Hispanic Discrimination In The US

Hispanic Discrimination In The US Introduction Hispanics are considered a single minority group arising in the United States which certainly as the name suggests being a product of the Spanish. It is evident that Spanish environment is dominated in such territories hence the high level of discrimination against them the American people are afraid of such small tribes to being very strong communities not only in politics but also power and economic development which directly poses a threat towards their growth as a nation. There are those intense factors that have facilitated discrimination of this community in the US, for instance Media presentations, Linguistic point of view and residence legality. As a result of this, the type of discrimination being embraced by this small community includes lack of proper health care, victims of hatred and oppression, lack of proper rental-housing and lack of health insurance. Catalyzing factors in racial discrimination Media and Hispanic oppression In every issue arising facing the human kind, the media is always there as a facility of creating awareness to the general public. Media can therefore be a very sensitive channel of communication and public awareness. With media broadcasting all the live events occurring in the general public, politicians and prominent people, there are very high chances of transmitting cases of hater speeches from different speakers which can bring forth tension among different people as a reaction, either positively or negatively(Cummins and Gordon, 2006). News broadcasting is considered to be a rapid-fire technique of delivering the real world in terms of cultural, economical and political issues. Some media stations tend to employ animation technology to portray sarcasm regarding a certain community hence creating the same expression in many of the viewers who later practice such actions but now in the real world and ends up hurting one another socially. With the media being interested mostly in transmitting the bad news for instance cases of illegal immigration being emphasized more upon as compared to the legal migration of the small communities particularly the Hispanic community as asserted by Lee (1998). This therefore reveals the role of media and the kind of information the media people transmitting the general public, which counts for negativity in most of the cases. News paper articles with very eye catching headlines such as illegal migrants, foreign drug dealers and such information is usually taken seriously and the initial blame befalls the small communities, with Hispanic being among the suspected group due to lack of proper understanding and like of love for one another. According to Lester(1996), the media is always very effective in framing issues since the initial intent is to give the public what they would like to hear, all about hate for the one not related with, for example the small community being blamed for each and every form of negative issues ari sing. Residency Illegality assumption In the United States, approximately more than 42 million legally migrated residents are believed to have Latin origin as noted in a statistical abstract (2007). About 16 million of these residents, an approximate of 39 percent, are born as foreigners. According to US immigration statistics, certain fraction, about 11 million people, of this population are estimated to have illegally migrated with 8.7 million migrants being believed to be of Hispanic origin as supported by Therrien and Ramirez (2001). This therefore asserts that more than 85 percent of Hispanic migrants have legally obtained their US residency with majority of them having been born in the United States. This therefore justifies the Hispanic community living in the United States from being discriminated against and they should hold their grounds while fighting for their residency rights, since by balancing the legal versus illegal migrants it clearly points the great difference favoring the legal migrants and the mere fraction that represents the illegal migrants should not earn such level of discrimination against the whole community. According to Jorgensen (1996), the US politicians are the leading people passing such complaints against what they term to be illegal aliens. Reports have proven that Hispanic employees have really experienced very unfair job mistreatment from their employers both in public and private sectors. Despite their hard work in jobs, no credit or appreciation is accorded to them for instance wages raise, no chances for ideas sharing since their ideas are considered unworthy towards bringing forth development. (Jennifer, 2007) Language barrier In the United States, there is a very strong bond connecting language and racism. The main group tends to discriminate the minority groups which certainly reflect on the hatred towards the Hispanics by the United States majority group (or rather the whites) residents. For instance the use of mal mot wetback is a clear example of sarcasm characterization used to classify the Hispanics who cross the Rio Grande boundary to the United States illegally. Now, the problem comes in where all the Hispanics suffer this oppression having legally or illegally migrated to the United States, hence being considered a high level of misunderstanding where even the innocent have to suffer on the account of the illegal migrants. The minority groups that cannot speak the dominant language are restricted from participating in the dominant culture and this has brought forth a two-side culture of living with those speaking native language (English) oppressing the alien language speakers for instance the Hi spanic community. The English language community has realized the linguistic threat posed by the Spanish language speakers in the United States since they seem to multiply as time passes on. As a reaction to this linguistic threat, native language heritage has started a campaign towards supporting English as the immediate language that should be embraced by each and every resident in the united states, being an American, Asian, Spanish or black American. With respect to this, a form of US bilingual education has been highly documented and debated about as asserted by Rothstein (1998). To many people, this form of education was more of a confusion situation than a solution, since each and every ethnic group concentrated in learning in their own language, but the English language conquering the rest, hence the alien natives being forced to embrace the English learning since they could not meet the standards to bring forth the level of education needed to code with the American way of learning. Effect of this discrimination Victims of hatred In the united states, majority of federal hate crimes target crime victims with respect to ethnicity or basic race initiated programs, according to the UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting)program, there is a huge number of hate speech white victims as compared to the other groups. According to research carried by New Century Foundation organization, it is worthy to claim that hate crimes towards the minority groups are committed mostly by the black Americans as compared to the white Americans. Among the minority groups, the Hispanics are more prone to being victims of hate speech. Referring to practical examples, quoting a previous case of racial hatred that took place back in the year 1992 whereby an Asian American and being of Chinese descent was beaten to death by an angry mob believed to be white assailants as a result of unemployment level hence blaming Japanese and Chinese US invasion. Women discrimination Hispanic Women in the United States are more exposed to discriminations compared to their male counterparts