Slapshots And Turns :: essays research papers

Slap shots and Turns   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A downhill skier gracefully completes another turn while an ice hockey player checks an opponent into the glass. The skier sails off a jump like an eagle, just as the hockey player absorbs the blows of opposing players like a tank. The skier lands the jump with precision, as the hockey player stumbles towards the opposing goal. The skier gracefully passes the finish line and stops just as the hockey player shoots the puck. As the skier notices the time of his run, he cries tears of joy because he has just won the gold medal. The hockey player hears the horn sound as his puck sails into the goal. He spits blood out of his mouth as his teammates tackle him because they have just won the Stanley Cup. Both of these athletes have won the highest prize in each of their sports. Both will be hailed by children as gods in the sporting world. However, because these two men are in different sports they will never meet each other. Both will go home and celebrate their accompl ishments in different ways. The public will celebrate along with these two athletes, unaware that they both accomplished the same feat. The public believes these two athletes participated in totally different sports. The public believes that one played the graceful sport of downhill skiing, while the other played the brutal sport of ice hockey. At a superficial level it may appear that these two sports are different, however digging deeper proves that the sports of ice hockey and downhill skiing are quite similar in their technique. Ice hockey and downhill skiing are similar in that both utilize the same method to perpetuate motion. An ice hockey player wears a skate that posses a sharp blade at its base. This blade is believed to merely cut through the ice when movement occurs. This belief is false. In actuality the pressure applied to the blade via the weight of the hockey player causes the blade to melt a small of amount of ice underneath it. Then the blade proceeds to hydroplane over the small film of water melted by the skate. Immediately after the skate has passed over the small film of water it freezes again into ice. This is the reason the ice needs to be smoothed after a match, because it did not freeze into a flat, level surface.

Selfish Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Selfish Edna of The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚   In   Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, the reader immediately notices the sexual undertones of Mrs. Mallard and Robert’s relationship and the strained relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. There are always going to be women who do not want the routine â€Å"married with children† lifestyle, unfortunately in Edna’s time period that was the primary role of women. Had she been living in today perhaps she would have been without a husband and children, possibly totally devoted to a career in the arts and totally single. Back to her reality though: I believe she is unsure if she wants that one true love (supposedly Robert) or if she just wants anyone who will pay her a little attention and is fun (supposedly Alcee Arobin). Edna wants to be Wild and Free, not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but she needs to recognize it for what it is because she is really fooling herself. Edna’s husband is looking for the all devoted wife and mother and Edna is looking for anything that’s not conforming. Due to that it really strikes me as being ironic that she and Mrs. Ratignolle would be such good friends. I can’t tell if that is because secretly maybe Edna wish she could be happy with the life she is leading (like Mrs. Ratignolle) or does she want to have her around as a reminder of all she never wants to be. I found all of her â€Å"times of awakening† to be interesting because they usually included hr being very abrupt and uncooperative with her husband. She liked to wander off without him allot and only seemed to really be happy when quietly tucked away somewhere with someone else (not always a man). I found her to also be a bit vain in that she made sure she got something from everyone she allowed into her life but she didn’t really seem to give back. She was so angry with herself and the world that she was subjected to live the life that she was living that she sometimes wanted to make everyone else pay for it. Her husband and her were apart a lot, so that even if they had been in a good relationship the time apart would have still caused problems â€Å"I believe in out of sight out of mind, rather than, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

The Changing Definition of Jihad Essay -- Jihad, Terrorism, Terrorists

Jihad and the Crusades Every great historical moment, leader and religion is focused around a uniting influence. Saladin, a great Kurdish Muslim warrior during the time of the Crusades, and the Muslim armies employed the lesser, or violent jihad to fortify support and power in the Holy Lands. Throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries the term â€Å"jihad† was used in several different contexts with varying meanings and intentions. Saladin used a favorable definition and interpretation of Jihad in order to unite the Muslims and create a massive army to defend Islam from the Christian Crusaders. In order to completely understand the word, its origins, and its uses, the original passages from the Qur’an must be analyzed and interpreted. Islam, as a faith, is supposed to be peaceful and preaches inner strength. Violence of any kind is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Mohammad and the Islamic faith. The only exception in using violence is in the case of a declared jihad, or holy war for the protection of Islam. The reasons for this exception for violence and its proper uses are controversial in