Meaning Of a Family Essay Example for Free

Meaning Of a Family Essay Everyone has their own meaning of a family. However, all families share some common characteristics that are outlined in a family definition essay. As per the dictionary definition of a family, all its members live in a common house and are linked together with each other economically. All family members are also emotionally linked and have a strong bond. A family consists of adults of both the sexes who are married to each other and have children. A family definition essay must highlight these aspects in an interesting manner and describe each element or constituent of a family. On Getting Family Essay Ideas There are several aspects to a family, such as the intricacies of relations, values, and the love and affection amongst its members. Hence, family essay ideas are also numerous; choices include education, jobs, house work, and the responsibilities and duties of each member. So, to get more interesting family essay ideas and top-quality content for the same, you can seek the expert help of professional writers and writing companies. Custom writing agencies have subject experts who offer guidance in choosing and writing effective essays for all your requirements. Choosing Family Essay Topics Several types of families exist in our society. So, there is ample choice when it comes to writing essays on issues associated with each type of family structure. Family essay topics can cover the family structure, organization, responsibilities and the bond shared among family members. Writing about the family can be an intricate task, which calls for the need of expert help. Professional writers with expertise in different essay writing styles, formats and subjects can help simplify the task of selecting family essay topics and make them more relevant. Writing Essay about Family Writing an essay about family can be a touching experience; albeit a daunting one, as the writer has to effectively express his/her feelings for the family members. The essay about family can focus on instances that depict the family’s togetherness and the bond between its members. One can also write about the family’s contribution during difficult times. For expert help on essay writing in varied subjects, help is right at hand with professional writing services. Companies like BookwormLab.com have a team of specialists to write on a variety of subjects in the most authoritative manner. And you shouldn’t break their heart. From one hand it’s great to be the only child in a family but in some cases it’s not. On the plus side parents always ready to help you but on the contrary when there is too much care it seems not to be good, because you cannot show your independence, do something yourself. Also you can feel lonely and bored. But your parents often do whatever their child want and if it’s necessary they help you and warn. They always spend their time doing something together with child to make him happy or teach something. And you have to appreciate their care and love. Because nobody except them love you so much and know a lot about you. As for me, I am the only child in family. And sometimes I think about how will I live if I have a sister or brother. Sometimes it is so boring to be at home along. I think about my parents, that all my childhood they helped me and did everything for me. But it doesn’t mean that I’m the main person in my family. Family it’s also our grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles. And the family tree has a long history of generations that sometimes are so ancient that we cannot remember the member of it, the name and occupation. And of coarse we know about our forefathers from our grandparents. As for me it’s really interesting to know who lived before me. And when I begin to ask my parents about forefathers I find for myself a lot of interesting things. For example some features of character which I have or part of appearance. But it’s a pity that I know not a lot of people in my family branch.

Strategies to decrease recidivism

Strategies to decrease recidivism Recidivism is one major problem facing various societies across the world. It involves acts committed by people which involve repeating undesirable behaviors after being trained or treated to extinguish the behavior or experiencing negative consequences due to the behavior. Recidivism is common with criminal behavior or substance abuse but for purposes of this paper, we will focus on criminal behavior. Recidivism is a behavior which is linked to psychopathy which is gratification enjoyed after committing an aggressive, sexual or criminal act by a person. Psychopaths hardly learn from past mistakes and they are likely to repeat them in future. In the United States, recidivism among prisoners is a serious problem facing prison institutions. Statistics show that on average, 58% of female prisoners and 68% of male prisoners are rearrested after being released from prison. Of these, 39% of females and 53% of males are sent back to prison again (Bleich, 2000). This is a serious threat to r ehabilitation purpose of prisons since it appears that prisons are failing in their objective of rehabilitating prisoners. The environment inside prisons is not conducive for rehabilitation most of the times since crimes are committed even inside prisons. There are also environmental factors outside prisons which make it a challenge for prisoners to be accepted by the society after serving their terms. These too contribute to the high rates of recidivism. It is important to assess the factors which contribute to the high recidivism rates and the solutions to the same. This will enable prison institutions to succeed in their rehabilitative role which they play in society. This paper will address criminal recidivism and suggest solutions for the same. Scholarly journals will be used to support theories advanced. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Purpose of prisons in US justice system The prison institution plays a crucial role in any society. In the US justice system, the prison system plays various roles. The first major role is rehabilitation. Prisons offer people convicted of crimes a second chance to learn from their mistakes and change. It provides prisoners with an environment where they can learn new skills which will enable them to earn a decent livelihood once they are released from prison. More importantly, the prison environment is meant to assist prisoners to reflect on their lives and seek ways which they may co-exist peacefully with the society. Mental and physical health professionals are present to assist prisoners with this objective. Another important role played by prisons is punishment and deterrence. Punishment is meant to discourage the prisoners and other members of society from committing a similar offence. Different forms of punishments vary according to crimes committed and usually the worse the crime, the heavier the punishment received by the prisoner. Punishment varies from strokes to hard labor depending on the sentence given. This role of prisons is very important since it deters other members of society from committing offences. Punishment is likely to discourage other people from engaging in criminal activities and this ensures the society lives in peace and harmony. Another important role played by the prison system is ensuring justice for victims of crime. This is an important role in any judicial system since the law is founded on equity and justice. Victims who are hurt in one way or another ought to receive justice in order to view society as fair. Although in many cases, especially capital offences such as murder, do not compensate the victim for loss suffered, prisons ensure victims have closure since the people who commit the offence are normally punished. Finally, prisons are meant to protect the general public from people who are a threat to their property or lives. Some criminals such as serial killers or rapists are psychopaths who would not stop committing the crimes unless they are rehabilitated. Prison removes such people from the streets and rehabilitates them, making society a safer place to live. This fosters unity and peace within society. Current conditions in US prisons The current conditions in the US prisons are different from the ideal environment which would facilitate rehabilitation. Prisoners live in poor conditions which are overcrowded and where crime thrives in spite of it being a prison institution. According to Farrington and Nuttall (2001), the largest prisons in the US which are Texas and California have experienced an eight fold increase in a number of prisoners in the past three decades. However, funding for these facilities has hardly increased; a situation which has made it difficult to cater for the needs of the prisoners. The US has only about 5% of the world population yet its prisons have more than 25% of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s prisoners, which shows the magnitude of the problem. The increase in crime in the US over recent years coupled with crime recidivism is largely to blame for the congestion in prisons in the United States. Congestion in these prisons largely defeats their major role which is rehabilitation. Congestio n makes it difficult for prisoners to access individualized attention from counselors or health care professionals who would assist them with their mental and physical needs. Congestion also makes prisoners interact with people from different backgrounds at close proximity and this may make them develop undesirable habits such as physical confrontations, substance abuse or sexual molestation. When such occur, it is difficult for authorities to detect them on time and to take the necessary action to discourage the vices. Another problem which is inherent in modern US prison environments is social vices and criminal behavior. Many prisoners engage in crimes within prison due to influence from peers or collaboration with unethical prison wardens. These crimes include substance abuse, immoral behavior or violent acts against each other. There are established drug rings inside many prisons and prisoners have access to drugs as long as they can access funds to finance the same. Many prisoners who have drug problems are taken to prison instead of drug rehabilitation facilities and they continue abusing these drugs inside prison. Corruption within prison allows some wardens to assist prisoners in accessing drugs. This defeats the central role of prisons which is rehabilitation. Finally, poor finance of prison systems makes it difficult for prison systems to teach prisoners skills which would be useful to the outside world. Since many prisoners commit crimes out of desperation and due to lack of employment, when they are released without these crucial skills they find themselves forced to commit illegal activities to survive and they end up in prison again. These problems inside modern US problems should be addressed if criminal recidivism is to drastically reduce. Programs which seek to reduce recidivism in US prisons Although many prisons do not have adequate facilities and personnel to undertake programs which reduce prison recidivism, there are a few prisons which have developed programs to deal with the problem. Most of these programs aim at rehabilitating prisoners in order to make them fit back into society. They include educational programs which address the adverse effects of substance abuse or violence in society. For instance, in Alaska, there is a program known as Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement which aims ate reducing recidivism among people who have been put on probation (Wilson, 2003). This program aims at making people on probation on the importance of probation and the consequences of breaking probation conditions. It is specifically targeted at people with problems satisfying probation conditions. In California and Texas, there are various programs aimed at educating prisoners on the adverse effects of gang culture and substance abuse in society. The programs aim at ending gang culture and substance abuse through making offenders aware of the harm they cause to society when they engage in the vice. In most states, there is also program geared towards providing life skills to inmates in prison in order to allow them to practice decent professions when they leave prison. Although such programs are under-funded, they teach prisoners skills such as carpentry, IT skills, mechanics, hair dressing, appliance repair, building and other skills. This is one of the most