Oceanariums essays

Oceanariums essays Tuesday April 23, 1996 at approximately 8 a.m. Floridas Homosassa Springs Park was the sight of a joyous event. Sweet Pea, a wayward manatee rescued more than 900 miles from her home, was ready to be introduced to the wild. The 1,450 pound manatee was spotted near a municipal wastewater treatment plant in the Houston Ship Channel in Texas. She was rescued and rushed to Sea World of Texas for monitoring, tests, and round-the-clock care. After gaining more than 200 pounds, animal care experts at Sea World believed it was time for Sweet Pea to take another step closer to her eventual reintroduction. This manatees story from Sirens Song (Sea World Education) ended in triumph but it also underscores the dedication of people who fight to save these endangered animals. Without successful rehabilitation programs such as the one above hosted by an oceanarium like Sea World, Sweet Pea and many other manatees would die. Oceanariums are moral and beneficial because they directly educate the publ ic about conservation ecology, they provide suit habitats and environmental enrichment for all of their fish and mammals, and they perform research studies on social behavior and population that allow for new methods of treatment and understanding of marine life in the wild. Undoubtedly, oceanariums remove marine mammals and fish from the wild and place them in captivity. It has been thought that In captive killer whales, it [captivity] is the probable cause of dorsal fin collapse, as without the support of water, gravity pulls these tall appendages over as the whale matures. Collapsed fins are experienced by all captive male orcas and many captive female orcas, who were either captured as juveniles or who were born in captivity (Marine Mammals). Critics have gone so far as to say that marine mammals are held in captivity solely for entertainment purposes and that the animals are treated inhumanely....