that there is little reassurance that Allah would support or deny support for a war. However it is clear that the meaning and use of jihad was manipulated during the Crusades for the benefit of Islam, as it can be argued that Saladin fought not for Allah, but out of anger towards the Christians and to protect and grow his own wealth and lands. In the present day the term jihad is used more and more in the press however the meaning of the word has gained an increasingly violent connotation over time. While jihad has been bastardized over time it’s origins appear to be pure and devout to the Islamic faith. The history and origins of jihad are found in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad who died in 632 AD. Throughout the Qur’an there are several references to jihad as a personal and inner struggle to become a better person. The Islamic faith is based upon striving for a life that is worthy in God’s eyes. A personal jihad is basically the struggle to avoid temptations and stay on the right path to salvation and for God, which is what the prophet Mohammed preached throughout his life. One scholar writes, â€Å"Muslims for centuries have engaged themselves and the world in pursuit of inner jihad. This has been their way of ... ...an inner struggle to follow the teachings of Islam remains a core value in Muslim faith. While Saladin’s interpretation of Jihad changed the religion of Islam, it was not nearly as radical as the present day alterations. Works Cited Gabrieli, Francesco and E. J. Costello, trans. Arab Historians of the Crusades. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969. "History of Jihad." News on Terror. News on Terror, 04/15/2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. . Ibn Al-Qalanisi. The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades. Trans. H. A. R. Gibb. London: University of London Historical Series V, 1932. "Inner Jihad". The Canadian Society of Muslims. 3/29/10 canada.org/jihadshahid.html>. "Jihad: Holy Struggle or Holy War". CARM. 3/29/10 holy-war>. The Hoy Bible. Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Meridian, 1962. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Edition, revised 2008 paperback edition) Usamah ibn Munqidh. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades. Trans. P. K. Hitti. New York: Columbia University Press, 1929. The Changing Definition of Jihad Essay -- Jihad, Terrorism, Terrorists Jihad and the Crusades Every great historical moment, leader and religion is focused around a uniting influence. Saladin, a great Kurdish Muslim warrior during the time of the Crusades, and the Muslim armies employed the lesser, or violent jihad to fortify support and power in the Holy Lands. Throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries the term â€Å"jihad† was used in several different contexts with varying meanings and intentions. Saladin used a favorable definition and interpretation of Jihad in order to unite the Muslims and create a massive army to defend Islam from the Christian Crusaders. In order to completely understand the word, its origins, and its uses, the original passages from the Qur’an must be analyzed and interpreted. Islam, as a faith, is supposed to be peaceful and preaches inner strength. Violence of any kind is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Mohammad and the Islamic faith. The only exception in using violence is in the case of a declared jihad, or holy war for the protection of Islam. The reasons for this exception for violence and its proper uses are controversial in that there is little reassurance that Allah would support or deny support for a war. However it is clear that the meaning and use of jihad was manipulated during the Crusades for the benefit of Islam, as it can be argued that Saladin fought not for Allah, but out of anger towards the Christians and to protect and grow his own wealth and lands. In the present day the term jihad is used more and more in the press however the meaning of the word has gained an increasingly violent connotation over time. While jihad has been bastardized over time it’s origins appear to be pure and devout to the Islamic faith. The history and origins of jihad are found in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad who died in 632 AD. Throughout the Qur’an there are several references to jihad as a personal and inner struggle to become a better person. The Islamic faith is based upon striving for a life that is worthy in God’s eyes. A personal jihad is basically the struggle to avoid temptations and stay on the right path to salvation and for God, which is what the prophet Mohammed preached throughout his life. One scholar writes, â€Å"Muslims for centuries have engaged themselves and the world in pursuit of inner jihad. This has been their way of ... ...an inner struggle to follow the teachings of Islam remains a core value in Muslim faith. While Saladin’s interpretation of Jihad changed the religion of Islam, it was not nearly as radical as the present day alterations. Works Cited Gabrieli, Francesco and E. J. Costello, trans. Arab Historians of the Crusades. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969. "History of Jihad." News on Terror. News on Terror, 04/15/2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. . Ibn Al-Qalanisi. The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades. Trans. H. A. R. Gibb. London: University of London Historical Series V, 1932. "Inner Jihad". The Canadian Society of Muslims. 3/29/10 canada.org/jihadshahid.html>. "Jihad: Holy Struggle or Holy War". CARM. 3/29/10 holy-war>. The Hoy Bible. Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Meridian, 1962. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Edition, revised 2008 paperback edition) Usamah ibn Munqidh. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades. Trans. P. K. Hitti. New York: Columbia University Press, 1929.