particularly when it comes to the job and labor sector. Female Hispanics wages do lag behind as compared to their fellow men colleagues it is evident that in the united states of America, the wages to Hispanic women are much less as compared to the white men, women and Hispanic men of the same level. According to a research carried out on the month of March back in the year 1998, it was known that males embracing Hispanic ethnicity earned an average of $ 11.75 in an hour whereas women earned an average of $ 9.40 for the same work type. White Non- Hispanic males and females earned on average $ 15.75 and $ 11.29 respectively. This difference in wages was claimed to have been as a result of education level, work experience, occupation type, language and lastly discrimination against women. According to Oaxaca (1973), Hispanic women wages discrimination is as a result of difference s from each individuals characteristics subtracted from the total wage required to be paid hence coming up with a new calculation factor which is more of corruption and somehow reflects to discrimination also. Health care inequality The government had failed to provide better health facilities plus other requirements towards ones good health for instance poor services, in adequate insurance, complete lack of health insurance and reluctance towards health seek and care (Woolf, 2004). Systematic bias is also reflected much in the way inequality is handled in health care while delivering health services to the Americans where personally I feel that these people are yet to be treated like rest of the Americans else such discrimination will bring a bad reputation towards the Americans in the near future. Though there are developments of anti-racism organizations for instance the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, American-Arab anti-Discrimination committee, the National Italian American Foundation and the National congress of American Indians among others. Sabotaged health conditions and deaths rate In the US, there is a wide range of racial differences in delivering health services appropriately. The migrants are treated in a negative way as compared to the US white residents. With reference to an article published by the public health sector in the US, it is worthy to assert that more than 880,000 deaths could have been avoided back in the year 1991 to 2000, if proper health care had been given to the foreign residents, inclusive of Hispanics. These deaths occurred as a result of much sabotaged health facilities given to the non-natives, if these people had received the same level of health services as the white Americans, such loss could not have occurred. It is worthy to claim that currently in the United States of America, racial bias has also infected the health sector with the minority communities facing very harsh condition due to low level of response from the health officers, particularly the public health sector. Referring to a previous study carried by Hope and Eliza beth (1996) it is evident that lifetime effects of fascinating conditions like being psych comes as a result of lack of attendance from the medic al officers to the patients who end up suffering some brain and mental conditions that could have been prevented in one way or the other given the issue of community discrimination support was avoided at all cost. It is believed that the minority communities cannot receive some donations for instance blood, and other body organs transplant from the American people which shows the level of discrimination being faced by these people and the importance of immediate reforms being embraced pertaining the same. Majority of Americans from these minority communities face inadequate insurance, poor medical services, and very low level of medical centers. Patients are forced to queue in some specific medical institutions that they can afford to pay rather than trying to scramble in a health facility where they are not welcome. Housing discrimination Despite of earning low income, the living standards of the Hispanics cannot be justified by such income. The poor housing conditions have left this community to face housing discrimination where high charges are given but with very minimal maintenances being employed whereby tenants suffer roofs leakages and rats become part and parcel of the house living. Some landlords go to the level of refusing to refund security deposit in the case where a Hispanic tenant wants to move in into another house. Such landlords also violate the US landlord-tenant laws that protects both the tenant and the landlord, for instance the 1998 Congress- passed Fair Housing Act which was meant to eradicate housing discrimination, but the landlords seem to be very mean with the lust for money but less worried with the housing conditions and its influence on the tenants. Most of the landlords practiced the following unlawful housing discrimination: Employing other forms of lease or contract provisions when dealing with Hispanics as compared to non-Hispanics. Having minimum maintenance and repair practices to the houses rented by the Hispanics which was not the case for the natives. Having minimal laundry and exercise facilities to the Hispanics which was not the case for the rest of tenants. Forcing Hispanics to provide very high security deposits as compared to non-Hispanics. Having the Hispanics evicted from the houses due to late payment of rent. Religion discrimination Today in the United States, when interviewed on how they feel about the status of their religious belief, 19 percent of Americans claim to consider being minority whereas 78 percent do not consider themselves being minority. This explains that 19 percent of the Americans are being discriminated against with respect to their religious beliefs. This has enhanced the prejudice by the Native Americans against other races as supported by Lincoln (2006). With US having the white evangelicals representing the highest percentage in terms of religion, about 24% of them refer themselves as constituent of the minority religious group whereas an equivalent of 11% of protestants and 13 % of Catholics claiming the same. Conclusion From this research, it is evident that Hispanics are being ill treated by the white in United States of America, courtesy of various published reports and scenes as discussed in the body of this research paper. The level of discrimination against Hispanic community living in the US is very serious with immediate measures worthy to be employed to counter it. From job discrimination, housing, freedom of expression, educational rights, and other rights have been denied to the Spanish residents living in the United States. Studies have found that nearly three in every ten Hispanic workers feel they have been discriminated against in their employment. Some reports being referred to with racial slurs at work while one in four feel they are paid less and have reduced career advancement prospects than their Caucasian counterparts( Sebastian, 1995). It is therefore the high time that Civil right Act, under the federal law that covers discrimination towards a particular race, color or sex comes into real action and performance. It is worthy to claim that the Hispanics have been deprived from their human rights to enjoying their freedom of expression, speech and movement. The non-governmental organizations enhancing campaigns against racial discrimination should also continue without fear or threat from authority or other people whatsoever. The Hispanic community should recognize their rights and carry a strict campaign against being discriminated. The local government should protect these minority communities from racial discrimination as a posed method towards enhancing well-being of each and every citizen.