efficient ways to reduce crime recidivism since they empower inmates to become independent once they leave prison facilities. Current approaches to protect the public upon a prisoners release There are various approaches which states take to ensure that crime recidivism is reduced and that the public is protected from ex-prisoners upon their release. The first approach involves liaising with employment agencies to ensure such prisoners acquire decent employment. This is a very effective strategy since once prisoners are independent; they are less likely to engage in crime. States usually have programs which link skills learned by prisoners in prison with employment opportunities present in society. Another strategy which is used by many states involves probation. Probation is meant to safeguard the public against criminals through supervision of inmatesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ behaviors after release to ascertain whether they have reformed. This is a relatively ineffective strategy since it does not aim at helping the inmate reform but is meant to protect the public from harm (Roger, 2004). Addressing the causes of crime recidivism is the most effective approach to dealing with the problem. Finally, a few states hold discussion with communities and develop ways to integrate prisoners into society. It involves talking to community leaders, religious leaders and non-governmental organizations and developing a positive attitude towards released convicts. It assists such prisoners to live with their families and find employment opportunities in order to prevent engaging in crime. This is also another effective approach to reducing crime recidivism although it is not effectively implemented in many states. Recommendations to end recidivism upon release of inmates Although some of the programs currently being implemented to reduce crime recidivism in society are effective, more needs to be done to discourage this trend. The first steps should be to rehabilitate prisoners in prison and teach them skills which would make them economically independent once they leave prison institutions. This can only be done effectively if the problem of overcrowding, substance abuse and immoral activities among other crimes is addressed in prison. Strict laws which deter involvement in crime by prison wardens or prisoners should be passed and such laws should be punitive to discourage the crimes. In order to deal with overcrowding, adequate financing should be provided y the state to build more prisons to reduce overcrowding in prisons. In addition, alternative forms of punishments for petty offenders which include probation should be enforced in order to reduce the prison population in the United States. Once crime and overcrowding are addressed in prisons, prisoners will have access to healthcare practitioners to cater for their physical and mental needs. In addition, they will have access to training opportunities which will empower them once they leave prison. More funds should be allocated by states and the central government to ensure that there is enough facilities and personnel to rehabilitate prisoners and empower them with life skills. Prisoners who have substance abuse problems should have access to rehabilitation centers which address their problems since mere incarceration in prison does not help them end their addiction. Psychopaths should also have access to mental health experts who will use medication and alternative therapies to treat these mental disorders. Once prisoners have reformed and they have been imparted with these skills, it is important to cultivate a positive image in society so that they may be embraced and integrated back into society. This should involve dialogue with the community and religious leaders as well as their families in order to offer them support in beginning a new life. Once the prisoners are embraced back into society, they are less likely to commit a crime again. However, in addition to acceptance, by society, they should have employment opportunities which assist them to meet their daily needs. This is the best way to ensure that they do not engage in crime. Since they will already have skills, the state and correction facilities should collaborate in seeking opportunities where the prisoners can practice the skills which they have learned. They should be provided with financial and mental support by their families and community once they begin their careers in order to ensure that they succeed in life. Summary and conclusion Prison recidivism has been seen to b a major problem which faces the US prison system. Many prisoners who are released from prison end up committing a crime again due to several reasons. The major causes of prison recidivism are lack of skills which prisoners may use to empower themselves once they leave prison, inadequate physical and mental support from health care practitioners and counselors, high crime rates in prison and overcrowding in prison. Prison facilities are overcrowded and expose prisoners to crime within prison walls, a fact which makes it difficult for them to be integrated back into society once they are released. Although there are various programs which are currently being implemented by different prisons to reduce crime recidivism, these programs are few and under-funded. As a result, many prisoners do not benefit from them. In order to solve the problem of prison recidivism in US prisons, overcrowding and crime in prison should be first tacked through prison expansion, alternative rehabilitation forms and passage of harsh laws which guard against crime in prison. Once this is addressed, prisoners should have access to personnel, facilities and training which will satisfy their needs and impart them with skills in line with the rehabilitation objective. Finally, the society should accept them back through dialogue with families and community leaders who should provide moral and financial support to inmates. The state and correction facility should ensure that such prisoners have access to employment opportunities in line with their skills in order to empower them to be independent. Once these steps are taken, prisoners will have no reason to revert back to crime and the problem of crime recidivism will be solved once and for all.

