Racial Identity and Religion

Racial Identity and Religion Introduction Cultural differences can be explained using multicultural concepts that may include racial identity and religion. These two concepts can summarize the behavioral norms in both a single cultured and a multicultural society. Both concepts are important in enhancing the development of co-habitation in the contemporary fast growing world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Racial Identity and Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Multicultural concepts do also come in handy in societal development especially when they tackle the subject in question on an interaction perspective. This is because development does not take place in single isolated variables. They take place in totality. This work gives a brief but comprehensive discussion of the two multicultural concepts which are quite significant in the understanding of cultural differences. Racial Identity It should be noted that the genesis of ra cial concepts is closely related to the classification of human beings. Many racial theories have attempted to demarcate and elevate one particular social group from others, thereby justifying the oppression and exploitation of certain ethnic groups who are presumed to be inferior. The inferiority concept here refers to the level of intelligence, degree of morality, physicality of the individuals in the social group and culture of the social group (Fedelina and Guido-Dibrito, 1999). As a result, there was the institutionalization of enslavement of Africans by the whites. Another act that is related to racialism is the terrorism committed against particular groups. Racial identity is the subjective sense of an invigorating sameness and continuity. The concept is known to interact closely with the social class, culture, gender and other biological factors. Racial identity takes on many forms. The concept begins during the early stages of childhood development and develops rapidly amon gst groups so visibly recognized by race. Such messages are conveyed through metacommunications which are subtle and often unspoken messages that are learned early in life and reinforced without the aid of spoken words. Thus, it may not emanate from the teachings of parents. This is pretty evident especially in racially integrated schools. In such schools, there are racially homogeneous eating areas in lunch rooms. The unspoken rule in these lunch rooms is that boundaries must not be violated. Thus, whites eat with whites; blacks eat with blacks, Hispanics with Hispanics and so forth. This instance explains the fact that even without parents verbal teachings on racial orientations, racialism can still be conveyed implicitly in racially segregated housing patterns and socioeconomic relationships.Advertising Looking for research paper on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As an individual matures, he or she develops a personality that is informed by social and moral attitudes, behaviors, and feelings. It should be noted that social and personality developments are strongly intertwined with racial presumptions that are learned through copying (Fedelina and Guido-Dibrito, 1999). This habit is internalized and further enhanced by the need to conform the prevailing racial norms so that the individual’s characters are socially acceptable. It is quite disheartening to understand that racial segregation still has its roots in the modern society. In places where race is still a powerful divider, sociocultural backgrounds and ethnical similarities do not matter a lot even if it is within the particular social group. The reality of sociocultural and ethnical similarities is quite irrelevant in such situations. A good example is the relationship between the Whites and the Blacks in America. Their cultural similarities are so obvious to people living outside the United States. However, racial spheres still exist and it is the major tool that obfuscates the two races. Religion Religion is the culture of a belief in a deity or a superior being that is believed to control natural phenomena among those who practice it. Religion concerns with nature and life’s purpose especially when viewed in the perspective of creation and a holy being (Culture and religion, 2010). Religion is actually a wide subject that requires extensive research concerned with the development of personalities in a multicultural society. There are so many religions at present and they include Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism among many others. The above are just the major religions. Otherwise, there are many other religions whose beliefs are practiced by fewer numbers of the population. In a multicultural society, it is quite difficult to enhance specific religious convictions. In the western society, for example, Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian an d Chinese people jostle every street. The presence of these people comes along with different cultural and religious backgrounds. Such kinds of society are usually faced with the problems of decisions on how to adjust to make their own ways. Such people may insist upon many religious beliefs as essential tools for the satisfactory livelihood of the entire community in question. Thus, there must be a visible line that distinguishes between religion and culture is such a pluralistic society (Culture and religion, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Racial Identity and Religion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is here that pluralism must take effect so as to take care of the various modes of freedom. These forms of freedoms include the freedom to believe or not to believe, and the freedom to conform or not to conform. Also in this system lies the freedom from the domination of one religious group. Religi ous beliefs are taught to children and