English Composition Essay

There are mixed reviews on online studying. During my research for articles on this subject, I found that more people are choosing online education instead of being in the traditional classroom setting. This appears to be a trend that in the eyes of some people will gain ground on classroom learning. Earning a college degree online will benefit mainly people with full time jobs. As Jessica Groach-Santina views it, â€Å"This form of education, will allow you to learn on your own schedule, put the skills you need directly into practice on the job and give you the valuable technical knowledge that employers are seeking†. Steve Lohr wrote in one of his many articles, â€Å"online education is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in the classroom. † The Department of Education performed a study last year and found students that did some or all of their courses online ranked higher in test performance than average classroom students. Steve Lohr wrote in his article, Online Education Beats the Classroom that â€Å"over the next few years, online education will expand sharply as evidence mounts of its value†. Philip R. Regier, the Dean of Arizona State University, also feels within the next three to five years the online studies will triple. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, also feels more people will be taking classes online. In one of Steve Lohr’s most recent articles titled â€Å"Second Thoughts on Online Education† he back- tracked on some of the earlier statements he made, â€Å"A rush to online education may come at more of a cost than educators may suspect. † After more research concerning online education was conducted by the National Science Foundation and the Education Department, one study showed Hispanics and males did notably worse online. David Figlio, an economist at Northwestern University believes, the reason for the poor grades by these groups, was that males were more than likely waiting until the last minute to do their assignments. They were also putting off viewing lectures and cramming their studies before a test. Another issue could be that English is a second language for some Hispanic men. I understand there are positives and negatives with almost everything one sets out to accomplish. The key to success is, no matter what you set out to achieve, it will take hard work. This is my first time taking courses online and I know it will be as challenging as sitting in a classroom. However, it’s more convenient than going to a class at a certain time and I also get to work at my own pace, to a certain extent. Work Cited MLA: Groach-Santina Jessica. â€Å"The Value Of An Online Degree. † 10 September 2010. 29 September 2010 http://www. online-education. net/articles/general/securing-a-better-future. html MLA: Lohr Steven. â€Å"Study Finds That Online Education Beats The Classroom†. 19 August 2009. 29 September 2010 http://www. bits. blogs. nytimes. com/2009/08/19/study-finds-that-online-education-beats-the-class†¦ MLA: Lohr Steven. â€Å"Second Thoughts On Online Education†. 8 September 2010. 29 September 2010 http://www. bits. blogs. nytimes. com/2010/09/08/second-thoughts-on-online-education/? scp+1&sq

Alcohol and Family Violence Essay

Alcohol and family Violence has been an issues with families for many years, these are two demons that some just can’t break, families have been experiencing the traumatic of one’s physical uncontrollable actions. Alcohol has become one’s stress reliever in all views that it began to take over one’s way of thinking and reaction, this is ways individuals express their evil thoughts and the sad thing it that the abuse of alcohol has a domino effect on their children’s as they become adults and parents later in life. If community members understand violence differently, their responses may be inconsistent and even harmful to victims. (Advocate. Minnesota, (2003)). Almost 6,500 children across the world have been a victim of family violence which leads up to being in a single parent home, One in three children globally (30%) said as leader of their country; they would tackle violence by improving law and order. For children in developing countries, improving education (17%) was the next priority (compared with just 6% of children in developed countries). (2003). Child Fund.) Finally, a 1991 study in the United States found that the average amount of alcohol consumed prior to the use of violence was only a few drinks, which â€Å"suggests that the act of drinking may be more related to woman abuse than the effect of alcohol.