The Autobiography of Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Essay Example Here are the words that clear why he thought his men were controlled by the white Americans and what his people could do to overpower them and get their freedom permanently: The political philosophy of Black Nationalism means: We must control the politics and the politicians of our community. They must no longer take orders from outside forces. We will organize and sweep out of office all Negro politicians who are puppets for the outside forces.1 Above stated text of the statement was made by Malcolm X in the opening of his press conference at New York’s Park Sheraton Hotel, March 12. The mentioned quote tells us that Malcolm’s concern was not only the behaviors and oppositions of the white people but he believed that there were people inside his people who were basically the puppets controlled by the outside forces. 1. Sheppard Roland. â€Å"The assassinations of Malcolm X and martin Luther king, Jr.† The freedom that Malcolm X addressed was the freedom for indi viduals to accept themselves as they were and to not feel the pressure from the social order to work in the correspondence with their standards and not feel like they are beautiful as they are naturally. Malcolm wanted to make them realize that they would not have to dye their hair, or conk them to make them look like that of a white man and so on. Malcolm felt that the freedom is something that allows you to be yourself, and not feel pressured by other cultures to conform to their way of life.   However, he later admitted that he was not as free as he initially thought he was, as he began to put conk in his hair to make them look like that of a white man’s. He realized that he didn’t have the freedom to accept himself as he was and that  he felt the pressure from his friends and other surrounding people.   Malcolm describes the physical pain he endured so that he could feel the pride of belonging to Roxboro Hill. Nevertheless, later Malcolm realized that the pai n he was suffering for his hair was just a deceiving method used to help them (he and other black people) to ignore the real problems of being manipulated to cause harm to themselves by white society so that they could fit the standards of the white people instead of having the freedom to accept themselves as they were. After his visit to Mecca On March, 1964 after his visit to Mecca, Malcolm X explained his changed views on violence and racism in these words: â€Å"I don't speak against the sincere, well-meaning, good white people. I have learned that there are some. I have learned that not all white people are racists. I am speaking against and my fight is against the white racists. I believe that Negroes have the right to fight against these racists, by any means that are necessary.†1 1. John, Simkin. "Malcolm X: Biography." Malcolm continued; â€Å"I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man's problem - just to avoi d violence. I don't go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. To me a delayed solution is a non-solution. Or I'll say it another way. If it must take violence to get the black man his human rights in this country, I'm for violence exactly as you know the Irish, the Poles, or Jews would be if they were flagrantly discriminated against.†1 The hurdles he wanted to demolish The Biggest problem that Malcolm saw in his people was that they were not in a state of realization that they had all the

Schizophrenia and Depression Essay Example for Free

Schizophrenia and Depression Essay â€Å"Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that effects about 1. 1 percent of the U. S. population age 18 and older in a given year† (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010, para. 1). Both men and women are equally at risk for this particular mental disorder. The main component of schizophrenia is the loss of contact with reality. Individuals who suffer from schizophrenia typically lead a normal functioning life prior to developing the disorder (Comer, 2005). Once they develop the disorder they tend to experience a variety of severe and chronic symptoms that can interfere with their work, social, and family life. Schizophrenia is one of the more disturbing mental disorders due to the nature of the symptoms the individuals may experience. Hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions are some of the main symptoms of schizophrenia. Delusions are false ideas held by the individual suffering from schizophrenia. These ideas have no factual basis. Some schizophrenia sufferers believe that people are plotting against them or discriminating against them. Individuals who suffer from schizophrenia may also experience disorganized thinking and speech which can cause the individual to move from one topic to another without any specific rhyme or reason. This type of speech often only makes sense to the individual while leaving others confused. Individuals might also make up word, or neologisms, which have meaning only to the individual but do not truly exist as part of speech within society. Hallucinations can involve seeing, hearing, smelling, or feeling things that aren’t really there. This may occur as auditory or visual hallucinations (Comer, 2005) The psychodynamic explanation of the psychological viewpoint is based upon Freud’s theory that schizophrenia develops from two psychological processes: regression to a pre-ego stage and efforts to establish ego control (Comer, 2005). Freud believed that symptoms like neologisms, loose associations, or delusions resulted from a lack of nurturance as a young child. As the isorder progresses in these individuals they begin to exhibit more symptoms such as hallucinations and a loss of reality. Mental Disorder Depression Depression is a mood disorder characterized by ongoing feelings of sadness and hopelessness. It is believed that genetics may play a large role in the risk factors that lead to depression because having either parent or sibling with depression can actually triple an individual’s risk of dev eloping the disorder. In addition, women are â€Å"twice as likely as men to become depressed† (WebMD, 2009). The onset of depression is often caused by traumatic or stressful events. These traumatic experiences can cause an imbalance of certain brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters. Depression can affect people on five different levels: emotional, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and physical. Emotional symptoms of depression can cause people to lose interest in things that they usually enjoy and often this can result in isolation. Behavioral symptoms can affect a person’s ability to carry out normal daily tasks. Cognitive symptoms of depression can cause extremely low self-worth and it may also cause feelings of pessimism. Depression can also result in physical symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or body pain (Comer, 2005). References Comer, R. J. (2005). