Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literature - Essay Example Rowling’s series of Harry Potter. Often Harry has to face insurmountable odds in order to protect the one’s he loves as well as stand up for what he believes is right. A warrior must also be righteous in that his ethical values are clear and true with their moral compass always pointing north. Lastly, resourcefulness and humbleness are key to the creation of a warrior. Not only is a warrior a hero, but he/she is also a leader and must show resourcefulness when solving complex problems as well as show humility when they conquer a task for the people. The role of a warrior in society depends on the societal norms placed on the individual. This also shapes how the person deals with the demands from this society. In Beowulf, Beowulf is tasked with the challenge of slaying Grendel, an evil creature who has been terrifying the people in the king’s hall and killing them. In this, Beowulf functions more as the archetypal warrior character in that his primary purpose as a hero is protecting the people through slaying the beast. Like in government, the power and respect that a warrior yields is not his/her, but rather is delegated to him/her by the people. Many warriors often have abilities that can be considered superhuman abilities, but they always have that one flaw that challenges them in the development of the character. In the Illiad, Achilles is a fearsome warrior who fight’s for Agamemnon in the Trojan War recanted by Homer. Achilles yields the respect of all those in the army for his skill of the sword and his prowess as a warrior. His enemies fear him knowing that he will bring death and destruction. Despite all of this, he was one weakness on his leg in which he is vulnerable to defeat. Unfortunately, he is unable to overcome this weakness and perishes which lead to the name of the area to be called the Achilles tendon in that if any one of us is injured there, it fundamentally changes the way we are able to get around. The idea of a warrior is based on what he/she does for society and how society interprets the actions of the hero/heroine. It is as easy to be praised for a positive act of protection as it is to be reprimanded for an action that society deems immoral or just as easily not meeting the expectations of society. Question 2: Cultural and societal beliefs help fundamentally define the people within. Many cultures have beliefs that there is divine intervention among those in society either for better or worse. They will create shrines to celebrate these deities and make sacrifices to curb the wrath of them. The first and probably most well written about would be the roman gods and demigods which dominated and shaped the roman way of life during ancient times. Many superstitions can be attributed to these gods. They believed in many different gods which usually had domain over an element or aspect in life i.e. Venus is to love as Neptune is to water. They believed that these gods influenced their live s every day in every aspect. In order to gain favor, they shaped their entire culture around this. They paid homage to their gods for good fortune and built great Parthenon’s in their honor. Contemporary, we look at Christianity and the belief in one god subdivided into three aspects: the father, the son, and the holy spirit. In today’s day, society is divided on the divine interference of god in daily life. Many people pray and read the bible in order to try and interpret his meaning in order to live a moral life that will

Minority Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Minority Discrimination - Essay Example I, being a Muslim, have faced it to an extent that I feel depressed and its not just about me, many of US Muslims face it regularly. There is always some reason behind the opposition and discrimination against a community, country or a person. After facing such bias and disgrace from others, I was forced to find out the reasons behind it. According to my research, I think that most of the population of US is against Muslims because of the wrongdoings of a portion of our community. They humiliate us and call us "terrorists" regardless of the fact that we're innocent and have not taken part in any such action. The discrimination that Muslims face is not limited to US but there is wide range of countries where Muslims face and bear it. The mayor of our region is of Asian Descent; hence we have relatively less troubles in coping up with our day to day life. People of our community strictly follow the rules made by the mayor, presented by the civilization or set by the religion. They follow the same way of dressing, language, cultural values and ethical principles. The people of our community are tied strongly in a loop where their brotherhood, peace, love and respect do not allow them to take any action against each other. I personally think that we are living a life of heaven in this age of discrimination and conflicts. ... However, one cannot deny the fact that, despite of the uphill struggle, people suffer. The reason of discrimination is basically the revenge of others who treat or treated us badly. This discrimination is, however, not conducted by our mayor but other officials. The issue of Police Officer Susan L. Purtee can be taken as an