† Two other studies indicate that drug use is more strongly correlated to domestic violence than is alcohol. (2003). Child Fund.) Improving their self-esteem, they abuse the victim physically, emotionally, and sometimes, sexually. Another key factor in wife abuse is alcohol. When the man is stressed, he turns to alcohol to relieve it. Little does he know that the alcohol makes him more irritable? â€Å"He started really drinking excessively and that is when the abuse started. He had been drinking I sat down to read the paper and he wanted his supper . . . he kicke d the cat to the ceiling, he started slapping my face with both hands,† (Berger, 1990, pg. 42). So, if you’re in an abusive relationship what is the best way to get out and stop of the battering abuse? After notorious acts of abuse, usually, the woman will finally realize that the situation will never get better. Basically there  are three basic reasons why women leave a violent relationship: Educated themselves about the necessary available help, being faced with the impact on their children (mentally, physical, sexually and courage to know when enough is enough) and women having a tolerance level of abuse. (Berger, 1990, pg. 48). Family Violence is Willfully or knowingly placing, or attempting to place, a family member in fear of hurt, causing hurt, wrongful confinement or restraint against the family member’s will or continual harassment which causes anguish.. A family member can be your spouse or ex-spouse, child (including adopted and step child), sibling, parent or in-law. Now there are many factors that contribute to family violence, the most commonly see n are the characteristics of the abused and the abuser. There is no one specific country or culture that is more abusive than another, abuse is spread across countries, cultures, socio-economic statuses, races, religion and ethnic groups (Goldman, Salus, Wolcott & Kennedy, 2009). For example, one may be very educated and well-kept but if unable to control behavior caused by emotions, he may be abusive. While if one may be poor and lowly educated, if he is well controlled in his behaviors and emotions, he will then not be abusive. More often, in cases of child abuse, the abuser usually a parent, father or mother, could be one who may be in situations of stress or someone who simply cannot control their emotions, anger. In a paper written by Professor Harry J. Gaynor (1998), in 1,356 cases of child abuse reported by National Burn Victim Foundation, there were 176 spontaneous cases, of which 97% of them are parents that are known to have aggressive response behavior. There are two kinds of aggressive response, active and passive. Active aggressive behaviors do not have concern over the impact that anger will have to the abused, this translates to actions of hurting the abused verbally, could be hurling hurtful words, humiliating, and physically, hitting the abused. While the passive aggressive response behaviors are those that have cooped up, suppressing negative emotions of a length of time and a blow up or breakdown can be expected, this translates to behavior of neglect and not paying attention to the abused (Gaynor, 1998). Children are victims of adult’s uncontrollable behavior of anger. As much as we blame abusers, and we should look at their background and past, that when they were children were tormented as well. Baltimore County, Maryland Police Department (2012),  shared some facts about child abusing inmates, that 84% of them were abused as children, families with more than four children have higher rates of abused and neglect, more than 80% of the abusers are parent or someone the child is close to and parents on drugs is physically abused regularly. There are parental histories and the cycle of abuse that we have to factor into the characteristics of the abuser. Many of these individuals who are maltreating their own children were victims of abuse and neglect themselves. (Goldman et al., 2003). There is no major difference in percentage of perpetrators being female or male. An apparent close percentage of 50% and 58% of mothers and fathers are found to abuse their own children. However, while single mothers are accused of child neglect, many fathers who abandon the child are almost never considered in the neglect (Newton, 2001). Abuse often happen in environment or family situation where it is overcrowded, usually happens with families with more than four children. If the living conditions are cramped and isolated and parents do not hold proper stable jobs, the chances of abuse in those families, whether parent-child or sibling abuse may occur (Baltimore County, Maryland Police Department, 2012). From the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders (n.d.), some causes of abuse at times are simply due to parent’s ignorance of developmental stages. This ignorance can lead to frustration and eventually aggressive behaviors. They are under stress because their child has issues with toilet training or not meeting their expectations. Understanding developmental stages can help parents to understand their child’s learning curve better and they will learn to cope with their expectation. Another cause is mental disorders, parent with depression, personality disorders or anxiety disorder etc., can affect their ability to care for their children. The abused, children as the focus, can contribute toward family violence toward themselves and they may never know it. Disabled children, children with mental disorders, children with development disorders, hyperactive children are all at a higher risk compared to a healthy child in receiving abuse. These children have needs that are special, if they do not attain required needs, manner of communication from them