enhanced through internalization and the need to maintain the individuality and character of the religion. Some people tend to be exclusivists by thinking that only their religion is right. Integration plays a major role in the adaptation and acceptance of different religious groups. It is through integration, adaptation and acceptance that a particular religious group may secure homes, incomes, and amenities together with other different groups. In many urban multicultural societies, religious affiliations have continued to diminish in use as a benchmark for public decision making. The act of assimilation in exclusivist societies is quite difficult taking into consideration that most of these societies come from rural backgrounds. Exposure to different religious beliefs other than ones own is a factor that plays a big role in acceptance of the other religions. However, it should be noted that integration of particular religious groups is quite different from assimilation. Assimilation is not easy when dealing with enhancement and maintenance of a particular religion. However, integration is quite easy because it comes along with acceptance that means trust. As it is well known, trust is not a threat to the society as a whole. Conclusion Many racial theories have attempted to demarcate and elevate one particular social group from others, thereby justifying the oppression and exploitation of certain ethnic groups who are presumed to be inferior. Racial identity is the subjective sense of an invariant sameness and continuity. The concept is known to interact closely with the social class, culture, gender and other biological factors. On the other hand, religion is the culture of a belief in a deity or a superior being that is believed to control natural phenomena among those who practice it. In a multicultural society, religion requires integration to develop the culture of acceptance and adaptability.Advertising Looking for research paper on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Culture and religion, (2010). Culture and Religion: Thoughts on Religion. Retrieved from cultureandreligion.com/html/thoughts_on_religion.html Fedelina, A., Guido-Dibrito, F. (1999). Racial and Ethnic Identity and Development. New Directions For Adult And Continuing Education. No. 84. Web.

American Civil War - American Civil War Eastern Theater 1863 to 1865

American Civil War - American Civil War Eastern Theater 1863 to 1865 Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page | Civil War 101 Grant Comes East In March 1864, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant to lieutenant general and gave him command of all Union armies. Grant elected to turn over operational control of the western armies to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and shifted his headquarters east to travel with Maj. Gen. George G. Meades Army of the Potomac. Leaving Sherman with orders to press the Confederate Army of Tennessee and take Atlanta, Grant sought to engage General Robert E. Lee in a decisive battle to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia. In Grants mind, this was the key to ending the war, with the capture of Richmond of secondary importance. These initiatives were to be supported by smaller campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley, southern Alabama, and western Virginia. The Overland Campaign Begins the Battle of Wilderness In early May 1864, Grant began moving south with 101,000 men. Lee, whose army numbered 60,000, moved to intercept and met Grant in a dense forest known as the Wilderness. Adjacent to the 1863 Chancellorsville battlefield, the Wilderness soon became a nightmare as the soldiers fought through the dense, burning woods. While Union attacks initially drove the Confederates back, they were blunted and forced to withdrawal by the late arrival of Lt. Gen. James Longstreets corps. Assaulting the Union lines, Longstreet recovered the territory that had been lost, but was severely wounded in the fighting. After three days of the fighting, the battle had turned into a stalemate with Grant having lost 18,400 men and Lee 11,400. While Grants army had suffered more casualties, they comprised a lesser proportion of his army than Lees. As the Grants goal was to destroy Lees army, this was an acceptable outcome. On May 8, Grant ordered the army to disengage, but rather than withdrawal towards Washington, Grant ordered them to continue moving south. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Marching southeast from the Wilderness, Grant headed for Spotsylvania Court House. Anticipating this move, Lee dispatched Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson with Longstreets corps to occupy the town. Beating the Union troops to Spotsylvania, the Confederates constructed an elaborate set of earthworks in the rough shape of an inverted horseshoe with a salient at the northern point known as the Mule Shoe. On May 10, Col. Emory Upton led a twelve regiment, spearhead attack against the Mule Shoe which broke the Confederate line. His assault went unsupported and his men were forced to withdrawal. Despite the failure, Uptons tactics were successful and were later replicated during World War I. Uptons attack alerted Lee to the weakness of the Mule Shoe section of his lines. To reinforce this area, he ordered a second line built across the salients base. Grant, realizing how close Upton had been to succeeding ordered a massive assault on the Mule Shoe for May 10. Led by Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancocks II Corps, the attack overwhelmed the Mule Shoe, capturing over 4,000 prisoners. With his army about to be split in two, Lee led Lt. Gen. Richard Ewells Second Corps into the fray. In a full day and nights fighting, they were able to retake the salient. On the 13th, Lee withdrew his men to the new line. Unable to break