 1764 to Cesar Beccarias, On Crimes and Punishment. The formula H.O.P.E. follows for controlling hard-drug use in the criminally active population is simple: (Hawkin, H.O.P.E. for Reform, 2007) Weekly randomized testing (or twice weekly scheduled testing), to eliminate any safe window for undetected drug use. Fixed sanctions on a set schedule: As little as two days in jail is adequate, so long as enforcement is reliable, with sentence length increasing gradually for successive violations. A formal warning to the probationer in open court, putting him on notice that violations have consequences. As short a time as possible between violations and sanctions. (For offenders with paycheck jobs, the first sanction could be deferred to the following weekend.) Quick service of bench warrants on those who abscond. Treatment services for those who prove unable to comply on their own. Under HOPE, probationers are given a color code at the warning hearing. Every morning, they must call a hot line to hear which color has been selected for that day. If it is their color, they must appear at the probation office before 2 p.m. for a drug test. If a HOPE probationer fails to appear for the drug test, a bench warrant is issued and served immediately. A probationer who fails the random drug test is immediately arrested and within 72 hours is brought before a judge. If the probationer is found to have violated the terms of probation, he or she is immediately sentenced to a short jail stay. Typically, the term is several days, servable on the weekend if the probationer is employed; sentences increase for successive violations. Violating terms of probation sends a consistent message to probationers about personal responsibility and accountability. (Hawkin Kleiman, 2009) HOPE has proven itself to be effective. While the program isnt perfect, its offenders have had a better track record than those in regular probation. NIJ-funded researchers evaluated HOPE to determine if it worked and results were positive. (Hawkin Kleiman, Managing Drug Involved Probationers with Swift and Certain Sanctions: Evaluating Hawaiis HOPE, 2009) Compared to probationers in a control group, after one year the HOPE probationers were: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Fifty-five percent less likely to be arrested for a new crime. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Seventy-two percent less likely to use drugs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Sixty-one percent less likely to skip appointments with their supervisory officer. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Fifty-three percent less likely to have their probation revoked. In Conclusion, this report only touches on the basics of Behavior modifications in use in probation and parole today. There is much more to the concept of behavior modification than meets the eye. While the success of behavior modification is not a new concept. In

The Cause and Effects of Terrorism

The Cause and Effects of Terrorism In this modern world, terrorism has become a hazardous threat to all the countries around the world as it will cause devastating casualties and economy impact in any of the countries. According to Krueger and Maleckova (2003), the term terrorism is defined as premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. Terrorism is basically an act of the terrorists to convert a message such as ideological, religious or political object through violence or destruction. The more destructive it is, the more audiences they will have. Thus, terrorists will be greatly increased if they can influence people around the world to achieve the objectives or goals that the terrorists group has plotted. In addition, there are factors that made other people to join terrorism and the effects of it. While terrorism is still in active around the globe, what has causes this dreadful act that harm many people live and property and what are the reasons behind this Keet (2003) stated that one of the causes is formation of nationalist or separatist. He emphasize that colonized nations which made nationalist movement has a high chances to become a terrorism organization. Mahatma Ghandi was the only one who gets along with the freedom movement without using any violence act. Extreme nationalism, on the other hand, has set up or upholds language rights, religious belief and symbols. They persuade on a regional-ethic party and less accentuate on the political rights and privileges. Lawson (2001) too claimed that resistance against an oppressor is a contributing factor that will lead to terrorism. He remarked that the dominance of terrorists land and their people from any oppressor are apparent to have high chances of conducting terrorism. The IRA, the Basque separatist group ETA, the Pale stinians, the Tamil Tigers, the Chechens, and Iraqi insurgents are some of the examples of organization that used forces to fulfill their political goals (Lawson, 2001). Keet (2003) reviewed an important factor that is related to terrorism was social stratification and disproportion of division of limited resources such as food, water and clothing. In this study, lack of economic management has give a huge impact on civilian for their survive needs. Based on the studies shown in Keet (2003) 15% of the population for the poor countries consumes 85% of the overall resources. He stated that if those people cant get a satisfactory amount of resources they needed, they will use force or violence to get what they wanted in order to keep them alive. Thus, these circumstances have formed a new society or organization that will lead to terrorism. The contradictory of theory of disaffected intelligentsia, which is simple minded people that are lack of moral and social knowledge, were the ones that mislead the people (Keet, 2003). They are the reason that dehumanizes terrorists and, in this manner, they wanted to be heard, and acknowledge by the society or the world, that they have the equivalent