example. Officer Purtee and her sister, Barbara Gordon-Bell, were accused of making videos which were against Jews, Cubans, Blacks and a few other nations. They tried to convey a message that all the illegal immigrants, blacks and some other minorities are the cause of a number of social evils. This statement and humiliation was a clear-cut discrimination against minorities. The issue was raised because of the position Purtee held (Marx & Narciso, 2007). Such an action by a Police Officer, which may cause hatred, uproar and discipline disorders among the public, was hard to be absorbed. However, on the other hand, Mayor goes up against those videos and the statements of Officer Purtee and her sister. He says "I am personally offended by her racist and anti-Semitic comments, and I believe our citizens should be equally offended. As Mayor, I am highly concerned that this unacceptable conduct will reflect negatively on the entire Division and the City of Columbus. Clearly, Officer Purtee is not representative of our Division's many great Officers. While we respect the right of free speech, we also demand that every Officer meets the highest standard of conduct on and off the job. In my opinion, Officer Purtee's conduct falls far below this City's expectations (Text of Mayor Coleman's letter, 2007)". This clearly shows his despise of such an act from a Government Official. Islam is a religion of peace and justice. Our community

Comparison of Lip Prints, Palatal Rugae With Blood Groups

Comparison of Lip Prints, Palatal Rugae With Blood Groups Title of the article: Comparison of lip prints, Palatal rugae with blood groups in Karnataka and Kerala Population Abstract Background: In the literature there is no data for the study done to compare lip prints and palatal rugae with blood groups. Correlating lip prints and palatal rugae with blood groups may be valuable in forensic science in precise identification of an individual than by means of lip prints or palatal rugae only. The present study was done to establish the allocation of different lip print patterns and palatal rugae among the subjects having diverse ABO and Rh blood groups in Karnataka and Kerala Population. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised a total of 100 subjects, which included 50 Kerala and 50 Manipuri subjects in the age group of 17-21 years. All the individuals’ lip prints, palatal rugae and blood groups were studied. Statistical comparison between the groups was done by Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for small samples. Results: Type 2 was found to be the predominant lip print pattern (45%) in both the populations. The major rugae shape in both the populations was wavy pattern and less commonly curved and straight. Left side of the palate showed relatively more number of rugae. Blood group A showed highest Type 3 lip print, B showed Type 2 pattern, AB showed Type 1 and Type 3 patterns and O showed Type 2 patterns. In Blood group A, curved palatal rugae were predominant whereas in blood group B, AB and O wavy patterns were predominant. Conclusion: In the present study it is noted that there is no association between lip prints and blood groups. However comparison of palatal rugae with blood groups showed a statistically significant difference. Thus our present showed a correlation between palatal rugae and blood groups. Key words: Blood groups, Kerala Population, Lip prints, palatal rugae, , manipuri Population. Introduction It is based on scientific principles, largely involving dental records, fingerprints and DNA comparisons. At times, it becomes essential to apply slighter known and remarkable techniques like cheiloscopy and palatoscopy. Lip prints and palatal rugae patterns are found to be unique to an individual and therefore embrace the possibility for identification.1-3 Lip prints are common lines, fissures in the appearance of wrinkles and grooves seen in the zone of transition of lip in the middle of the inner labial mucosa and outer skin. Cheiloscopy (from the Greek: cheilos -‘lips’ and skopein ‘to see’) is the given name to the lip pattern studies.3 It is probable to identify that lip print patterns form as before sixth week of uterine life. Since that instant on, the lip patterns hardly ever modify, resisting many afflictions and therefore lip prints assist as a means in human identification. Yasuo Tsuchihashi considered the lip prints of 757 males and 607 females of Japanese subjects and classified them into six types based on shape and way of the grooves.1, 4 Palatal rugae, in adding together are unique to an individual, protected from trauma by their internal location in the head. Once shaped, rugae do not go through any changes with the exception of length, due to regular growth, enduring in the same arrangement right through the complete person’s life. Diseases, chemical violence or trauma do not appear to change the palatal rugae form.5 The purpose of palatal rugae patterns intended for personal recognition was foremost suggested by Harrison Allen in 1889. Thomas and Kotze in 1983 detailed the various patterns of palatal rugae and classified based on the shape, unification, direction, and length.6 In the literature there is no data for the study finished to compare lip prints and palatal rugae with blood groups. Correlating lip