The Vital Importance Of Mass Media

The Vital Importance Of Mass Media Mass Media is of vital importance in mankinds life. It is a medium for individuals to search for as well as exchange the latest information and knowledge; and it is also a platform for commercial as businesses can promote their products and services via media. Apart from getting academic or official materials, entertainment is another major function of the media. In everyday life, it is common for individuals to get contact with television programmes and advertisements since they exist in most family, restaurants as well as every corner of the street. Moreover, the consumption of internet also increases in the recent years. For example, in the United Kingdom, nearly half of the age group from 9 to 12 has social-networking profile (European Commission, 2011); and a research points out a phenomena that a quarter of British replace their evening major entertainment, television, by computer (UKPA, 2011). The media takes up a significant role in peoples life and society and the trend tend s to be upswing, this shows that people relies very much on the use of media as media are convenient to us. It is interesting to find out the reason of the popularity of different kinds of media and how often individuals spend time on the field of media. Also, the project can help to understand the culture which is being brought out by the television programmes in United Kingdom. Media is beneficial to us to at some point; however, media will do us harm if we misunderstood the implications brought by the media. In this case, media have a great influence on mankind and social behaviours, which includes both positive and negative impacts. As media has become the social norm, therefore, it is possible for project study to investigate the seriousness of how teenagers are being affected by the media, which can be the benefit from the media; and to what extent, their social behaviour is being affected. Aims Objectives In this project study, the main focus will be more on the point of view of the teenagers in the United Kingdom because this age group is easily being influenced and attracted by some new matters. Thus, the aim of this research study is, firstly, to give a brief introduction of the popularity of different types of media in the United Kingdom, such as, television programmes which include news, educational programmes, soup dramas, reality shows and variety shows, advertisements and internet. It is also important to analyse the purpose of the existence of these media and also the age group which they want to target. Secondly, how teenagers can benefit from these media. For example, some meaningful and encouraging programmes not only can help teenagers to gain knowledge and experience, but also establish a positive and strong moral value and raise social awareness. But at the same time, undesirable impacts are also generated from these media. The reason is that, teenagers may have differe nt interpretation or perception of the programmes; they may also develop negative attitude towards life and behaviour, like anti-social behaviour, commit crimes, being impractical or even live in fantasy and lack of motivation to do anything as media helps to beautify and shape the reality. Thirdly, there will be a little discussion on how the government imposes tighter laws and regulations to control the adverse effects brought out from the field of media. Method In this project study, both primary data and secondary data will be used to make this research a convincing and academic one. For the primary data, questionnaire will be used. This questionnaire contains four sections with 18 questions concerning the consumption of television programmes, advertisements as well as internet, and these questions help to reveal the view of teenagers on the effect of media. The survey will be carried out through the Qualtrics (https://s.qualtrics.com), a website which is designed for conducting survey. It targets teenagers who are living in the United Kingdom and the sample size will be 50 or above, so the results can be more objective and comprehensive and then a detailed analysis can be made by using these data. For secondary data, reference books, journal articles as well as video will be used. All these sources are academic and relevant to the topic; they are strong support for the arguments in the project. Firstly, for reference books and journal art icles, one of the books, Crime and Law in Media Culture, and also the journal article, Media made criminality: The representation of crime in the mass media, both discuss about the relationship between crime and media which are connected by a strong bond. The information also points out that; media sometimes maps crimes and law which makes them look playful and trivial. As a result, audiences will have wrong conception and look down upon the law and punishment. The media affect the thinking and behaviour of an individual, if the effect is positive, it can help to shape the community a better one; if not, it will deteriorate the moral value in society. Moreover, media is a two way communication, which means not only the media give out information and knowledge, but the audiences also need to give responses. After talking about the social behaviour, I will focus on how people react and accept the messages. Secondly, the video is used as it looks from the perspective of the audiences a nd analyse how they interpret the messages from the media. It is important to know the attitude hold by people towards media because it gives us the clue on how people are affected by the power of media. Section 1: Television Programmes (1) How much time do you spend on watching television? More than 5 hours a day 1-2 hours a day Sometimes (during leisure time) Never (Go to Section 2) (2) Which types of television programme would you prefer? Please rank your choices (1=highest; 6=least) News report _____ Soap dramas _____ Reality shows _____ Variety shows _____ Educational programmes _____ Films/Movies _____ (3) Suggest 2 adjectives which are most suitable to describe television programmes. ______________________________________________________________ (4) In some reality shows, films and dramas, indecent language, violence and sex scenes can be seen, do you think the government need tighter control on them? Yes, this can help to establish good moral value in society No, as these