Landscape Architecture Essay Example

Landscape Architecture Essay BUILD ENVIRONMENT The term built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply, or energy networks. The built environment is a material, spatial and cultural product of human labor that combines physical elements and energy in forms for living, working and playing. It has been defined as â€Å"the human-made space in which people live, work, and recreate on a day-to-day basis†. The â€Å"built environment encompasses places and spaces created or modified by people including buildings, parks, and transportation systems†. In recent years, public health research has expanded the definition of built environment to include healthy food access, community gardens, â€Å"walkabilty, and â€Å"bikability†. Early concepts of built environments were introduced thousands of years ago. Hippodamus of Miletos, known as the â€Å"father of urban planning†, developed Greek cities from 498 BC to 408 BC that created order by using grid plans that mapped the city. These early city plans eventually gave way to the City Beautiful movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s, inspired by Daniel Hudson Burnham, a reformist for the Progressivism movement who actively promoted â€Å"a reform of the landscape in tandem with political change†. The effort was in partnership with others who believed that beautifying American cities would improve the moral compass of the cities and encourage the upper class to spend their money in cities. This beautification process included parks and architectural design. Modern built environment We will write a custom essay sample on Landscape Architecture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Landscape Architecture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Landscape Architecture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Currently built environments are typically used to describe the interdisciplinary field that addresses the design, construction, management, and use of these man-made surroundings as an interrelated whole as well as their relationship to human activities over time (rather than a particular element in isolation or at a single moment in time). The field is generally not regarded as a traditional profession or academic discipline in its own right, instead drawing upon areas such as economics, law, public policy, public health, management, geography, design, technology, and environmental sustainability. Within the field of public health, built environments are referred to as building or renovating areas in an effort to improve the community’s well-being through construction of â€Å"aesthetically, health improved, and environmentally improved landscapes and living structures†. Urban planning The term urban planning indicates that much of the environment we inhabit is man-made and that these artificial surroundings are so extensive and cohesive that with regards to the consumption of resources, waste disposal, and productive enterprise, they are similar to organisms. Public health In public health, built environments refer to physical environments that are designed with health and wellness as integral parts of the communities. Research has indicated that how neighborhoods are created can affect both the physical activity and mental health of the communities’ residents. Studies have shown that built environments that were expressly designed to improve physical activity are linked to higher rates of physical activity, which in turn, positively affects health. Neighborhoods with more walkability had lower rates of obesity as well as increased physical activity among its residents. They also had lower rates of depression, higher social capital, and less alcohol abuse. Walkability features in these neighborhoods include safety, sidewalk construction, as well as destinations in which to walk. In addition, the perception of a walkable neighborhood, one that is perceived to have good sidewalks and connectivity, is correlated with higher rates of physical activity. Assessments of walkability have been completed through the use of GIS programs. One such program, Street Smart Walk Score, is a walkability assessment tool which determines distances to grocery stores and other amenities, as well as connectivity and intersection frequency using specific addresses. Assessments such as Street Smart Walk Score can be utilized by city and county planning departments to improve existing walkability of communities. Public health also addresses additional components of built environments including â€Å"bikeability† and healthy food access such as proximity to grocery stores and community gardens. Bikeability refers to the access that an area has granted to safe biking through multiple bike paths and bike lanes. Both walkability and bikeability have been cited as determinants of physical activity. Access to healthy food is also an important component to the built environment. A higher density of convenience stores has been associated with obesity in children. In contrast, improved access to community supermarkets and farmer’s markets is correlated with lower overweight status. Specifically in low income neighborhoods, the presence of a local grocery store is correlated with lower BMI/overweight risk. Community gardens are also considered a part of the built environment, and have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable intake among gardeners. Scholars say that community gardens have also been shown to have positive social and psychological impacts that lead to lower levels of stress, hypertension, and an improved sense of wellness, affecting the overall health of the individual and the community. The intersection of public health with other disciplines is evident in the design process of built environments which includes environmental planning, policy development and land-use planning. Research suggests that people are more active in mixed-use communities or those that incorporate retail and residential and densely populated areas as well as those with good street connectivity. Those who preferred to walk and live in walkable environments often have lower obesity rates and drive less over those who preferred living in auto-dependent environments. The strength of the evidence for reducing obesity through environment has been highlighted by the Center for Disease Control in its Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Project, which includes measures of healthy food access and physical activity environments. Landscape architecture In landscape architecture, the built environment is understood to mean a human-made landscape, as distinguished from the natural environment; for example, a city park is a built environment. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally[-0] on Earth[-1] or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species. The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished by components: Complete ecological[-2] units that function as natural[-3] systems without massive human[-4] intervention, including all vegetation[-5], microorganisms[-6], soil[-7], rocks[-8], atmosphere[-9], and natural phenomena[-10] that occur within their boundaries.  §Universal natural resources[-11] and physical phenomena[-12] that lack clear-cut boundaries, such as air[-13], water[-14], and climate[-15], as well as energy[-16], radiation[-17], electric charge[-18], and magnetism[-19] , not originating from human activity. The natural environment is contrasted with the built environment[-20], which comprises the areas and components that are strongly influenced by humans. A geographical area is regarded as a natural environment. It is difficult to find absolutely natural environments, and it is common that the naturalness varies in a continuum, from ideally 100% natural in one extreme to 0% natural in the other. More precisely, we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment, and see that their degree of naturalness is not uniform. If, for instance, we take an agricultural field, and consider the mineralogic composition[-21] and the structure[-22] of its soil, we will find that whereas the first is quite similar to that of an undisturbed forest soil, the structure is quite different. Natural environment is often used as a synonym for habitat[-23]. For instance, when we say that the natural environment of giraffes is the savanna[-24]. PLANT STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS The Typical Plant Body The Root System (Usually underground)  §Anchor the plant in the soil  §Absorb water and nutrients  §Conduct water and nutrients Food Storage The Shoot System (Usually above grounds)  §Elevates the plant above the soil  §Many functions including:  §photosynthesis  §reproduction dispersal  §food and water conduction TYPE OF PLANTS Cacti (Cactus) Cactus plants are well adapted to hot and dry weather by storing water in their succulent stems. They are also known for their spines, for which they are famous. Flowers Fl owers are the reproductive part of angiosperms, also known as flowering plants. Herbs Herbs are used for culinary, medicinal and spiritual uses. In cuisine, the leaves of the herb are normally the only part used. All parts of herbs are used in various medical or spiritual practices. Shrubs and Bushes Usually under 6 m tall, shrubs and bushes are categorized as woody plants. Shrubs have multiple stems and many are covered with flowers of all shapes and sizes. Trees Trees are everywhere in the world. Trees are tall, large and some are very old. Trees are important in fighting soil erosion and responsible for the clean oxygen we breathe. Vegetables The term vegetable is not actually a scientific classification of a plant, but rather strictly a culinary term. Vegetables are parts of plants (flower buds, seeds, stems, fruits, etc) that are edible and used in culinary dishes. PLANT Plants, also called green plants (Viridiplantae in Latin), are living organisms of the kingdom Plantae including such multicellular groups as flowering plants, conifers, ferns and mosses, as well as, depending on definition, the green algae, but not red or brown seaweeds like kelp, nor fungi or bacteria. Green plants have cell walls with cellulose and characteristically obtain most of their energy from sunlight via photosynthesis using chlorophyll contained in chloroplasts, which gives them their green color. Some plants are parasitic and may not produce normal amounts of chlorophyll or photosynthesize. Plants are also characterized by sexual reproduction, modular and indeterminate growth, and an alteration of generations, although asexual reproduction is common, and some plants bloom only once while others bear only one bloom. Precise numbers are difficult to determine, but as of 2010, there are thought to be 300–315 thousand species of plants, of which the great majority, some 260–290 thousand, are seed plants. Green plants provide most of the worlds free oxygen and are the basis of most of the earths ecologies, especially on land. Plants described as grains, fruits and vegetables form mankinds basic foodstuffs, and have been domesticated for millennia. Plants enrich our lives as flowers and ornaments. Until recently and in great variety they have served as the source of most of our medicines and drugs. Their scientific study is known as botany. [-;0] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Nature [-;1] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Earth [-;2] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ecological -;3] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Nature [-;4] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human [-;5] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Vegetation [-;6] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Microorganisms [-;7] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soil [-;8] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rock_(geology) [-;9] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Atmosphere [-;10] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Natural_phenomenon [-;11] http://en. wikip edia. org/wiki/Natural_resource [-;12] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Physical_phenomena [-;13] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Air -;14] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Water [-;15] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Climate [-;16] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Energy [-;17] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Radiation [-;18] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Electric_charge [-;19] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Magnetism [-;20] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Built_environment [-;21] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Mineralogy [-;22] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Soil_structure [-;23] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Habitat [-;24] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Savanna