Elizabeth Key and Her History-Changing Lawsuit

Elizabeth Key and Her History-Changing Lawsuit Elizabeth Key (1630 - after 1665) is a key figure in the history of American chattel slavery. She won her freedom in a lawsuit in 17th century colonial Virginia, and her lawsuit may have helped inspire laws making slavery a hereditary condition. Heritage Elizabeth Key was born in 1630, in Warwick County, Virginia. Her mother was a slave from Africa who is unnamed in the record. Her father was an English planter living in Virginia, Thomas Key, who arrived in Virginia before 1616. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature. Accepting Paternity In 1636, a civil case was brought against Thomas Key, alleging that he had fathered Elizabeth. Such suits were common to get a father to accept responsibility to support a child born out of marriage, or to ensure that the father would help to get the child an apprenticeship. Key first denied paternity of the child, claiming that a â€Å"Turk† had fathered the child. (A â€Å"Turk† would have been a non-Christian, which could affect the slave status of the child.) He then accepted paternity and had her baptized as a Christian. Transfer to Higginson At about the same time, he was planning to go to England- perhaps the suit was filed to ensure that he accepted paternity before he left- and he placed the 6-year-old Elizabeth with Humphrey Higginson, who was her godfather. Key specified a term of indenture of nine years, which would bring her to the age of 15, a common time for indenture terms or apprentice terms to expire. In the agreement, he specified that after 9 years, Higginson was to take Elizabeth with him, give her a â€Å"portion,† and then free her to make her own way in the world. Also included in the instructions was that Higginson treat her like a daughter; as later testimony put it, â€Å"user her more Respectfully than a Common servant or slave.† Key then sailed for England, where he died later that year. Colonel Mottram When Elizabeth was about ten years old, Higginson transferred her to a Colonel John Mottram, a justice of the peace- whether it was a transfer or sale is not clear- and he then moved to what is now Northumberland County, Virginia, becoming the first European settler there. He founded a plantation he called Coan Hall. About 1650, Col. Mottram arranged for 20 indentured servants to be brought from England. One of those was William Grinstead, a young lawyer who indentured himself to pay for his passage and work that off during the term of indenture. Grinstead did legal work for Mottram. He also met and fell in love with Elizabeth Key, still held as a bond servant to Mottram, though it was by that time 5 or more years beyond the term of the original agreement between Key and Higginson. Even though Virginia law at that time forbid indentured servants from marrying, having sexual relations or having children, a son, John, was born to Elizabeth Key and William Grinstead. Filing Suit for Freedom In 1655, Mottram died. Those settling the estate assumed that Elizabeth and her son John were slaves for life. Elizabeth and William filed suit in court to recognize both Elizabeth and her son as already free. At the time, the legal situation was ambiguous, with some tradition assuming all â€Å"Negros† were slaves no matter the status of their parents, and other tradition assuming English common law where bondage status followed that of the father. Some other cases held that black Christians could not be slaves for life. The law was especially ambiguous if only one parent was an English subject. The suit was based on two factors: first, that her father was a free Englishman, and under English common law whether one was free or in bondage followed the status of the father; and second, that she had been â€Å"long since Christened† and was a practicing Christian. A number of people testified. One resurrected that old claim that Elizabeth’s father was a â€Å"Turk,† which would have meant neither parent was an English subject. But other witnesses testified that from a very early time, it was common knowledge that Elizabeth’s father was Thomas Key. The key witness was an 80-year-old former servant of Key, Elizabeth Newman. The record also showed that she had been called Black Bess or Black Besse. The court found in her favor and granted her freedom, but an appeal court found that she was not free, because she was a â€Å"Negro.† General Assembly and Retrial Then Grinstead filed a petition for Key with the Virginia General Assembly. The Assembly formed a committee to investigate the facts, and found â€Å"That by the Comon Law the Child of a Woman slave begot by a freeman ought to be free† and also noted that she had been christened and was â€Å"able to give a very good account of her fayth.† The Assembly returned the case to a lower court. There, on July 21, 1656, the court found that Elizabeth Key and her son John were in fact free persons. The court also required that the Mottram estate give her â€Å"Corn Clothes and Satisfaction† for her having served many years beyond the end of her term of service. The court formally â€Å"transferred† to Grinstead â€Å"a maid servant†. That same day, a marriage ceremony was performed and recorded for Elizabeth and William. Life in Freedom Elizabeth had a second son by Grinstead, named William Grinstead II. (Neither son’s birth date is recorded.) Grinstead died in 1661, after only five years of marriage. Elizabeth then married another English settler named John Parse or Pearce. When he died, he left 500 acres to Elizabeth and her sons, which allowed them to live out their lives in peace. There are many descendants of Elizabeth and William Grinstead, including a number of famous people (the actor Johnny Depp is one). Later Laws Before the case, there was, as outlined above, some ambiguity in the legal status of the child of a woman who was in bondage and a free father. The assumption of the Mottram estate that Elizabeth and John were slaves for life was not without precedent. But the idea that all of African descent were permanently in bondage was not universal. Some wills and agreements by owners specified terms of service for African slaves, and also specified land or other goods to be granted at the end of the term of service to aid in their new life as fully free persons. For example, a woman, Jone Johnson, daughter of one Anthony Johnson identified as a Negro, was given 100 acres of land by the Indian ruler Debeada in 1657. Key’s suit won her freedom and established the precedence of the English common law about a child born to a free, English father. In response, Virginia and other states passed laws to override the common law’s assumptions. Slavery in America became more solidly a race-based and hereditary system. Virginia passed these laws: 1660: the term of indentured servitude was limited to five years- for servants from a Christian country1662: a child’s status as free or bond (slave) status was to follow the mother’s status, contrary to English common law1667: being a Christian did not alter status of bondage1670: prohibited Africans from importing any bonded laborers from anywhere (Africa or England included)1681: children of a European mother and African father were to be in bondage to age 30 In Maryland: 1661: a law was passed making all African Americans in the colony slaves, and all African Americans slaves at birth whatever the status of the parents1664: a new law outlawed marriages between European or English women and African (Negro/black) men Note: while the term â€Å"black† or â€Å"Negro† was sometimes used for Africans from the beginning of the presence of people of African descent in colonial America, the term â€Å"white† came into legal usage in Virginia about 1691, with a law referring to â€Å"English or other white women.† Before that, each nationality was described. In 1640, for instance, a court case described a â€Å"Dutchman,† a â€Å"Scotch man† and a â€Å"Negro,† all bond servants who escaped to Maryland. An earlier case, 1625, referred to a â€Å"Negro,† a â€Å"Frenchman,† and â€Å"a Portugall.† More about the early history of black or African women in what is now the United States, including how laws and treatment evolved: Timeline of African American History and Women Also known as: Elizabeth Key Grinstead; due to spelling variations common at the time, last name was variously Key, Keye, Kay and Kaye; married name was variously Grinstead, Greensted, Grimstead, and other spellings; final married name was Parse or Pearce Background, Family: Mother: not namedFather: Thomas Key (or Keye or Kay or Kaye) Marriage, Children: husband: William Grinstead (or Greensted or Grimstead or other spellings) (married July 21, 1656; indentured servant and lawyer)children:John GrinsteadWilliam Grinstead IIhusband: John Parce or Pearce (married about 1661)