Characterization, Symbolism, and Repetition in Hundred Years of Solitud

Characterization, Symbolism, and Repetition in One Hundred Years of Solitude  Ã‚   The names of characters often suggest something about their personalities, either straightforwardly or ironically. Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Prudencio Aguilar is neither "prudent" nor "eagle-like" (aguila means "eagle" in Spanish).   Repetition of names and behaviors is another technique of characterization. Certain character types, e.g., the contemplative, stubborn man, or the impetuous, forceful man, the patient and nurturing woman, and so on, are represented by more than one individual in the several generations of the Buendia family. All the Jose Arcadios, for example, are assumed to have at least some of the traits of the original Jose Arcadio Buendia (impetuous and forceful), and all the Aurelianos have something in common with Colonel Aureliano Buendia (tendency toward solitude and contemplation). The repetitions are not exact, but the use of similar names is one way to suggest more about a character than is actually said. There are also repetiti ons of particular behaviors, for example, secluding oneself in a room for experiments or study. Some characters have characteristic signs to identify them. Examples include Pilar Ternera's laugh, Colonel Aureliano Buendia's solitary look, Aureliano Segundo's extravagance, Fernanda's continual muttering, and so on. Physical descriptions are used sparingly, letting the reader fill in the details beyond such generalities as "skinny" or "fat," "beautiful," "huge." An exception is made for Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who seems to be drawn from an especially clear mental image of the author's, as though copied from a photograph. Some of the more spectacular individuals are ... ...wears away the axle," until the whole system, including both the constant attempts to renew Macondo and the reproduction of the Buendia clan, breaks down.    Works Cited Bell-Villada, Gene H. Garcia Marquez: The Man and His Work. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. Griffin, Clive. "The Humour of One Hundred Years of Solitude." In McGuirk and Cardwell, 81-94. James, Regina. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Revolutions in Wonderland. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1981. McGuirk, Bernard and Richard Cardwell, edd. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: New Readings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987). Williams, Raymond L. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Boston: Twayne, 1984. Wood, Michael. "Review of One Hundred Years of Solitude." In Critical Essays on Gabriel Garcia Marquez. McMurray, George R., ed. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1987.

The Golden Lily Chapter 10

THE SAN DIEGO TRIP continued to bother me, even though I knew I should let it go. As I often reminded myself, Adrian wasn't my concern, not like Jill and the others. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about the terrible confrontation with him and Nathan – or Adrian's face afterwards. I felt even worse when a worried Eddie came to talk to me about Jill during breakfast on the following Monday. â€Å"Something's wrong with her,† he told me. Immediately, I looked up toward the cafeteria line, where Jill was waiting with her tray. There was a vacant look on her face, like she was barely aware of her surroundings. Even with no magical talent for auras, I could practically see the misery radiating off of her. â€Å"Micah's noticed it too,† Eddie added. â€Å"But we don't know anything that could be upsetting her this much. Is it because of Lia? Or is she being harassed again?† In that moment, I wasn't sure who I felt worse for: Adrian, Jill – or Eddie. There was practically as much pain in Eddie as there was in Jill. Oh, Eddie, I thought. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? He was clearly worried about her but wouldn't dare approach her or offer comfort. â€Å"There's nothing wrong with Jill. It's Adrian, and she's feeling it through the bond. He's going through a rough time.† I offered no more details on Adrian's situation. It wasn't my story to tell. Eddie's face darkened a little. â€Å"It's not fair that she has to endure his moods.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. â€Å"Seems like it might be a fair trade for her being alive.† Adrian using spirit to bring Jill back from the dead was still a troubling matter for me. Every bit of Alchemist training I had said that kind of magic was wrong, far worse than any of the other magic I'd witnessed. One could even argue that what he'd managed was only a few steps away from the undead immortality of Strigoi. At the same time, whenever I saw Jill bright and alive, I was convinced that Adrian had done a good thing. I'd meant it when I said as much to him in San Diego. â€Å"I suppose,† said Eddie. â€Å"I wish there was a way she could block him out. Or at least a way to make him a little less moody.† I shook my head. â€Å"From what I've heard, Adrian was like that long before Jill was shadow-kissed.† Still, that conversation stuck with me, and I spent the day asking myself: what could I do to make Adrian happier? A new father obviously wasn't possible. I would have tried that on myself years ago if I could. Slushes were also out, partially because they only offered ten minutes of comfort and because I was still recovering from the last one. An idea finally came to me later on, but it wasn't one I could easily implement. In fact, I knew my superiors would say it was nothing I should even attempt – which is why I decided to do it in a way that wouldn't leave an e-mail or paper trail. I couldn't do it today, however, so I made a mental note to deal with it later. Besides, who could say? Maybe Adrian would shake off the effects of his fatherly encounter on his own. These hopes were actually reinforced when I saw Jill the next day at a school assembly. Assemblies like this were still a new concept to me, and we'd had exactly two since school started. One had been a welcoming gathering during our first week. The other had been a pep rally to cheer on the football team before Homecoming. Today's was called â€Å"Healthy Lifestyles.† I couldn't figure out what it was about or why it was important enough to interrupt my chemistry class. We were seated by grade in the school's gym, putting Jill and me in separate sections of the bleachers. Craning my neck to get a glimpse of her, I saw her sitting down near the front with Angeline and several friends she'd made through Micah. They'd welcomed her easily once they got to know her, which wasn't a surprise with how nice she was. Even Laurel, a girl who'd once tormented Jill, now gave her a friendly look. Angeline said something that made Jill laugh, and, overall, there was definitely an improvement in Jill's attitude. A very big improvement, judging from how much she was giggling. My spirits rose. Maybe Adrian really had bounced back. â€Å"Can someone tell me what this is about?† I asked. I had Eddie and Micah on one side of me, Trey on the other. â€Å"It's this group that comes to school and gives presentations about things like drugs and safe sex,† explained Micah. He was pretty active in student government, so I wasn't surprised he knew about today's agenda. â€Å"Those are kind of big topics,† I said. â€Å"Isn't this just supposed to be an hour? Doesn't seem like they can really provide thorough coverage of these issues.