can be highly distressing. According to Sullivan (1996) from the Boys Town National Research Hospital, children with disabilities are found to be at greater risk of abuse and neglect compared to children without disabilities (Official Journal of the American Academy  of Pediatrics, 2001). Children with disabilities of any form may be unable to retort, have no understanding that they are abused or cannot communicate the happenings of the abuse may have issues because adults know that they can get away with it because their abuses will not be reported. Knowing one can get away with it makes it easier to push through the abuse compared to risking the child complaining to others about the abuse. Children although still the ultimate victims whether or not they are the cause of the abuse and abused children and the abuser may have much effect in the society. There are long term effects surrounding family violence and any forms of family violence have effects to both the abused and the abuser. Some of the effects are physical and neurobiological, cognitive and emotional and social and educational. First, physical and neurological damages are the visible effects on a child, direct trauma from physical abuse can cause ruptured organs and even possible brain deformity or retardation. Neglect will cause the child to be underfed and/or nutritional deficit, the child will have slow growth rate and development of the physical and brain would be unhealthy. This makes deficient in mental growth as well. Repeated trauma produces changes in the neurochemistry of the brain that affects memory formation. This causes the person to will time to time continually getting flashbacks of fragmented memories of emotions throughout their life. Cognitive and emotional damages are relative unseen. Some children resort into extreme methods to deal with the trauma tic experiences. Some lash out at people around them and themselves. Some become depressed and do things that make them feel better, example by taking drugs and alcohol, some even go to the extent of attempting suicide. Bonding and attachments with their parents or people in general may cease and understanding of the abusing behavior might become permanent if assistance does not come. Children that have been abused also show no concern when someone else is under distress, they may even result to behave in ways like hitting the other child the same way their abuser did to them (Sigelman & Rider, (2012). A social and educational effect becomes obvious when the child become less sociable or not sociable at all, isolating himself. The child may also become distrustful toward people in general making them unable to properly have a normal relationship. Due to this, the child will grow up having issues with self-esteem, have low level of confidence. Behaviorally, some children may  grow up to become abusive or they become isolated (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, n.d.). Some of the children who do not seek and have support to recovery may consider what they have been through has normal and appropriate. This is how the cycle of abuse goes on. Abused children are often emotionally and physically in pain at school; hence they are unable to concentrate at what they have to do, leading to them falling behind their grades. They find it hard to make friends and hence either become a bully or get bullied at school as well. Because of this, teachers at school might see them as a problematic child if they are not aware of the happenings that are going on at home. With society (school) labeling them as problematic and being abused at home by parents they are likely to feel rejected by everyone. Intervention as a Human Services Professional I would suggest that all family members seek counseling to express all issues and get to the root cause of the problem. When children are involved seeing a therapist with the family and without the parents would be one of my intervention to help their family, I would also have the parents go to parenting classes. Resource: Advocate. Minnesota, (2003).Alcohol and Domestic Violence. www.umn.edu/hutments/svaw/ domestic/link/alcohol.htm Attorney-General’s Chambers (31 October 2009). Interpretation of this Part. In Women’s Charter (Chapter 353, Section 64). Retrieved from http://statutes.agc.gov.sg Baltimore County, Maryland. (2 January 2013). Facts About Child Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/community/abuse.html (2003). Child Fund. www.childfund.org.av/publication/new-childfund-survey-fines-assive-kids-blame-alcohol-number-one-cause-violence Gaynor, H. J. (1998). The Root of Child Abuse: Anger. Retrieved from http://www.aaets.org/article63.htm Goldman, J., Salus, M. K., Wolcott, D., Kennedy, K. Y. (2003). A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/foundation/foundatione.cfm

Living together before marriage Essay