of human rights. This indicates the inner reason of terrorism, decreeing from the point of its viewpoints, mindset, method of approach and the consequences as studied by Keet (2003). In addition to the dehumanization of terrorists, Keet (2003) claimed that religion is essential cause for the terrorism as it stressed on the Muslim extremists in the Middle East. The research showed that Islamic terrorism rejects the ideology of democracy and individualism, while Islamists dislike the concept of capitalism and believe in Caliphate (the idea of leading Muslim community in worldwide). People believed that the social issue was connected to the war is the religion and realm which indicates on different belief have a higher chance to engage in a battle than those share the same belief (Keet, 2003). Despite of the above, all religion accentuates that we must treat others as we are wished to be treated and killing is prohibited on most of the religious teaching. In 2004, Borum studied the behavior among terrorists and found out that most of them were perceived from injustice, wanted identity and unfortunately, they were the targeted victims of terrorism. Traumatize from the childhood abuse, they felt injustice as well as humiliated and as a result, they joined the terrorists group as they are the majority in the organization (Borum, 2004). People who search for their identity often trap by the terrorist organization in many ways as one of them is referred to identity foreclosure when the idea or mindset of a terrorist organization is being accepted without serious inspection (as cited in Borum, 2004, p. 25). They often accept the mindset as they couldnt take any more of the complexity and stressful world and they are usually classified as lifeless or monotonous person. Similarly, the studies based on Borum (2004) has emphasizes on the motivation of terrorists as a root to terrorism. Motive is defined as the passion or aspiration to get something done. The opportunity to get into action, the belonging needs, the wish to get acknowledge in society and the acquirement of material rewards are the motivations go get involve in terrorism (Borum, 2004). Moreover, Borum (2004) stated that the remedies of an injustice were the essential motivation for terrorism as it can help them to get their revenge back and the best motivation is to help others to avenge but not themselves. The need of belonging that was remarked earlier on has great impact on radical extremist groups as they felt connected and associated with the group. They were expelled and rejected from their society but the organization accepted them and they felt the warmth and kindness just like a family does (Borum, 2004). The causes on terrorism in this world are unavoidable indeed. On the other hand, the effects on terrorism as stated in Bennett and Bray (n.d.) are on tourism industry. After the incident on 9/11, the impact on world travel and tourism council has reported that over 10% of the travel and tourism demand on worldwide has decreased and consequently, 8.8 million people have lost their job in airlines, hotels, tour operators, car rental and credit card companies, thus it decreased 1.7% of total GDP for the world economy (Bennett and Bray, n.d.). With the attacks on the world trade centre, Bennett and Bray (n.d.) reviewed that international arrivals around the world in 2001 has greatly decrease which estimated 4 million that were less than the previous year and it was indicated clearly that people have the fear to take flights. Bennett and Bray (n.d.) stated that it was disastrous for the airlines companies as the passengers numbers were declining. Similarly, AFP (2010a) stated airports and other travel centers as well as tourist attractions across Europe have been heightened with security forces as al-Qaeda has linked with terror plot that targeted in London, Paris, Berlin and other European countries. On the other hand, AP (2010) mentioned on terrorism that was on the alert to those Americans living in or traveling to Europe. The economy around the globe has badly influenced from the act of terrorism. As Abadie and Gardeazabal (2007) reviewed that the capital stock, either in physical or human form, has greatly reduced after the act of terrorist in a country. In addition, the country itself needs to increase expenditures on counter-terrorism and in order to get the resources or capital; they need to obtain from their productive industries for the sake of the countrys security (Abadie Gardeazabal, 2007). The incident of September 11th terrorist attacks on US economy have affected the total production assets which decreased 0.06% of it. Walters, Sachsida and Sandler (2006) indicated the stocks in US direct investment has lower drastically after the terrorist assaults against US interest in OECD countries. Similarly, Persitz (n.d.) claimed that due to intense terror in Pakistan, the consumption and government-expense section increases while investment, exports, and imports of production decreases. In the market, people are devastated from terrorist acts as human tragedies happened most of the time. Because of fear, many people didnt want to take the risk to start a business as terrorism could strike anytime and anywhere and eventually it brings down the economy (Market, n.d.). Furthermore, the costs that cover the security purposes were a burden for most of the companies as they might decrease the price of the stock that will lead to disappointment from the stockholders. Market (n.d.) stated that resilience will occurred even if a terrorist attacks, the society will united together to overcome the catastrophe that changes the security system and become more secure and confident than before. For examples in the Kennedy assignation, the World Trade Center Bombing, and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Whats more about effect of the market is the human loss in a terrorist act is heartbreaking news for the victims loved ones. The loss of potential