Pop Culture Essays (1122 words) - American People Of German Descent

Pop Culture In Risk and Blame, Anthropologist Mary Douglas describes the cultural basis for witch hunts in traditional societies. Whether the witch is able to do harm or not, the attribution of a hidden power to hurt is a weapon of attack against them....A successful accusation is one that has enough credibility for a public outcry to remove the opportunity of repeating the damage. A moral panic starts with an unspeakable tragedy which sparks an attempt to ascribe blame and responsibility. Initially, accusations flow freely but focus on those targets who are already the subject of anxiety. Once one accusation sticks, it becomes easier to pile on charges. Our rush to judgement overwhelms our ability to rationally assess the evidence. Our need to take action supersedes our ability to anticipate consequences. Moral panic shuts down self-examination at the very moment when real problems demand careful consideration. Several weeks after the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the United States Senate Commerce Committee launched a series of hearings, chaired by Sen. Sam Brownback ,on the marketing of violent entertainment to children. Introducing the investigation, Brownback explained, We are not here to point fingers but to identify the causes of cultural pollution and seek solutions. The phrase, cultural pollution, of course, already presumed a consensus that popular culture was a worthless iritant which was to blame for various social harms. Brownback was prepared to sweep aside constitutional protections: We are having endless debates about First and Second Amendment rights while our children are being killed and traumatized. Brownback focused his ire on forms of popular culture that met youth rather than adult tastes: I am willing to bet that there aren't many adults who are huge fans of teen slasher movies or the music of Cannibal Corpse and Marilyn Manson. Sen. Orin H atch declared Manson's music tremendously offensive to everyone in America who thinks, a category that seemingly does not include a significant number of high school and college students. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education and self-proclaimed guardian of American virtue, called on Congress to make meaningful distinctions between works that used violence to tell a larger story such as Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, or Clear and Present Danger, and works that gratuitously exploited violence, such as The Basketball Diaries, Cruel Intentions, or Scream. His commonsense distinction was at heart an ideological one, separating works that offered adult perspectives from those which expressed youth concerns. Though they understood the hearings as a ritual humiliation of the entertainment industries, the senators were feeding a cultural war which was more and more focused on teenagers. As a GOP operative Mike Murphy explained in that week's Time, we need Goth control, not gun control. Hatch engaged in homophobic banter about whether Manson was a he or a she while Brownback accused members of the Goth subculture of giving themselves over to the dark side. Such comments reinforced bigotry and fear. Adult fears about popular culture were being transfered towards those people who consumed it. The Goths were a relatively small subculture whose members drew inspiration from Romantic literature and constructed their personal identity by borrowing from the iconography of the horror film and S/M pornography. The group could claim a twenty year history without much public attention because they had previously not been associated with violent crime. However, the Columbine shooters had been mistaking ly identified in some early news reports as Goths and as a result, this group had been singled out in the post-Littleton backlash. From the outset, Congress was unlikely to set federal policies to regulate media content, which would not have sustained constitutional scrutiny. They counted on public pressure to intimidate the entertainment industry into voluntarily withdrawing controversial works from circulation. Manson canceled some concerts. MGM stopped selling The Basketball Diaries. The Warner Brothers Network withheld the airing of the season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer until midsummer. The biggest impact of the moral panic, however, would be felt in the schools - both public and private - as teachers and administrators increasingly saw their students as threats to public safety and suspected popular culture of turning good kids into brutal monsters. Online journalist Jon Katz's remarkable series, Voices from the Hellmouth, circulated hundreds

Name Meaning and Origin of Christensen

Name Meaning and Origin of Christensen Christensen literally means son of Christen, a common Danish variant of the given name Christian, which derives from the  Greek word xÏ ÃŽ ¹ÃÆ'Ï„Î ¹ÃŽ ±ÃŽ ½ÃÅ'Ï‚Â  (christianos), meaning follower of Christ. In Norway and Sweden, the -son variations such as Christenson and Kristenson are more common. Christensen is the 6th most popular surname in Denmark. Surname Origin:  Danish, Norwegian, North German Alternate Surname Spellings:  KRISTENSEN, CRESTENSEN, KRESTENSEN, CHRISTENSEN, KHRISTENSEN, CHRISTENSON, KRISTENSON, CHRISTIANSEN, KRISTIANSEN Famous People With the Surname Carlos Hugo Christensen, Argentine screenwriter, film director, and producerHelena Christensen, Danish supermodelHayden Christensen, Canadian-American actor and producerTom Kristensen, Danish poet, novelist, and journalist Genealogy Resources for the Surname Search Strategies for Common Last NamesUse these strategies for locating ancestors with common names like Christensen to help you research your CHRISTENSEN ancestors online. FamilySearch - CHRISTENSEN GenealogyAccess free historical records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Christensen surname. Source: Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