prints and palatal rugae with blood groups may be valuable in forensic science in precise identification of an individual than by means of lip prints or palatal rugae only. The present study was done to establish the allocation of different lip print patterns and palatal rugae among the subjects having diverse ABO and Rh blood groups in Karnataka and Kerala Population. In our study we have also searched for the predominant lip print type and palatal rugae patterns among the persons from Karnataka and Kerala states in India. Material and Methods Subjects The total sample consisted of 100 BDS students studying in Navodaya Dental College and Hospital, Raichur, Karnataka, involving of 50 subjects (25 male and 25 female) from Karnataka and 50 Kerala subjects (25 male and 25 female), in the age group ranging between 17-21 years. Approval of all the individuals and ethical clearance was also obtained to conduct the study. Each individual subject lip prints, palatal rugae and blood groups were studied. Recording the lip prints Lips free from some pathology, having extremely normal transition zone linking the mucosa and the skin were incorporated in the study. Lips of the subjects were cleaned and lipstick was applied all over the lips. Lip ‘impressions’ were traced in the usual rest place of the lips by applying a ribbon of cellophane tape which is 10cm long. The cellophane strip was consequently fixed on to the white chart paper for everlasting documentation and then the recorded lip prints be visualized with a magnifying lens (Figure 1). Examination of the lip prints Each individual’s lips were divided into 4 compartments and seen for the type of lip print in each compartment (Figure 2). Recording the palatal rugae Alginate impressions of only maxillary arch was prepared and poured by means of dental stone. A dental plaster base was prepared and casts were conserved for analysis. The rugae patterns were traced on these casts using a sharp graphite pencil below sufficient light. The palatal rugae patterns were subsequently explored on these casts with the facility of magnifying lens (Figure 3, 4). Recording the blood groups Each subjects blood groups were evaluated by inserting a drop of blood on the slide furthermore treated by means of anti-A and anti-B sera. Positive agglutination of the blood taking place on treating with anti-A is well thought to be blood group A, positive reaction with anti-B is deliberated as blood group B, if no agglutination is created subsequently the blood group is O and if agglutination is observed with both anti-sera at that time blood group AB is considered. In the same way, positive agglutination response with Rh antigen is well thought to be Rh positive or else as Rh negative. Statistical analysis The data was analyzed for percentage proportions and compared. Statistical comparison between the groups was done by Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for small samples. A p-value less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Data was analyzed by using software SPSS version 16.0 Results Lip prints Taken as a whole, not even one individual had a single kind of lip prints in all the compartments and no individual had an alike lip print patterns. When sex was assessed in both the populations combined, males demonstrated principally Type 3 lip print pattern (43%) whereas, females showed principally Type 2 (49%). Comparison of all lip print patterns among males and females using the chi-square test showed no statistically significant difference (Table 1). In the Karnataka population, Type 2 lip print pattern was set up to be largest (48%), followed by Type 3 (40%), Type 1 (8%) and Type 5 (4%). Type 1’ and Type 4 patterns were zero in Karnataka population. In Kerala population, Type 2 lip print pattern was established to be predominant (42%), followed by Type 3 (28%), Type 1 (26%) and Type 4 Type 5 (2%) (Table 2). When the overall patterns were evaluated in the entire study subjects (in both Karnataka and Kerala), Type 2 was found to be the majority of all lip print patterns having 45% in contrast to additional types of lip print patterns. The Chi-square test association of all lip print patterns between Karnataka and Kerala population revealed no significant differences except for Type 1 pattern (Tables 2). Palatal rugae The largest rugae shape in all populations was wavy pattern and smallest being curved and straight. However, wavy and curved patterns were predominant in Karnataka compared to Kerala population and whereas straight was slightly more in Kerala population. When unification of rugae was analyzed, diverging type of rugae pattern was predominant in both the populations. However no statistical significant difference was observed. On observing the direction of rugae, forwardly directed rugae were predominant than backwardly directed rugae in both the populations. Inaddition, forwardly directed rugae were more in Karnataka population than Kerala, whereas backwardly directed rugae were more in Kerala population than Karnataka. In Karnataka population left side of the palate demonstrated relatively extra number of rugae apart from right side, whereas in Kerala, right side of the palate showed more number of rugae (Table 3). Blood groups and Rh system Majority of the subjects (44%) in Karnataka