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (4th ed. ). New York: Worth National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http:// www. Nimh. nih. gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index. shtml WebMD. (2010). Depression Overview. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http:// www. Webmd. com/depression/slideshow-depression-overview

Adaptive theory and the restorative theory of sleep

Adaptive theory and the restorative theory of sleep Sleep is known as the circadian rhythms its mean sleep-wake cycle. One cycle is one day and controlled by the hypothalamus. Sleep is very important to each person. There are 2 theories about sleep which is the adaptive theory and the restorative theory. The adaptive theory of sleep explaining about when we need sleep otherwise sleep at night to keep out of danger and converse the energy. The restorative theory explaining about why we need sleep otherwise sleep can growth and repair occurs in the deep sleep stage. In spite of sleep may give people advantages, but some people might get disadvantages of it. Sleep might offer disorders to other people. There are common disorders that other people should know such as insomnia, sleep walking, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, night terrors, enuresis, circadian rhythms disorder, restless leg syndrome, nocturnal leg cramps. Insomnia is when someone has inability to get asleep for 4 month to 6 month, or difficulty to feel sleepy. Sleep walking is more common in childhood and more boys than girls. Night terrors is state of panic while sleeping and people who has night terrors syndrome will not remember what was happened once woken up. Sleep apnea is when people stop breathing for nearly half a minute while sleeping. Enuresis is urinating while asleep in bed. Restless leg syndrome is uncomfortable sensations in legs causing loss of sleep and movement. Nocturnal leg cramps is painful cramps in foot muscles. Circadian rhythms disorders is instability of the sleep- wake cycle such as jet lag and shift work. And narcolepsy is a sleep seizure and occurs without warning. The aim for this assignment is to know further information only about narcolepsy disorder, what causes of narcolepsy, what are the symptoms of narcolepsy, how is narcolepsy diagnosed and how is narcolepsy treated. Further more about definition of narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime tiredness and sudden attacks of sleep and it is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Narcoleptic can occur at many times during a day. People may involuntarily fall asleep while at school, when having conversation, when eating, play games or the most dangerously is while driving and those are uncontrollable. Usually narcolepsy will take asleep just for a minute but in rare cases people may take asleep for an hour or may be longer. Narcolepsy generally manifest during early adulthood from 10-20 years old or late adolescence. Narcolepsy appears to occur more often men then women. The commonness of narcolepsy is related to that multiple sclerosis and parkinsons disease. In the United States, The National Institute of Neurological and Stroke estimate narcolepsy affect one in every 2000 people.However, in some countries, the commonness of narcolepsy is much lower (one per 500.000) while in other countries, it is much higher (one per 600). The American Sleep Association estimates that approximately 125.000 to 200.000 Americans suffer from narcolepsy, but only fewer than 50.000 are properly diagnosed. The cause of narcolepsy its very not clear which mean the exact cause of narcolepsy is not known but through the past decade, scientists have made important progress in perceptive it is pathogenesis and in identifying genes strongly related by the disorder. Scientists have also discovered abnormalities in various parts of the brain involved in regulating REM sleep that appear to contribute to symptom development. To be a condition where normal elements of sleep specifically elements of REM or dream sleep suddenly occur during a persons wakeful state it is appears in narcolepsy. The latest discovery has been the discovery of abnormalities in function and structure of a particular group of nerve cells and it called hypocretin neurons, in the brain who sufferer of narcolepsy. Location of those cells is in the part of brain called hypothalamus and they normally secrete neurotransmitter substances ( chemicals released by nerve cells to transmit messages to other cells ) and it called hypo cretins. Hypocretin is an important chemical in your brain and people with narcolepsy will have low levels of this neurochemical in their spinal fluid and it is for the most part low in those who experience cataplexy. You may suddenly enter into Rapid Eye Movement sleep without first experiencing in non Rapid Eye Movement both at a day and during at night. Some of the characteristic of Rapid Eye Movement sleep, such as sleep paralysis, vivid dreams and sudden lack of muscle tone, will occur during other sleep stages in people with narcolepsy. Other factor appears to play important roles in the development of narcolepsy. Some cases are known to result from shocking injuries to parts of the brain