July 1, 2010
How many times have you been to an unfamiliar town or city and found yourself desperate for the loo but with no idea where the nearest public convenience might be?
This is the premise behind the idea for this project. To produce a resource so those unfamiliar with their current surroundings will be able to attend to that basic human need with the minimum of fuss. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew where the nearest convenience was if you were on a beach, in a town centre, or how far you had to go while travelling on the motorway? Or if you were just coming home after a boisterous night out at a pub? The inspiration for this website came about after hearing a set of outrageous stories about getting caught short whilst out and about. (more…)
June 22, 2010
Jealousy is defined by Daly, Wilson & Weghorst (1982) as a “state that is aroused by a perceived threat to a valued relationship or position and motivates behaviour aimed at countering the threat”. There is empirical support to suggest that there is sexual differentiation in responses to scenario’s which elicit jealous reactions (Pietrzak, Laird, Stevens & Thompson, 2002). In a study conducted at the Australian National University in 2000, more men than women endorsed sexual infidelity as most distressing. The type of infidelity found more distressing to males and females is explained and justified by the evolutionary hypothesis (EH). It suggests that sex differences have their origins in the evolutionary process and are to be found universally (Buss, Larsen & Westen, 1996). Conversely the double-shot hypothesis (DS) suggests that men and women select the more distressing type of infidelity they think implies the occurrence of the other. Finally proponents of each hypothesis point to results and methodological deficiencies of the other hypothesis to undermine its claims. Although both hypotheses have reason to be believed the latter seems to be displaced by the amount of compelling evidence which suggests that sex differences have their origins in an evolutionary process that results in the different reactions to infidelity shown by men and women. (more…)
June 16, 2010
The novel Shogun, by James Clavell is not just a book, but a cultural insight into a country that has flourished for over a thousand years, and is as rich, diverse and beautiful, as it is violent and cruel. The novel deals with themes and issues such as cultural acceptance, death, tradition and religion, to mention a few, and the story progresses through the eyes of numerous characters, both Japanese and European.
The setting for Shogun is Japan in the year 1600. The main characters are John Blackthorne, whose dream is to be the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, to break the monopoly the Portuguese and Spanish have on trade between Japan and China and to return home famous and wealthy; Toranaga, the most powerful lord in Japan, who’s burning desire is become the Shogun, (the supreme military dictator) and to unite the waring samurai clans under his own leadership; and the Lady Mariko, who is a Catholic convert who must decide whether to support the Church or her own county - these loyalties however, are confused when she falls in love with Blackthorne. The novel begins when Blackthorn’s ship hits a reef while trying desperately to escape a storm. Incidentally, the ship is wrecked and Blackthorne and his crew are stranded on an uncharted landmass. Over the next few days, Blackthorne discovers that he is in Nihon or Japan and that his crew is being held captive. He whiteness first had the extremes of violence akin to the Japanese, when a Samurai hacks off a man’s head for being impolite. (more…)
June 3, 2010
Law Enforcement. Just writing the two words together brings back old memories of TV shows featuring a grizzled detective smoking a large cigar. I picture Martin Lawrence and Will Smith blowing up half of Miami in their attempts to catch the bad guys. In reality, none of this is true. None of this even shines a candle on the true work of law enforcement officers. It is the most underrated, thankless, and poorly portrayed career in the world. A federal law enforcement position takes more time and dedication than any other law enforcement job in the world. It is my hope to shed some light on what a federal law enforcement officer really does, and for my purposes, I am using the specific career of FBI Special Agent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation began its mission in 1908 when the first director was appointed. Since that time, it has become the primary investigative division for the United States government. The FBI is responsible for enforcing over 260 federal statutes, and also for conducting investigations pertaining to National Security. In recent years, and with the events of September 11, 2001, the FBI’s mission has doubled. (more…)
May 26, 2010
It is unfortunate that we, the inhabitants of earth, are unable to see the trials and tribulations we subject earth to on a daily basis. When discussions regarding the environment arise, most of us have the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. However, when farmers have no crops or when the sky cries acid or wild animals eat our live stock, then we become outraged. According, Genesis 1:27, we are to subdue the earth (not destroy the earth.)