† â€Å"I think it's just supposed to be a quick overview,† said Trey. â€Å"Not like they're trying to do a seminar or anything.† â€Å"Well,† I declared. â€Å"They should.† â€Å"Did we miss anything?† Julia and Kristin pushed their way through others and squeezed themselves in between Trey and me. Trey didn't seem to mind. â€Å"We're trying to explain the point of this to Sydney,† Trey told them. â€Å"I thought the point was to get out of class,† said Julia. Kristin rolled her eyes. â€Å"This'll show you what you were missing by being homeschooled, Sydney.† Nothing could have prepared me for the spectacle that followed – mostly because never in my craziest dreams had I imagined weighty social issues would be addressed in musical numbers. The group performing for us called themselves Koolin' Around, and the inappropriate use of that K was nearly enough to make me walk out then and there. Before each song, they'd give a quick and totally vague info-blurb about the topic or – even worse – a skit. These little lectures always began with, â€Å"Hey, kids!† The first song was called â€Å"STDs Are Not for Me.† That was when I took out my math homework. â€Å"Come on,† Eddie told me, laughing. â€Å"It's not that bad. And people should know about this stuff.† â€Å"Exactly,† I said, not looking up from my homework. â€Å"In trying to be ‘hip' and ‘relatable,' they're trivializing issues that need to be taken more seriously.† The only time I tuned in again was when Koolin' Around had moved on to the evils of alcohol. One of the lyrics in their particularly atrocious song was, â€Å"Don't listen to what your friends say / Bourbon will totally ruin your day.† â€Å"Ugh. That's it,† I muttered. I sought out Jill again. She was watching with kind of a stunned disbelief, but just like earlier, there was none of that despair or melancholy. Some gut instinct told me why she'd had the mood change. Adrian hadn't snapped out of his gloom. Most likely he was drinking his way through it. Sometimes Jill would pick up some of the sillier side effects of intoxication – like the giggling I'd observed earlier – but eventually, alcohol actually numbed the spirit bond. The bright side of his indulgence was that it spared her some of his depression. The down side was that she could actually suffer the physical effects of a hangover later. Koolin' Around mercifully reached their last song, a big production number celebrating the joys of feeling good and living a healthy, happy lifestyle. They pulled up members of the student body to dance with them, earning a variety of reactions. Some students just stood there frozen and embarrassed, wearing expressions that said they were counting the seconds until this ended. Other students – particularly those who normally sought attention in class – made the biggest, most outlandish spectacle they could of themselves. â€Å"Sydney.† The warning note in Eddie's voice stopped me as I was about to return to my homework. That kind of concern could only be reserved for Jill, and I immediately looked at her again. Only, she wasn't the issue. Angeline was. One of the Koolin' Around members was trying to coax her out and even grabbed her hand. Angeline shook her head emphatically, but the guy seemed oblivious. Angeline might be okay around wild dances in the backwoods of West Virginia, but this was not a situation she was comfortable with. To be fair, what happened next wasn't entirely her fault. He really should have left her alone when she said no, but I guess he was too caught up in his feel-good mood. He actually managed to drag her to her feet, and that's when Angeline made her disapproval perfectly clear. She punched him. It was pretty impressive since the guy had almost a foot on her in height. I supposed that came from Eddie's training in how to take out taller Moroi. The guy staggered backward and fell, hitting the floor hard. There was a gasp from most of the students sitting nearby, though only one of the band members – a guitarist – noticed. The rest kept on singing and dancing. The guitarist hurried forward to her fallen colleague and must have threatened Angeline's personal space because Angeline punched her too. â€Å"Eddie, do something!† I said. He turned to me in astonishment. â€Å"Like what? I'd never make it there in time.† It was true. We were two thirds of the way up in the bleachers, surrounded by others. I could only watch helplessly as the rest of the spectacle unfolded. The band soon caught on that something was terribly wrong, and their music faltered, finally coming to silence. Meanwhile, a group of teachers had rushed the floor, trying to pry Angeline away from Koolin' Around's bass player. There was a frantic look in her eyes, like a trapped animal that had gone beyond reason and only wanted escape. The teachers finally managed to restrain her, but not before she'd thrown a speaker at the lead singer (she missed) and punched the school's shop teacher. Trey leaned forward, mouth gaping. â€Å"That's your cousin? Wow.† I didn't even bother responding. All I could think about was how in the world I was going to do damage control this time. Fighting was a serious offense in and of itself. I couldn't even imagine what attacking a motivational musical group would elicit. â€Å"She took out, like, three people twice her size!† Kristin exclaimed. â€Å"And I mean took out. Knocked them to the floor.† â€Å"Yeah, I know,† I said dismally. â€Å"I'm right here. I saw it all.† â€Å"How was she even able to do that?† asked Julia. â€Å"I taught her some moves,† remarked Eddie in disbelief. Unsurprisingly, no one even bothered sending this to Mrs. Weathers. Angeline was referred directly to the principal and vice principal. After her display, maybe they felt there was safety in numbers. It may have been Mrs. Weathers's recommendation or simply the fact that our fictitious parents (and â€Å"cousin† Angeline's) were notoriously hard to get a hold of, but I was asked to accompany her when she met with the administration. My pre-briefing with Angeline was short and to the point. â€Å"You will act apologetic and contrite,† I told her as we sat outside the principal's office. â€Å"What's contrite mean?† â€Å"Apologetic.† â€Å"Then why didn't you just say – â€Å" â€Å"And,† I continued. â€Å"If pushed for reasons, you will say you were overwhelmed and panicked. You'll say you don't know what came over you.† â€Å"But I didn't – â€Å" â€Å"And you will not mention how stupid they were or say anything negative whatsoever.† â€Å"But they are – â€Å" â€Å"In fact, don't speak at all unless you're asked something directly. If you let me handle this, it'll be over fast.† Angeline apparently took that to heart because she crossed her arms and glared at me, refusing to say anything else. When we were ushered into the office, the principal and vice principal – Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding, respectively – were both sitting on the same side of one desk. They were side by side, presenting a united front that again made me think they feared for their lives. â€Å"Miss McCormick,† began Mrs. Welch. â€Å"I hope you know that what you did was completely out of line.† McCormick was Angeline's fake last name around here. â€Å"Violence and fighting of any kind are not tolerated at Amberwood,† said Mr. Redding. â€Å"We have high standards – standards meant to ensure the safety of everyone at this school – and expect our students to adhere to them. None of your other violations of school rules come close to what you did today.