involved in Rapid Eye Movement sleep or for tumor growth or other disease processes in the same region. Dietary factors, infections, exposure to toxins, hormonal changes such as menopause or puberty, and alterations in a persons sleep schedule are just a few of the many factors that may make use of direct or indirect effects on the brain, thus possibly contributing to disease development. The role of heredity in humans who suffer from narcolepsy isnt completely understood. So far no steady pattern of heredity has been known in families. It is expected that relatives of sufferer with narcolepsy may have a higher tendency to develop narcolepsy or sleep associated abnormalities, such as increased Rapid Eye Movement and increased daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy tends to start in adolescence and the symptoms are often mistakenly put down to behavior associated with this stage in life. There are many symptoms of narcolepsy are cataplexy, hallucinations, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis but the main symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS in a short form. Excessive daytime sleepiness become the main symptom is because suffer from narcolepsy is tend to fall asleep easily. This can happen in many times and without warning and they have difficulty maintaining their concentration. The patient of narcolepsy may sleep for a few minutes or nearly hour or might feeling refreshed but eventually will fall asleep again. Excessive daytime sleepiness is present throughout the day and the sufferer with extreme effort might be able to refuse the sleepiness for some time. Finally it becomes irresistible and results in a sleep episode in a varied duration. Cataplexy is suddenly a loss voluntary muscle control and loss of muscles tone that leads to feeling weakness. That muscle weakness can be quite slight and sufferer is conscious but unable to speak. Severe attacks of cataplexy may results in a complete body collapse with a fall to the ground and risk of being injury. Even though cataplexy can occur spontaneously, it is more often triggered by sudden, strong emotion such as stress, excitement, anger, humor or fear. Hallucination that occurs when falling rapidly into Rapid Eye Movement sleep called hypnagogic hallucination. Experiencing the dreams as a reality, and may be particularly frightening and vivid. The condition when people with narcolepsy temporary have inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking is called sleep paralysis. This natural inhibition usually goes to unnoticed by people who experience normal sleep because it occurs only when they are fully asleep and into Rapid Eye Movement stage at appropriate time in the cycle. This symptom is not only for those who have narcolepsy especially when young adulthood. On the other hand, narcolepsy also have additional symptom such as automatic behavior and disturbed nocturnal sleep. Automatic behavior occurs when people carry out certain action without awareness and this happen when the sufferer is changeable between wakefulness and sleep. Disturbed nocturnal sleep is along with excessive daytime sleepiness and the Rapid Eye Movement is related with abnormalities and it called narcolepsy pentad. Doctor may make an introduction diagnosis of narcolepsy based on excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. After a preliminary diagnosis doctor refer to a sleep specialist for further information. Methods of determining and diagnosing of narcolepsy is divided into severity include: sleep records, sleep history, multiple sleep latency test, polysomnogram. Sleep records is known as a sleep pattern, the doctor will ask to keep an every single report of a sleep pattern for a week or two week and doctor can comparing how alertness and sleep pattern are related to each other. In addition, doctor will asked the patient for a detail sleep history, which is in each part of history, involves filling out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and use a short questions to estimate your degree of sleepiness. For example, the patient indicates on a numbered scale how likely it is that you would doze off in certain situations, such as sitting down after eat. Multiple sleep latency test will measures how lo ng it takes to fall asleep during the day. Polysomnogram measures a variety of signal during sleep using electrodes places on your scalp. Another test that is recommended is hypocretin test, which is to detect the levels of hypocretin in the fluid that surrounded spinal cord. People who have narcolepsy usually will have a lower level of this brain chemical that regulates Rapid Eye Movement sleep. So far many doctors or researches havent found the way or any drugs to treats narcolepsy. Even there is no way narcolepsy to be cured but there is have a drug and behavioral therapies that have been proven to treat excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy such as medication and lifestyle modification that can help for manage the symptom. Medication for narcolepsy includes norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin, stimulants, sodium oxybate, and tricylic antidepressant. Stimulants is kind drugs that is for stimulate central nervous system which is primary treatment to help the patient stay awake during the day. Tricylic antidepressant is also help people to treat narcolepsy but these drugs is older treatment and many people complaint about it because it may give side effects, such as constipation and dry mouth. Sodium oxybate helps people to improve nighttime sleep, which is often poor in narcolepsy. These drugs also may give serious side effects, such as bed wettin g, worsening of sleep walking and nausea. If the patient takes a high dose of these drugs it will lead the patient to difficulty of breathing, coma and even death. Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin is to help alleviate the symptom of cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Narcolepsy is kind a sleep disorder who may give sufferer a very bad effects, such as damaging of brain, mentally or even in social life. Sufferer of narcolepsy cant control when they are supposed to fall asleep. They can fall asleep many times during a day. Narcolepsy can affect the person who suffering from it to future life, for example can affect relationship, education or career prospect. The person who suffering from narcolepsy may not be able to do a lot of things or even that person cant be able to socializing because some people will get irritated of that disorder. Consequently, people with narcolepsy often also have low self esteem and depression. Because, there is no way to cure narcolepsy but there have some drugs and another way to avoid cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness. Case Study Sleepy Genes Jason was a good student throughout grade school and middle school. However, when he began high school, he started to have odd symptoms that made his academic performance plummet. He was unable to stay awake during class, even when he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before. Even worse were the periods of paralysis called cataplexy. If he was startled by a slamming locker door, he might collapse and be unable to move for a few minutes. In his freshman year he broke three pairs of glasses as a result of these bouts of cataplexy. The diagnosis finally came when Jason was a junior in high school. Along with about 200,000 other Americans, Jason suffers from a disorder of the central nervous system called narcolepsy. Learning the name of his disease didnt cure Jason, but it has helped him to manage the symptoms. For example, he now takes amphetamines to keep himself awake during his normal daily activities. Even with these stimulants, he still needs to nap throughout the day, which he can manage by carefully organizing his schedule. Antidepressants seem to help prevent the embarrassing and often dangerous instances of cataplexy. Jason and the thousands of other narcoleptics share their plight with several colonies of dogs that are being studied at Stanford University. The excitement of getting a doggie biscuit can trigger cataplexy in these narcoleptic Daschunds, Dobermans, or Labrador retrievers. They regain muscle control a short time later, apparently none the worse for undergoing the uncontrollable collapse. In August 1999 the Stanford researchers reported the culmination of 36 years of study on these animals: They had discovered a gene that is defective in some of their narcoleptic dogs. The hope is that this information may help in developing new treatments for sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. How can scientists find genes? To answer this question, we must first go back in time about 140 years to a monastery garden in what is now the Czech Republic, where the science of genetics was born. Case Study Revisited: Sleepy Genes Following in the footsteps of Gregor Mendel, researchers at the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy crossed narcoleptic dogs to one another and analyzed the progeny. This analysis showed that narcolepsy in dogs results from a recessive allele of a single gene. But where is this gene and what kind of protein does it encode? Further studies by Dr. Mignots research group revealed that the narcolepsy gene is on chromosome 12. After years of effort, they were eventually able to clone the gene-only to find that it had already been discovered! The gene is called Hcrt2, and it encodes a protein receptor that is present on the cell surfaces of some cells in the hypothalamus (a part of the brain). The protein encoded by Hcrt2 binds to signaling molecules called hypocretins. In the narcoleptic dogs the receptor was defective, making their brain cells ignore the molecular signal delivered by the hypocretins. Narcoleptic mice, studied by another research group, appear to have normal Hcrt2 genes, but t hey have a different mutation that prevents them from producing hypocretins at all. In a most interesting turn of events, hypocretins (also called orexins) had been under investigation because of their role in controlling feeding behavior. Thus, the molecular systems that control sleep and feeding may have some common features. What about the human connection? In January 2000 Mignots research group and their collaborators reported that seven out of nine patients with narcolepsy did not produce hypocretin. These individuals may have a genetic defect similar to that of the narcoleptic mice. Two of the nine narcoleptic humans did produce hypocretins. These individuals may have a mutation in the hypocretin receptor gene similar to that in the narcoleptic dogs. Intense investigation is under way to use this information to develop treatments for patients with narcolepsy. This knowledge might also allow scientists to develop better medicines to promote sleep in people suffering from insomnia. Because genetics is important to so many aspects of human behavior, defense attorneys might consider using a defendants genetic constitution as a strategy to excuse criminal behavior. First, take the side of the defense and present an argument about why a defendants genes should be considered as a factor in the criminal behavior. Then take the prosecutions side and present an argument about why a defendants genes do not excuse criminal behavior. SUMMARY Narcolepsy tends to start in adolescence and Jacob experienced this disorder when he was started in high school. He was a good student throughout primary school and junior school. In high school he started with the odd symptom of narcolepsy such as he was not be able to stay awake during his class even though he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before. Even worse were the periods of cataplexy. If he was startled by slamming locker door, he might collapse and not be able to move for a few minutes. Finally the diagnosis comes out and he was positively got narcolepsy disease. He tried to do the treatment but it didnt cure him from narcolepsy. Jacob just takes some stimulants to keep him stay awake during his normal daily life, it was helped him to manage the symptom. Although, he takes these stimulants he still need a nap throughout his day.