coarse language and scenes are the fundamental element of the programmes No comment (5) Which of the following statement will you support? Television programmes involve positive social value and are mostly beneficial to mankind. Television programmes pose bad impact on mankind as they are generally exaggerated and indecent materials. Section 2: Advertisements (6) Where can you see advertisements mostly? _______________________________________________________________ (7) To what extent, advertisement is attractive? Specify your reason. (1=very attractive; 5=not attractive, it can be neglected) _______________________________________________________________ (If your answer is 5, please go to Question 9) (8) Which aspects of the advertisement can catch your sight? (You can choose MORE THAN ONE option) Colourful and beautiful design Brand name Price and discounts Models or Artists The promoted products or services (9) Do you think advertising is successful in persuading people to make consumption? Yes No (Go to Section 3) (10) Have you ever convinced by the advertisements to buy any products? Yes. Please name one: _____________________________ No. Section 3: The Internet (11) How often do you use the internet? Every day, 5 hours or above Every day, less than 2 hours Sometimes, when there is research work and for leisure Never (12) Which of the following activities will you perform on the internet? (Choose FOUR options) Social-networking (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, MSN, E-mail) Download music and movies Research Settle private matters (Bank statements, Mobile phone statements) Games Watching videos Get the up-to-date information (News, Fashion, Technology, Entertainment) (13) Name ONE advantage and disadvantage of the internet. Advantage: _____________________________________________ Disadvantage: ___________________________________________ (14) Which statement will you support? The internet is convenient; it is a good assistant to make works run smoothly and efficiently. The practice of using the internet makes a person get addicted to it and isolates himself from the outside world. (15) Is it possible to live without the internet in the modern society? Yes No Section 4: Overview (16) Vigorous development of the mass media isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Specify your reason.) Good,______________________ Bad,_______________________ (17) Mass media is everywhere in our life, it is inevitable to ignore it. Do you agree? Yes No (18) Which of the following will influence ones mind and behaviour mostly? Television programmes Advertisements The Internet This is the end of the questionnaire. Your opinions will greatly assist the process of the analysis. Thank you for your precious time and opinions!

African American Artists Essay -- essays research papers

The multi-talented Camille Billops has found many different ways to express her artistic ability throughout her career. Her works that were done throughout her career was an expression of her life. Throughout the life of Camille she had many influences leading her into the art world. This paper has the artist going through her life coming up through the world as a student to a teacher then artist, and her works making her a legend. The way she met her husband and worked together to make the Hatch-Billops Collection. In her time as an artist she changed her work a few times. She started doing printmaking then changed to sculpture and film making. Throughout her life is what made her films. The trilogy of films makes her life public for everyone to see. From Suzanne Suzanne to Finding Christa and then to String of Pearls. Camille Billops is an artist representing her culture through her works of printmaking, sculpture and film. She has made her mark in history by doing so. Because of this she will always be remembered. Camille Billops was born in Los Angeles in 1933 to Alma Gilmore and Lucius Billops. She attended City College of Los Angeles, Associate of Arts and graduated in 1954. Then changed schools to the University of Southern California and studied occupational therapy. After that she changed schools again to the Los Angeles State College and received her Bachelor of Arts. After her schooling she met her future husband writer and playwright James Vernon Hatch, who is white, and traveled to Egypt and had a one person exhibit for Camille. After her exhibit in Egypt she came back to the states to go back to school. Billops moved to New York and received her Masters in Fine Art from the City College of New York in 1973. While attending the City College of New York she also had begun to teach ceramics. After graduating with her Masters in Fine Art she went and taught ceramics at Rutgers University, Newark, N.Y. Also in 1975 she founded the Hatch-Billops Collection with her husband James Hatch. Th e Hatch-Billops Collection is an archive of African American cultural history that includes oral histories, slides, books, photographs, and other historical materials. Camille’s husband and filmmaker James Hatch was born on October 25, 1928 in Oelwein, Iowa. After earning a B.A. in English and Speech in 1949 from the University of Northern Iowa, Hatch taught high sc... ...winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1992, told how Camille's unwanted pregnancy led her to put Christa up for adoption and how Christa returned twenty years later to confront her mother. And A String of Pearls turns the camera to four generations of men in Camille's family and considers why their fathers died so young. The camera turns to the grandsons, Michael and Peter. Both are without education, jobs or skills to earn a living and both have children that they cannot support. They want them to live, but two doctors from the local hospital trauma ward describe the streets of Los Angeles as a war zone where the US military sends its doctors to learn about gunshot wounds. In A String of Pearls Camille takes a hard look into the hearts of the black men in her family. In this film, love blooms. The multi-talented Camille Billops has found many different ways to express her artistic ability throughout her career. This makes her one of the most exceptional artists of our time. Camille Billops is an artist representing her culture through her works of printmaking, sculpture and film. She has made her mark in history by doing so. Because of this she will always be remembered.