population belonged to blood group A; followed by blood group O (34%), B (16%) and AB (6%). Whereas frequency of blood group O (50%) was higher in Kerala population followed by blood group B (34%), A (10%) and AB (6%). In Karnataka population 98% of subjects had Rh-positive factor and only 2% of cases belonged to Rh-negative factor. In Kerala population, 90% of subjects had Rh-positive factor. Comparison of all blood groups between both the populations showed a statistical significant difference only for A and B groups. Inaddition, there was no significant difference observed for Rh-positive and negative factor between both the populations (Table 4). Comparison of Lip prints and palatal rugae in relation to all blood groups Among Blood group A highest was Type 3 lip print pattern (44%), blood group B showed highest Type 2 pattern (48%), blood group AB showed highest Type 1 (50%) and Type 3 (50%) patterns and blood Group O showed highest Type 2 (55%) patterns. On statistical comparison between different lip prints in all the blood groups, no significant difference was observed. In Blood group A, curved palatal rugae (49%) were predominant whereas in blood group B, AB and O wavy patterns were predominant and was also statistically significant (P=0.02) (Table 5). Discussion In forensic identification, the mouth allows for countless possibilities. Compilation of data from bite marks, lip prints and teeth in crime scenes such as murder and rape be capable of playing a major role in criminal investigations. Rarely, noticeable or latent lip prints are established at a crime scene which can be recorded and contrasted with the prints of assumed persons and the donor is able to be recognized. The importance of cheiloscopy is associated to the information that lip prints are genetic, developed at 6th month of uterine life, are permanent, unchangeable after death also, and unique to an individual.2 In the literature, a number of researchers have worked expansively on lip prints, palatal rugae and blood individually for sex and population identification. In addition, there are no studies that compared lip print and palatal rugae with blood groups between two populations. Hence, in the present study an attempt is been made to contrast the lip print patterns and palatal rugae with blood groups in subjects from two different parts of India (i.e. Karnataka and Kerala). In the present study the majority lip pattern seen in males was type 3, and in females it was type 2. This was in accordance with Gondivkar et al.11 When the overall patterns were evaluated among in the entire study subjects, Type 2 was found to be the majority lip print pattern having 45% when compared to additional types of lip print patterns. These results were in accordance with Telagi et al.12, Patel et al.13 and Rastogi et al.2 Within the Karnataka population, Type 2 lip print pattern was established to be largest, followed by Type 3, Type 1 and Type 5. This was in contrast to the study done by Vahanwalla and Parekh in Mumbai, in which they found that type I was predominant.14 Verghese et al. has conducted a study of cheiloscopy in south Karnataka districts in India and showed that type 4 pattern was predominant in Karnataka population, in contrast to our study.1 Within Kerala population, Type 2 lip print pattern was established to be largest, followed by Type 3, Type 1 and Type 4 5. In contrast to our study, According to Verghese et al. Type 4 to be major in both the genders in Kerala population.15 Further, in our study, statistical association of all lip print patterns among Karnataka and Kerala population revealed no significant differences except for Type 1 pattern. The major rugae shape in both the populations was wavy pattern and less commonly curved and straight and which is in with Kapali et al.16 However, in our study wavy and curved patterns were predominant in Karnataka compared to Kerala population. Straight was slightly more in Kerala population than Karnataka population. In addition, in the present study, when unification of rugae was analyzed, diverging type of rugae pattern was predominant in both the populations. On observing the direction of rugae, forwardly directed rugae were predominant than backwardly directed rugae in both the populations. However, forwardly directed rugae were more in Karnataka population than Kerala, whereas backwardly directed rugae were more in Kerala population than Karnataka. When evaluated for the number of palatal rugae in Karnataka and Kerala population left side of the palate showed relatively more number of rugae. This interpretation was similar to Dhoke and Usato et al. who as well reported with the intention that right side of the palate had smaller number of rugae than the left side. This may be owed to the observable fact of regressive advancement, dominating the right side of the palate.10 Further in our study statistical analysis showed that there was no difference found in the total number of rugae seen for shape, unification, direction and side of the palate between the two populations. In the present study the predominant blood group among all the subjects was blood group O. These findings were similar to the results obtained by Bharadwaja et al.17, Rastogi et al.18. Majority of the subjects in Karnataka population belonged to blood group A, whereas the frequency of blood group O was higher in Kerala population. 