Monetary Policy and Its Implications in Belgium Research Paper

Monetary Policy and Its Implications in Belgium - Research Paper Example This meant that the signatories’ domestic currencies would not fluctuate against the Euro and each other. The Euro was initially launched as electronic money and eventually became a legal tender on 1st January the year 2002. The European Central Bank was tasked with the responsibility of implementing monetary policies on countries using the Euro (GunyeÃŒ  2004). One of the main reasons why the Euro was introduced was to provide a common currency that could be used all over Europe. It is important to note that European countries are small and trade with each other. A common currency would make trade between the European countries easier. This eliminated exchange rates that were a common hindrance to trade among the countries. The common currency was expected to be stronger than other currencies of the individual countries and this would have increased the competitiveness of exporters using the Euro. Since the Euro was incepted in the year 1999, it has remained fairly stable against the US dollar. The euro in 1999 would buy the US dollar at $1.18. This figure has since risen to $1.38. The lowest amount that the Euro has ever bought the US dollar is $0.82 and the highest ever level the Euro has ever bought the dollar remains at $1.60. Some of the member countries have been experiencing high labor costs and this has been affecting their export competitiveness in the market. In such a case a currency would devalue to solve the scenario. It is, however, impossible to devalue the Euro and this has led to major problems for countries like Greece, Portugal and Italy. This is due to the fact that they are experiencing a fall in exports. It is widely thought member countries are protected from financial crisis. However, this is not the case as Greece is experiencing a major financial crisis. The member countries are given less incentives to implement structural reform (The

Renanlt Nissan the making of Global Alliance case Essay

Renanlt Nissan the making of Global Alliance case - Essay Example major changes were taking within the global automotive market characterized by large-scale mergers between some of the major automotive companies in the world. In addition, the economic slowdown being experienced in the Asian region was also affecting the industry, with many of the Asian automotive manufacturers experiencing financial problems. Conversely, the earlier attempted merger between the company and the Swedish carmaker Volvo in 1993 was unsuccessful and had left a negative effect on the company. This merger had been a well-planned initiative that was based on shared synergies between Renault and Volvo and comprised a significant part of the European industrial policy (Krcmar & Klein, 2006). The merger negotiations had lasted for three years and had involved various key authorities, including the French industrial minister, as the French government was a major stakeholder in the company. It was therefore important for the company to be able to undertake a successful merger undertaking in order to go past the effects of the previous failed merger. A major strength involved the company’s privatization 1996 due to the various changes in the country that resulted in the separation of economic and political factors and influences. This privatization process resulted in the French government owning only 46% of the company’s shareholding (Krcmar & Klein, 2006). As such, the management was quite sure that the company’s shareholders would approve the company’s need to expand as well as provide the management with a conducive environment to implement the company’s strategy. Another major strength of the company was its experience and market share, as the company was a major automotive producer within the western European and South America automotive markets and had a 5% of the total global automotive market. The company had excelled in the field of mid-range cars and light commercial vehicles. It was also ahead in cost reduction, efficient purchasing and