Sports Narrative - Track Competition :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Track Competition The moment of truth was upon me. The official times, this includes whom qualified for finals, for the 400m relay had been posted. My eyes scanned the page for the bold letters that spell ANDERSON. As I ran my finger across the page to where the times were posted, my ears began to shut out all outside noises, leaving me alone with the thump of my heart and the inhale and exhale of my lungs. Both began to increase in speed as my eyes narrowed in on the time. My sophomore year had begun and I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to do track this year. Last year I played football in the fall and soccer in the spring. Not really enjoying it, the decision was made to play " real futbol" (soccer) in the fall, leaving the spring sports season open. My friend kept telling me how fun track was, so I decided to give it a try. As the first meet neared, things were going well. I made it onto the 4x100 team making me the third fastest kid on the team. The other members of the relay were Jason Schmidt, Jeremy Willard and Rodney Schmidt. Jason and Jeremy were both the top dogs and Rodney and I were second from the bottom of the barrel. The 400 relay was my best event. We placed in every meet and even took home some medals as the season progressed. As the track year rounded for the home stretch, we had only three more meets to compete in: the Tiger Invitational, regionals, and state. As the Tiger rolled around, there arose a question of whether or not to keep the team together or break it up and give the two seniors a chance to compete in other individual events at regionals. I actually didn't know about this possibility until about five minutes before the race began on Saturday. We were all huddled together preparing for the start. Jeremy came up to Rodney and me and told us that if we didn't do well the team might be dropped. Kicking our motivational drive into high, the four of us focused on only one thing: running the time we all knew we could. Getting into the blocks I felt more ready than ever. At the sound of the gun, I shot out of the blocks. I sprinted around the track, concentrating on making a great hand-off.

Nature and Management in Different Countries Essay

Terrorism is a war that has been waging on for more than what the general American population knows about – what makes terrorism a very close reality and a household name is the fact that in the last few years, terrorists are bringing the smell of fear and death closer to the erstwhile protected US domestic landscape through a very lethal weapon: suicide bombers. Times have changed, and the terrorists are getting bolder and bolder, so they say, but some things remain the same, and that includes the nature of suicide terrorist groups, how they are managed by their leaders and how things are just as much the same as it was in the past, as it was in the other countries were suicide terrorist activities were felt earlier, harder, harsher prior to the onslaught of these breed of freedom fighters in the collective US consciousness. Suicide terrorist groups, like any other organization, is a complex maze which can only be treaded successfully through the use of human resource management tools, not very far from the management paradigm and approaches that business groups and other non-violent groups use, since the key to the sustenance of suicide terrorist groups, ironically, is the efficiency of the management to ensure that they always have people who wants to die and to kill in the name of satisfying the greater goal and the greater good. People who are living in a place and in a time characterized by commercialism and consumerism – of television ads and product promotions about how to stay beautiful and live longer, about how to look better and have better skin and hair condition, about means and ways to battle diseases and extend lives a little longer – people, who, in short enjoys life to the full extent, may find it difficult to understand how there are those who unlike them can just lay down their lives to die, living everything that the material world still has to offer. Suicide terrorists no doubt are a source of fear and anger as much as they are a source of wonderment, mystery and mystique. People ask themselves why these suicide terrorists do what they do. â€Å"What does motivate men and women to become suicide fighters? This is another difficult question to answer. Some of the suicide groups are motivated by religion, others by ethnic nationalism – or by a combination of the two. In many cases, it is difficult to tell which motivation is the strongest (Williams, Waltrip, 2004, p.139). † Here, Williams and Waltrip points to the nature of suicide terrorists found in different parts of the world – that they are motivated by something greater than the preservation of their mortal life. The difference in motivation is not