113 Perfect Persuasive Essay Topics for Any Assignment

3 Perfect Persuasive Essay Topics for Any Assignment SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help! Read on for a list of 3 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay. What Is a Persuasive Essay? In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint. Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument. All persuasive essays have the following: Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis. Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is. Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph. Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone. Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important. What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic? Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about. It’s a Topic You Care About Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic. You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay. For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position). It’s a Manageable Topic Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible. List of 3 Good Persuasive Essay Topics Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, â€Å"should fracking be legal?† you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you. Arts/Culture Should students be required to learn an instrument in school? Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series? Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness? With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete? Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be? Should music with offensive language come with a warning label? What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit? Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school? Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people? Economic Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes? Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy? Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth? Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant? Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs? Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven? Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead? Education Should students learn cursive writing in school? Which is more important: PE class or music class? Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year? Should class rank be abolished in schools? Should students be taught sex education in school? Should students be able to attend public universities for free? What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies? Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence? Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language? Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives? Does doing homework actually help students learn more? Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams? Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools? What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school? Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions? Ethics Should there be limits to free speech? Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school? Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote? Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated? Should recycling be made mandatory? Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents? Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed? Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons? Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places? Does making abortion illegalmake women more or less safe? Does foreign aid actually help developing countries? Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed? Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children? Government/Politics Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same? Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood? Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico? Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes? Should the United States’ military budget be reduced? Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country? Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship? Is national security more important than individual privacy? What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people? Should the electoral college be abolished? Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year? Should privately-run prisons be abolished? Who was the most/least effective US president? Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK? Health What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola? Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight? Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly? Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated? Is eating genetically modified food safe? What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable? What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate? Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide? Should birth control pills be available without a prescription? Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol? Why has anxiety increased in adolescents? Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss? History What caused the destruction of the USS Maine? Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king? Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII? What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide? What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony? Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War? What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle? Science Should nuclear power be banned? Is scientific testing on animals necessary? Do zoos help or harm animals? Should scientists be allowed to clone humans? Should animals in circuses be banned? Should fracking be legal? Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa? What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming? Should euthanasia be legalized? Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life? Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds? Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration? Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy? Is solar energy worth the cost? Should stem cells be used in medicine? Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement? Sports Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport? Should college athletes receive a salary? Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players? Do PE classes help students stay in shape? Should horse racing be banned? Should cheerleading be considered a sport? Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football? Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it? Technology Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools? Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life? Should facial recognition technology be banned? Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety? Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete? Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer? Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age? Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society? Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society? Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users? Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide? Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay. Do Your Research Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes. Make Your Thesis Perfect Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis. Consider the Other Side You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced. Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 3 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay. After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing: Do your research Make your thesis perfect Consider the other side What's Next? Need ideas for a research paper topic as well?Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you. Thinking about taking an AP English class? Read our guide on AP English classes to learn whether you should take AP English Language or AP English Literature (or both!) Deciding between the SAT or ACT? Find out for sure which you will do the best on. Also read a detailed comparison between the two tests. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Christine Sarikas About the Author Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Anthology Submissions A Good Idea or Not

Anthology Submissions A Good Idea or Not Thinking of submitting to an anthology? I’d say if you have time to write an essay based on the submission guidelines, aren’t looking for great financial reward but are seeking to be published in a â€Å"real† book, there’s nothing to lose. I noticed a small ad in Poets Writers for submissions to an anthology devoted to lessons learned from our mothers. The editor, Eric Bowen, had decided to create an anthology of essays and poems and donate half of the proceeds to shelters for women and children affected (amazon.com/Wisdom-Our-Mothers-Stories-daughters/dp/1453631011) I was delighted to have my essay about my mother and knitting selected and the book has been a wonderful gift item. And it was my first time published in a book so a great credential to add to my resume. Shortly after, I was invited to submit an essay to a book being compiled (amazon.com/Im-Going-College-Not-You-Surviving/dp/0312607296 ) While these opportunities weren’t high paying, I felt they were important and a chance to have my work judged Without giving the writers any themes, I received submissions that span the entire citrus spectrum, from sour to sweet.   Inside are poems and essays about parents, families, jobs, food, and memories.   The title, Tangerine Tango: Women Writers Share Slices of Life, came from my love of the color orange and love of alliteration. I offered to pay the writers $50 for their submissions and have decided to donate the proceeds from the sales to fight Huntington’s Disease, which honors one of the writers who lost her mother to the disease this year. I loved working with the writers and shaping the book, seeing the themes that emerged.   I hope to do it again! So, I’d encourage you to submit to an anthology if you see one that speaks to you as a writer. Not for the money, but to be included in a book that you can be proud to be part of and will give you a chance to be published. I’d be wary of offers that don’t pay at all, or are for total commercial gain. Be sure you maintain the rights of your work too. You never know, being in an anthology could be a steppingstone to more acceptances.  

Street Gang Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Street Gang - Research Proposal Example Experts have indicated that gangs have been using a strategy of moving from the larger U.S. cities to more rural and smaller urban areas (Thompkins 59,60). By understanding the motivation that originated the migration to New York City, these smaller communities can find the commonalties and recognize the phenomena in their cities. Laws and policies can be forged that will impede the spread of gang activity into these areas that are currently ill equipped to deal with this issue. The rising numbers of young people who report membership in a gang or who are impacted by the presence of a gang makes this issue both timely and of vital importance. By studying gang activity in the past, it will help to more fully predict their future movements and actions. This paper is not meant to be a history of gang violence or a specific chronology of the events that have impacted the Bloods. It is also not meant to be a platform for the political or social judgment of the gang's activities. It will investigate key events which have resulted in the spread of gang violence The paper will use existing research as well as anecdotal evidence to form its conclusions. Much has been written about the increase of gang violence and various law enforcement agencies, both local and national, have extensive information available.