Character of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarle

The Character of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, the pathetic, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is fully aware of the means by which he must liberate his soul from his grave sin. Yet, throughout the story his confession remains an impediment, constraining him, from then onwards, to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to divest himself of his guilt by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but somehow never manages to accomplish the task. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is clearly both a coward and a hypocrite    For the most part, Dimmesdale's story is one of a lonely man who has given into temptation and desire. His carnal craving is looked upon with ignominy. The matter is further convoluted by Hester's marriage, and his unwillingness to mar his reputation among the villagers as the faithful and innocent priest. He is now stranded at a crossroad, not knowing whether to confess or carry on a life of self-punishment. The sin begins to gnaw away at his sanity. As a form of penance he partakes in late night vigils, starvation, and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally becoming fed up with his prolonged misery, he walked unsteadily to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking about the sins of humanity.    Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess.    One of the very first moments available to Dimmesdale to confess was on the scaffolding in the beginning when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale was preaching to her for hou... ...can be rectified. Some sins are everlasting, and there are no shortcuts to salvation. Sometimes the weight of the sins must penetrate one's soul for eternity.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Baym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986.    Clendenning, John. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.    Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. "The Scarlet Letter." The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.    Smiles, Samuel. "The Scarlet Letter." The Critical Temper. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York City: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.    Character of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarle The Character of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, the pathetic, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is fully aware of the means by which he must liberate his soul from his grave sin. Yet, throughout the story his confession remains an impediment, constraining him, from then onwards, to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to divest himself of his guilt by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but somehow never manages to accomplish the task. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is clearly both a coward and a hypocrite    For the most part, Dimmesdale's story is one of a lonely man who has given into temptation and desire. His carnal craving is looked upon with ignominy. The matter is further convoluted by Hester's marriage, and his unwillingness to mar his reputation among the villagers as the faithful and innocent priest. He is now stranded at a crossroad, not knowing whether to confess or carry on a life of self-punishment. The sin begins to gnaw away at his sanity. As a form of penance he partakes in late night vigils, starvation, and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally becoming fed up with his prolonged misery, he walked unsteadily to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking about the sins of humanity.    Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess.    One of the very first moments available to Dimmesdale to confess was on the scaffolding in the beginning when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale was preaching to her for hou... ...can be rectified. Some sins are everlasting, and there are no shortcuts to salvation. Sometimes the weight of the sins must penetrate one's soul for eternity.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Baym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986.    Clendenning, John. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.    Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. "The Scarlet Letter." The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.    Smiles, Samuel. "The Scarlet Letter." The Critical Temper. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York City: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.   

Human Nature and the Goodness of a Person in Plato’s Republic I Essay

Hailed as Plato’s greatest masterpiece, the Republic is considered one of the best guides of ethics and politics not only in a5th century Greece but in modern and contemporary times. Just like in the Dialogues, throughout all the sections or books of the Republic, the main character is Plato’s mentor, Socrates, whose conversations with prominent Greek personalities on the subjects of ethics and politics the former documents. Book One is particularly important as it opens the series of dialogues that discusses ideas relevant to human nature and the definition of a good man. This paper seeks to present the views of Plato on the subjects of wealth, friendship and justice as it relates to the idea of what a good man should be. The Important Points of Republic I on Human Nature The ideas on human nature and goodness in Book One of the Republic are hinged upon the important points in the conversations among Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus and Thrasymachus. On Wealth. Socrates talks to Cephalus in the first part of the first book of the Republic. Socrates is curious about Cephalus’ mild demeanor when it comes to his wealth. First of all, Socrates states that in order for one to value money, he has to make it himself. He speaks of this important concept in the following statement of his to Cephalus: â€Å"Men who have made money take this money seriously as their own creation and they also value it for its uses as other people do† (Plato, Republic I, 330c). Socrates points out further that â€Å"those who have themselves acquired [their money] have a double reason in comparison with other men for loving it† (330c) and â€Å"so [the men who have made money] are hard to talk to since they are unwilling to commend anything except wealth† (330c). In short, Cephalus states that â€Å"the best thing about wealth is that it can save us from being unjust and thus smooth the way for an agreeable afterlife† (Brown). This is clearly one of the best insights on human nature related to wealth. This line implies that a good man is supposed to make his own money in order for him to appreciate it much and to value it. Wasteful men who do not value their money may have been those who did not make their own money and have acquired it only through inheritance. The second important point regarding how wealth relates to