through, Grant responded as he did after Wilderness and continued moving his men south. North Anna Lee raced south with his army to assume a strong, fortified position along the North Anna River, always keeping his army between the Grant and Richmond. Approaching the North Anna, Grant realized that he would need to split his army to attack Lees fortifications. Unwilling to do so, he moved around Lees right flank and marched for the crossroads of Cold Harbor. Battle of Cold Harbor The first Union troops arrived at Cold Harbor on May 31 and began skirmishing with the Confederates. Over the next two days the scope of the fighting grew as the main bodies of the armies arrived on the field. Facing the Confederates over a seven mile line, Grant planned a massive assault for dawn on June 3. Firing from behind fortifications, the Confederates butchered the soldiers of the II, XVIII, and IX Corps as they attacked. In the three days of fighting, Grants army suffered over 12,000 casualties as opposed to only 2,500 for Lee. The victory at Cold Harbor was to be the last for the Army of Northern Virginia and haunted Grant for years. After the war he commented in his memoirs, I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made...no advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained. The Siege of Petersburg Begins After pausing for nine days at Cold Harbor, Grant stole a march on Lee and crossed the James River. His objective was to take the strategic city of Petersburg, which would cut the supply lines to Richmond and Lees army. After hearing that Grant crossed the river, Lee rushed south. As the lead elements of the Union army approached, they were prevented from entering by Confederate forces under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard. Between June 15-18, Union forces launched a series of attacks, but Grants subordinates failed to push home their assaults and only forced Beauregards men to retire to citys inner fortifications. With the full arrival of both armies, trench warfare ensued, with the two sides facing off in a precursor to World War I. In late June, Grant began a series of battles to extend the Union line west around the south side of the city, with the goal of severing the railroads one by one and overextending Lees smaller force. On July 30, in an effort to break the siege, he authorized the detonation of a mine under the center of the Lees lines. While the blast took the Confederates by surprise, they quickly rallied and beat back the mishandled follow-up assault. Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page | Civil War 101 Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page Civil War 101 Campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley In conjunction with his Overland Campaign, Grant ordered Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel to move southwest up the Shenandoah Valley to destroy the rail and supply center of Lynchburg. Sigel began his advance but was defeated at New Market on May 15, and replaced by Maj. Gen. David Hunter. Pressing on, Hunter won a victory at the Battle of Piedmont on June 5-6. Concerned about the threat posed to his supply lines and hoping to force Grant to divert forces from Petersburg, Lee dispatched Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early with 15,000 men to the Valley. Monocacy Washington After halting Hunter at Lynchburg on June 17-18, Early swept unopposed down the Valley. Entering Maryland, he turned east to menace Washington. As he moved towards the capital, he defeated a small Union force under Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace at Monocacy on July 9. Though a defeat, Monocacy delayed Earlys advance allowing Washington to be reinforced. On July 11 and 12, Early attacked the Washington defenses at Fort Stevens with no success. On the 12th, Lincoln viewed part of the battle from the fort becoming the only sitting president to be under fire. Following his attack on Washington, Early withdrew to the Valley, burning Chambersburg, PA along the way. Sheridan in the Valley To deal with the Early, Grant dispatched his cavalry commander, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan with an army of 40,000 men. Advancing against Early, Sheridan won victories at Winchester (September 19) and Fishers Hill (September 21-22) inflicting heavy casualties. The decisive battle of the campaign came at Cedar Creek on October 19. Launching a surprise attack at dawn, Earlys men drove the Union troops from their camps. Sheridan, who was away at a meeting in Winchester, raced back to his army and rallied the men. Counterattacking, they broke Earlys disorganized lines, routing the Confederates and forcing them to flee the field. The battle effectively ended the fighting in the Valley as both sides rejoined their larger commands at Petersburg. Election of 1864 As military operations continued, President Lincoln stood for reelection. Partnering with War Democrat Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, Lincoln ran on the National Union (Republican) ticket under the slogan Dont Change Horses in the Middle of a Stream. Facing him was his old nemesis Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan who was nominated on a peace platform by the Democrats. Following Shermans capture of Atlanta and Farraguts triumph at Mobile Bay, Lincolns reelection was all but assured. His victory was a clear signal to the Confederacy that there would be no political settlement and that war would be prosecuted to end. In the election, Lincoln won 212 electoral votes to McClellans 21. Battle of Fort Stedman In January 1865, President Jefferson Davis appointed Lee to command of all Confederate armies. With the western armies decimated, this move came too late for Lee to effectively coordinate a defense of the remaining Confederate territory. The situation worsened that month when