just found among different groups, but as low as every one single suicide terrorist and his/her personal reason for embarking on such kind of work and mission (Williams, Waltrip, 2004, p. 139). The modern media(television, Internet and movies) supplement whatever little knowledge the public has by providing either real or fictitious information through documentaries and television shows and movies that graphically illustrate suicide terrorists, their behavior, their nature and their characteristics, with the risk that sometimes they are far from telling the people the truth: e. g. take for example the notion of most people about the gender of a suicide bomber as male, when some historians say otherwise. â€Å"In general, males rarely become suicide terrorists, who are more typically young women and teenagers (Wessely, Krasnov, 2006, p. 112). † What this points out is that with the growth of global terrorism and the rise of suicide terrorist groups and their actions, the desire for knowledge about such aspect of modern day life also improves. Short history on suicide terrorism – In its most basic sense, suicide terrorism may refer to any act wherein the cause of terror of the people, community or society wreaks havoc, death and mayhem without regard for his or her own survival or even with the presence of risking sure death in the process. If this is the case, then suicide terrorism indeed goes way, way back – even during the times of barbarian warriors or even further back. But the concept of modern day suicide terrorism is younger, being around for just nearly three decades. â€Å"Apparently, the first terrorist suicide attack took place in Beirut on 15 December 1981. On that date a suicide driver reportedly drove an explosives-laden car into the Iraqi embassy, killing himself as well as 61 other persons and injuring more than 100. Iraq claimed that the attack was carried out by the Iranian and Syrian intelligence services. The use of suicide attacks as a systematic tactic, however, began only in 1983 (Bjorgo, 2005, p. 72). † Historians do not actually claim that this act triggered the new wave of in the style of terrorism, but this is one of the first one of its kind, probably the first documented act constituting the idea of modern day suicide terrorism by a suicide terrorist. Suicide attacks by suicide terrorist groups is not something new, especially not in the international level, since many groups decades ago were already resorting to this type of attack. The only difference is that now, there is an increased global presence and awareness about suicide terrorist groups and their actions because they are expanding their targets towards new locations, targeting a new set of people some of which are not even fully aware that they are just as susceptible to such attacks compared to the people living in other locations which are war torn and struggling from armed conflict. â€Å"Although suicide terrorism is not new to the world, it appears to have greatly expanded since early 2003 and has spread to regions where it was previously unknown. The primary increase was in the large number of suicide terrorists operating in Iraq, which until the war had not experienced this brand of terrorism (Fieldman, Shapir, 2004, p. 46)†.

Beowulf/Grendel Trial or Debate Activity Essay

Two teams will debate the merits of Grendel’s viewpoint. The rest of the class will act as judges and rate the winning team. (ALL students will contribute to the debate by helping to suggest/refine talking points – each group will vote for members to participate in debate). Resolved: Since the world and everything in it is an unplanned accident, existence is meaningless ;the past is irrelevant; nothing matters. For: This team will take the attitude that the proposition is true. They will try to prove it by using the arguments and experiences of Grendel and the dragon. Against: This team will take the attitude that the proposition is false. They will try to prove it by using the arguments of Unferth, Beowulf, the Shaper, Ork, and any other evidence in the story. Rules: 1. No evidence is admissible unless it can be supported by the novel. 2. Each team will have three, two-minute chances to speak. In the first two-minute period they will present their argument. The second two-minute period will be used for rebuttal. In the rebuttal period, a team may argue only points which the other side has presented. The third two-minute period will be a summation (summarize main talking points/close argument). 3. At the close of the debate, the rating will be collected, added, and the results announced. (from The Center for Learning) Trial: Participate in a trial of Grendel, either as judge, member of jury, court officer, court reporter, prosecutor, defense lawyer, the defendant, or a witness. (from The Center for Learning) Standards for either Debate of Trial: 11-12.RL.1, 11-12.RL.3, 11-12.RL.7, 11-12.W.1, 11-12.W.9, 11-12.SL.1, 11-12.SL.3, 11-12.SL.4