human nature is that a good man should know that the importance of money is for him not to cheat his fellowman. Socrates asks Cephalus â€Å"What do you regard as the greatest benefit you have enjoyed from the possession of property? † (330d). And after a long explanation, Cephalus answers, â€Å"I affirm that the possession of wealth is of most value not to cheat any man [and] not remaining in debt to a god for some sacrifice or to a man for money [and] it has also many other uses† (331a-331b). It is clear from a Cephalus’ statement that the purpose of money is not to do harm to one’s fellowman even though this harm is unintentional. He therefore presumes that a man who does not have enough money has a natural tendency to wrong his fellowman. It is therefore imperative that people should make money for such a purpose. On Friendship. From the subject of wealth as it relates to human nature, Socrates concludes that the purpose of acquiring wealth is somehow based on the idea of doing justice to one’s fellowman. And this idea of justice extends to friendship. In the conversations between Socrates and Polemarchus, one of the conclusions they have arrived at is that it is but just for one to do good to his friends and not to do evil. This is explicitly stated by Polemarchus as: â€Å"Friends owe it to friends to do them some good and no evil† (332a). This is based on the saying according to Polemarchus that â€Å"according to Simonides, it is just to give to each what is owed [or due] to him† (Humphrey), which means that because your friends do good to you and not bad, then it is but just to return the favor. Polemarchus also says that in order to do justice to one’s enemies, one should do to him â€Å"what also is proper for him [and] some evil† (332b). This means that since one’s enemies do bad things then one should give them a taste of their own medicine through doing bad things too. On Justice. Both the aforementioned subjects of wealth and friendship as they relate to human nature can be reduced to the idea of justice. The ideas on how justice relates to human nature are somehow lifted from the dialogue between Socrates and Thrasymachus. A just man first of all should not try to take advantage of another man. Socrates asks Thrasymachus, â€Å"Do you think the just man would want to overreach or exceed another just man? † (349b) and he answers, â€Å"By no means† (349b). This means that a just man recognizes the fact that since the other person has not wronged him, he has no right to wrong him either. However, Thrasymachus states that a just man would deem it proper and just to overreach an unjust man, although â€Å"[the just man] wouldn’t be able to† (349b). This means that if someone wrongs a just man, he would think it is but just to retaliate, only that out of kindness he might not be able to do it. However, it is implied here by Thrasymachus that a just man may rejoice when the unjust are punished for the former thinks just punishment is well-deserved. However, it is believed that this provides â€Å"a contrast to the preciseness of Socrates’ claims† (Kanak). Nevertheless the just man is still better than the unjust man, for â€Å"the just man does not seek to take advantage of his like but of his unlike, but the unjust man of both. (349c-349d) From the aforementioned statements, it has been concluded that â€Å"the just man is like the wise and good, and the unjust is like the bad and the ignoramus† (350c). The â€Å"wise and good† man, or the â€Å"just† man, according to the Republic, is not really someone who accepts all ridicule and unjust treatment without question. He is rather someone who treats in a good way those who do good to him and may choose to treat in a similar way those who do bad things to him. This is basically the idea of a just and good man based on the first book of the Republic. Conclusion The good man according to Book One of the Republic is the man who is just. Specifically, he is a firstly a man who makes his own wealth in order that he may appreciate it. He is also one who â€Å"recognizes that the importance of money is for one to be able to treat his fellowman justly and to avoid causing any unjust treatment† (Kozlovic). Moreover, a good man is one who gives to his friend what is due him and to his enemy some evil that he rightfully deserves. Lastly and most importantly, a good man is a man who does to others what others do to him, whether this is good or bad, although out of kindness he may choose not to do something bad. Nevertheless, a good man believes that a just punishment should serve its necessary purpose. We therefore learn so much from the words of Cephalus: â€Å"When a man lives out his days in justice and piety, sweet companion [is] with him, to cheer his heart and nurse his old age. † (331a)

Organizational Management and Operations Essay

Organizational Management and Operations The subject to describe is policing organizations at various levels. The author will identify, compare, and contrast the policing function at the local, state, and federal organizational levels (CJA/484 – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). The author will analyze how the organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at the local, state, and federal levels are similar or different and why (CJA/484 – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). The leadership characteristics and responsibilities pertaining to each organizational level will be identified (CJA – Criminal Justice Administration Capstone). According to Walker & Katz (2008) â€Å"American policing is a highly fragmented organization. Law enforcement in the United States is a large and extremely complex enterprise. Almost 18,000 federal, state, and local agencies exist along with a private security industry that employs over a million additional people. Currently there is no formal centralized system that exists for coordinating or regulating all the different agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.† The government agencies at the local level of law enforcement include the Municipal police, County police, and County sheriffs. The state levels of law enforcement include the state police, and the Bureau of criminal investigations. The federal levels of law enforcement include federal law enforcement agencies and the Military law enforcement, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. These two departments have several branches, such as the Bureau of Customs and Border Protec tion, Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Immigration, and Customs Enforcements, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Secret Service, the United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and  Explosives, which fall under the respected departments. Included under law enforcement agencies are also special district police, which includes public schools, transit police, college, university police, and private security firms (Walker & Katz, 2008). The municipal police departments are also referred to as city police. City police departments play a major role