Music Piracy Is a Good Thing Essay Example for Free

Music Piracy Is a Good Thing Essay If pirating music hurts musicians income so badly it would show, and after all this time of pirating music it hasnt. Music piracy benefits artists more than it hurts, therefore it should be legal. Music piracy is mostly committed by people who are everyday people who have average income jobs and have families who end up being sued by big record companies over downloading music for free. It seems a bit to greedy when you look at the difference in pay between the artist and the people who download the songs. ( †¦) say that the people who pirate the music are more likely to go to the show and buy the albums after downloading music (Ernesto). Also, people who pirate music tracks are very likely to develop an connection to the bands orartists and that will lead to them attending the shows, buying albums and merchandise. When putting this issue in perspective, record companies are just looking for money without any consideration for the ways of getting it. Record companies start suing people who have downloaded music for ridiculous amount of money in attempt to intimidate and scare off the fellons from downloading music illegally. The main groups affected are college kids that dont have the money. Sarah Barg was a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Sarah received an email from a label company stating that she owed $3,000 to the Recording Industry Association of America (Bratton). For that amount,, Sarah would be paying $7. 87 for each song. Majority of the songs she pirated were from the eighties and werent even relevant anymore, and yet she was battling record company’s in court over them them. Sixty students like Sarah at UNL received the same similar, as well as hundreds sent out to over sixty other universities across the country. Not knowing ow else to handle the situation, Barg contacted her parents and they had to cover her settlement. I dont know what I would have done. Im only 20 years old, says Barg. Well over five hundred students across the states have paid settlements to avoid being sued. I see it as bullying, UNL freshman Andrew Johnson says, Legally, it makes sense, because we dont have the money to fight back. Johnson illegally downloaded one song and settled $3,000 to avoid being sued for one song. The money used came from the 18 year olds college fund and he now has to work two jobs to compensate for his losses. The record companies seem to target those cant fight back. In 2007, major record companies such as Warner music groups, Warner Bros Records, Inc. , and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, tried to sue a young girl from Texas named Whitney Harper for illegally downloading music from file sharing networks on the internet (Malisow). Whitney was at the time was sixteen years old and was being sued for a minimum of $750 per song when Whitney downloaded thirtyseven songs. That is a little over $20,000 and she is only sixteen years old. Harper tried to use the Innocent Infringer Act that would reduce fees to $200 per song. In order to accomplish that, Harper had to prove she was unaware of the copyright laws by claiming that the copyright notice placed on cds were not on the file sharing networks on the Internet therefore she was unaware. The companies referred to the sixteen-year-old as a long term massive infringer of copyright laws. Harper warned that if the companies won the case that downloading music off the Internet could never be innocent infringement. The Harper case is one the few after many years still going through federal court. The companies had stated they were going to begin transitioning away from suing individuals and find better means of fixing the issue. After years of record companies using an intimidation method to fix the pirating problem, it got them nowhere because the amount of pirates only went up, and the efforts by the companies were in most cases useless. According to the Wall Street Journal, they attempted suing many single mothers, a thirteen-year-old girl, and a dead peope. The new approach is for the companies to work with Internet service providers and when music is eing pirated the user receives a warning that they will lose Internet service if they continue(WSJ. com). The companies still reserve the right to sue if someone is a heavy violator or has ignored several warnings, but even with this new system, it still seems like the companies are only out for money, but in an attempt to escape negative attention from the media, they change their approach. According to The Independent, peo ple who illegally download music also spend more money on music, concerts, merchandises than anyone else. The Secretary of State for Business, Peter Mandelson, stated that the record companies new approach to crack down on illegal down loaders by cutting off internet service could potentially harm the music industry more than help it. The people who file share are the ones who are interested in music. They use file sharing as a discovery mechanism. The artists also have mixed opinions over file sharing, some such as James Blunt and Lily Allen are anti-piracy and Shakira is pro-piracy(Shields). Sites have come out with monthly bills for unlimited music plans that seem fairer. Some artists dont feel affected by file sharing and support the fact that piracy creates a bigger fan base for them. Bands like Angels and Airwaves have produced free records so copyright wasnt an issue. They figure that the fans will still come see them play and record sales arent the only thing to being in a successful band. Some artists dont seem to realize that. Most artists make plenty off of record sales even with a piracy problem, so court cases and law suits on everyday people by record companies seems a bit greedy and selfish. Even with the new laws, they are still pushing to stop this unstoppable problem. Today music piracy is referred to as a dead issue. Most cases that are still pending are being dropped. This year a $54,000 fine on a single mother of four was dropped by the U. S. District Court Judge, Micheal Davis, who stated piracy is no longer monstrous and shocking. The need for deterrence cannot justify a two million verdict for stealing and distributing twenty-four songs for the sole purpose of obtaining free music(physorg. om). Thomas Rasset was convicted in 2007 and was ordered to pay $220,000, but the judge who presided over the trial called off the verdict, saying it was wholly disproportionate and oppressive. Her case was one of the thousands that had actually made it to court. In 2011, with new laws, these cases should not be forgotten about. The people who lost cases should be compensated and apologized to because they did nothing other than have an interest in the artist.