The beautiful wedding and the romantic honeymoon are over; now it’s time for the real work to begin – the marriage. You move into your dream home ready to begin your life together, but this is the first time you are living together as a couple and there will be some challenges. Each of your habits, good and bad but mostly bad, will emerge. For him, it’s leaving his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, leaving plates and cups all over the house, leaving the toilet seat up or having an obsession with pornography. For her, it’s leaving her cosmetics in the bathroom sink, squeezing the toothpaste from the middle, not liking to do housework or not being able to cook a decent meal. All of these habits could have been predetermined from simply living together before the marriage; which could also avoid a difficult situation. Living together before marriage is a wonderful way to begin a relationship that may lead to marriage. In the past, it was considered scandalous for a couple to live together before marriage, however, in today’s society it is a necessity. Opponents of cohabitation before marriage believe that there is a higher probability of divorce when couples live together before marriage. For them, cohabitating before marriage is a bad idea as it can lead to poor communication, a lower quality relationship, and ultimately divorce. Many persons, however, take the step of cohabitation to prevent going into a marriage that may be short-lived and end in divorce. They believe that it is best to live together before marriage to test the relationship. If they live well together just as a couple, it will be an easy transition when living together married. Cohabitating before marriage can help determine whether or not the relationship will last, how difficult it will be to maintain, what problems can arise once the couple reside together, and how these problems will be solved. Living together before marriage is a precursor to living together when married as the kinks can be worked out, which can lead to a happier and longer marriage. Other opponents of cohabitation before marriage believe that once they live together before marriage the mystery and surprise of getting to know the spouse is lost. They believe that because the couple has already learnt all of spouse’s quirks and habits. However, proponents of living together before marriage believe that couples should really know what they are getting into before marriage. For instance, they could learn if their partner is messy or clean, or if one person believes that the housework should be done by one partner or shared between the two partners. It is often said that you really don’t know a person until you live with them. In living together before marriage they will learn their partner’s habits, regular activities, routines, and see how well their individual quirks mesh with each other. When living apart, either party can hide certain bad habits from the other partner, however, when living together they can only hide their shortcomings for so long and eventually their true colors will be exposed. Once you live together before marriage and the parties are getting along and are compatible, there is a good chance that this behavior will continue once they get married. In the event they are not compatible, many see living together before marriage as a lower risk as if the relationship fails breaking up is considered easier than divorce. Opponents of cohabiting before marriage also believe that this brings unnecessary problems with money and finances. They believe that dealing with one person’s finances can be stressful, so adding another person’s finances into the mix will only increase the stress. This stress can be avoided once the decision to live together before marriage is made. Both parties can agree on a budget that will ensure not more is spent that what is allocated, for instance, on bills and recreational items. Once they live together, finances and the money saved can be shared between the two of them. Living together means one rental payment and one set of household bills including utilities and gas. It also allows both parties to save for other financial goals, such as investments, savings or spending the funds on the wedding. Cohabitating before marriage also gives the couple the chance to determine before the marriage how the household finances will be handled. They can decide if one person will be responsible or if it will be a joint effort. They can test run if one person is better with the finances than the other, instead of once being married arguing about it. Living together before marriage can also reveal if either party has bad spending habits of excessive debt, which they may hide living separately. I strongly believe that it is indeed important for couples to live together before marriage. It is a responsible and reasonable decision for a couple to cohabitate before making the life changing decision to marry. For me it makes sense to share one unit as both persons will learn of each other’s habits, routines, regular activities, and personal differences; then decide whether or not they want to continue in the relationship. Both partners will learn the other partner’s likes and dislikes, each others expectations of the relationship and how to cope in stressful times. Cohabitating before marriage can save a person from an unhappy, unhealthy marriage. Living together before marriage is definitely a necessity!