† â€Å"Even if we didn't have those other transgressions on file, there can be no question here,† said Mrs. Welch. â€Å"There is no place for you at Amberwood.† My stomach sank. Expulsion. Although the Keepers weren't entirely uneducated, her academic background had hardly been up to that of average high school students in the modern world. She was in a lot of remedial classes, and getting her into Amberwood at all had been quite a feat. Expulsion wasn't as bad as someone investigating how a petite girl like her could do so much damage, but it still wasn't an outcome I wanted. I could already imagine one of my superiors asking, why didn't you realize how volatile the school was making her? To which I would have to respond: because I've been too busy going on dates and helping vampires who aren't my concern. â€Å"Do you have anything to say for yourself before we notify your parents?† asked Mrs. Welch. They looked at Angeline expectantly. I braced myself for an irrational tirade. Instead, Angeline managed to produce some tears which, I had to admit, certainly looked contrite. â€Å"I†¦ I panicked,† she said. â€Å"I don't know what came over me. So much happened at once, and that guy was so scary, and I just freaked out. I felt threatened. I wanted everyone to get away from me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was nearly convinced, probably because it was seeded with truth. Angeline had had a number of flustered moments at Amberwood, no matter her bravado. There were more people at the school than had been in her mountain community, and she'd been so overwhelmed in her first week that we'd had to take turns escorting her to class. I really should've been paying more attention to her. Mr. Redding looked a tiny bit sympathetic – but not enough to change his mind. â€Å"I'm sure that must have been hard, but it was hardly reason for you to act in that way. Injuring three people and damaging expensive audio visual equipment were in no way appropriate responses.† Understatement. I was tired of the formalities and needed to fix things before they escalated further. I leaned forward in my chair. â€Å"You know what else isn't appropriate? A thirty-year-old guy – because that's how old he was, no matter how young and cool they were trying to be – grabbing a fifteen-year-old girl. It was bad enough that he did so when she clearly didn't want to go with him. The point is he never should have touched her in the first place. She's a minor. If a teacher did that, he'd be fired. I've read the book teachers are given from your HR department.† It had been an attempt to see if Ms. Terwilliger was abusing me. â€Å"Medical emergencies and breaking up a fight are the only times teachers can lay hands on students. Now, you might argue that that guy wasn't a teacher or employed by the school, but his group was invited here by the school – which is obligated to keep its students safe. You're a private school, but I'm certain the California Department of Education would have a few things to say about what happened here today – as will Angeline's father, who's a lawyer.† He was actually the leader of a bunch of mountain vampires and had multiple wives, but that was beside the point. I looked back and forth between Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding's faces. â€Å"Now then. Shall we renegotiate your position?† Angeline was in awe after we left the office and went back to our dorm. â€Å"Suspension,† she exclaimed, a bit too much joy in her voice for my liking. â€Å"I really just get to skip class? That sounds more like a reward.† â€Å"You still have to keep up with your homework,† I warned. â€Å"And you can't leave the dorm. Don't even think about sneaking out because that will get you expelled, and I won't be able to save you again.† â€Å"Still,† she said, practically skipping, â€Å"this was all pretty easy.† I came to a halt in front of her, forcing her to face me. â€Å"It was not easy. You got off on a technicality. You've continually resisted efforts to follow the rules around here, and today – well, that was off the charts. You aren't back home. The only time you should even think about fighting here is if Jill is attacked. That's why you're here. Not to do whatever you want. You said you were up to the challenge of protecting her. If you get expelled – and it's a miracle you weren't – she's at risk. So get in line or start packing for home. And for God's sake, leave Eddie alone.† Her face had been kindling with anger as I spoke, but that last bit caught her off guard. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean, you constantly throwing yourself at him.† She sniffed. â€Å"That's how you show a guy you like him.† â€Å"Maybe among the uncivilized! Here you need to back off and start acting like a responsible human being – er, dhampir. Whatever. You're making him miserable! Besides, you're supposed to be cousins. You're screwing up our cover.† Angeline's jaw dropped. â€Å"I†¦ I'm making him miserable?† I almost felt bad for her. The look of shock on her face was so great that it was obvious she really hadn't known what she was doing to Eddie was wrong. I was too worked up to feel much sympathy right then, though. Jill had acted out when we'd first arrived, and that had been just as frustrating. I'd come to enjoy our peace, and now Angeline was threatening all of that. Unlike Jill, she didn't seem to realize it, and I didn't know if that made things better or worse. I left an upset and frustrated Angeline off at her dorm room and also verified with Jill that Adrian had indeed been drinking. That and my agitation were more than enough to make me want to leave campus, if only for the escape. Brayden had asked earlier if I wanted to go out, but I wasn't up to that. I sent a quick text: Can't go out tonight. Family stuff. Then I headed off to Clarence's. I'd called ahead to make sure Dimitri and Sonya were there since I had no interest in having a one-on-one visit with the ancient Moroi. He wasn't around when I arrived. I found Dimitri and Sonya huddled over some cards with blots of dried blood, speculating on how to proceed. â€Å"It'd be interesting to get Strigoi blood and see if anything happened when I applied spirit,† she was saying. â€Å"Do you think you could manage that?† â€Å"Gladly,† said Dimitri. They noticed me. As soon as she looked up, Sonya asked, â€Å"What's wrong?† I didn't even bother asking how she knew. My face probably said more than my aura did. â€Å"Angeline got into a brawl with a motivational group at school.† Dimitri and Sonya exchanged looks. â€Å"Maybe we should go get some dinner,† he said. He grabbed a set of keys from the table. â€Å"Let's go downtown.† I never would've imagined that I'd look forward to going out with a Moroi and a dhampir. It was yet another sign of how far I'd advanced – or regressed, by Alchemist standards. Compared to most of the other people in my life, Dimitri and Sonya were grounded and stable. It was refreshing. I gave them a rundown of Angeline's behavior, as well as my thinly veiled legal threat. That part seemed to amuse Sonya. â€Å"Smart,† she said, twirling spaghetti on a fork. â€Å"Maybe you should be in law school instead of the Alchemists.† Dimitri found it less funny. â€Å"Angeline came here to do a job. She wanted out of the Keepers and swore she'd devote every waking minute to protecting Jill.