Union troops captured Fort Fisher, effectively closing the Confederacys last major port, Wilmington, NC. At Petersburg, Grant kept pressing his lines west, forcing Lee to further stretch his army. By mid-March, Lee began to consider abandoning the city and making an effort to link up with Confederate forces in North Carolina. Prior to pulling out, Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon suggested a daring attack on the Union lines with the goal of destroying their supply base at City Point and forcing Grant to shorten his lines. Gordon launched his attack on March 25 and overran Fort Stedman in the Union lines. Despite early success, his breakthrough was quickly contained and his men driven back to their own lines. Battle of Five Forks Sensing Lee was weak, Grant ordered Sheridan to attempt a move around the Confederate right flank to the west of Petersburg. To counter this move, Lee dispatched 9,200 men under Maj. Gen. George Pickett to defend the vital crossroads of Five Forks and the Southside Railroad, with orders to hold them at all hazards. On March 31, Sheridans force encountered Picketts lines and moved to attack. After some initial confusion, Sheridans men routed the Confederates, inflicting 2,950 casualties. Pickett, who was away at a shad bake when the fighting started, was relieved of his command by Lee. The Fall of Petersburg The following morning, Lee informed President Davis that Richmond and Petersburg would have to be evacuated. Later that day, Grant launched a series of massive assaults all along the Confederate lines. Breaking through in numerous places, Union forces forced the Confederates to surrender the city and flee west. With Lees army in retreat, Union troops entered Richmond on April 3, finally achieving one of their principle war goals. The next day, President Lincoln arrived to visit the fallen capital. The Road to Appomattox After occupying Petersburg, Grant began chasing Lee across Virginia with Sheridans men in the lead. Moving west and harried by Union cavalry, Lee hoped to re-supply his army before heading south to link up with forces under Gen. Joseph Johnston in North Carolina. On April 6, Sheridan was able to cut off approximately 8,000 Confederates under Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell at Saylers Creek. After some fighting the Confederates, including eight generals, surrendered. Lee, with fewer than 30,000 hungry men, hoped to reach supply trains that were waiting at Appomattox Station. This plan was dashed when Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. George A. Custer arrived in the town and burned the trains. Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page Civil War 101 Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page | Civil War 101 Meeting at Appomattox Court House While most of Lees officers favored surrender, others did not fearing that it would lead to the end of the war. Lee also sought to prevent his army from melting away to fight on as guerrillas, a move that he felt would have long term harm for the country. At 8:00 AM Lee rode out with three of his aides to make contact with Grant. Several hours of correspondence ensued which led to a cease fire and a formal request from Lee to discuss surrender terms. The home of Wilmer McLean, whose house in Manassas had served as Beauregards headquarters during the First Battle of Bull Run, was selected to host the negotiations. Lee arrived first, wearing his finest dress uniform and awaited Grant. The Union commander, who had been suffering a bad headache, arrived late, wearing a worn privates uniform with only his shoulder straps denoting his rank. Overcome by the emotion of the meeting, Grant had difficulty getting to the point, preferring to discuss his previous meeting with Lee during the Mexican-American War. Lee steering the conversation back to the surrender and Grant laid out his terms. Grants Terms of Surrender Grants terms: I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside. In addition, Grant also offered to allow the Confederates to take home their horses and mules for use in the spring planting. Lee accepted Grants generous terms and the meeting ended. As Grant rode away from the McLean house, the Union troops began to cheer. Hearing them, Grant immediately ordered it stopped, stating he did not want his men exalting over their recently defeated foe. End of the War The celebration of Lees surrender was muted by the assassination of President Lincoln on April 14 at Fords Theater in Washington. As some of Lees officers had feared, their surrender was the first of many. On April 26, Sherman accepted Johnstons surrender near Durham, NC, and the other remaining Confederate armies capitulated one by one over the next six weeks. After four years of fighting, the Civil War was finally over. Previous: War in the West, 1863-1865 Page | Civil War 101

Operational Research & the Decision Sciences Essay

Operational Research & the Decision Sciences - Essay Example While this will be based on the latest decision making tools and methods, all available options should be considered as input to the operation research model adopted for a particular case.......................