Comparing short stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comparing short stories - Essay Example Later on it was found out that her daughter from her first marriage was alive and was living in the cottage. The little girl was black and Effie concealed this fact from Grant as she was scared that he would reject her as she was mother of a child of mixed race. â€Å"The Murders in the Rue Morgue† revolves around twin murders of a mother and her daughter in Rue Morgue, which is a fictional street in Paris. Dupin, who lives in Paris takes it upon himself to solve the mystery. There were numerous witnesses who claimed they heard the suspect but could not recognise the language. At the murder venue, Dupin finds a hair which does not belong to any human. Eventually, it was revealed that an Ourang-Outang has escaped from a sailor with his shaving razor, and the animal is responsible for the murders. Though the theme of both the stories circles around unlocking of a mystery but they are very different from one another in terms of plot in both the stories. The theme in the â€Å"The Yellow Face† lies in the mystery surrounding a previously married but devoted wife’s sudden suspicious behaviors, whereas, we witness a much more complex theme in â€Å"The Murders in the Rue Morgue† where we are gripped with an aura of chilling mystery surrounding a couple of ruthless murders. The first story is a framed narrative from Dr. Watson’s point of view, like most other Holmes’ series. On the other hand, the second story is narrated in first person by an unnamed narrator. Although its inspirations can be traced back to the â€Å"Das Frà ¤ulein von Scuderi† by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1819 and the 1748 publication of the â€Å"Zadig† by Voltaire, The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be the first ever detective mystery that showcases the art of deduction in solving a crime based on detection and analysis of clues that by an investigator.

The Importance of the Opening in Enduring Love Essay Example for Free

The Importance of the Opening in Enduring Love Essay The opening of a piece of literature is very important as it is responsible for creating the interest and anticipation that will drive the reader to carry on and enjoy it. Readers expect openings to include a couple of key areas like the setting, the introduction of characters and interest through a form of enigma or tension. Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love both conforms and challenges what a reader would expect of an opening through opening on what seems to be a climactic point of the book. Opening with the balloon incident immediately creates tension. McEwan’s choice of opening sentence is particularly effective. â€Å"the beginning is simple to mark† firstly because this foreshadows that the event will be colossus, and that the reader is the lucky one how gets to discover what happens. And secondly that starting a story with â€Å"the beginning† links quite strongly to religion and creates this biblical tone right from the start. This is interesting because religion is what Joe seems to disagree with seeing as he is very scientific and this choice of wording seems to ominously suggest a link between Joe and Jed and in fact how similar they are. The opening also introduces the narrative voice in enduring love which is particularly important because the story is told through the first person retrospective narrative of Joe rose. This causes the reader to form a sense of reliability and truth as is required as the story is told through only one person’s experience. The inclusion of words like †labyrinth† implies that confusion and complication are a part of the story and causes the reader to rely even more on the narrate voice of Joe. The reference to various senses heightens verisimilitude as every detail felt through the senses of the character is described. â€Å"As the cool neck and the black foil touched my hand†. Furthermore including such fine details creates an early sense of reliability in the narrative voice. There are numerous references to the wind in the opening which is involved with the tranquil setting but stands out as â€Å"strong gusty wind† suggests danger and creates tension. There is also the personification of the wind â€Å"the wind roared† linking the wind to animalistic foreshadows that it will be a danger. The image of the buzzard is also significant as it creates a filmic perspective on the event, like the buzzard is the omniscient creature that observes the already highly anticipated event. The buzzard’s image of being all-seeing and free can be linked to the image of God and once again further to Jed.

Discourse on Religion: Nietzsche and Edwards Essay -- Philosophy, Chri

Friedrich Nietzsche certainly serves as a model for the single best critic of religion. At the other end of this spectrum, Jonathan Edwards emerges as his archrival in terms of religious discourse. Nietzsche argues that Christianity’s stance toward all that is sensual is that grounded in hostility, out to tame all that rests on nature, or is natural, akin to Nietzsche’s position in the world and his views. Taking this into account, Edwards’s views on Christianity should be observed in context targeted at those who agree with his idea, that G-d is great and beyond the capacity of human reason. Edwards reaffirms for his audience G-d’s Spiritual and Divine Light. This light imparted to the soul by G-d, is of a different nature from any that is obtained by natural means (Edwards, 214). Edwards spells out that his sermon was not intended to address the men who believe solely in life’s natural condition and the anger of G-d. Spiritual light is also something that cannot be witnessed by eye, only by â€Å"due apprehension of those things that are taught in the word of G-d.† It is at this juncture that Nietzsche wholeheartedly agrees, affirming that the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is a condition of the heart and is not something that emanates from death or comes ‘upon the earth’ (Nietzsche, Sec. 34). However, Nietzsche debunks Edward’s idea of sin, claiming it as a contrivance used to invoke fear in the believers of Christianity and to denote ruling power to the Priest (Nietzsche, Sec. 49). Nietzsche proceeds to deride the value system of Christianity, spelling out what he sees through the will to power as definitions for happiness, good, and bad (Nietzsche, Sec. 2). For Nietzsche, happiness is the feeling bolstered by power: â€Å"that a resistanc... ...y, according to Nietzsche, still exists as part of certain individuals’ subconscious states. Since that individual has a preconceived notion of it in their mind before they achieve a higher state of being, it provides light at the end of the tunnel to fuel their mental digression. Pity too must be a product of that individual’s emotional state. For people who desire self-pity, the idea of Christianity offers them closure, a rationalized conclusion, at the end of the pathway of the individual’s subconscious. In their eyes, the idea of Christianity affords them some level of higher status within their community, which they would not otherwise be able to attain. Christianity rationalizes for the individual his state of depravity. Had this individual been able to see reality from the get-go, achieve some modicum of societal power, they would not require self-pity today.

Geo homework Essay

1.How does carbonic acid form? When carbon dioxide dissolves in water. 2.What is meant by dissolution? Removal of bedrock through chemical action of water. 3.What kinds of rocks are most susceptible to solution processes and why? Limestone and dolomite because the water dissolves the rock. 4.What is the importance of jointing and bedding planes to the underground structure of caverns? There are more caverns where joints and bedding planes are. 5.Describe and explain the formation of speleothems such as stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Formed by precipitated deposits if minerals on the wall, floor, or roof of a cave. 6.In what kinds of rocks does karst topography usually develop? In easily decomposed rocks such as limestone. 7.Explain how a sinkhole is formed. When land underneath erodes and there is a depression formed. 8.Describe the formation of a collapse sinkhole and an uvala. 9.Describe the characteristics of tower karst. 10.What is a swallow hole? A disappearing stream? 11.Why is there a scarcity of surface drainage in karst areas? 12.What is hydrothermal activity? 13.What are the differences between a hot spring, a geyser, and a fumarole? What causes these differences? 14.Briefly explain the eruption sequence of a typical geyser. 1. Which is more important for weathering action of underground water, mechanical or chemical weathering? 2. How does the underground structure of the bedrock influence the dissolution process? 3. How is it possible for percolating groundwater to both remove mineral material and deposit it? 4. How can groundwater pumping by people lead to sinkhole formation? 5. What three conditions are necessary for hydrothermal features to develop? 6. What is the importance of jointing and bedding planes to the development of hot springs and geysers? 7. Why don’t most geysers erupt at regular intervals? 8. The 1912 eruption of Mount Katmai in Alaska buried a nearby river valley beneath a thick layer of volcanic ash. Today the area is called the valley of 10,000 smokes. What do you think this name refers to?