labor workers in a company suffered more hardship than losing profits (Market, n.d.). In 2007, Creekmore (2007) claimed that after the incident of September 11th, social conflict has been arising due to fear and horrified by the incident among citizens. After past few days of the incident, people were lined up around the gas station before gas prices rose two dollar a gallon. The governor of Mississippi took immediate action against local gas suppliers as they were found guilty on raising the gas prices (Creekmore, 2007). Eventually this has set off havoc between the local gas suppliers and customer in different states, and people were fighting for the gas. In addition, Creekmore (2007) mentioned about the rumors which were spread about the shortage of food due to the gas prices and soon everyone felt the state of panic. Media (2008) reviewed that the Internet has many useful functions for the terrorist, such as cyber-terrorism, coordination of plans of attack, communication with cells, or propaganda and information. Convenient, easy to use and access, much quicker to send precious information and inexpensive are the factors for terrorists to use the Internet. As the functions mentioned above, it brings huge impact on the media because the Internet act as a direct medium (Media, 2008). A Mexican-based terrorism organization, EZLN, also known as Zapatistas, has brought catastrophe to its country as it uses Internet to leak information throughout the world. Media (2008) has also remarked that Internet media offensive was started by al-Qaida that their message were translated into European languages and as a result, radicalization process is happening much faster, broader, more mysterious in the Internet era. Instead of having traditional weapons such as sword and spear, The Effects (2006) claimed that terrorists weaponry has stepped forward to a more advance technology, that is chemical and biological weapons. It was dated back then after Persian Gulf, thousands of US troops went home after the war has ended. Unfortunately, they have come across an illness which includes symptoms like chronic fatigue, severe joint pain and headaches, intestinal track problems, internal bleeding, and memory loss (The Effects, 2006). The veterans were then diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome as a result of war. The Effects (2006) reviewed the terrorists have been doing many illegal activities such as counterfeit the document and statements as well as take apart the equipments and tear down important documents in order to conceal their production of biological weapons. AFP (2010b) remarked the Taliban militants have claimed two raids which around 60 trucks were torched and three people died in this incident. O n the other hand, Pakistani authorities have reported 24 attacks since September 3rd which have claimed more than 140 lives. Over the years, terrorism has caught international attention as it has destructive goals that would bring casualties and economical impact around the world. The research on terrorism was insufficient and the data is not fully complete yet. There are still many unknown causes that would lead to terrorism. However, as times goes by, the secrets behind terrorism will eventually reveal to the world and it must be eradicate as soon as win-win solutions are being discovered and implement into the society.

Essay --

Clive Staples Lewis (or Jack as he was known to his friends) was born in Belfast, Ireland, onNovember 29th 1898. His mother was Florence Augusta Lewis. His father was Albert James Lewis. He had an older brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis. When Clive was young his dog Jacksie was killed by a car, he decided that his name should be changed to Jacksie, but he was later called Jack. When Clive was seven, his family moved into his childhood home, in East Belfast. As a boy, Lewis was fascinated with anthropomorphic (considering animals, objects, etc., as having human qualities) animals. He became fascinated with stories that involved talking animals and he often wrote and illustrating his own animal stories. Clive loved reading, since back when he was a child there was no television, there wasn’t much else to do. Clive’s father's house was filled to the ceiling with books, he felt that finding a new book to read was as simple as â€Å"walking into a field and finding a new blade of grass†. "The New House is almost a major character in my story. I am the product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstair indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books." —Surprised by Joy (C. S. Lewis’ Biography) Clive was taught by private tutors before he was sent to the Wynyard School in Watford, Hertfordshire. Lewis's brother had enrolled at Wynyard School three years earlier. The school was closed soon after Clive joined, due to a lack of students to teach. After the Wynyard School closed, the headmaster Robert Capron was admitted into to a psychiatric hospital (I Searched this and was not able to find out why he was sent to a Psychiatric Hospital). ... ...rrounding cities into The Kilns. Clive tried to re-enter the military, he offered to instruct cadets, but his offer was refused. Clive married a woman named Joy Davidman in 1956, Joy was an American citizen that had once been an atheist and had converted to Christianity like him. Joy was soon after diagnosed with bone cancer, Joy died in 1960. Clive continued raising Joy’s two sons (from a previous marriage). In 1961, Clive was diagnosed with Nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), the Nephritis was caused by a bad blood transfusion during World War One. On November 22nd, only one week before his 65th birthday, Lewis collapsed in his bedroom at 5:30 pm and died a few minutes later due to the end stages of kidney failure. There was almost no media coverage of Clive Staples Lewis’ death due to the fact that US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that same day.