98% of subjects in the Karnataka population had Rh-positive factor and 90% of Kerala population had Rh-positive factor. Comparison of all blood groups between both the populations showed a statistical significant difference only for A and B groups. Inaddition, there was no significant difference observed for Rh-positive and negative factor between both the populations. Frequency of type 3 lip print pattern was more in Blood group A. Distribution of Type 2 lip print pattern was highest blood group B and O. Further type 1 and type 3 were predominant in blood group AB. When comparison between different lip prints in all the blood groups was done, no statistical significant difference was observed. These results coordinated with earlier studies done by Telagi et al.12 Sandhu et al.19 and Verma et al.20 Coming to the palatal rugae distribution, curved rugae were predominant in Blood group A, whereas in blood group B, AB and O, wavy patterns were predominant. Further on comparison of different rugae patterns among different blood groups showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusion In the present study it is noted that there is no association between lip prints and blood groups. However comparison of palatal rugae with blood groups showed a statistically significant difference. Thus our present showed a correlation between palatal rugae and blood groups. Further there are no studies available on palatal rugae comparison with blood group in English language literature search. Thus our study remains the first study to compare both lip prints and palatal rugae with blood groups.

Aspects of Love in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Aspects of Love in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 'Aspects of Love': Discuss the various forms of love that are present in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". It's a clichÃÆ'Â © to say that Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told. People say this because it is the most famous love story told and the play has various aspects of love and not only one. Even the phrase 'the greatest love story ever told' was used as a tagline for the recent Baz Luhrmann film. The prologue is full of violent and negative language e.g. ancient grudge, civil blood, fatal lions, death- marked, rage. But also has words to do with love e.g. star crossed lovers. You can already tell that this is going to be a love story with trouble, worry and violence in it. The first reference to an aspect of love in this so-called "greatest love story ever told" after the Prologue is to rape and therefore lust not love. The first two characters that the audience is introduced to are Sampson and Gregory. They are vulgar and crude, making many sexual references and innuendoes. They do not see love as involving emotions or desires, but as a purely physical thing, sexual not emotional. Sampson refers to women as "weaker vessels" and tells of how he will rape the maids of the Montague household; "Women being the weaker vessels are ever thrust to the wall", "I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall". Both Sampson and Gregory have petty and narrow perceptions of 'love'. Neither of them appears to have ever experienced true love. They talk in a crude and coarse manner and see women as objects not people. Courtly love characterises Romeo's behaviour at the start as he mopes over the unattainable Rosaline. This is only upper class and is not necessarily about love. It is really a series of expectations, aristocratic societies expected their young men to idolise a woman 'out of their league. This happens to Romeo because he is self-pitying

Gun Violence in America Research Paper

Since 1982, at least sixty-two mass shootings have occurred, thirty-two of them since 2006. (Aronsen). Jared Loughner was sentenced to life in prison after shooting nineteen people in January of 2011. Last July, fifty-eight people were shot and twelve killed while watching the new Batman movie in a theater in Colorado. In December, twenty-six people were murdered, including twenty first-graders, in a Connecticut elementary school (Follman). The issue of gun violence only becomes relevant after a horrific event such as these, then fades from public concern after about two weeks.The number of injuries and murders using guns in the United States is a large number, which can hopefully be lowered by implementing statewide, or even nationwide gun buyback programs, stricter carrying permit laws, and making it harder for the mentally unstable and convicted felons to legally obtain guns.HISTORY/BACKGROUNDThe argument for or against gun control has been an ongoing battle since the beginning of the nation. The Second Amendment gives people the â€Å"right to bear arms.† When arguing for this Amendment, the factor that is not considered is that it was made so one could protect their person in case of an emergency. There was no police force when this law was created; therefore it was almost every man for himself, the people protected themselves. Now the police force is incredibly large, and is always patrolling the streets to make sure all is well and everyone is safe. Carrying a small handgun in one’s car is reasonable, but is keeping ten different models of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles at home just for fun?PRODUCTION/OWNERSHIPEvery year, eight million small firearms and ten to fifteen billion rounds of ammunition are manufactured worldwide. Over eight hundred and seventy-five million firearms are in possession in the world, and 75% belong to the people (Alpers). In the United States, approximately 6. 