Serial Killers

Many misunderstand the true meaning of the term serial killer and confuse it with those of mass murderers and spree killers. However, a serial killer has much different tactics than those of mass murderers and spree killers. In order to be declared a serial killer, one must commit three or more murders over a period of more than thirty days with time in between each murder known as a â€Å"cooling off† phase. Each murder for a serial killer is committed for some sort of psychological fulfillment. Most serial killers have similar characteristics either within each murder, victim or sometimes both. These may include: occupation, sex, age, appearance, and race for the victim and molestation, rape, strangulation, shooting, decapitation, and many more gruesome acts most cannot even begin to imagine. There are many various classifications of serial killers depending on how and what they get from each murder they commit. Organized nonsocial offenders often methodically plan out each and every offense meticulously prior to actually carrying out their crime. Organized nonsocial serial killers may look and act like ones neighbor seemingly normal with a steady job and family. However, they follow their crimes through the media intently. Unlike organized nonsocial offenders, disorganized asocial offenders often act on impulse using blitz type attacks killing their victims in whichever ways they desire to at the time. They rarely cover their tracks but somehow seem to get away unnoticed. They are often socially awkward with few friends and previous mental disabilities. Jack the Ripper was the first known and reported serial killer. He first struck in 1888 in Whitechappel, London. The theory that ties into the story of the gruesome serial killer in London would be the trait theory. The sub theory of the trait theory is psychological due to lack of evidence to help support his past experiences in his life and because it was not premeditated. It was simply a rage of violence against middle class women prostitutes. The way this killer showed no remorse to the brutal mutilation of these women proved in fact to be a psychological problem. Not only did Jack the Ripper kill multiple women but he mutilated their bodies almost to the point of an unrecognizable state. He was a nonsocial offender who simply attacked his victims as he found them rather than premeditating each attack. He wanted to be known in London at the time and involved the press by writing letters in order to give himself a name. Jack the Ripper only killed within the city of Whitechappel and made most of his attacks under the cover of darkness. Mary Nichols was a 43 year old woman and prostitute who became Jack’s first murder. She was discovered at 3:40 A. M. with no clues as to who killed her and her body completely mutilated. Her lover at the time was only able to identify her remains by her eye color and hair color. By September 30, 1888 he had killed two more females; Elizabeth Stride also known as â€Å"Long Liz† who was fully recognizable and Catherine Eddowes a 46 year old female prostitute who, like his first victim, was found mutilated. Mary Jane Kelly was Jack the Ripper’s final victim before he stopped killing and vanished in February of 1891. To this day the identity of Jack the Ripper has never been discovered. During this time period it would have been difficult to stop a psychopath on a rampage to mutilate any prostitute they ran across due to the lack of privacy, security on one’s home, and lack of technology to gain significant evidence against the murderer. The evolution of society has created its own solution to stopping killers before they become serial killers, in most cases. (America’s) The Zodiac Killer attacked in Northern California where he claimed his first victim on October 30, 1966. (Newton) The Zodiac Killer used a gun and most often searched out couples to kill. He did not necessarily have a motive he was said to kill, just to kill. He claimed that his victims became his slaves for afterlife. This is another example of trait theory also with the sub theory of a psychological problem. Again, in this situation we do not know the identity or youth life of the Zodiac Killer therefore we are unable to determine if this possibly could be a biological sub theory. The Zodiac Killer shows that he has a psychological problem by not premeditating his attacks and choosing his victims at random. It is also apparent that the Zodiac Killer had a psychological problem by his desire to involve the media and lead police directly to his victims through phone calls and letters without a trace of evidence and or remorse. Some say that the Zodiac Killer is the perfect serial killer because his letters were written in a cryptic cipher. The first letter began, â€Å"I like killing people because it is just so much fun. † (Newton, 254) By the end of the Zodiac’s killing rampage he has an estimated 40 victims with 39 of them being female. At this time the case remains open and the identity of the Zodiac Killer unknown. Our society could improve or lessen the chances drastically of another Zodiac-like killer from striking again by keeping better ballistic records of evidence along with using more advanced diagnostic tools on the letters and phone calls to the media. Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer both killed at random without previously planning any one specific murder. Both had psychological problems but managed to go on killing with their identities undiscovered. Neither one showed any signs of remorse throughout their killings or contacts with the media proving that killing to them, was just a game. There are many reasons serial killers chose to kill, and with these two psychopaths it was the thrill of the kill. Albert Fish was a serial killer who killed his first victim, Billy Gaffney, in February of 1927. It was with his first victim that Fish became known as not only a serial killer but also as a pedophile and cannibal. Albert ate Gaffney’s ears, nose, and face in a stew and roasted his butt and genitals in the oven before consuming those too. America’s) Fish is an example of trait theory with sub theories of biological and psychological problems. Albert Fish was born into an unstable household and not long after his mother put him up for adoption. When no one adopted him, he was placed in an orphanage where he witnessed and endured many beatings. It was then that he realized he enjoyed watching others endure pain and would eventually grow to enjoy these beatings himself. He went to the extreme as to insert needles under his nails and into his genitals to feel the rush of pain. Rumor has it that on Fish’s execution day, January 16, 1936, he shorted out the electric chair because of the amount of metal inserted into his abdomen and groin. Fish stated, â€Å"If only pain were not so painful! † (Newton) Authorities compiled that Fish went on to molest and castrate at least 100 victims before Fish declared himself that he had children in every state leaning authorities to the possible victim count being closer to 400. It was realized that Fish also carried the sub theory of a psychological problem when he abducted Grace Budd, taking her to a cottage and dismembering her body before slowly cooking and eating her remains. Fish had premeditated this murder and wanted the Budd family to know that six years later he was still thinking of their daughter. In 1934, he wrote a letter to the Budd family stating that Grace had, â€Å"died a virgin† and it had taken him nine days to eat her remains. (Newton, 63) Due to the knowledge of Fish’s childhood and understanding of the premeditated murders he committed, we are able to determine that Fish has both sub theories of psychological and biological problems. Our society can prevent another psychopath serial killer like Fish from victimizing children across the nation by using better analysis of criminals childhood’s and keeping better records of where criminals known to molest children are located. Jeffery Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Monster, was also a serial killer who had cannibalistic tendencies. He grew up in a middle class family in Wisconsin and was molested by neighbor boy. This became a pivotal turning point in Dahmer’s life leading him to begin experimenting with animals’ carcasses and bones. Dahmer’s first kill came the summer after his graduation as he picked up a hitch hiker and continued to slaughter him, beat his skull with a barbell, strangle him to death, and dismember and bury his body. Dahmer was shocked with himself after this happened and tried college for a short time before entering the military on a 6 year enlistment. He was discharged after 2 years due to heavy drinking and returned home to live with his grandmother in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Newton) Dahmer carries the trait theory with both sub theories of biological and psychological problems. Proof shows Dahmer was part of an unfit household as a child due to the facts that his molestations and obsessions with mutilating animal carcasses went unknown by his family or ones caring for him. His parents separated and neither