Cultural Considerations

Abstract In this paper, we will discuss the cultural differences faced within the criminal justice system. The differences include cultural beliefs, practices, race, gender, and etc. The criminal justice system in the United States does not have an exact solution on how to proceed and embed our country with the cultures beliefs and practices performed by now citizens of the United States. Within this paper, the cultural concerns will be addressed along with possible solutions on how to involve other cultural practices within our own western society.Lastly, Affirmative Action, the Employment Opportunity Act , and other nondiscrimination practices will be examined on how they have impacted the minority population along with the criminal justice system. Cultures & Criminal Law There are many cultures that reside within the United States. Within these cultures come different religious practices and cultural beliefs about their lives, in which some people may disagree about. So, if we do disagree about their beliefs, does it give us the right in the United States to imply we cannot perform those practices here because it’s against our laws?Actions that are illegal here may not be illegal in the country from where the individual is from, are to step aside and allow them to practice the belief anyways? The answer to both questions is â€Å"No†. We must not ignore both situations; this will only cause conflict and heartache for those involved. Criminal law with its emphasis on formal values such as legality and legal certainty faces problems when encountering social issues and social questions that relate to cultural conflicts and different perceptions of substantial principles of justice and morality (Nuotio, 2008).Due to the flexibility of criminal law, cultural issues may be taken into the account in various ways, should this turn out to be necessary. Criminal law is also a cultural phenomenon itself, representing the values of the community. Western c riminal justice is surely individualistic in many ways, as it aims at allocating blame and responsibility to individuals for their wrongful actions. At the same time, it is the part of law through which the political community largely defines itself be deciding about issues of right and wrong.In a modern context, cultural diversity causes extra pressure on political and legal systems, but it does actually render modern law even more important than before, and the substantial disagreements cannot be handled otherwise. One problem that we also must consider is that, even taking cultural context into account in criminal law might itself become a denunciatory practice, a denial of recognition. This view indicates that culture is like nature in that it influences and even determines the actions of the individual, thus limiting individual responsibility on factual grounds.Culture would then be regarded as a kind of force that actually diminishes responsibility for one’s actions in declaring it traditional and customary instead of highlighting its individuality. It is therefore, crucially important to think carefully about how and why culture matters. It might be that both culture and law have the potential to work towards non-recognition or misrecognition. Culture itself is not innocent in this respect. Cultural conflicts often have to do with the fact that different meanings are associated with actions and events by their various participants.The key question is then whether we must guarantee that the legal imputations always respect such cultural sensitivities. Are we generally entitled to have our own personal world-view respected by the courts when they decide cases in which we are involved? Would other solutions mean that some aspects that are constitutive of our identity will be publicly rejected? The conflict may often between the two expressions: that of the action itself, and that of its legal interpretation. Criminal law aims at replacing the meanin g and evaluation of the act given by the actor himself or herself, or the community, by a legal assessment of it.This might turn into a conflict of interpretation. Criminal law is a sort of institutionalized denial, taking standpoints and presenting them over the heads of the individuals in question as it communicates and allocates blame. For example, (Nuotio, 2008), suggests we could, more, generally, expect to see clashes over rights at every level (freedom rights, political rights, welfare rights), and we could also presume that at least some cultural conflicts will arise in the context in which defenders of a tradition are enforcing a traditional morality that clashes with the rights of the  individual.There are incidents of honor offences concerning forced marriages in which the father or brothers have violently forced an unwilling bride to marry or even killed her when she has insisted