The Truth is in the Details :: Comparative, The Naturalist

When I received the assignment of comparing and contrasting the â€Å"Naturalist† to that of â€Å"Landscape and Narrative†, admittedly I was a bit dismayed at the idea of analyzing two writings I seemed to comprehend very little of. Upon reading them over and over, jotting down idea after idea, and crumpling up paper after paper, I came to the conclusion that I may or may not be over-thinking the assignment. My interpretation, though a bit underdeveloped, is this: Barry Lopez, in â€Å"The Naturalist† explains what it means to be a naturalist, the expectations a naturalist, and the modern naturalist’s ideology. He speaks of how knowledge is best gained, which he believes is through â€Å"enormously time-consuming† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122) firsthand experience; by â€Å"immersing yourself in its milieu† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 116), or environment. He uses the example of the caracara, in the â€Å"Naturalist.† He says, â€Å"if you wish to understand the caracara, you need to know a great deal about exactly where the caracara lives; and what the caracara’s relationships are with each of the many components of that place, including its elevations, its seasonal light.† (â€Å"The Naturalist 116). This fits in nicely with the point he makes in â€Å": Landscape and Narrative†. He defines two landscapes: external, â€Å"the one we see†¦the land†¦its plants and animals†¦its weather, its geology, the record of its climate and evolution.† (â€Å"Landscape and Narrative† 5). The other is the internal one, which Lopez describes as â€Å"a kind of projection within a part of the exterior landscape.† (â€Å"Landscape and Narrative† 7). More or less, I think he’s saying that one’s mindset, feelings, and purpose are determined by nature; the world around us. Lopez mentions that â€Å"those fresh to a task†¦are the ones most likely to give themselves a deadline†¦which will challenge themselves to know all there is to know† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122) about a particular thing. But, as he points out, â€Å"lack of end points† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122) conflict with â€Å"the short-term demands of modern life.† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122). He refers to the fact that he still goes down to the river and always feels like something new will reveal itself. Putting oneself on a deadline never works. Those opposed to, or believing differently than naturalists, or â€Å"tyrants† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122), â€Å"aim to silence the naturalists† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122), to avoid having their beliefs called into question or contradicted. Lopez fears those people; some in a position of political power, and with an abundance of confidence are â€Å"ready to tell the county commissioners what the river is† (â€Å"The Naturalist† 122).