The Role of Religion in Contemporary Irish Society Essay

The Role of Religion in Contemporary Irish Society - Essay Example Contemporary sociologists have judged that â€Å"any sociological study of Ireland must reflect the importance of religion in the shaping of our contemporary society, its continuing relevance in terms of everyday social life and the still central role of religious institutions† (Tovey and Share, 2003, p. 384). This observation, however, runs counter to the belief that was a cultural shift in all Western societies which started in the period of the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, which introduced a whole new set of scientific tools. Max Weber, Émile Durkheim and other early proponents of the new discipline of sociology described evidence of a shift away from religion and towards rationalisation. The term â€Å"secularization† is used to describe this change, and the â€Å"secularization thesis† is a belief that religion will slowly fade in the face of new scientific, and by implication better, ways of seeing the world. This paper shows, however, that there is evidence in the recent history and sociology of Ireland to prove that the secularization thesis does not hold, since contemporary Ireland fully reflects modern cultural trends and yet it is by no means an increasingly secular country. Origins of the secularization thesis. In the Middle Ages, a Christia n world view dominated the whole of Europe, with close links being maintained between Church and State, and other religions such as Judaism and Islam being classed as outsiders. Secular monarchs reigned in the firm belief that they had a divine right to rule, and they often used their powers to enhance the dominance of the Christian Church, leading to the Crusades and the demonization of other faiths and other nation states. The reformation polarised Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity so that in Europe, at least, religion became associated with conflict between factions within Europe. Ireland played a decisive role in the early stages of the Christian colonisation of Europe, and Ireland’s continual loyalty to Rome in the face of British rebellion is a reflection of political differences as much as it is a religious position. The relationship between Church and State remains close in Ireland, since there was no split between the monarch and Rome, and this explain s the influence that religions continues to have at the present time on Irish political and social affairs. In Victorian Britain and Imperial Germany the protestant work ethic was credited with producing the beginnings of the capitalist system, and Karl Marx theorized religion in this context as a logical an necessary part of this culture of trade and industry. In the analyses of Marx, Engels and Lenin, religion was a thriving force to be reckoned with, and they very much supported the underlying motivations that led people to put their faith in it: â€Å"Religion is a many-faceted reflection of the real world, including deep-seated human needs for security, consolation, and beauty. They (Marx, Engels and Lenin) do not want to take away from people the solace, comfort of beauty that religion brings to their lives †¦ religious beliefs are not merely illusory; they stand in the way of man’s mastering both nature and his social relations in the interests of a better and fu ller life† ( Selsam and Martel, 1987, p. 225). A combination of these political ideas,

Free Agency is a Chimera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Agency is a Chimera - Essay Example No loving mother ever set out to become an alcoholic of her own free will. Free will would dictate otherwise. Yet, she is driven down the road of addiction by forces outside herself and nudged along, not by free will, but by motives dictated by complex situations and self-serving self-defense. The drive toward self-defense can be demonstrated in man's overriding will of self-preservation. The belief in a soul serves to give hope that a part of us will survive our own death. Yet, man will go to the depths of human depravity in an attempt to insure self-preservation of the human body. Cannibalism, betrayal, and murder have all been witnessed when men have been faced with the death of their own body. If free agency existed, it would alter our actions in these cases and result in more acceptable behavior. Our actions are not driven by free agency but are the result of self-defense and the desire to gain advantage. We obey the law because it is to our advantage, not because we make a free choice to do so. In the complexity of decisions we are confronted with, the action we take is based on the force that pushes us down a path of maximum gain and minimum harm. Even the apparently selfless action of giving to charity is taken to provide the self with satisfaction.