of them felt the need to take Dahmer with them so Dahmer fell under the supervision of his grandmother. Jeffery’s grandmother soon kicked him out of the house due to the stench of his â€Å"experiments†. (Newton) His psychological problems become apparent with the victims he chose and how he became aroused by the smell of decaying flesh and the sight of lifeless prey. America’s) He chose his victims by meeting men at gay bars and bringing them home merely to kill, dismember, cook and eat them. Our society could prevent another Dahmer-like serial killer from presenting themselves by making records of child molestations more public and getting children who have been molested proper counseling and treatment post attack. Both Albert Fish and Jeffery Dahmer had instances in their childhoods that can be deemed as pivotal turning points creating the psychopath serial killers they became. Unlike Dahmer, Fish preyed on children while Dahmer preyed on men his age. The murders by Albert Fish and Jeffery Dahmer were committed out of a desire for power and lifelong attachment to their victims. By eating their victims’ remains they felt as if they would forever be attached to them. This proves both Dahmer and Fish had sub theories of psychological and biological problems that led each of their killings. Gary Ridgway began his killing spree in January of 1982 with 16 year old victim Leann Wilcox. (Newton) His second victim was a 36 year old female named Amina Agisheff. His first two victims were not recognized as â€Å"Green River Killer† victims until two years after their deaths due to lack of patterns tying these murders and the Green River Killer’s later murders together. Ridgway continued to kill with victims multiplying by the week. All of Ridgway’s victims had one thing in common; they were all thought to be prostitutes. The Green River Killer always did one thing the same in each of his murders; before he killed each victim he had sex with them. In some of the victims he went as far as placing a triangle shaped stone inside the vagina of the victim, the significance of this is unknown. Newton) Gary Ridgway carries the trait theory with a psychological sub theory. There is no evidence as to his past family life to prove that he could also carry a biological sub theory but the way in which he killed each of his 48 victims proves that his desire to kill was based upon sexual desires. (Schechter) Our society could protect a gainst another serial rapist-killer like Ridgway by technological advances and obtaining DNA samples from each victim. Ted Bundy was born in November 1946 at a house for unwed mothers in Vermont. He never knew his father and was forced to live with his strict Methodist grandparents pretending that his mother, Louise Cowell, was in fact his sister. He described his grandfather Sam as a loving man who in reality was a â€Å"bitter racist and wife beater, who also enjoyed kicking dogs and swinging cats through the air by their tails† (Newton, 24). These intimate details of Bundy’s childhood prove to society that he carries a trait theory with a sub theory of a biological problem. He also carried a psychological sub theory proved by each of his victims having shoulder length brown hair parted down the middle. Ted was a good looking man with a â€Å"chameleon-like ability to blend† which gave each of his victims a sense of security when they were with him. (Newton, 24) With the beginning of Bundy’s murders was Linda Healy, a blood stained night gown was found hanging in her basement but was gone without a trace. His killings continued one by one with each victim looking eerily similar to an ex girlfriend of his who had shoulder length brown hair, parted down the middle who had broken up with him for having no ambitions in life and being immature. With each victim he first raped them then proceeded to murder them with savage blows to the head. He was sought by police multiple times but deemed â€Å"squeaky clean† by authorities since they were looking for a savage killer not a clean cut law student. (Newton, 25) It took months and multiple escapes by Bundy for police to finally charge him with the murders of two Florida sorority girls and a female in Colorado. It was after he was charged with these murders and punished to death by the electric chair that he confessed to up to 40 murders. Some say that he took more murders to his grave having the ability to have killed closer to 100 victims. Our society can prevent another rapist-serial killer like Bundy from taking the lives of innocent females by keeping better DNA records and evidence from each known victim in order to compare it to future victims. Although this may not prevent all murders from occurring it may help keep the number of victims to a minimum. Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway are similar in the fact that both serial killers murdered for sexual desires. They both grew up in unfit homes proving their sub theories of biological problems but different from Ridgway, Bundy also carried the sub theory of psychological due to his choice of victims being mirror images of his ex girlfriend. Both Bundy and Ridgway killed females and had sex with them before they murdered them. Ridgway chose prostitutes as his victims and used similar dumping grounds around the Green River for each victim despite police surveillance of the areas. Bundy also used similar dumping grounds in each of the states he committed murders mostly dumping them in wooded areas covering them with brush. The way in which each serial killer was raised proves that this had a large affect on the people and serial killers they became. Charles Manson was born in 1934 to 16 year old prostitute Kathleen Maddox and took the name Manson from a man she later married. By the time Manson was five years old he had been sent to live with his strictly religious aunt and husband. Her husband however, treated Manson as if he were a â€Å"sissy† dressing him up in girl clothes on the first day of school to show him to act more like a man. (Newton, 149) After paroled Kathleen gained custody of Charles but was still deemed unfit after leaving Manson with neighbors for â€Å"an hour† and disappearing for days on end. Manson was then sent to Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana for ten months before fleeing. He wound up living on the streets having numerous bouts with the law being in and out of juvenile centers being abused by both guards and older boys at each center. After being jailed multiple times for petty crimes Manson finally stepped it up and called himself a follower of Scientology. In San Francisco Manson gained a group of male and female followers who were impressed by his charisma. He led them to believe he was a Christ incarnate, or as he liked to call it â€Å"God of Fuck† (Newton, 150). These followers grew into what Manson called his â€Å"family† and traveled up and down California gaining more followers along the way topping off at 50 followers at their peak. Newton) Manson grew largely obsessed with death and certain songs pertaining to death like the popular Beatle’s song at the time, â€Å"Helter Skelter†. He defined this song to be speaking about a race war to come in America and used these terms at his â€Å"families† future crime scenes. While Manson may not have committed any of the murders himself, it is known he was at some of the crime scenes and behind all of the murders through his c ult-like leadership. Even after Manson was jailed for these numerous crimes the violent murders did not stop. He had impacted too many â€Å"family† members already and so they carried on what Manson had previously began brutally killing more and more victims. These actions prove to society that Manson had the trait theory with both sub theories of psychological and biological problems. The biological problem is proved by his treatment as a child being born into an unfit home to a prostitute mother who brought home lovers of both sexes, being treated unfairly by his uncle, and his abuse within different juvenile detention centers whether it was sexual abuse or simply physical abuse. The psychological problem within Manson is proved by his desire to manipulate young, out of touch males and females into thinking he is a God-like figure and do everything he says. Even if what he said meant killing innocent victims. To this day Manson has showed no remorse for his actions and very few of his â€Å"family† members still in jail for these crimes have either. â€Å"Learning theorists view a troubled home life and deviant friends as a precursor of criminality; structural theorists maintain that acquiring deviant cultural values leads to criminality† (Siegel, 258). Manson portrayed both troubled home life and deviant cultural values, deeming him to inevitably become a criminal. Many other serial killers in history dealt with both of these social and personal problems making it more difficult for society to have in any way prevented these occurrences from happening. Sure authorities may have been able to lessen the magnitude of these horrific crimes, but inevitably it is within one’s own desire to become a criminal or become a model citizen of society. Serial