† â€Å"There has been a bit of a culture shock,† I admitted, unsure as to why I was defending Angeline. â€Å"And those guys today†¦ I mean, if they'd tried to get me to join their sing-along, I probably would've punched them too.† â€Å"Unacceptable,† said Dimitri. He used to be a combat instructor, and I could understand why. â€Å"She's here on a mission. What she did was reckless and irresponsible.† Sonya gave him a sly smile. â€Å"And here I thought you had a soft spot for reckless young girls.† â€Å"Rose never would have done anything like that,† he countered. He paused to reconsider, and I could've sworn there was the hint of a smile there. â€Å"Well, at least not in such a public setting.† Once the Angeline topic was put to rest, I brought up the reason I'd come here. â€Å"So†¦ no experiments today?† Even Sonya's good nature faltered. â€Å"Ah. No, not exactly. We've gone over some notes on our own, but Adrian hasn't been†¦ he hasn't been quite up to the research this week. Or up to going to class.† Dimitri nodded. â€Å"I was over there earlier. He could barely answer the door. No idea what he'd been drinking, but whatever it was, he'd had a lot.† Considering their rocky relationship, I would've expected disdain in discussing Adrian's vices. Instead, Dimitri sounded disappointed, as though he'd expected better. â€Å"That's what I wanted to talk to you about,† I said. I'd eaten little of my dinner and was nervously tearing a roll into pieces. â€Å"Adrian's current mood isn't entirely his fault. I mean, it is, but I can kind of understand it. You know we saw his dad this weekend, right? Well†¦ it didn't go well.† There was a knowing glint in Dimitri's dark eyes. â€Å"I'm not surprised. Nathan Ivashkov isn't the easiest man to get along with.† â€Å"He sort of tore down everything Adrian's been trying to do. I tried to make a case for Adrian, but Mr. Ivashkov wouldn't listen. That's why I was wondering if you guys could help.† Sonya couldn't hide her surprise. â€Å"I'd gladly help Adrian, but something tells me Nathan's not going to really put much stock in what we have to say.† â€Å"That's not what I was thinking.† I gave up on the bread and dropped all the pieces to my plate. â€Å"You guys are both close to the queen. Maybe you could get her to tell Adrian's dad how†¦ I don't know. What an asset he's been. How much he's been helping. Obviously, she couldn't explain exactly what he's doing, but anything might help. Mr. Ivashkov won't listen to Adrian or anyone else, but he'd have to take a commendation from the queen seriously. If she'd do it.† Dimitri looked thoughtful. â€Å"Oh, she'd do it. She's always had a soft spot for him. Everyone seems to.† â€Å"No,† I said stubbornly. â€Å"Not everyone. There's a split. Half condemn him and write him off as useless like his dad. The other half just shrug and indulge him and say, ‘Well, that's Adrian.'† Sonya studied me carefully, a trace of that amusement returning. â€Å"And you?† â€Å"I don't think he should be babied or disregarded. If you expect him to do great things, he will.† Sonya said nothing right away, and I shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. I didn't like when she looked at me like this. It was about more than auras. It was like she could see into my heart and soul. â€Å"I'll speak to Lissa,† she said at last. â€Å"And I'm sure Dimitri will too. In the meantime, let's hope that if we follow your advice and expect Adrian to sober up soon, he will.† We had just paid the check when Dimitri's cell phone rang. â€Å"Hello?† he answered. And like that, his face transformed. That fierceness I so associated with him softened, and he practically glowed. â€Å"No, no. It's always a good time for you to call, Roza.† Whatever the response on the other end was, it made him smile. â€Å"Rose,† said Sonya to me. She stood up. â€Å"Let's give them a little privacy. You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, rising as well. Outside, dusk was falling. â€Å"There's a costume store a few blocks away I actually want to check – if they're still open.† Sonya glanced at Dimitri. â€Å"Meet us there?† she whispered. He gave a quick nod. Once we were outside in the warm evening air, she laughed. â€Å"Ah, those two. In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.† â€Å"Is that how you and Mikhail are?† I asked, thinking there wasn't much melting with Brayden and me, no matter how much I enjoyed spending time with him. She laughed again and glanced up at the sky, painted in shades of orange and blue. â€Å"Not exactly. Every relationship is different. Everyone loves differently.† There was a long pause as she chose her next words. â€Å"That was a nice thing you chose to do for Adrian.† â€Å"There was no choice to be made,† I countered. We crossed onto a busier street, full of brightly lit stores with water misters outside that were meant to cool off hot shoppers. I winced at what that mist was doing to my hair. â€Å"I had to help. He didn't deserve that kind of treatment. I can't imagine how Adrian's put up with that his whole life. And would you believe that what worried Adrian the most was that I would think less of him?† â€Å"Actually,† said Sonya softly, â€Å"I can very much believe that.† The costume store was still open, thanks to extended Halloween hours, but only for ten more minutes. Sonya wandered around the aisles with no real goal, but I headed immediately for the historical section. They had exactly one Greek-style dress left, a plain white gown with a gold plastic belt. I knelt down to take a better look. Opening the package, I felt the fabric. It was cheap, probably flammable. The dress was also an XL, and I wondered if Jill had learned enough in sewing club to take it in for me. With less than a week until the dance, my options were limited. â€Å"Really?† a voice beside me said. â€Å"Haven't you insulted me enough without resorting to this trash?† Standing above me was Lia DiStefano. Her curly hair was bound up with a bright red scarf, and a voluminous peasant blouse made her petite body look like it had wings. She peered down at me disapprovingly with kohl-lined eyes. â€Å"Are you following me?† I asked, getting to my feet. â€Å"Every time I'm downtown, here you are.† â€Å"If I were following you, I never would have let you set foot in here in the first place.† She pointed at the costume. â€Å"What is that?† â€Å"My outfit for Halloween,† I said. â€Å"I'm going Greek.† â€Å"It's not even the right size.† â€Å"I'll get it taken in.† She tsked. â€Å"I'm so appalled, I don't even know where to start. You want a Greek dress? I'll make you one. A good one. Not this monstrosity. My God. People know you know me. If you were seen in that, it'd ruin my career.† â€Å"Yeah, because what I wear to a high school dance will really make or break you.† â€Å"When's your dance?† she asked. â€Å"Saturday.† â€Å"Easy,† she declared. She gave me a once-over and nodded in satisfaction. â€Å"Easy measurements too. Is your sister dressing just as badly?† â€Å"Not sure,† I admitted. â€Å"She talked about making a fairy dress in sewing club. A blue one, I think.† Lia blanched. â€Å"Even worse. I'll make her a dress too. I've already got her measurements.† I sighed. â€Å"Lia, I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work. Jill absolutely cannot model for you again. It doesn't matter how much bribery you try.† Lia attempted an innocent look that was in no way convincing. â€Å"Who said anything about bribery? I'm doing this out of charity. It'd be a disgrace to let you two go out in anything less than the best.