within the community. Municipal police department’s police officers are sworn in and have the heaviest responsibilities when dealing with serious crimes and the citizens in the neighborhoods in which the officers patrol. Municipal police officers are responsible for various maintenance problems and emergency services such as responding to minor disturbances, noncriminal events, public disturbances, traffic enforcement, routine patrol, and other miscellaneous calls (Walker& Katz, 2008). County police departments have police officers who serve as municipal police officers but they operate on a countywide basis; however, these officers do not have the non-law enforcement roles of the county sheriff. County sheriffs are elected in office except for in two states Rhode Island and Hawaii. County sheriffs have a unique role because they serve the three components of the criminal justice system: courts, law enforcement, and corrections. County sheriff department personnel roles and responsibilities include routine patrol, crime investigation, enforcement of traffic laws, process serving, court security, jail operations, and search and rescue (Walker & Katz, 2008). According to Walker & Katz (2008) â€Å"Special district police agencies such as some university campus and college police officers serve government agencies however the special district police agencies have their own police force. Most of the officers who are part of the special district agency are state certified law enforcement agents. Officers of the special district police agencies are sworn officers that are certified by the state, have the right to make general arrest, and participate in the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report Systems. Many universities and college campuses opt out of government agency officers and choose to have private  security of their choice.† Private security firms include private agencies security personnel, which is privately employed by the firm as part or full-time employees. The roles and responsibilities of these officers are patrolling and providing protection at public and private housing complexes, office complexes, ma lls, gaming officers and investigators, loss prevention specialists, patrol services, and armored patrol services. Different from police agencies the private security agencies focus on more than crime they deal with property, consumer satisfaction, and personal assets. The private police organizations can ban people from establishments, fire employees, and pursue prosecution in criminal courts. Also included in private security is the red light and speed enforced cameras designed to ticket people caught speeding and running red lights Walker & Katz, (2008). State law enforcement agencies consist of three categories: state investigative agencies, highway patrols, and state police. State police have statewide police powers for criminal investigations and traffic regulation. Highway patrol officers have the right to arrest non-traffic violators within their jurisdiction and enforce traffic regulations statewide. State law enforcement agencies have the primary responsibility for enforcing traffic laws throughout the state on the highways; however, the state law enforcement agencies patrol concurrently with local police. The responsibilities of state law enforcement agencies vary in different states; some state law enforcement agencies have the responsi bility of training recruits and operating training academies Walker & Katz, (2008). The federal law enforcement agency is more complex and smaller than the local level agencies and differs in the roles and responsibilities of the personnel. The employees at the federal law enforcement level do not respond to 911 calls or local disturbances. The Customs and Border Protections are responsible for ensuring that cargo entering the United States is legal. It works to prevent weapons of mass destruction, illegal immigrants, diseased plants, and animals, and the smuggling of drugs across the border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for enforcing custom and immigration laws, along with protecting federal buildings, Marines, and air enforcement (Walker & Katz, (2008). The Federal Emergency Management Agency shares the responsibility of coordinating with private, government, and nonprofit organizations to manage emergency preparedness. The Transportation  Security Administration has the responsibility for protecting the nation’s transportation systems. The United States Coast Guard is responsible for security missions that may be related to security. Some roles responsible by the Coast Guard are the waterways, ports, and coastal security. The United States Secret Service is responsible for providing protection for the former and current presidents, vice presidents, and their immediate family members. The Secret Service also deals with money laundering and computer fraud (Walker & Katz, (2008). Under the Department of Justice the Drug Enforcement Administration sector is responsible for enforcing federal regulations and laws concerning controlled substances. The Federal Bureau of Investigations focuses on preventing terrorist attacks. The United States Marshall Office is responsible for housing federal detainees, providing security to federal courts, and conducting fugitive investigations and placing eligib le people in the witness protection program. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are responsible for investigating firearm trafficking, enforcing federal firearm laws, preventing criminals and terrorists from possessing explosives, ensuring that individuals who possess explosives are properly licensed, and enforcing federal laws in the collection of federal taxes on alcohol and tobacco products (Walker & Katz, (2008). The author has identified, compared, and contrasted policing functions at the local, state, and federal organizational levels. The organizational, management, administration, and operational functions at the local, state, and federal levels have been analyzed to find the similarities and differences in the three organizational levels. The leadership characteristics of any criminal justice professional should References Grant, H. B., & Terry, K. J. (2008). Law Enforcement in the 21st Century (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2008). The Police in America (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

10 Essay Topics on History What Is Known About Aztec Culture