(1) All business organizations would expect their executives to have enhanced decision-making capability to lead the business from the front on a gainful and productive basis. Operation research is the powerful tool to achieve this. While there are many professional tools and software available to help the business leaders for better decision making, Operation research is unique as it considers only the specific inputs and data that is applicable for a particular challenging problem, while considering the best options and information which is most beneficial for the organization. Hence, the operation research professionals customize each solution, that is unique and tailor made for the imposing challenge. When the available choices are many and it is difficult to work on a particular option, the optimization technology is adopted for minimizing the risks involved, eliminating the unworkable options, while finding the best choice available. This relates to the collection of huge data concerned with the imposing challenge; categorize this data into various degrees of risk involving groups, while finding the connected information, about each group. This method helps in comparing the risk management of the data collected and comparing each group This leads to testing of many options and conclusions for reaching the best solution possible...............(2) When a process is not working efficiently due to non decision making ability at the ground level for day to day operations, there is a need to employ operational research techniques for improving the overall efficiency of the effected process, which in turn can result in better functioning of related processes in the operational chain. This will finally help in the improvement

Northern Ireland Between 1963 and 1972 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Northern Ireland Between 1963 and 1972 - Essay Example This particular time period is one of the most important in regards to the entire history of the competing forces between the Unionists and the Nationalists and even in regards to Northern Ireland overall, and in order to understand why the British government was so ineffective during this time, there are several key issues that need to be discussed in regards to this matter. By addressing and examining different people's points of view, as well as integrating somewhat of a personal opinion, we will be able to not only answer the argument of why the British government was so ineffective in this regards, but also the things that they should and could have done in order to best mend relations between these competing forces. Furthermore, we will be addressing the issue of why there was only a political initiative being tabulated after all of this, in the year 1973, and why it was not done before this, as it certainly should have been. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Between the years of 1963 and 1972, there was much turmoil that took place in Northern Ireland, particularly in regards to the competing forces of the Unionists and the Nationalists. ... The Troubles is a term which is used to basically describe the era that is in discussion here, however the Troubles actually initialized in the early 1920s. It is a term which is used to describe "the latest installment of periodic communal violence involving republican and loyalist paramilitary organizations, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the British Army and others in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the late 1990s ending with the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998".2 Although the Troubles are considered as having truly initialized during the late 1920s, they really did not become acknowledged as to have had begun until the year 1968, when there was widespread rioting and public disorders all over Northern Ireland that had broken out at the marches of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA). This was one of the main times when the British government should have stepped in and really done something to arbiter these competing forces however they in a sense basically stood by and did nothing. There are a few different reasons that can be used to explain why this is, and one in particular is the fact that they were afraid. Basically, although the Nationalists (Catholics) made up the majority of the population even at that time, it was the Unionists (Protestants) who tended to be richer and more powerful, however when the NICRA group ended up launching a peaceful civil rights campaign in the year 1967, they were "seeking a redress of Catholic and Nationalist grievances within Northern Ireland. Specifically, they wanted an end to the gerrymandering of electoral constituencies that produced unrepresentative local councils (particularly in Derry City) by

SE Asia Basin History project (South China Sea Platform and South Essay

SE Asia Basin History project (South China Sea Platform and South China Ocean Basin) - Essay Example Geologically, the nearly 3.5 million square kilometers area is primarily surrounded by a series of sedimentary successions which are highly rich in petroleum resources (IHO, 1998). According to many experts, South China Sea platform and ocean basin has a complex geologic structure comprised of folded fundament dating back to the pre-Cambrian period, Indo-china period and Herynina periods. The rhomboid shaped marine basin is largely confined by crustal structure fractures, lithospheres as well as massive tectonic belts. This paper presents the history of the South China Sea basin including its stratigraphic columns and dissects as well as the history of its deposition. South China Sea basin is locacated at a junction of three major tectonics namely; the Eurasian,Pacific-philippine and the India-Australian plates. The basin lies on top of a continental self that was drowned during the ice age. According to many experts, the oceanic as well as the stretched continental crusts that are presently underlying the South China Sea basin have always experienced a series of tectonic movements since the Cenzoic times. The basin is located within the juncture area of the Indo-Australian, Eurasian and Pacific plates and the Regional Plate Tectonic events have played crucial roles to control the formation plus evolution of continental marginal basins. It is widely speculated that the basin may have been formed by underlain by continental crust before it was affected by rifting and subsequently overprinted by forearc structural setting after the initiation of subduction. For example, the evolution of the region may have been as a result of a collusion of the Eurasian and Indian plates, the northward drifting of the Australian plate as well as the westward subdution of the Pacific continental plate during the Cenozoic period as shown in figure 1 below. With regard to its crustal structure, the basement of the basin