Advertisement Is Manipulation

Advertising: Information or Manipulation? (Argumentative essay) [pic]Advertising is a way of getting a product or an idea to the general public to advertise the positive aspects of it. Advertising is a good way of  persuading  the people to purchase a product or believe in an idea that the advertisement presents. Advertising has many forms. They come in  propaganda or in mass media. (Television commercials) Traditional advertising is meant for  persuasion and is made to give off positive aspects (information) about a object or specifically a product to make them purchase or believe in the ideas that the  advertisement provides.This is not true present day. The present day advertisement evolved and now brainwashes the people to buy or believe in the things in the advertisement. Advertisement is made for persuasion but people have used this tool to actually control the thoughts of many people. For example, subliminal messages are contained in many different advertisements ava ilable today. Subliminal messages are very unethical. These messages are hidden in words or drawings to control the people. Subliminal messaging is one unethical way of advertising.Following ethics decides whether the ad is made for information or manipulation. If the ad contains unethical ways of persuasion then it is made for manipulation. The quote â€Å"if we follow ethics we face negative consequences† explains the ads that are available today. Many companies threw ethics out of the window. following ethics means less sales and less effectiveness. For the huge benefit they crave, they threw ethics and joined the dark side. Now advertisement are  solely  made to persuade people to pay more money than the actual cost of the product or an idea.These ads (most of them today) are mainly legal scams pasted in the window of your nearby super market. Is advertising the definitive way to make us informed in our daily decision making or is it just an exceptionally authoritativ e kind of mass deception that companies use to persuade their consumers and prospects into buying their services or products that they (buyers) do not need? In the global market, consumers have been exposed to ever ever-increasing amounts of advertising message.Consequently, the openings geared towards advertisement by firms have been on the rise to make sure that the buyers get the information. The paper presented here will carefully examine whether advertising is aimed at provision of information to the general   public and passing useful information to the customers or just to manipulate them and lure them into buying. Advertising can be used interchangeably with the word marketing. Talking of marketing draws our minds initially to money, services, goods and more importantly consumers.The role of advertising should be to help the society and the public at large through adequately correctly providing information concerning services and products that are produced. Advertising is a kind of communication that is untended to persuade people; readers, viewers and listeners to take some action. Another definition of advertisement as described by various researchers is; the non- personal communication of information concerning products, ideas or services in a normally persuasive way which is paid for by the sponsors and passed on through various mass media.On the other hand, the term manipulation has a meaning of giving malicious/ false information on a particular issue with an intention of achieving ones objectives. Manipulation basically makes use of lies to bring about benefits. There is a risk here though as if all the companies engage in spreading lies or false information about there products, the consumers will discover the truth and eventually the companies’ integrity in the eyes of the people will be lost, a fact that makes them to be extra smart in their manipulation undertakings.Advertising can be categorized into two throughout this research. O ne category is the innocent way of giving information to customers concerning a given product or service while facing them. There is a second category of that has a manipulative outcome on people. In all circumstances, people exposed to one or another kind of advertisement are driven in to purchasing products purchasing they may not really have needed. This is the image of manipulation in advertisement that makes consumers more commodity fetishists.

Development of syllabuses in schools Essay

How did the changing role of women and our view of children affect the development of syllabuses in schools? As history progressed peoples attitude towards women and children changed for the better. As a result of the two world wars, women and children were able to prove their importance, enabling them to increase their value within the community. As these changes in our perception of women and children occurred, syllabuses in schools were altered. The 1902 model course was developed, as people believed that it was up to children to do physical training at school to prepare them for war. Although it was grown men that had previously been defeated in the Boer war, the loss was blamed on the lack of physical training provided in schools. This is an example of children being considered important for the future of Britain. The model course, however, soon came under attack as it had children doing exercises designed for adults. As a result of this a new syllabus was introduced in 1904 and was more child-friendly. The 1909 syllabus was developed as more concern was being taken over the welfare of children of working-class families and this syllabus ensured a slightly more therapeutic angle. Organised games were introduced in this syllabus; this shows the first tentative move away from military-style Physical Training teaching. The years 1914-1918 saw the tragedy of the First World War. A generation of young men was almost totally wiped out. Consequently this had an effect on the education system, as it was recognised that a more child centred approach was needed. The First World War also improved the social status of women. This was because they had worked in munitions factories and on the land whilst the men were busy fighting. Women proved that they could cope with demanding physical work and this afforded them more equality. Despite this development in the way in which they were viewed, women generally continued to have only limited access to sport. In 1919, after the war a new syllabus was introduced. This syllabus was more child orientated than the previous ones It allowed more freedom and individual interpretation. For the older pupils therapeutic exercises were still the main emphasis. The 1933 syllabus is perhaps one of the most significant syllabuses developed as a result of the way in which children were viewed. It was developed after the economic depression, which started in the late 1920s. During this time there were very poor living conditions for the less well off as they suffered even more than they had done previously. In this syllabus we see a move from a teacher-centred approach to one where more choice is available and decisions can be made by pupils. This is signif8icant as it shows that adults were beginning to view children as being independent and therefore able to make there own decisions. Everyone was touched by the Second World War. Due to the development of aircraft bombers and long-range missiles, the lives of everyone in Britain, including children were affected. People now looked to their children for hope and we now see a further step towards child-centred learning. The training that had been used to create ‘thinking’ soldiers during the war was now adapted to suit schools. Assault course type equipment was put up in schools. Pupils were required to use their initiative and take responsibility for each other.

Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Essays - Brain

Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Essays - Brain Brain Scans Show Pattern In Violent Behavior Murderers and other people prone to violence have distinct brain patterns that can be scanned and that might be changed with drugs and other therapies, researchers said. Most people's brain can rein in overreaction to emotions such as fear or anger. But in pathologically violent people, this control system gets short-circuited. Several studies have shown this rewiring can be seen in images such as PET(positron emission tomography) scans. Impulsive,affective aggression may be the product of a failure of emotion regulation, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist Richard Davidson and colleagues wrote in their report, published in journal science. They said normal people can control their emotions,and can respond to cues from other people, such facial expressions of fear. We suggest that individuals predisposed to aggression and violence have an abnormality in the central circuitry responsible for these adaptive behavioral strategies, they wrote. Davidson and his team reviewed studies, including some of their own, involving 500 violent people with aggressive personality disorder,childhood brain injuries and convicted murderers. They compared their brain function to nonviolent people. They found dysfunction in the same brain regions in 41 murderers, in a group suffering from aggressive impulsive personality disorder and in some people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. And they found that the same brain regions were involved again and again. The evidence we have reviewed indicates that the orbitofrontal cortex and the structures with which it is interconnected, including other prefrontal territories, the anterior cingulate cortex ,and the amygdala, constitute core elements of a circuit that underlies emotion regulation,they wrote. The orbital frontal cortex is important in h olding back impulsive outbursts, while the anterior cingulate cortex recruits other brain regions in the response to conflict. The amydala, the almond-shaped structure linked with fear and emotion ,is also and important player. In violent people, its activity essentially ran out of control, while other brain regions could calm it down in normal people. Abnormalities in serotonin function in regions of the prefrontal cortex may be especially important, the researchers added. Serotonin is an important message-carrying hormone, known as a neurotransmitter, linked with mood and emotion. It is targeted by antidepressant drugs. Davidson said genetics and environment are probably both involved and it may be possible to rewire these faulty circuits with drugs or psychological therapy. Given what we know about brain plasticity and the fact that the brain really can change in response to experience, we have good reason to expect that these treatments may, in fact, have beneficial consequences, he said in a statement. Meanwhile, a second report in Science suggested that aggression is not always bad. Frans de Waal of the yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta said sometimes conflict led to closer relationships by letting peole literally kiss and make-up. For example, chimpanzees kiss and embrace after fight, and other nonhuman primates engage in similar reconciliations,he wrote.