We human are killing our mother earth and everything thing in it by not protecting our environment. We inflict harm on earth every day as if it has done something to us or performed unsatisfactory. It is most unfortunate that we cannot see first hand the destruction we are causing. We don’t see the rapid extinction of numerous species due to deforestation. It is pitiful that we can feel the warming due to the holes in the ozone layer but we still own and drive multiple cars daily. It’s sad how we see a plume of smog in the middle of the day that hangs over our city like a halo hangs over an angel and we still do nothing. Also, it is amazing is how we watch the discovery channel and see the people in third world countries taking bathes and drinking the same water that the animal bath in because that all they have but we still water our lawns and some wash their cars daily. What do you say to mountain lions killing or eating family pets tied up in the yard because they think it prey only because we have invaded their space? We don’t say anything, we get our gun and we kill the mountain lion, in the mountain. Also remaining is the fact that most people have never seen the trees of an entire valley cut down or the coastline blackened by spilled oil. We don’t care, we have got to have paper and we need the oil and there is more where it came from. (more…)
May 22, 2010
America has long been called the most powerful nation, but are we really as secure as we think. America has many nuclear weapons and could destroy any opposing country. Our military is sizable and so are our navy and marine forces, but America is not ready for any type of Biological, Chemical, or nuclear attacks. “Before September eleventh, the threat of an attack with weapons of mass destruction was just theoretical” says Janet Williams, a reporter from the BBC news station.
In a survey carried out by a team from West Virginia University before September eleventh, thirty U.S. hospitals were contacted at random. A total of twenty six said they would only be able to handle a maximum of fifteen victims in the event of a bio-terror attack. Twenty two of those hospitals revealed they would not be able to handle a chemical or nuclear attack. It is apparent that America would not be able to handle the amount of casualties in the event of a bio-terror attack if all hospitals follow this trend.
In the event of a dirty bomb, a makeshift bomb made from unsafe materials such as cesium 137 and cobalt 60, being placed near the capital there would be wide spread, irrational panic. The average cancer risks are about two thousand deaths per ten thousand or around twenty percent. Here is a scenario, if ten pounds of TNT and a pea sized sample of cesium 137 were placed in Washington DC, the initial casualties would be limited to the site of explosion, which would mainly be by cancer from radiation. The EPA contamination threshold is an increase of one cancer death per ten thousand people. (more…)
May 18, 2010
Abortion is never an easy decision; even today women have the legal right to make that choice for many reasons. In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a woman’s right to an abortion is protected by the Constitution. However, the Roe v. Wade decision did not put an end to the controversy over the morality of this right. There are people in our society who still don’t accept legal abortion. They still have the opposing idea that abortion is an act of directly killing “innocent children,” and they want to stop it. On the contrary, most Americans today favor legal abortion and think it should remain legal. Dr. Charles F. Westoff, in a critique of the feminist agenda for international population policy today, says that legal abortion respects “the dignity, choice and rights of the woman and the family”. For me, legal abortion is a gift for women who feel the need to abort a child for the benefits of their lives.
Each side in the abortion controversy has adopted a term they apply that summarizes its moral identity. The anti-abortion side is “pro-life”. They recognize the difficulties for the woman with an unwanted pregnancy and offer many ways to help pregnant women. Michelle Meyer of San Antonio, a teacher who opposes abortion, would help her pregnant students by finding places for them to live while waiting for their pregnancies to come to term. Julie Stone who works as a volunteer at a pro-life crisis center said, “If a woman should decide to abort, we do not judge her, but try to help her find post-abortion counseling should she need it”. However, these anti-abortion partisans do not prepare to accept abortion because they believe that it is the killing of human life. The fetus is a person, a human being, and having abortion is ending a person’s life and a murder.