on marrying someone of her own choice. It is not rather contradictory if a person who hers elf fully enjoys all the rights and protection granted to her in a modern society strives to defend a cultural practice that is not compatible with such rights? We live in an iron cage, prisoners of our legal framework which has developed over many centuries. Against the Law?Actions may be wrong, no persons. The legal imputation should never, however, appear as fully accidental and surprising. Legal imputation requires a sociological back-up. People need to understand what has happened and why the legal system intervened. The criminal law provisions defining various offences are deemed to refer to actions in an understandable way, all of which takes place under the fundamental challenge of legitimacy and justice. Criminal laws do not speak directly about identities, as this field of law limits itself to issues concerning actions.But certain actions that are prohibited as criminally wrong might be relevant for the identity of particular persons. Issues related to sexual crimes produc e quite strong images of sexual manners and sexual identities. Such issues are being dealt with in modern criminal justice by a more fine-tuned approach than before. The protected interest is sexual autonomy, not public morals. However, while it seem reasonable to direct efforts toward recognizing cultural identity, respecting diversity to the point of justifying acts that threaten society’s values seems a dubious, even dangerous, policy.It would be difficult for a society to accept that certain acts to be tolerated and even justified solely on the basis of respecting the customs of other cultures; one need only think of the conflicts resulting from the justification of domestic abuse or violence. Communitarian policies of this nature could give rise to social instability, counterproductive to the goal of crime prevention (Carnevali, 2009). Police, EEO, & Affirmative Action Cultural differences in America will affect not only our laws, but the law enforcer whom enforce the la ws to start.It is important for police to understand the cultural experiences and dynamics of the communities they serve, these concerns go further. One of the reasons for focusing on cultural and other differences is that different people can have profoundly different experiences of the same event. There is no single, monolithic truth, but rather widely varying perceptions of reality. These perceptions are influenced by a number of factors; cultural background is one of them (Texas Highway Patrol Association Magazine, 2001).Along with cultural differences comes â€Å"cultural laws† to help protect those from discrimination from jobs, schools, disability, race, gender, and genetics. One of those laws include the Equal Employment Opportunity Act; applicants to and employees of most private employers, state and local governments, educational institutions, employment agencies and labor organizations are protected under federal law from discrimination on the following basis: race , color religion, sex, national origin; disability; age; sex (wages); genetics; and retaliation ( www. eeoc. gov.)Another law to mention that helped many minorities especially African Americans is Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action is a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination between applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future. Applicants may be seeking admission to an education program or looking for professional employment (Legal Information Institute, 2014). Within these laws no person shall be turned down or turn away due to the color of their skin, gender, religious background, and etc.These laws have provided different races to choose our country to reside in maybe because of these laws, but many people have gotten better employment, able to attend colleges, and etc. Conclusion As long as we are the United States, there will be many different cultures and people in this country. This is what makes our country unique because we accept and enjoy people from different countries making the United States their home for the time being or permanent. However, with opening our doors to different people, also brings their culture with them.Now are we suppose to let them do whatever they want because their past country was acceptance of the practice, â€Å"No†, but this also does not mean we will not try to compromise with the practice by suggesting other methods or working out a solution to assist in resolving the issue. Last but not least, our country needs to make laws to embrace other cultural beliefs by exploring other options if not acceptance by our law in this country. Until then, cultural difference, practice, or religious belief will need to be taken into court, where the courts can make decision on what is acceptable by our law.