Avian Flu Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Avian Flu Virus - Essay Example Moreover, it has been known that this H5N1 virus is able to infect other animals other than birds and pigs, such as, cats and larger felines, and transmission of infection from other animals to human may occur unknowingly. An article published in the Journal of Virology in the year 2005, titled "Avian Influenza (H5N1) Viruses Isolated from Humans in Asia in 2004 Exhibit Increased Virulence in Mammals" and researched by Maines and co-workers investigates this in an isolate of the virus of the H5N1 strain, isolated from 2004 Asian epidemic, and in this work, that article will be critiqued. Research Questions: As is apparent from the epidemiologic patterns of the outbreak of these H5N1 infections, the virulence factors responsible for human disease need to be elucidated. The problem remains that the virulence factors of H5N1 viruses is poorly understood from the biologic and molecular perspectives, this being an avian virus transmitted to humans. It points to the need for mammalian models of studies, and since there is evidence that mammalian experiments in nonhuman primates such as ferrets and mice have been studied for influenza virus pathogenesis and other nonhuman mammals may also serve as carriers for human virus, nonhuman primate studies may serve as an acceptable model. In these models, the relative virulence of the H5N1 isolated from 2003-2004 outbreaks in both humans and avian species can be studied, and the authors can have the advantage of comparing them with earlier 1997 H5N1 human isolates to compare the virulence of the virus, so a molecular or biologic c orrelate is available that may be applied in the management of human epidemics. Relevance of the Question: From the public health point of view, the circulation of H5N1 virus in the poultry may cause more human cases with human-avian reassortant pandemics. Epidemiologic observations have demonstrated that from the time of first recognition and isolation, the virulence of this strain is increasing markedly over the years in terms of mortality and case fatality rates. Although the clinical presentations of the human cases were usual in the form of fever, respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia, in rare occasions, they indeed presented with just fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. This could have indicated a change in the pattern of virulence, despite the pattern of fatality remaining the same, that is, development of pneumonia with critical compromise in gas exchange, leading to respiratory failure and death despite assisted ventilations. Research in this area is necessary since there is a paucity of research answering this question abou t how an infection with this virus leads to acute respiratory distress and multiple organ dysfunctions in humans. Although studies in mammalian models do have constraints from the practical, ethical, and economic perspectives, it could be a valid option since ferret is a naturally susceptible host to influenza A virus, has been used in previous studies to evaluate H5N1 virulence and safety and efficacy of vaccine candidate preparations. Moreover, the same authors previously studied H5N1 virus virulence in ferrets and they have valid criteria for assessment, where they demonstrated earlier equivalence in