Killers Many misunderstand the true meaning of the term serial killer and confuse it with those of mass murderers and spree killers. However, a serial killer has much different tactics than those of mass murderers and spree killers. In order to be declared a serial killer, one must commit three or more murders over a period of more than thirty days with time in between each murder known as a â€Å"cooling off† phase. Each murder for a serial killer is committed for some sort of psychological fulfillment. Most serial killers have similar characteristics either within each murder, victim or sometimes both. These may include: occupation, sex, age, appearance, and race for the victim and molestation, rape, strangulation, shooting, decapitation, and many more gruesome acts most cannot even begin to imagine. There are many various classifications of serial killers depending on how and what they get from each murder they commit. Organized nonsocial offenders often methodically plan out each and every offense meticulously prior to actually carrying out their crime. Organized nonsocial serial killers may look and act like ones neighbor seemingly normal with a steady job and family. However, they follow their crimes through the media intently. Unlike organized nonsocial offenders, disorganized asocial offenders often act on impulse using blitz type attacks killing their victims in whichever ways they desire to at the time. They rarely cover their tracks but somehow seem to get away unnoticed. They are often socially awkward with few friends and previous mental disabilities. Jack the Ripper was the first known and reported serial killer. He first struck in 1888 in Whitechappel, London. The theory that ties into the story of the gruesome serial killer in London would be the trait theory. The sub theory of the trait theory is psychological due to lack of evidence to help support his past experiences in his life and because it was not premeditated. It was simply a rage of violence against middle class women prostitutes. The way this killer showed no remorse to the brutal mutilation of these women proved in fact to be a psychological problem. Not only did Jack the Ripper kill multiple women but he mutilated their bodies almost to the point of an unrecognizable state. He was a nonsocial offender who simply attacked his victims as he found them rather than premeditating each attack. He wanted to be known in London at the time and involved the press by writing letters in order to give himself a name. Jack the Ripper only killed within the city of Whitechappel and made most of his attacks under the cover of darkness. Mary Nichols was a 43 year old woman and prostitute who became Jack’s first murder. She was discovered at 3:40 A. M. with no clues as to who killed her and her body completely mutilated. Her lover at the time was only able to identify her remains by her eye color and hair color. By September 30, 1888 he had killed two more females; Elizabeth Stride also known as â€Å"Long Liz† who was fully recognizable and Catherine Eddowes a 46 year old female prostitute who, like his first victim, was found mutilated. Mary Jane Kelly was Jack the Ripper’s final victim before he stopped killing and vanished in February of 1891. To this day the identity of Jack the Ripper has never been discovered. During this time period it would have been difficult to stop a psychopath on a rampage to mutilate any prostitute they ran across due to the lack of privacy, security on one’s home, and lack of technology to gain significant evidence against the murderer. The evolution of society has created its own solution to stopping killers before they become serial killers, in most cases. (America’s) The Zodiac Killer attacked in Northern California where he claimed his first victim on October 30, 1966. (Newton) The Zodiac Killer used a gun and most often searched out couples to kill. He did not necessarily have a motive he was said to kill, just to kill. He claimed that his victims became his slaves for afterlife. This is another example of trait theory also with the sub theory of a psychological problem. Again, in this situation we do not know the identity or youth life of the Zodiac Killer therefore we are unable to determine if this possibly could be a biological sub theory. The Zodiac Killer shows that he has a psychological problem by not premeditating his attacks and choosing his victims at random. It is also apparent that the Zodiac Killer had a psychological problem by his desire to involve the media and lead police directly to his victims through phone calls and letters without a trace of evidence and or remorse. Some say that the Zodiac Killer is the perfect serial killer because his letters were written in a cryptic cipher. The first letter began, â€Å"I like killing people because it is just so much fun. † (Newton, 254) By the end of the Zodiac’s killing rampage he has an estimated 40 victims with 39 of them being female. At this time the case remains open and the identity of the Zodiac Killer unknown. Our society could improve or lessen the chances drastically of another Zodiac-like killer from striking again by keeping better ballistic records of evidence along with using more advanced diagnostic tools on the letters and phone calls to the media. Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer both killed at random without previously planning any one specific murder. Both had psychological problems but managed to go on killing with their identities undiscovered. Neither one showed any signs of remorse throughout their killings or contacts with the media proving that killing to them, was just a game. There are many reasons serial killers chose to kill, and with these two psychopaths it was the thrill of the kill. Albert Fish was a serial killer who killed his first victim, Billy Gaffney, in February of 1927. It was with his first victim that Fish became known as not only a serial killer but also as a pedophile and cannibal. Albert ate Gaffney’s ears, nose, and face in a stew and roasted his butt and genitals in the oven before consuming those too. America’s) Fish is an example of trait theory with sub theories of biological and psychological problems. Albert Fish was born into an unstable household and not long after his mother put him up for adoption. When no one adopted him, he was placed in an orphanage where he witnessed and endured many beatings. It was then that he realized he enjoyed watching others endure pain and would eventually grow to enjoy these beatings himself. He went to the extreme as to insert needles under his nails and into his genitals to feel the rush of pain. Rumor has it that on Fish’s execution day, January 16, 1936, he shorted out the electric chair because of the amount of metal inserted into his abdomen and groin. Fish stated, â€Å"If only pain were not so painful! † (Newton) Authorities compiled that Fish went on to molest and castrate at least 100 victims before Fish declared himself that he had children in every state leaning authorities to the possible victim count being closer to 400. It was realized that Fish also carried the sub theory of a psychological problem when he abducted Grace Budd, taking her to a cottage and dismembering her body before slowly cooking and eating her remains. Fish had premeditated this murder and wanted the Budd family to know that six years later he was still thinking of their daughter. In 1934, he wrote a letter to the Budd family stating that Grace had, â€Å"died a virgin† and it had taken him nine days to eat her remains. (Newton, 63) Due to the knowledge of Fish’s childhood and understanding of the premeditated murders he committed, we are able to determine that Fish has both sub theories of psychological and biological problems. Our society can prevent another psychopath serial killer like Fish from victimizing children across the nation by using better analysis of criminals childhood’s and keeping better records of where criminals known to molest children are located. Jeffery Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Monster, was also a serial killer who had cannibalistic tendencies. He grew up in a middle class family in Wisconsin and was molested by neighbor boy. This became a pivotal turning point in Dahmer’s life leading him to begin experimenting with animals’ carcasses and bones. Dahmer’s first kill came the summer after his graduation as he picked up a hitch hiker and continued to slaughter him, beat his skull with a barbell, strangle him to death, and dismember and bury his body. Dahmer was shocked with himself after this happened and tried college for a short time before entering the military on a 6 year enlistment. He was discharged after 2 years due to heavy drinking and returned home to live with his grandmother in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Newton) Dahmer carries the trait theory with both sub theories of biological and psychological problems. Proof shows Dahmer was part of an unfit household as a child due to the facts that his molestations and obsessions with mutilating animal carcasses went unknown by his family or ones caring for him. His parents separated and neither