10 Essay Topics on History What Is Known About Aztec Culture The Aztecs are undoubtedly one of the most unusual cultures that ever existed. For centuries people have been thinking with horrified fascination about these people that combined complicated social structure, educational system and impressive scientific and cultural development with human sacrifice on massive scale, cannibalism and constant wars of conquest. Here are some Aztec culture facts that can make an awesome essay. Human Sacrifice Was the Basis of Aztec Culture and Religion Probably the first thing everybody thinks hearing about the Aztecs is human sacrifice – and for a good reason. All pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures practiced it to this or that extent, but the Aztecs took it to a completely new level. Gods Sacrificed Themselves for Humans’ Sake According to Aztec mythology, gods sacrificed their lives to sustain the fading sun and save humankind, and this made humans indebted to them for all eternity. Moreover, the sacrifice of gods was not a single act, but more of a continuous process, which required constant reenactment. The power of gods kept the sun alive, and to give gods this power, they had to give them blood and hearts, which were considered to be fragments of the sun’s heat. The Purpose of Wars Was to Get More Captives Aztecs divided time into 52-year cycles and fearfully ended the end of each – if the gods didn’t receive enough sacrifices throughout the cycle, the sun would go out and the world would end. The main reason for Flower Wars the Aztecs constantly waged on their neighbors was to provide enough captives to fill the sacrifice quota. Even Aztec war strategy and tactics were mainly devised to wound and capture rather than kill as many enemies as possible. The Aztecs Sacrificed 20 000 People per Year Human sacrifice was an extremely important part of everyday life in Aztec society – it was carried out during each of their many festivals and for special occasions and was accompanied by elaborate rituals and done by various methods according to which god it was intended for. The most popular method was the extraction of the heart, but victims were often burned, flayed, drowned, starved and decapitated. Afterwards priests would often wear their skins (they were considered holy relics and symbolized rebirth) and cannibalize their corpses. And there were a lot of them – during the opening ceremony of one particularly big temple, as reported in their codices, they slaughtered between 10,000 and 80,400 people in the course of four days, while normally settling for about 20,000 per year. The Aztecs Capital Was among the Biggest Cities of Europe Despite their extremely warlike nature and penchant for torture and human sacrifice, the Aztecs were far from being uncultured, which probably made them a great deal more disturbing and frightening. At the zenith of its glory their capital, Tenochtitlan, housed between 200,000 and 300,000 people, by far eclipsing most European cities of the time, with possible exceptions of Constantinople and Venice. The Aztecs Were the First to Introduce Universal Education The Aztecs were also probably the first nation in the world to ever establish the system of universal mandatory education – it took place before the age of 14 and was carried out by parents under supervision of authorities. Among other things, children had to learn the so-called â€Å"sayings of the old† – a collection of statements that embodied the Aztec ideals and conditioned them for future service. After 14 children attended more advanced schools, divided into two types: the ones dedicated to theoretical sciences like astronomy, writing, mathematics etc., and the ones dealing with military and practical education. All Aztecs Were Warriors Aztec civilization was based on domination over the surrounding peoples and aggressive expansion, and the Aztecs themselves were a nation of warriors from the outset. Being initially a small and insignificant migratory tribe, the Aztecs managed to conquer almost the entire Mesoamerican region in a little more than a century, and warfare occupied one of the central positions in their lifestyle and social arrangement. Aztec empire had a relatively small standing army for its size – only the members of elite warrior societies which were extremely hard to get into, served as full-time military forces. However, military training was an integral part of basic education, and every male Aztec was prepared to the role of a soldier since childhood. Therefore, during military campaigns large numbers of warriors were drafted from commoners. They Took Prisoners to Climb the Social Ladder Warfare was also the only way for a man of low birth to improve his station in life – through showing bravery on the field of battle and, in particular, through capturing enemy warriors alive for the further use as sacrifices. After taking four prisoners, one was accepted into one of elite warrior societies, like Eagle and Jaguar warriors. Taking six prisoners and more led to the greatest possible honor – to be accepted into the most prestigious society, Cuachicqueh, or the Shorn Ones (called so because they shaved their heads except for one braid over the left ear), who served as elite shock troops and swore to kill any of their number who makes a step back during a battle. The Aztecs Used Cacao Beans as Currency Trade was an important component of Aztec everyday life: their merchants travelled all across Mesoamerica and beyond and were united into exclusive guilds, and every large settlement had regular market days on which all kinds of merchandise exchanged hands. Basic currency for all transactions was cacao beans which had to be exported from lowlands. They were used mostly for small purchases; for large transactions the Aztecs used standardized lengths of cotton cloth of varying quality and value (from 65 to 300 beans). The Aztecs Had Some Rather Unusual Laws Aztec empire had a code of laws that regulated everyday life and meted out punishments. However, by our standards these regulations and punishments sometimes look rather bizarre. For example, death penalty (usually through strangulation) was common for serious crimes, which included murder, theft and public drunkenness (unless you were over 70 years old). The most usual punishment for less serious offences was to have your house demolished. These included, for example, petit larceny and wearing of clothes too lavish for your social status. The Aztecs will undoubtedly continue to intrigue us for many years to come. Fortunately, the body of evidence telling us about them is rather large compared with other Mesoamerican cultures, which means that you will have a lot of material for your history essay! References: A. Caso, The Aztecs, People of the Sun (tr. 1958, repr. 1967). Berdan, Frances F., Richard E. Blanton, Elizabeth H. Boone, Mary G. Hodge, Michael E. Smith and Emily Umberger (1996) Aztec Imperial Strategies. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC. Brumfiel, Elizabeth M. (1998) Huitzilopochtlis Conquest: Aztec Ideology in the Archaeological Record. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. Durn, Fray Diego (1964) The Aztecs: The History of the Indians of New Spain. Translated by Fernando Horcasitas and Doris Heyden. Orion Press, New York. Kellogg, Susan (1995) Law and the Transformation of Aztec Culture, 1500-1700. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Leà ³n-Portilla, Miguel (1963) Aztec Thought and Culture: A Study of the Ancient Nhuatl Mind. Univ. Oklahoma Press, Norman. Smith, Michael E. (2003) The Aztecs. 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.