Jaguars :: essays research papers

In appearance the Jaguar is often confused with the Leopard both cats, depending to a degree on sub-species have a similar brownish/yellow base fur colour which is distinctively marked with dark rosette markings. However, the jaguar can be distinguished by the presence of small dots or irregular shapes within the larger rosette markings, a more stocky and muscular body and a shorter tail. Melanistic or black jaguars (see below) are common in certain parts of its range and are often confusingly labelled Black Panthers a name which is also applied to black Leopards. In this melanistic form the cats are more difficult to separate, however the jaguars large head and stocky forelimbs are often a good way to differentiate between the two cats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the wild, identification would not be an issue as the cats inhabit different continents - the jaguar is the only member of the panthera family to be found in the Americas and its is by far the biggest cat on the continent. The Jaguars range, which once spanned from the southern states of the USA down to the tip of South America, now centres on the north and central parts of the South American continent. The jaguar is predominantly a forest dweller with the highest population densities centring on the lowland rain forests of the Amazon Basin - dry woodland and grassland also serve as suitable terrain, although the cat is rarely found in areas above 8000 feet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The overall body size and coloration of the cat often relates to its location - jaguars found in dense forested areas of the Amazon Basin are often only half the size of those found in more open terrain and it has been suggested that this can be related to the more frequent occurrence of larger prey species found in open terrain . Coloration of dense forest dwelling jaguars is often darker than those found in grassland and scrub forest - here, as with the darker coloration of rainforest leopards, the darker coats give better camouflage in the low light condition on the forest floor and offers the dark coated cat greater success in hunting and a greater chance of survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unlike many other big cats, apart from man, the jaguar has no rivals - no other predator can compete with this powerful cat. The jaguars main periods of hunting activity are greatly dependant upon location - in some areas which are close to human habitation it appears that the cat is most active at night, whilst in other locations the jaguar is crepuscular and in certain cases diurnal in its hunting activity.

A Comparison between Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Vladimir Paral’s Essay

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic, Crime and Punishment, and Vladimir Paral’s Lovers and Murderers describe a world of murder, dejection and profound human unhappiness. The two authors explore moral abjection and the destiny of mankind, as ruled by lust, jealousy and immoral instincts. As it shall be seen however, the two novels differ considerably in the way in which they treat the subject of crime, as well as in their point of view and the tone of the narrative. Thus, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is centered on the idea of moral ambiguity. The Russian author uses an omniscient point of view in order to recount Rodyon Raskolnikov’s experiences before and after he commits the murder. The tone of the narrative is serious and meditative, as questions of morality and justice are interspersed throughout the events and dialogues in the novel. Vladimir Paral’s Lovers and Murderers treats the theme of murder in conjunction with that of love. The narrative enters a world full of promiscuity and violence, focusing on a great number of characters and the interactions among them. Unlike Dostoevsky’s book that focuses on the portrait and experiences of the main character, Paral’s work is concerned with the plurality of voices. Moreover, the point of view shifts frequently from the omniscient narrator to the first person narrative, sometimes within the same phrase. Lovers and Murderers is a grotesque mosaic, with a discontinuous narrative and a satiric tone. While Dostoevsky’s work raises questions of morality and social justice, Paral’s novel represents the spectacle of human life with resignation. There is no ethical conclusion to Paral’s analysis of human life and character: he chooses to describe the dynamic of humanity in its bleakest and most ironic aspects. For Dostoevsky, human life is also full of coincidences and accidents. Although, the limit between right and wrong is relative, ultimately, the novel emphasizes the belief in punishment and redemption. In Paral’s novel, there is no clear delimitation between innocence and guilt: the characters are all fanatics, consumed by passions, jealousy and greedy cravings. Significantly, love and violence intermingle throughout the novel, marking the majority of the relationships among different characters. Paral shows therefore that human interaction is