Research Topics with Explanation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Topics with Explanation - Assignment Example uld be changed to factor in the changes that have occurred over the past two decades since the law was passed to meet the needs of employees (Glynn, 2013). As such, the appropriate audiences that are targeted by this discussion are the employees, the employers and the legislatures who are responsible for making the laws. Certainly, although Americans workers have benefited from the law, it should be changed to incorporate the changes that have occurred in the past years since the signing of the act into law as will be demonstrated in the paper. The issue of tax has often been characterized by the strong debate. In 2012, President Obama proposed that the tax rate on earnings above $250,000 be raised (McArdle, 2012). Accordingly, I have chosen this topic because the tax is an issue that is of great concern to all American workers. Whenever a tax is raised or reduced, it affects Americans workers directly, thus a need to understand the effects of any changes in the tax proposal (Kasprak, 2012). This discussion will be addressed to the stakeholders who are impacted with the tax proposals, including the American middle class, lawmakers and the public at large. Accordingly, the paper will analyze the impacts that raising the tax on earning above $250,000 will have on the Americans who earn above this amount and its overall effect on the U.S. economy. According to American law, a criminal defendant can only be convicted of an offense when all the jurors agree and vote guilty as charged (Mackenzie, 2013). This ruling was handed by the Supreme Court in 1972 in which the court found that the 6th Amendment requires that unanimity in the countries federal courts (Jones, 2010). However, I found this topic interesting to study because it highlights the controversy between the federal and state courts since some state courts do not require unanimity in a criminal conviction. Therefore, studying this topic can be of value to the state and federal courts, the convicts, and the

Domestic Dogs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Domestic Dogs - Essay Example Domestic dog is morphologically distinct from all other canids except its close relatives, the wolf-like canids. The earliest burial remains of a domestic dog are 14,000 years old and were found in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany. Despite their many shapes and sizes all domestic dogs, from Newfoundlands to pugs, are members of the same species-Canis familiaris. Although they have domestic temperaments, these dogs are related to wolves, foxes, and jackals. Many of the behavior traits and body movements or positioning can be applied universally to all canids for example ear positioning, tail positioning, raised hackles, etc. There is considerable similarity between dogs and wild canid species; many wolf-like canids cannot be distinguished from domestic dogs of equivalent size. However, all dogs are consistently separated from fox-sized, wild canids by subtle but evolutionarily significant differences in olecranon, metapodial, and scapula morphology. Second, in domestic dogs the pattern of sta tic allometry is nearly identical to that of ontogenetic allometry. This finding can be attributed to simple heterochronic alterations of postnatal growth rates. Talking about wolves, they have a fairly sophisticated communication system--in both body language and verbal language. They use their whole bodies when communicating. North American Wolves are extremely social animals and live in groups called packs. The packs can vary in size, usually according to the abundance or dearth of prey. For example, the wolf packs of Alaska's Denali National Park preying primarily on moose can number into the twenties; but in Minnesota, wolf packs typically number under ten. In some packs, there is one male or female wolf called the "omega". This wolf lives on the fringes of the wolf society and is usually the last to eat, sometimes going without if food is scarce. The link between the Domestic Dog and the Wolf is therefore a matter of scientific classification in Zoology. Interestingly the recl assification of the dog in 1993 meant the inclusion of Lupus to the scientific classification and therefore signifying the link between the dog and the wolf. Domestic Dogs share many of their characteristics with their wild relatives. Pack animals eat meat. Dogs too are able to eat raw meat if given to them and it's called the raw diet, territory issues marking their scent, communicating using physicality, play fighting etc. Essential difference between Domestic Dogs and their wild relatives is that of genetic information. Some other trivial differences are that dogs tend to howl less and bark more. Dogs are also domesticated as they are friendly towards people. A domestic dog when subject to wild environment will get acclimated and become wolf-like. As far as physicality is concerned, some of the attributes are tail & ear carriage, vocal communication - barking, howling, hunting, pack mentality & hierarchy, mating & litter rearing. Dogs were probably the first tame animals. They ha ve accompanied humans for some 10,000 years. During this time we have, in some respects, genetically engineered (by selective breeding) so that they can become useful as working dogs. For Example the Bernese mountain dog was bred for draft work, the Boxer for bear fighting and the Mastiff as a war dog. Apart for the