1 million guns are produced each year and there is a ratio of 89 guns to every 100 people (â€Å"Firearms Death Rate per 100,000 by State, statehealthfacts. org†). According to a Gallup poll, the majority of gun owners possess guns for three main purposes: 67% for self-defense, 66% for target shooting, and 62%for hunting (Velasco). If one decides to own guns, they should be kept locked up safely in a private place, so there is not easy access for children in the household or someone incapable of properly operating a firearm.ARMED FELONS/MENTALLY UNSTABLEIn 2005, Erik Zettergren shot Jason Robinson in the head for attempting to have sex with his wife. He then forced Robinson’s fiancà ©e to assist him in dragging his dead body to the river for disposal. Zettergren was a man with a history of mental health problems, and was a convicted felon who had his rights to possess a gun barred.Two months before the murder, a judge reinstated his rights without even holding a hearing (Luo). Felons commit 90% of all gun crimes, y et most of their rights are given back with little or no review. Juveniles and the mentally unbalanced primarily carry out the remainder of the crimes (Kates Jr. ). A German Neurologist claims he has found the â€Å"dark patch† of killer’s brains that is associated with wicked behavior. He classifies these people into three groups. The first he classifies as ‘psychologically healthy,' people who grow up in an environment where it is ‘OK to beat, steal and murder'.The second type is the mentally disturbed criminal who looks at his world as threatening. The third group is pure psychopaths, a group in which tyrants such as Hitler and Stalin belong. (Hall)WILL IT SOLVE ANYTHING?Over thirty-eight thousand people use guns to commit suicide each year. If the guns are taken away from them, they will just find another way to kill themselves. Suicide is a problem that can’t really be solved. On the other hand, guns are also used to kill over eleven thousand pe ople a year (Becker).Again, if the guns are taken away, murderers will find other methods to kill, but if they aren’t using guns, there hopefully won’t be as many deaths. If a man goes into a building with a gun, he can kill an almost unlimited number of people, but if he only has a knife, for example, it’s going to take a lot longer to kill that many people by the time help arrives.ANTI-GUN ORGANIZATIONSOne of the most famous anti-gun organizations is the Brady Campaign, established in 1974, which has played a major role in the control of guns.Their main goal is to make it more difficult for convicted felons, the mentally unstable, and other such people to obtain guns (â€Å"About Us: History of the Brady Campaign†). They presented the Brady Act, passed in 1993, which would â€Å"impose a waiting period of up to five days for the purchase of a handgun, and subjects purchasers to a background check† (â€Å"Brady Act†). Since the imposition o f this act, over one hundred million background checks have been conducted, and more than seven hundred thousand attempted purchases have been denied (â€Å"National Instant Criminal Background Check System†).Another major group is the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, or the CSGV. Their mission statement is â€Å"The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy. † They are composed of forty-seven national organizations, including religious and social justice organizations, child welfare advocates, and public health professionals. This diversity allows them to reach a wide variety of grassroots in the world (â€Å"About Us – Coalition to Stop Gun Violence†).CONCLUSIONIf people like teachers had carrying permits, they could keep a gun locked up in the classroom, so if a person with a gun comes bursting through the door and threatens to shoot people, or does shoot someone, the teacher can run to grab the gun, and protect the lives of all the children and him/herself. Through further investigation, it has been found that the gun murder rate can be lowered through proper enforcement of carrying permit laws, better help for the mentally unbalanced, and increased gun buybacks. Gun Violence in America Research Paper Since 1982, at least sixty-two mass shootings have occurred, thirty-two of them since 2006. (Aronsen). Jared Loughner was sentenced to life in prison after shooting nineteen people in January of 2011. Last July, fifty-eight people were shot and twelve killed while watching the new Batman movie in a theater in Colorado. In December, twenty-six people were murdered, including twenty first-graders, in a Connecticut elementary school (Follman).The issue of gun violence only becomes relevant after a horrific event such as these, then fades from public concern after about two weeks. The number of injuries and murders using guns in the United States is a large number, which can hopefully be lowered by implementing statewide, or even nationwide gun buyback programs, stricter carrying permit laws, and making it harder for the mentally unstable and convicted felons to legally obtain guns.HISTORY/BACKGROUNDThe argument for or against gun control has been an ongoing battle since the beginning of the nation. The Second Amendment gives people the â€Å"right to bear arms.