never completely innocent: people devour and are devoured sadistically by destructive relationships. Instead of ending in union and harmony, each affair ends in destruction and crime. In Crime and Punishment there is the possibility of salvation and the triumph of love. Lovers and Murderers shows murder to be the companion of love, with no possibility for moral cleansing. Both novels therefore analyze morality in the context of the dynamics of society, emphasizing the interactions among different characters but with different conclusions. Sin and morality are seen as paradoxes in Dostoevsky’s work, but, ultimately sins can be redeemed after having been committed. Paral’s novel illuminates the tableau of human relationships and the relativity of moral principles very differently: all the characters are fallen men and women, who abuse or are abused by others. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is concerned primarily with moral paradoxes, exemplified through the stories of various characters. The central story, that of Raskolnikov, is paradoxical. The protagonist is an extremely poor student, who struggles with his enormous debts to his landlady and with constant hunger and misery. A proud and noble character, Raskolnikov is tormented by his unjust and humiliating social standing. Despite his intelligence, he lives poorly and is constantly besieged by material concerns. As the novel opens, Raskolnikov has already developed the philosophy that would lead him to murder: he muses that there are superior men who should be able to punish others for their sins. Interestingly therefore, the murder is intended as a punishment of the mean pawnbroker, in the name of social justice. The first part of the novel captures Raskolnikov’s inner tension as he struggles to discern right from wrong. There follows the critical moment of the actual, double murder and afterwards his punishment and final redemption. The cyclical nature of his experience is symbolic: Dostoevsky points here to the paradoxes of morality. Raskolnikov’s act of murder is in itself meant as a punishment and may seem right in its context. To enhance the ambiguity however, Dostoevsky arranges for a double murder: the circumstances force the protagonist to kill Lizaveta as well, the pawnbroker’s innocent sister. The novel offers yet other instances of moral ambiguity, such as the saintly and innocent Sonia who is forced to become a prostitute in order to earn money and save her hungered family: â€Å"And then I saw, young man, I saw Katerina Ivanovna, in the same silence go up to Sonia’s little bed; she was on her knees all the evening kissing Sonia’s feet, and would not get up, and then they both fell asleep in each other’s arms †¦ together, together†¦ yes †¦ and I †¦ lay drunk† (Dostoevsky 30). Her mother in law, who had previously maltreated her, is now grateful and reverent towards the girl. Sacrifice and generosity are therefore accepted and appreciated in the novel. Her father, Marmeladov, is another example of moral equivocalness: a hopeless drunk, he is a good man who loves his family yet cannot conquer his own vice in order to save them. Marmeladov’s employer also acts generously, although he does so in vain: he offers him his job back, despite his dependence on alcohol, out of pity for his family. Throughout the novel, morality is questioned, but there is sufficient evidence of the existence of good alongside with evil. The ambiguity that Crime and Punishment describes is one of form rather than substance. In Paral’s Lovers and Murderers morality is permanently mixed with sin. Women and men, coming from the dregs of society as well as from its highest ranks, live in utter disorder and promiscuity. Innocence and guilt are neither relative nor circumstantial. Significantly, the book is divided in numerous fragments bearing two alternative titles: â€Å"Conquerors† and â€Å"Besieged†. In Paral’s vision, the world is not divided in right and wrong, but rather in abusers and abused. These basic roles are moreover easily interchangeable. The relationships seemed to be weighed on a scale, which always tips in favor of one of the partners. The relationship between Alex Serafin and Dasa is a relevant example: Alex conquers and even enslaves the rich woman but he is eventually rejected by the same woman that seemed totally dependent on him. The world of the inhabitants of building 2000 is devoid of moral principles and reasoning. The men and women are driven only by impulses of self-gratification. Their affairs are violent and each partner, either abused or abusive, derives selfish pleasure from the communion. Love is rapacious, lustful and possessive: â€Å"Love is prey and everyone longs for his own destruction – let’s not want them to expose the necks themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Paral 187). If Raskolnikov’s world is marked by sin and punishment, Paral’s characters pursue their own pleasure and interests without having to pay for their deeds. Raskolnikov murders the two women in his pursuit of justice, without deriving any personal gain from the deed, despite having found a considerable