(more…)
May 13, 2010
Over the years population problems have haunted countries all over the world. Factors such as mortality and birth rates usually balance out the population situation but there are still other characteristics that need to be accounted for such as fertility, birth control technology, public health medicine, and immigration/urbanization. Every country around the world has its own unique population pattern. Individually the pattern might seem unimportant but collectively all the patterns control the world’s population.
The means for measuring the population in the Unites States is called a census. A census is the periodic governmental count of the population. The Census Bureau conducts a census every 10 years. The 2000 census shows that the United States population is over 280 million people making it the third largest populated country after China and India. The United States also has the fastest growing population in the world due to our high fertility and immigration. The Census Bureau predicts that the fertility and immigration levels will stay the same and 50 years from now the population would have increased 120 million. If this prediction is true that means the amount of people currently living west of the Mississippi River will be added to the existing population. Currently the population is growing at around 3 million people a year.
Fertility is a major factor driving the population in the United States and also is a characteristic that affects both men and women. Although the United States has a fertility rate that is 35% higher than those found in Canada and Europe, everyday more people are being found sterile. Some of these cases are due to consequential early life decisions and others due to medical procedures. Studies show that smoking marijuana and steroid use can often lead to low sperm count or permanent sterilization. Men can also have a procedure called a vasectomy done which allows them to still have an erection while not ejaculating any sperm. Women are not excluded from fertility issues. Hysterectomies and having the fallopian tubes tied along with natural infertility prevent pregnancy therefore somewhat controlling the population. (more…)
May 5, 2010
When comparing the culture of India to today’s American culture, there seems to be a great deal of differences, but a few similarities seem to show through as well. Both countries are highly populated, but the varying cultures between the two carry a great affect on the social status of the country overall. Seeing the prominent differences will give a clear view of what causes problems for the Indian culture.
India, the second most populated, is a very culturally diverse country. There are the Aryans in the northern part, and the Dravidians in the southern part. Numerous types and variations of languages are spoken their country, including Hindi, which is mainly spoken in the north, and another major language being English. Their constitution recognizes a list of fifteen regional languages spoken throughout the country.
The Indian economy is divided into two separate countries, the first mentioned being village India. Village residents get most of their economic aid from farming and agriculture. Their main crops of productions are rice, wheat, pulses, sugarcane, and corn. Cotton, tobacco, oilseeds, and jutes are the main non food crops. Sadly, in this part of the country, tens of millions of Indians live below the poverty level. The second type of Indian country economy, Urban India, is mostly consists of industrialization. (more…)
April 12, 2010
The year was 1929. This is the start of the biggest national crisis since the civil war. It was the Great Depression. The stock market was going in a slump that started in October. By the end of Hoover’s term in office unemployment rates had sky rocketed and left 12 to 14 million without jobs, and the supply of money was scarce and only getting worse.
There are many reasons that the Great Depression started. One of the most well known causes is the stock market crash that happened on October 29, 1929. Before this day the stock market had grown considerably, making companies profits go up. General Electric had tripled in value which came out to about $396 per share of stock. After October 29th, 1992 many business lost thousand of dollars, money that had just seemed to vanish into this air, never to be seen again. The stock market crash was followed by many cuts that had to be made by businesses concerning how many workers they could have and how much to pay the workers that they could keep. Since companies could not afford to keep many of its workers and actually pay them, Hoover ordered federal departments and head of the government of organization for construction processes to be sped up to make more rooms for jobs for the unemployed. After the shock had passed Hoover announced that the worst was over and that unemployment rates were starting to get back on track. Little did he know that at that time unemployment was the only thing getting back on track for the United States. Another reason for the start of the Great Depression was overproduction. Many companies made too many products and people did not have the money to buy the products to get businesses back the money that they spent making that product, so businesses lost a large amount of their money by overproduction. (more…)