† When arguing for this Amendment, the factor that is not considered is that it was made so one could protect their person in case of an emergency. There was no police force when this law was created; therefore it was almost every man for himself, the people protected themselves. Now the police force is incredibly large, and is always patrolling the streets to make sure all is well and everyone is safe. Carrying a small handgun in one’s car is reasonable, but is keeping ten different models of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles at home just for fun?PRODUCTION/OWNERSHIPEvery year, eight million small firearms and ten to fifteen billion rounds of ammunition are manufactured worldwide. Over eight hundred and seventy-five million firearms are in possession in the world, and 75% belong to the people (Alpers). In the United States, approximately 6.1 million guns are produced each year and there i s a ratio of 89 guns to every 100 people (â€Å"Firearms Death Rate per 100,000 by State, statehealthfacts.org†).According to a Gallup poll, the majority of gun owners possess guns for three main purposes: 67% for self-defense, 66% for target shooting, and 62%  for hunting (Velasco). If one decides to own guns, they should be kept locked up safely in a private place, so there is not easy access for children in the household or someone incapable of properly operating a firearm.ARMED FELONS/MENTALLY UNSTABLEIn 2005, Erik Zettergren shot Jason Robinson in the head for attempting to have sex with his wife. He then forced Robinson’s fiancà ©e to assist him in dragging his dead body to the river for disposal. Zettergren was a man with a history of mental health problems, and was a convicted felon who had his rights to possess a gun barred. Two months before the murder, a judge reinstated his rights without even holding a hearing (Luo). Felons commit 90% of all gun crimes, yet most of their rights are given back with little or no review. Juveniles and the mentally unbalanced primarily carry out the remainder of the crimes (Kates Jr.).A German Neurologist claims he has found the â€Å"dark patch† of killer’s brains that is associated with wicked behavior. He classifies these people into three groups. The first he classifies as ‘psychologically healthy,' people who grow up in an environment where it is ‘OK to beat, steal and murder'. The second type is the mentally disturbed criminal who looks at his world as threatening. The third group is pure psychopaths, a group in which tyrants such as Hitler and Stalin belong. (Hall)WILL IT SOLVE ANYTHING?Over thirty-eight thousand people use guns to commit suicide each year. If the guns are taken away from them, they will just find another way to kill themselves. Suicide is a problem that can’t really be solved. On the other hand, guns are also used to kill over eleven thousand p eople a year (Becker). Again, if the guns are taken away, murderers will find other methods to kill, but if they aren’t using guns, there hopefully won’t be as many deaths. If a man goes into a building with a gun, he can kill an almost unlimited number of people, but if he only has a knife, for example, it’s going to take a lot longer to kill that many people by the time help arrives.ANTI-GUN ORGANIZATIONSOne of the most famous anti-gun organizations is the Brady Campaign, established in 1974, which has played a major role in the control of guns. Their main goal is to make it more difficult for convicted felons, the mentally unstable, and other such people to obtain guns (â€Å"About Us: History of the Brady Campaign†). They presented the Brady Act, passed in 1993, which would â€Å"impose a waiting period of up to five days for the purchase of a handgun, and subjects purchasers to a background check† (â€Å"Brady Act†). Since the impositio n of this act, over one hundred million background checks have been conducted, and more than seven hundred thousand attempted purchases have been denied (â€Å"National Instant Criminal Background Check System†).Another major group is the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, or the CSGV. Their mission statement is â€Å"The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy.† They are composed of forty-seven national organizations, including religious and social justice organizations, child welfare advocates, and public health professionals. This diversity allows them to reach a wide variety of grassroots in the world (â€Å"About Us – Coalition to Stop Gun Violence†).CONCLUSIONIf people like teachers had carrying permits, they could keep a gun locked up in the classroom, so if a person with a gun comes bursting through the door and threatens to shoot people, or does sho ot someone, the teacher can run to grab the gun, and protect the lives of all the children and him/herself. Through further investigation, it has been found that the gun murder rate can be lowered through proper enforcement of carrying permit laws, better help for the mentally unbalanced, and increased gun buybacks.