† â€Å"Lia – â€Å" â€Å"Do not buy that,† she warned, pointing at the costume. â€Å"It's a waste. You might as well set your money on fire – although, it probably wouldn't light as fast as that dress. I'll let you know when your costumes are ready.† With that, she turned on her high wooden heels and walked away, leaving me staring. â€Å"Did you get a costume?† Sonya asked me later, once the closing store forced us to leave. â€Å"Weirdly, yes,† I said. â€Å"But not from there.† Dimitri apparently wasn't done with his call, since he hadn't joined us yet. We strolled leisurely back toward the restaurant, wanting to give him more time with Rose. Other stores were closing, and the tourists were beginning to thin out. I explained the meeting with Lia. Sonya found it more amusing than I did. â€Å"Well, don't knock it,† she said. â€Å"If a designer wants to make you something, you're not obligated to give her anything else. Maybe she could help me out with bridesmaid dresses.† We crossed a less busy street and cut through a narrow alley with a brick building on one side and a tree-filled church lawn on the other. I'd admired the church on our way over, but now, in only a short time, evening had filled it with shadows and given it a foreboding look and feel. I was glad I wasn't walking through here alone. It felt strange to be reassured by a vampire's presence. â€Å"Lia does make amazing things,† I admitted. â€Å"But I don't know if we should encourage her.† â€Å"Fair enough,† said Sonya. â€Å"Maybe one of these days, you'll help me look for dresses. You've got a really good sense of – â€Å" She suddenly spun around toward the darkened churchyard. There was a look of fear on her face, but I saw nothing alarming – at first. Seconds later, four figures in black jumped out from behind the trees. One of them threw me against the brick wall while the other three pinned Sonya to the ground. I pushed back against my captor, but a muscled arm held me tightly. In the faint light, I saw a glimmer of something I never expected to see on the streets of Palm Springs: a sword. The dark figure poised it over Sonya's neck. â€Å"Time to go back to Hell,† he said.

Triandis definition of culture Essays

Triandis definition of culture Essays Triandis definition of culture Paper Triandis definition of culture Paper Culture, in sociology and social anthropology, is the beliefs, behavior, language, and entire way of life of a particular group of people at a particular time. Culture includes customs, ceremonies, works of art, inventions, technology, and traditions. Triandis definition of Culture: 1Culture is a set of human-made objective and subjective elements that in the past have increased the probability of survival and resulted in satisfaction for the participants in an ecological niche, and thus became shared among those who could communicate with each other because they had a common language and they lived in the same time and place. 1 2British anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor defines culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Many other definitions of culture have been offered, but by and large all refer to shared systems of values and behavior. 2 All human brings create culture, it is a pattern of ways of responding to basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing family, organization, religion, government and social structures. Each culture posses its own particular traditions, value and ideals. Judgment of what is wrong right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or taboo are based on cultural values. Culture is the result of all the daily discussions and negotiations between people. They are frequently agreeing (sometimes openly, usually tacitly) about the proper way to do things and how to make meanings about the events of the world around them. If you want to change a culture you have to change all these conversations-or at least the majority of them. Sources: 1 olemiss. edu/courses/psy561/lect0_files/frame. htm 2 Culture Defined, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. 3People learn culture. Many qualities of human life are transmitted geneticallyan infants desire for food, for example, is triggered by physiological characteristics determined within the human genetic code. An adults specific desire for milk and cereal in the morning, on the other hand, cannot be explained genetically; rather, it is a learned (cultural) response to morning hunger. Culture, as a body of learned behaviors common to a given human society, acts rather like a template (ie. it has predictable form and content), shaping behavior and consciousness within a human society from generation to generation. So culture resides in all learned behavior and in some shaping template or consciousness prior to behavior as well (that is, a cultural template can be in place prior to the birth of an individual person). 3 4According to the American Heritage English Dictionary, the definition of culture is: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. 4 Status: 5Status is a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others. status can be formal as well as informal. Formal statuses are those given in form of a designation for example in an organization such as manager. Informal will include those, which exists outside the organization or even within but less important than the formal one. 5 Sources: 3 wsu. edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/culture-definition. html 4 wsu. edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/glossary/culture. html 5Stephen P Robbins, Organizational Behavior, 7th edition. Five Different Cultural Approaches. Universalism vs. Particularism. Universalists are more rule based and particularists are relationship based. In paritcularists approach more attention and importance is given to relationships. People in Universalists culture believe that general rules, codes, values and standards take are more important than particular needs and claims of friends and relations. Particularistic cultures see the ideal culture in terms of friendly relationships. They focus more on relationships. Individualism vs. Collectivism. In individualistic culture people place the individual before the society. They are expected to make decisions by themselves. In a particularistic culture, the quality of life for all members of society is seen as directly reliant on opportunities for individual freedom and development. The community is judged by the extent to which it serves the interest of individual members. In a collectivist culture people place the community before the individual. In collectivist culture people are expected to act in such a way that it serves the society. The individual is judged by the extent to which he serves the interest of the society. Achievement vs. Ascription. Achievement means people are judged on what they have recently achieved or accomplished. Ascription means that status is attributed to you by things like birth, kinship, gender, age, interpersonal connections, or educational record. Achieved status refers to doing, ascribed status refers to being. Achievement-oriented societies or organizations justify their hierarchies by claiming that senior people have achieved more. In ascription-oriented cultures, however, hierarchies are justified by power-to-get-things-done. Neutral vs. Emotional.