fortune in the ladies’ flat. In Paral’s novel, murder is only perpetrated as a crime of passion. In the case of Borek and Zita, murder is even gratuitous. The comparison between their story and that of Julien Sorel and Madame de Renal in Stendhal’s Red and Black, is extremely significant. While in Stendhal’s morality is extensively explored, Borek and Zita’s affair is devoid of any compunctions of guilt despite the fact that Zita is a married woman. The line between love and murder is very thin: one of the partners is always the hunter who chases his victim. The moment when Borek finally conquers Zita and possesses her body is very relevant. The man feels that, instead of loving thoughts he develops murderous ones, without being able to discern between the two categories anymore: â€Å"I realized I was standing there like a murderer, insane because as a murderer I could not act otherwise, even though I had come as a lover, like a murderer or a lover, insane because I no longer saw any difference† (Paral 188). If Crime and Punishment discusses moral ambiguity, Lovers and Murderers comments on the ambiguity of love and murder. Sexuality is always mixed with sadism and violence in Paral’s novel, so as to emphasize the fact that love is in fact abusive and possessive rather than disciplined and saintly. Marriage itself is a failure in the novel. An early scene in the novel points to the ultimate moral degradation of the characters. Thus, the poor working woman Madda pays a visit to Frank in his rich and sumptuous apartment. When he asks her to put on a wedding dress as part of the ritual of lovemaking, the woman muses on her previous sexual degradation: â€Å"†¦and you don’t have to apologize for madman anything, my earlier lovers wouldn’t even take my clothes off, or even their own, a white wedding dress to church; I’ve made love with the dirty strap of contemptible overalls between our bodies† (Paral 32). Ironically however, her romantic hopes are bitterly deceived by her heartless partner. Instead of offering the wedding dress as a symbol for love and purity, he uses it as part of a humiliating trick: when Madda is dressed and kneeling before him, Frank’s wife enters the room and it becomes clear that the woman was only used as amusement by the rich couple. In Paral’s world the beautiful dreams disintegrate very fast. Lovers and Murderers shows that moral choices and principles have to be settled among people and thus no intention or action is definitely pure. Raskolnikov acts in the name of a higher principles, which he sees as commanding: â€Å"I didn’t kill a human being, but a principle! I killed the principle, but I didn’t overstep, I stopped on this side†¦. I was only capable of killing† (Dostoevsky 389). Raving with a guilty conscience, Raskolnikov tries to convince himself of the moral justifications of his deed. He didn’t kill another human being, his violence was directed solely against an erroneous principle. Besides Raskolnikov, the novel abounds in generous characters. For instance, Dounia, Raskolnikov’s sister is willing to sacrifice her own happiness in a marriage she does not desire, in order to help her family. When the same Dounia is accused of trying to attract her employer and make him commit adultery, she escapes by her own generosity and nobility. Moreover, it is the employer’s wife that actually mends the girl’s reputation after having marred it, by showing the proof of her innocence to the world. There is no redemption and generosity in Paral’s novel. The characters act upon their personal interests, without considering each others’ feelings. The life that the characters lead is the life of a jungle, where there are no rules other than personal survival and gratification: â€Å"They live only for the fulfillment of their eternal appetites: like animals running free in a jungle. For pleasure alone: like the courtiers of Louis XV† (Paral 164). People are not concerned with judgments of value and with ethical principles. Paral introduces his readers to the psychological jungle of humanity, where people follow only their instincts. In Crime and Punishment, on the other hand, Dostoevsky explores sin and crime from a religious and ethical perspective. As critic Alfred Bem notes, Dostoevsky proceeds from the idea of a feeling of the original sin present in all minds: â€Å"To understand Dostoevsky’s thought one must allow for the presence in the human psyche of a feeling of sinfulness as such, independent of the existence of any concrete crime–what we might call the feeling of original sin. †¦ We can assume, then, that the feeling of sin, of guilt can be present in the psyche unaccompanied by any consciousness of crime† (Bem 59). Hence comes the moral ambiguity of the characters: however saintly in their morality and character, they can succumb to sin because the seed is already planted in the human psyche. Paral’s world is also dominated by sinfulness, but, in this case, the characters lose their nobility. They are all fallen, abject people, who live by their instincts rather than by principles. Moreover, Raskolnikov performs an experiment more than an actual