of them felt the need to take Dahmer with them so Dahmer fell under the supervision of his grandmother. Jeffery’s grandmother soon kicked him out of the house due to the stench of his â€Å"experiments†. (Newton) His psychological problems become apparent with the victims he chose and how he became aroused by the smell of decaying flesh and the sight of lifeless prey. America’s) He chose his victims by meeting men at gay bars and bringing them home merely to kill, dismember, cook and eat them. Our society could prevent another Dahmer-like serial killer from presenting themselves by making records of child molestations more public and getting children who have been molested proper counseling and treatment post attack. Both Albert Fish and Jeffery Dahmer had instances in their childhoods that can be deemed as pivotal turning points creating the psychopath serial killers they became. Unlike Dahmer, Fish preyed on children while Dahmer preyed on men his age. The murders by Albert Fish and Jeffery Dahmer were committed out of a desire for power and lifelong attachment to their victims. By eating their victims’ remains they felt as if they would forever be attached to them. This proves both Dahmer and Fish had sub theories of psychological and biological problems that led each of their killings. Gary Ridgway began his killing spree in January of 1982 with 16 year old victim Leann Wilcox. (Newton) His second victim was a 36 year old female named Amina Agisheff. His first two victims were not recognized as â€Å"Green River Killer† victims until two years after their deaths due to lack of patterns tying these murders and the Green River Killer’s later murders together. Ridgway continued to kill with victims multiplying by the week. All of Ridgway’s victims had one thing in common; they were all thought to be prostitutes. The Green River Killer always did one thing the same in each of his murders; before he killed each victim he had sex with them. In some of the victims he went as far as placing a triangle shaped stone inside the vagina of the victim, the significance of this is unknown. Newton) Gary Ridgway carries the trait theory with a psychological sub theory. There is no evidence as to his past family life to prove that he could also carry a biological sub theory but the way in which he killed each of his 48 victims proves that his desire to kill was based upon sexual desires. (Schechter) Our society could protect a gainst another serial rapist-killer like Ridgway by technological advances and obtaining DNA samples from each victim. Ted Bundy was born in November 1946 at a house for unwed mothers in Vermont. He never knew his father and was forced to live with his strict Methodist grandparents pretending that his mother, Louise Cowell, was in fact his sister. He described his grandfather Sam as a loving man who in reality was a â€Å"bitter racist and wife beater, who also enjoyed kicking dogs and swinging cats through the air by their tails† (Newton, 24). These intimate details of Bundy’s childhood prove to society that he carries a trait theory with a sub theory of a biological problem. He also carried a psychological sub theory proved by each of his victims having shoulder length brown hair parted down the middle. Ted was a good looking man with a â€Å"chameleon-like ability to blend† which gave each of his victims a sense of security when they were with him. (Newton, 24) With the beginning of Bundy’s murders was Linda Healy, a blood stained night gown was found hanging in her basement but was gone without a trace. His killings continued one by one with each victim looking eerily similar to an ex girlfriend of his who had shoulder length brown hair, parted down the middle who had broken up with him for having no ambitions in life and being immature. With each victim he first raped them then proceeded to murder them with savage blows to the head. He was sought by police multiple times but deemed â€Å"squeaky clean† by authorities since they were looking for a savage killer not a clean cut law student. (Newton, 25) It took months and multiple escapes by Bundy for police to finally charge him with the murders of two Florida sorority girls and a female in Colorado. It was after he was charged with these murders and punished to death by the electric chair that he confessed to up to 40 murders. Some say that he took more murders to his grave having the ability to have killed closer to 100 victims. Our society can prevent another rapist-serial killer like Bundy from taking the lives of innocent females by keeping better DNA records and evidence from each known victim in order to compare it to future victims. Although this may not prevent all murders from occurring it may help keep the number of victims to a minimum. Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway are similar in the fact that both serial killers murdered for sexual desires. They both grew up in unfit homes proving their sub theories of biological problems but different from Ridgway, Bundy also carried the sub theory of psychological due to his choice of victims being mirror images of his ex girlfriend. Both Bundy and Ridgway killed females and had sex with them before they murdered them. Ridgway chose prostitutes as his victims and used similar dumping grounds around the Green River for each victim despite police surveillance of the areas. Bundy also used similar dumping grounds in each of the states he committed murders mostly dumping them in wooded areas covering them with brush. The way in which each serial killer was raised proves that this had a large affect on the people and serial killers they became. Charles Manson was born in 1934 to 16 year old prostitute Kathleen Maddox and took the name Manson from a man she later married. By the time Manson was five years old he had been sent to live with his strictly religious aunt and husband. Her husband however, treated Manson as if he were a â€Å"sissy† dressing him up in girl clothes on the first day of school to show him to act more like a man. (Newton, 149) After paroled Kathleen gained custody of Charles but was still deemed unfit after leaving Manson with neighbors for â€Å"an hour† and disappearing for days on end. Manson was then sent to Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana for ten months before fleeing. He wound up living on the streets having numerous bouts with the law being in and out of juvenile centers being abused by both guards and older boys at each center. After being jailed multiple times for petty crimes Manson finally stepped it up and called himself a follower of Scientology. In San Francisco Manson gained a group of male and female followers who were impressed by his charisma. He led them to believe he was a Christ incarnate, or as he liked to call it â€Å"God of Fuck† (Newton, 150). These followers grew into what Manson called his â€Å"family† and traveled up and down California gaining more followers along the way topping off at 50 followers at their peak. Newton) Manson grew largely obsessed with death and certain songs pertaining to death like the popular Beatle’s song at the time, â€Å"Helter Skelter†. He defined this song to be speaking about a race war to come in America and used these terms at his â€Å"families† future crime scenes. While Manson may not have committed any of the murders himself, it is known he was at some of the crime scenes and behind all of the murders through his c ult-like leadership. Even after Manson was jailed for these numerous crimes the violent murders did not stop. He had impacted too many â€Å"family† members already and so they carried on what Manson had previously began brutally killing more and more victims. These actions prove to society that Manson had the trait theory with both sub theories of psychological and biological problems. The biological problem is proved by his treatment as a child being born into an unfit home to a prostitute mother who brought home lovers of both sexes, being treated unfairly by his uncle, and his abuse within different juvenile detention centers whether it was sexual abuse or simply physical abuse. The psychological problem within Manson is proved by his desire to manipulate young, out of touch males and females into thinking he is a God-like figure and do everything he says. Even if what he said meant killing innocent victims. To this day Manson has showed no remorse for his actions and very few of his â€Å"family† members still in jail for these crimes have either. â€Å"Learning theorists view a troubled home life and deviant friends as a precursor of criminality; structural theorists maintain that acquiring deviant cultural values leads to criminality† (Siegel, 258). Manson portrayed both troubled home life and deviant cultural values, deeming him to inevitably become a criminal. Many other serial killers in history dealt with both of these social and personal problems making it more difficult for society to have in any way prevented these occurrences from happening. Sure authorities may have been able to lessen the magnitude of these horrific crimes, but inevitably it is within one’s own desire to become a criminal or become a model citizen of society.