Weber Carl Maria Von essays

Weber Carl Maria Von essays Carl Maria von Weber, a cousin of Mozart's wife Constanze, was trained as a musician from his childhood, the son of a versatile musician who had founded his own travelling theatre company. He made a favourable impression as a pianist and then as a music director, notably in the opera-houses of Prague and Dresden. Here he introduced various reforms and was a pioneer of the craft of conducting without the use of violin or keyboard instrument. As a composer he won a lasting reputation with the first important Romantic German opera, Der Freischtz. The opera Der Freischtz (The Marksman), first staged in Berlin in 1821, blends many of the ingredients typical of German Romanticism, simple peasant virtues mingling with the magic and latent evil of the forest, where the hero's magic bullets are forged at midnight. The grand heroic-Romantic opera Euryanthe is better known for its overture as is the opera Oberon, written for London in 1826. Weber's two concertos and the concertino for clarinet were written for the clarinettist Heinrich Baermann. Weber also wrote two piano concertos and a Konzertstck for piano and orchestra for his own use, as well as a useful Horn Concertino and Bassoon Concerto. His Aufforderung zum Tanze (Invitation to the Dance) is well known in an orchestral version of a work originally written for piano. Recommended Recordings Clarinet Concertos Nos. 1 Dances and Marches from Die Drei Pintos, Turandot Weber's chamber music includes a Clarinet Quintet and a Grand Duo Concertant for clarinet and piano, successors to the concertos and concertino for Baermann. Recommended Recording ...

Omparison of Different Dentification of Subcultures Research Paper

Omparison of Different Dentification of Subcultures - Research Paper Example Abraham Maslow, a famous psychologist, suggested that all people have an internal motivation for belonging in order to reach their fullest potential (Changingminds.org, 1). This viewpoint offers that people in group subcultures will model their behaviors after others in the group as a means to find this belonging. This is very noticeable in The Vermonter group but occurs far less in the International group. Vermonters are very particular about their fashion and where these fashions are purchased due to their own stereotypes about the local shopping options and their focus on advertisements. Many students in this group enjoy retail magazines and regularly discuss the different trends and styles found within them. In some instances, it seems that this is the only social topic that some members have in common. The Vermonters are definitely a popular culture-oriented group that enjoys entertainment and considers issues of wealth, fashion and personal image. This group often looks to one another to validate their opinions, both male and female, but the method by which this is done in The Vermonters is quite different. Females regularly ask one another about their opinions on a new fashion item or social opinion while male students generally look for quality discussion through humor and studies. Â   Â   Â  The International group does not appear to have this same connection to popular culture because their individual viewpoints on issues of media and television did not show that these items were important to the International student group. Students in this subculture were not observed discussing pop culture and fashion/commercial issues at any point in the research. This could suggest a group that is focused mainly on studies or simply do not have the same consumer values as the local students. Â   Â   Â  There is a specific organizational culture which exists at Champlain College which begins at the leadership level. The college obviously has a long-term goal of creating students with many different talents (sociology, psychology, etc).

Currency Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Currency Management - Essay Example The foreign currency in the dollarization context serves as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value (Honohan, 2007). Dollarization operates and functions within the geographical boundaries of the specific country that adopts it. Different countries can engage in dollarization and use the same foreign currency, but their decisions are independent and unrelated. On the other hand, monetary union defines a scenario where two or more countries come together and agree to share a common currency. This means that all countries bound to the union uses the agreed upon currency to carry out economic transactions. Dollarization and monetary unions exhibit both advantages and disadvantages. For a small country, dollarization may be used to enhance the economic performance. However, the success of dollarization in the country that adopts the foreign currency may result in disregarded domestic currency by having the foreign currency replace it. In the context of the global financial system, the strongest and most used foreign currency may dominate and outperform other currencies through overvaluation. The policy is, however, vital in nurturing economic relationships across the globe. On the other hand, monetary union improves the value of the chosen currency, making the countries bound to the union influential in terms of domestic and international economic transactions (Gerber, 2010). However, countries with poor economic performance can be dominated and â€Å"enslaved† by stronger countries in the