murder. He wants to apply his philosophical theory to reality and see its effects. Dostoevsky captures here the essence of humanity and its inherent rejection of murder. Ultimately, Raskolnikov is unable to commit his crime in complete cold bloodedness, despite the solidness of his arguments and theory: â€Å"Perhaps no work of literature presents so graphically a man testing and living, psychologically and even physiologically, a theory. Raskol’nikov’s theory, it will be remembered, is that crime is accompanied by sickness, by a loss of willpower and self-control, unless it is committed for sufficient reason by an ‘extraordinary man,’ in which case it is ‘no crime. ’† (Shaw 142). It is not so with Paral’s murderers: they virtually live in a jungle, where, besides instincts and passions, there is only pathos without real substance. The point of view and the tone chosen by the two authors are also relevant. Raskolnikov’s story is told objectively, from an omniscient perspective. This narrative technique does not obscure the character’s inner turmoil, however. Dostoevsky pairs his omniscience with indirect speech, a device which helps to reveal the hero’s thoughts and emotions. Raskolnikov often speaks to himself and, in this way, Dostoevsky gives us access to his unmediated reflections. For instance, he muses on his motivation for committing the murder, wavering between the feeling of guilty and the excuse he finds for his behavior: â€Å"I am putting my little brick into the happiness of all and so my heart is at peace. Ha-ha! Why have you let me slip? I only live once, I too want†¦. Ech, I am an ? sthetic louse and nothing more,’ he added suddenly, laughing like a† (Dostoevsky 389). Raskolnikov is indeed a criminal and an aesthete at the same time. While his crime is horrendous, his purpose gives it meaning to a certain extent. As Julian Connolly remarks, the way in which Dostoevsky decided to use the point of view in the novel is very significant: â€Å"Dostoyevsky had originally intended to write an account of murder from the perspective of the murderer himself. As he worked on the project in November 1865, however, he concluded that such a perspective might be too limited, so he chose an omniscient, third-person narrative mode instead. Yet traces of the original design remain: much of the novel offers direct insight into Raskolnikov’s impressions and experiences. † (Connolly 144). Thus, the author’s decision to mingle omniscience and first person narrative shows that he was preoccupied to investigate the moral dimension of his characters as well as the psychological one. His technique ultimately merges psychology with philosophy. In Paral’s case, the frequent shifts of viewpoint, allow for a curious exploration of the stories from the inside and outside simultaneously. Moreover, Paral’s story is told fragmentarily, with an alternation of voices and points of view. The narrative shifts from the author to an interior monologue of one of the characters without warning, in the course of the same phrase. This provides readers with marks as to actual events and also to the thoughts of the characters at the same time. The novel features a great number of different narrative voices, as each of the characters introduced is also given a monologue. This technique enhances the novel’s mosaic structure and its grotesqueness. The characters’ interior monologues moreover show them to be egoistical and impulsive. Most of their speeches are delirious and self-centered. The tones of the two works also differ and influence the reader’s perception of the stories. Dostoevsky’s tone is serious and restrained, focusing on the events, the psychology of the main character and the numerous implications of the experiences described. Paral, on the other hand, uses irony, black humor and pathos is order to describe the events in his book. Lovers and Murderers is therefore written as a black comedy, transmitting the author purpose of satirizing humanity in its pettiness and abjection. The two novels deal with the common themes of murder and punishment, but do so in very different ways. Crime and Punishment investigates ethical, religious and psychological consequences of a crime, with an emphasis of humans’ liability to sin and moral ambiguity in the context of a society. Lovers and Murderers, on the other hand, emphasizes the human world as a grotesque spectacle, driven by the uncontrolled instincts and petty interests of men. Dostoevsky’s work analyzes and questions, while Paral’s observes and mocks. Works Cited: Alfred L. Bem, â€Å"Guilt in Crime and Punishment. † Readings on Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Ed. Tamara Johnson. Trans. Robert Louis Jackson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. 58 64. Connolly, Julian. â€Å"An Overview of ‘Crime and Punishment’. † Exploring Novels. Gale, 1998. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York: Vintage Classics, 2008. Paral, Vladimir. Lovers and Murderers. Trans. Craig Stephen Stevens. New York: Catbird Press, 2002. Shaw, J. Thomas. â€Å"Raskol’nikov’s Dreams. † Slavic and East European Journal 17, no. 2 (1973): 131-45.