Compare Windows And Linux Operating Systems Computer Science Essay

Compare Windows And Linux Operating Systems Computer Science Essay An Operating system is software that lets the user interface with the computer and also manages number of applications. Most number of PCs has built in Operating system installed. Operating systems created to take control of the operations of applications such as email programs, word processors and web browsers. Straight after the computer is switched on the operating system needs to be loaded into the RAM before any other program can be run. Operating system is automatically loaded into RAM as soon as the PC turns on which is done by the boot strap loader which is stored in the PCs ROM chip. All the Operating systems perform basic functions such as: Managing resources These applications coordinate all of the PCs resources which include keyboard, printer, monitor, mouse, storage devices and memory. Operating system manages to perform a file structure on the computers hard drive where the data can be saved or retrieved. When a particular data is saved, the Operating system saves the data and attaches a name to the data and remembers where the data was saved for any future use. File system is the way the Operating systems organizes the information into files. Almost all the Operating systems use hierarchical file system which organizes the files into folders under a tree structure which makes it easy for the user to get the data. Providing a user interface -.Users interact with programs and hardware trough user interface. Most of the Operating systems provide the GUI which is graphic user interface where graphic objects or icons are used to represent commonly used features. Running applications -These are the programs which load and run applications such as spread sheets and word processors. Almost all the operating systems support multitasking where more than one application can be run at the same time. When a user is requesting the application to be open the operating system locates the program and loads it into the RAM. If more programs are loaded the operating system must allocate the computer resources. Support for built in utility programs -The operating system uses the utility program to identify problems, repair damaged files, locate lost files and back up data. This makes the easy for the user as the operating system does the hard work by solving the problem where the user just has to wait for the result. Control to the computer hardware -The operating system is in the middle of the programs and the BIOS. Bios controls the hardware, but all programs that need hardware resources has to go through the operating system. Operating system can access the hardware through BIOS. Task 2 B M1 Report that compares the features and functions of two different operating systems by reviewing the features and functions and present a comparison of the two summarising their respective strengths and weaknesses in context. I am going to compare windows and Linux operating systems. Introduction Windows -It is an operating system software and GUI produced by Microsoft. Microsoft released their first windows operating system in 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing popularity of the graphical user interfaces. Windows dominated the Personal computers around the world when it came out in the market which overtook MacOS which was launched in 1984. By October 2009 windows had roughly 91% of the market share of the client operating systems for the use on the internet. The latest release client version of windows is windows 7, the latest release server version is Server 2008R2 and the latest release of mobile operating system is windows phone 7. Linux Linux refers to the family of Unix-like PC Operating system using Linux kernel. Linux can be installed in number of different computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers. Linux is the top server operating system, accounting for more than 50% of installations and runs on the fastest top 10 supercomputers in the world. Using Linux in desktops has increased in recent years. The name Linux comes from Linux kernel, created in 1991 by Linux Trovalds. Comparison of the two operating systems Out of these two operating systems windows is the most famous OS, whereas Linux is the most famous OS that is free. The two OS compete against each other for user-base in the PC market as well as the server market, which are also used in schools, business offices, intranet and internet servers, homes, government offices, supercomputers, and embedded systems. Windows are top in the personal computer and desktop markets with approximately 90% of the desktop market share, and accounted for about 66% of all servers sold in the year 2007. In the server market share windows received 36.3% and Linux received 12.7%. By November 2007, Linux OS powered 85% of the worlds powerful supercomputers where compared to windows 1.4%. Linux and windows are different in the cost, versatility and stability with each looking to get better in their superficial weak areas. Normally, some major areas of superficial weakness usually cited have included the poor out-of-box usability of the Linux desktop for the mass-market and vulnerability to malware windows. Both are areas of fast development in both sides. Linux is not a complete operating system when you compare it to Windows operating environment. Linux doesnt have built-in GUI interface. Users are free to use the former windows graphic user interface with Linux where each provides a different look and feel. Functions Windows offers much easier user interface called graphic interface unlike Linux, where it only has one GUI for users to choose from. These facts in some cases could make the using of the OS much easier as the user can choose what they are comfortable with. One of the advantages of Linux is that it comes from multiple choices of GUIs so that it can help provide an easy starting ground for either windows or Mac users. Both windows and Linux allow hardware to successfully communicate with the software in similar way. But however the Linux has some compatibility problems which can cause trouble when trying to install hardware drivers. Whereas the being one of the top OS in the world are finding that hardware drivers is a push over. Security Windows are more infective to a virus then Linux as windows is the most attacked OS in the world. And most the viruses arent even compatible with Linux hence making Linux inherently safer. Performance The performance reduces massively in windows simply because windows takes to much power unlike Linux which doesnt use much power to work, which means that there is much more power available to be used for the user of Linux which makes the performance faster. Stability Because of the work all around the world by the millions of users of Linux which have full and free access to the source code where they are trying to make Linux more stable unlike the few 100,000 windows techs with a licence to modify the windows source code. Also the fact that the Linux OS has more consistent fileling system and Linux also dont use much processor power to run which automatically makes the Linux OS a more stable OS. Cost You have to pay for all the Windows operating systems unlike the Linux operating systems which are free and full access. You can also download the Linux software for free unlike the windows operating system where you have to pay. Usability -Windows operating systems are one of the easiest operating system to use because of the lack of things you can do with it along with legal problems. Windows is also more spread operating system then Linux so it has the better hand when it comes to personal computing. Linux is also easy but the users arent confident enough so are not willing to use the free Linux OS. Conclusion- After researching about these two operating systems along with the points that i have made I believe that Linux is the better operating system then windows with better benefit, However as far as the hardware is concerned windows doesnt have the skill to work on the Power PC processors, unlike Linux. Linux would be one of the growing operating systems in the world which would be the main rivals of windows in the future. Here is a Comparison table Linux Windows Price Most of the Linux operating systems are free and lower costing then windows. Windows operating systems can be bought around the price of $50 to $150 per each licence copy. Ease Linux has massively improved in their usability but windows are much easier for new computer users. Microsoft have made lots of changes and have made it much more easier to use the operating system, but it still might not be the easiest software to use but is definitely easier than Linux. Reliability Most of the Linux systems are Especially reliable and can run for moths and years without having to reboot it. Windows has made some fabulous improvements to their Reliability in their last versions of windows but its still not better than Linux. Software Linux does have number of software, utilities and games available but it cant compare to the large amount of software windows has. Because there are more people using windows around the world there are more software, utilities and games available in windows. Software Cost Many of the software, utilities and games are freeware or open source. Most of them are free and some of them cost really less then compared to windows. Windows also has software, utilities and games for free but majority of the programs will cost around $20 to $200. Hardware Linux and hardware manufactures have made great improvements for Linux and will support most hardware devices, whoever there are many different companies that still do not offer drivers for their hardware. Windows has much more support from the hardware manufactures for windows hardware devices because of the large amount of windows users. Security Linux always has been safe and secure but it can also be attacked but when you compare it to windows Linux is much safer. Although windows has made vast improvements to their security but still continues to be venerable to the viruses. Support Linux has large amounts of help online or books around the world to help any user. Same with windows also has large amount of help to their users with books, documentation guides help centre etc. http://www.techquark.com/2009/02/compasion-linux-vs-windows.html Name Linux Windows Creator Linus Torvalds, et al. Microsoft First public release 1992 1993 Predecessor Unix[g 2], Minix [g 3 MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.x Latest stable version Linux kernel 2.6.35.2; GNU C Library 2.11 Windows 7 (NT 6.1.7600) Latest release date 2010 2009 Cost/ Availability Free Home Basic (Retail) $99.95, Home Premium (Retail) $119.95, Business (Retail) $299.95, Ultimate (Retail) $300.95[1] Preferred licence GNU GPL, GNU LGPL and other licenses Proprietary Target system type Comparison of Linux distributions Workstation, Personal computer, Media center, Tablet PC, Embedded system Computer architectures supported x86, x86-64, PPC, SPARC, Alpha, others x86, x86-64, IA-64 File systems supported ext2, ext3, ext4, ReiserFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, and others NTFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF; 3rd-party drivers support ext2, ext3, reiserfs[t 8], and HFS Kernel type Monolithic with modules Hybrid Source lines of code ~ 9 million (Kernel) lines of code for userland applications vary depending on the distribution ~45 million GUI default is on No Yes Package management MSI, custom installers Update management Windows Update Native APIs POSIX Win32, NT API Non-native APIs supported through subsystems UNIX, Mono, Java, Win16, Win32 DOS API, Win16 (only in 32-bit versions), POSIX, .NET