Difference Between Density and Specific Gravity

Difference Between Density and Specific Gravity Both density and specific gravity describe mass and may be used to compare different substances. They are not, however, identical measures. Specific gravity is an expression of density in relation to the density of a standard or reference (usually water). Also, density is expressed in units (weight relative to size) while specific gravity is a pure number or dimensionless. What Is Density? Density is a property of matter and can be defined as the ratio of mass to a unit volume of matter.   Its typically expressed in units of grams per cubic centimeter, kilograms per cubic meter, or pounds per cubic inch.Density is expressed by the formula:Ï  m/V whereÏ  is the densitym is the massV is the volume What Is Specific Gravity? Specific gravity is a measure of density relative to the density of a reference substance. The reference material could be anything, but the most common reference is pure water. If a material has a specific gravity less than 1, it will float on water. Specific gravity is often abbreviated as sp gr. Specific gravity is also called relative density and is expressed by the formula:Specific Gravitysubstance Ï substance/Ï referenceWhy would someone want to compare the density of a substance to the density of water? Lets look at one example. Saltwater aquarium enthusiasts measure the amount of salt in their water by specific gravity where their reference material is fresh water. Salt water is less dense than pure water but by how much? The number generated by a calculation of specific gravity provides the answer. Converting Between Density and Specific Gravity Specific gravity values arent very useful except for predicting whether or not something will float on water and for comparing whether one material is more or less dense than another. However, because the density of pure water is so close to 1 (0.9976 grams per cubic centimeter), specific gravity and density are nearly the same value so long as the density is given in g/cc. Density is very slightly less than specific gravity.

Environmental Determinism Definition

Environmental Determinism Definition Throughout the study of geography, there have been some different approaches to explaining the development of the worlds societies and cultures. One that received much prominence in geographic history but has declined in recent decades of academic study is environmental determinism. Environmental Determinism Environmental determinism is the belief that the environment, most notably its physical factors such as landforms and climate, determines the patterns of human culture and societal development. Environmental determinists believe that ecological, climatic, and geographical factors alone are responsible for human cultures and individual decisions. Also, social conditions have virtually no impact on cultural development. The main argument of environmental determinism states that an areas physical characteristics like climate have a substantial impact on the psychological outlook of its inhabitants. These different outlooks then spread throughout a population and help define the overall behavior and culture of a society. For instance, it was said that areas in the tropics were less developed than higher latitudes because the continuously warm weather there made it easier to survive and thus, people living there did not work as hard to ensure their survival. Another example of environmental determinism would be the theory that island nations have unique cultural traits solely because of their isolation from continental societies. Environmental Determinism and Early Geography Although environmental determinism is a relatively recent approach to formal geographic study, its origins go back to ancient times. Climatic factors, for example, were used by Strabo, Plato, and Aristotle to explain why the Greeks were so much more developed in the early ages than societies in hotter and colder climates. Additionally, Aristotle came up with his climate classification system to explain why people were limited to settlement in certain areas of the globe.​​ Other early scholars also used environmental determinism to explain not only the culture of a society but the reasons behind the physical characteristics of a societys people. Al-Jahiz, a writer from East Africa, for instance, cited environmental factors as the origin of different skin colors. He believed that the darker skin of many Africans and various birds, mammals, and insects was a direct result of the prevalence of black basalt rocks on the Arabian Peninsula. Ibn Khaldun, an Arab sociologist, and scholar was officially known as one of the first environmental determinists. He lived from 1332 to 1406, during which time he wrote a complete world history and explained that the hot climate of Sub-Saharan Africa caused dark human skin.​ Environmental Determinism and Modern Geography Environmental determinism rose to its most prominent stage in modern geography beginning in the late 19th Century when it was revived by the German geographer Friedrich Rtzel and became the central theory in the discipline. Rtzels theory came about following Charles Darwins Origin of Species in 1859 and was heavily influenced by evolutionary biology and the impact a person’s environment has on their cultural evolution. Environmental determinism then became popular in the United States in the early 20th Century when Rtzel’s student, Ellen Churchill Semple, a professor at Clark University in Worchester, Massachusetts, introduced the theory there. Like Rtzel’s initial ideas, Semple’s were also influenced by evolutionary biology. Another one of Rtzel’s students, Ellsworth Huntington, also worked on expanding the theory around the same time as Semple. Huntingtons work though, led to a subset of environmental determinism, called climatic determinism in the early 1900s. His theory stated that the economic development in a country could be predicted based on its distance from the equator. He said temperate climates with short growing seasons stimulate achievement, economic growth, and efficiency. The ease of growing things in the tropics, on the other hand, hindered their advancement. The Decline of Environmental Determinism Despite its success in the early 1900s, environmental determinism’s popularity began to decline in the 1920s as its claims were often found to be wrong. Also, critics claimed it was racist and perpetuated imperialism. Carl Sauer, for instance, began his critiques in 1924 and said that environmental determinism led to premature generalizations about an area’s culture and did not allow for results based on direct observation or other research. As a result of his and others criticisms, geographers developed the theory of environmental possibilism to explain cultural development. Environmental possibilism was set forth by the French geographer Paul Vidal de la Blanche and stated that the environment sets limitations for cultural development, but it does not wholly define culture. Culture is instead defined by the opportunities and decisions that humans make in response to dealing with such limitations. By the 1950s, environmental determinism was almost entirely replaced in geography by environmental possibilism, effectively ending its prominence as the central theory in the discipline. Regardless of its decline, however, environmental determinism was an important component of geographic history as it initially represented an attempt by early geographers to explain the patterns they saw developing across the globe.

Employee Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employee Benefits - Essay Example Companies also offer these benefits as acts of appreciation in order to take care of the well being of its human capital. The purpose of this paper is to study different types of employee benefits and its how they can be utilize as part of a company’s strategic plan. Two types of mandatory fringe benefits that employees working for companies receive are social security and unemployment insurance benefits. Companies match the 7.65% percent employees pay to the federal government for their social security pension plan and Medicare benefits. The unemployment insurance is an insurance the employer buys from a governmental agency that pays employees money in case the employee gets fired for up to year on a bi-weekly basis. Other mandatory benefits employees received from companies are a certain amount of sick days and vacation days per year. The typical approximate benefit of accumulated vacation and sick days is ten sick days a year ten vacation days per year. The other types of benefits companies can offer are voluntary benefits to their employees. A benefit package a company can offer to their employees includes benefits such as health plan, dental plan, company cars, gas allowance, Christmas bonus, flexible time, tuition assistance, training and development opportunities, child day care, elderly care and credit unions among others. A total package of benefits is offered by companies for two main strategic reasons. These two strategic objectives are to enable a company to recruit top talent and in order to retain trained employees in the firm. Offering benefits such as child day care is a very valuable benefit for a single mother. It enables these women to work, while having the reassurance that their children are receiving a proper care which at times costs thousands of dollars a month. A health plan is a benefit that protects the health of the employees and provides the medical financial assistance needed in those times when employees