Significance of the Stono Rebellion

Significance of the Stono Rebellion The Stono Rebellion was the largest rebellion mounted by slaves against slave owners in colonial America. The Stono Rebellions location took place near the Stono River in South Carolina. The details of the 1739 event are uncertain, as documentation for the incident comes from only one firsthand report and several secondhand reports. White Carolinians wrote these records, and historians have had to reconstruct the causes of the Stono River Rebellion and the motives of the slaves participating from biased descriptions. The Rebellion On Sept. 9, 1739, early on a Sunday morning, about 20 slaves gathered at a spot near the Stono River. They had pre-planned their rebellion for this day. Stopping first at a firearms shop, they killed the owner and supplied themselves with guns. Now well-armed, the group then marched down a main road in St. Pauls Parish, located nearly 20 miles from Charlestown (today Charleston). Bearing signs reading Liberty, beating drums and singing, the group headed south for Florida. Who led the group is unclear; it might have been a slave named Cato or Jemmy. The band of rebels hit a series of businesses and homes, recruiting more slaves and killing the masters and their families. They burned the houses as they went. The original rebels may have forced some of their recruits to join the rebellion. The men allowed the innkeeper at Wallaces Tavern to live because he was known to treat his slaves with more kindness than other slaveholders. The End of the Rebellion After journeying for about 10 miles, the group of roughly 60 to 100 people rested, and the militia found them. A firefight ensued, and some of the rebels escaped. The militia rounded up the escapees, decapitating them and setting their heads on posts as a lesson to other slaves. The tally of the dead was 21 whites and 44 slaves killed. South Carolinians spared the lives of slaves they believed were forced to participate against their will by the original band of rebels. Causes The rebelling slaves were headed for Florida. Great Britain and Spain were at war (the War of Jenkins Ear), and Spain, hoping to cause problems for Britain, promised freedom and land to any British colonial slaves who made their way to Florida.   Reports in local newspapers of impending legislation may have also prompted the rebellion. South Carolinians were contemplating passing the Security Act, which would have required all white men to take their firearms with them to church on Sunday, presumably in case of unrest among a group of slaves broke out. Sunday had been traditionally a day when the slave owners set aside their weapons for church attendance and allowed their slaves to work for themselves. The Negro Act The rebels fought well, which, as historian John K. Thornton speculates, may have been because they had a military background in their homeland. The areas of Africa where they had been sold into slavery were experiencing intense civil wars, and a number of ex-soldiers found themselves enslaved after surrendering to their enemies. South Carolinians thought it was possible that the slaves African origins had contributed to the rebellion. Part of the 1740 Negro Act, passed in response to the rebellion, was a prohibition on importing slaves directly from Africa. South Carolina also wanted to slow the rate of importation down; African-Americans outnumbered whites in South Carolina, and South Carolinians lived in fear of insurrection. The Negro Act also made it mandatory for militias to regularly patrol to prevent slaves from gathering the way they had in anticipation of the Stono Rebellion. Slave owners who treated their slaves too harshly were subject to fines under the Negro Act in an implicit nod to the idea that harsh treatment might contribute to rebellion. The Negro Act severely restricted the lives of South Carolinas slaves. No longer could a group of slaves assemble on their own, nor could slaves grow their food, learn to read or work for money. Some of these provisions had existed in law before but had not been consistently enforced. Significance of the Stono Rebellion Students often ask, Why didnt slaves fight back? The answer is that they sometimes did. In his book American Negro Slave Revolts (1943), historian Herbert Aptheker estimates that over 250 slave rebellions occurred in the United States between 1619 and 1865. Some of these insurrections were as terrifying for slave owners as Stono, such as the Gabriel Prosser slave revolt in 1800, Veseys rebellion in 1822 and Nat Turners rebellion in 1831. When slaves were unable to rebel directly, they performed subtle acts of resistance, ranging from work slow-downs to feigning illness. The Stono River Rebellion is a tribute to the ongoing, determined resistance of African-Americans to the oppressive system of slavery. Sources Aptheker, Herbert. American Negro Slave Revolts. 50th Anniversary Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.Smith, Mark Michael. Stono: Documenting and Interpreting a Southern Slave Revolt. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2005.Thornton, John K. African Dimensions of the Stono Rebellion. In A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Mens History and Masculinity, vol. 1. Ed. Darlene Clark Hine and Earnestine Jenkins. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1999.

Nonverbal communication in romantic relationships - literature review Essay

Nonverbal communication in romantic relationships - literature review - Essay Example What individuals do is also reliable indicator of internal feelings. Four studies comprise this literature review. â€Å"Nonverbal Immediacy Behaviors and Liking in Marital Relationships† (Hinkle, 1999) measured the frequency of positive nonverbal behaviors in married couples and found a strong correlation with the subjects’ reported liking for one another. â€Å"Relational Messages Associated with Nonverbal Involvement, Pleasantness, and Expressiveness in Romantic Couples† (Le Poire, Duggan, Shepard & Burgoon, 2002) focused on vocal involvement, showing that partners perceived intimacy based on tone. The results of â€Å"Patterns of Matching and Initiation: Touch Behavior and Touch Avoidance across Romantic Relationship Stages† (Guerrero & Anderson, 1994) indicated sex differences in the initiation of touch, with men choosing the dominant role of initiation early in the relationship and women becoming the initiators after marriage. â€Å"Adult Attachment Style and Nonverbal Closeness in Dating Couples† (Tucker & An ders, 1998) reported that secure attachment style resulted in more positive touching. Although it may seem obvious that nonverbal communication—in general, a subconscious act—should correlate with relational satisfaction, researchers may take nothing for granted. Thus, the Hinkle study cited research that reported relationships have a greater success if the partners like one another. They also defined nonverbal immediacy as â€Å"behaviors such as touching, smiling, and making eye contact with another person† (Hinkle, 1999) and hypothesized that the more immediacy behaviors displayed by an individual, the more their partner liked them. The focus of their research was related to the duration of the relationship. They found that correlation remained constant, but that liking behaviors were strongest in the first year of the marriage and after the twenty-fourth year (Hinkle, 1999). Guerrero and Anderson began with a