China today Essay

China today would not miss the inquisitive recognition of an observative eye. Ranging from the political, economical and social, China has moved from some of its early concepts, thoughts, philosophies and forms of ruling. Today, much more influence from the outside world has had major impact on the outlook of the modern Chinese people and their culture. To talk about China without reflecting about their ancient culture and the dynasties would be to do a great injustice to the Chinese people. Although, the concern of this essay is to look at individualism, thus it would be not possible not to generally mention the emperors ruling and the culture which has dominated China since 221 BCE. The Chinese society was largely an agricultural settled society that was propagated by the Confucius thought. Many of those who have written the history of China have at instances tried to compartmentalize it into culture, politics and society. This loses the value of their study since being a Chinese before the eighteenth and nineteenth century involved culturalism as opposed to nationalism. These are a people who largely had a shared identity and collective rituals. Confucius ideas, self development, among others and negative attitude to profit making had an impact and an expression of individualism. Culturalism impeded the growth of the state because it emphasized on ones ties to the family, region or city. In other words China was fragile due to ethnic nationalism which made it a very unstable state especially under the poke of other countries. The ethnic nationalism was responsible for the revolution of the 1911 because of anti Manchurian Han oriented ideas that they, Manchuria courts were not in a position to defend the Chinese people. It is at the twentieth century that China was faced by threats from Western and Japanese capitalism and imperialism. Therefore it had to define its position on the national stage and set itself a much a country to be consulted in matters of the world (Wang, pp ix & 211). The importance of the individualistic view in the Confucianism tradition helped to set China in preparation of later developments and changing realities that could not allow it to retain the empire style. Thus, it is by the negation of Confucius ideas that led to the rise of new culture thus the birth of state nationalism. Closely following this era is the period of Chairman Mao who was an ardent socialist. During his time era, from 1949 it was considered behaving like a bourgeoisie when one showed interests in self. China was a collectivist state that suppressed the individual desires advocating for the society’s plight. The changes in China today are as a result of the government outlook reforms of the 1980’s. Mostly the youth in China mirror more of the Western culture more than the older generation thus sometimes causing conflict between the two groups. The Western culture has brought individualistic thought and perspectives that even in education politics and all other parts of the society reflect an outlook of self. In education as an example most the parents are urging the sons and daughters to pursue high paying courses for the sole purpose of personal better placement. Post Mao China has overcome the collective notions of the society to emphasis on individualism. No longer will you see workers donning the same color or style clothes (Robert, para 8, 9 & 10). The fact that the modern Chinese society was formed on the foundations of the West does not mean that the Confucius thought completely was exterminated. The power of the community is still in force as Wei-ming Tu puts it, that there is group solidarity which is involved decision making through consensus can d conflict resolutions. There is no distinction between personal and public lives of the people. The classical outlook of the family by the Confucius thought still forms as the major connection of politics education capitalism and social lives. This has the implications of a sense of duty responsibility obligation relationship independence and autonomy. Thus, in the wake of being the best person through self respect and dignity such a person does not fall short of having the role of taking care of his fellow neighbor family community state and the state. This is seen as the modern psychological approach to the new China in the fact that if one is found falling less of this, then you loose your place in the public hence a sense of personal guilt. It is therefore evident that the Chinese value collective individualistic aspects for the betterment of the society (Tu, pp 7, 8, 9 & 10). Bibliography: Robert L. , M. Ethnology: Generation KU: individualism and China’s millennial youth, 22nd September 2005. Retrieved from on 25th April 2009 Tu, W. Confucian Traditions in East Asian Modernity: Moral Education and Economic Culture in Japan and the Four Mini-Dragons. ISBN 0674160878, 9780674160873, Harvard University Press, 1996. Wang, K. Modern China: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Nationalism. ISBN 0815307209, 9780815307204, Published by Taylor & Francis, 1998.