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Eleanor Roosevelt was a honest person who had responsibility and compassion towards her husband , family and her fellow man, whatever their social status. She used great citizenship and initiative actions in dealing with anyone who was fortunate enough to make her acquaintance. Eleanor Roosevelt is an outspoken advocate of social justice. During the years she has taken over a lot of responsibility. For someone who spent thefirst third of her life as shy and timid, she showed great courage once she was thrust into the presidential â€Å"spotlight†. Most Americans considered her a true â€Å"American Hero†. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, I now announce the presence of our first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt†, is something similar to what you would hear when being addressed at a press conference or important meetings. She was a well respected human being, achieving great duties and responsibility in life. She was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to be on the first peace corps advisory board. She was such an active lady while her husband was in office that she was no longer willing to stay quietly in the background of her husband. She took a job as an editor and advertising manager of a monthly publication â€Å" The Women’s Democratic News† where she became more independent towards herself and work. Eleanor Roosevelt became very involved in women issues, being that she also joined the newly organized Women’s division of the New York State Democratic party and moved swiftly into positions of leadership. Not only was she responsible among organizations and people, she later became her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s eyes and ears, dedicating her life to his purposes, being a trusted and tireless reporter. One of the reasons she did become so helpful towards her husbands career was besides the fact that she was the first lady, Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with a disease called polio and caused him to be permanently crippled in August of 1921. She then became even more loyal to him and our country having to deal with people from different nations, organizations and positions. While the President struggled to regain the use of his legs, Eleanor Roosevelt and Louis Howe joined forces to keep his political and business contacts alive. She became a powerful voice for youth employment and civil right... ...u can remember how she showed great compassion to her work and life. How loyal she was to the people of our nation. What great responsibility’s she consummated and what respect she gave and received from and to so many. Works Cited Diller, Daniel C. & Robertson, Stephen .L â€Å" The Presidents, First Ladies and Vice Presidents. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 1959. Collier Encyclopedia: Copyright 1989 Cook, Blanche Wiesen : Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One New York: Vikking 1992 Eleanor Roosevelt: This is My Story New York: Harper & Bros., 1937 On My Own New York: Harper & Bros., 1949 Http://personalweb.smcvt.edu/smahady/ercover.html Lash, Joseph P. : Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship Based on Eleanor Roosevelt’s Private Papers. New York: W.W. Norton, 1971 Lash, Joseph P. : Eleanor Roosevelt: A friend’s Memoir. Garden City, N.Y Lorena Hickok : Eleanor Roosevelt: Reluctan First Lady New York: Dodd, Mead 1962 WWW.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/firstladies/html/ar32.html WWW.geocites.com/collegepark/library/4142/childhood.html Young’s , J. Williams T. : Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal a Public Life Boston: Little, Brown, 1985