The Feudal Society of Matewan :: Stone Mountain Coal Company Economics Essays

The Feudal Society of Matewan The Stone Mountain Coal Company wielded monopoly control over the town of Matewan through a feudal system of economic, cultural, political, and environmental processes. Every person in the town of Matewan came under the power of the company in one way or another. The employees of Stone Mountain were under a bondage contract with the company. Once they came to the company it was impossible to leave and at the same time maintain a basic standard of living. They could not leave also because once they signed on with the company they owed the company a large sum of money for everything ranging from the ticket for the train that brought them to Matewan to the equipment they needed to work there. In this way it was as if they were paying the company to let them work in the mines rather the other way around. They did not have the rights basic to capitalism such as the right to join a union, the right to sell their labor in a labor market to the bidder of their choice, and the rig ht to spend their wage freely. The Stone Mountain Coal Company controlled the processes involving the production, circulation, and distribution of products and services in the town of Matewan. Most of the people in the town were employees of the company and others were in debt to the company through mortgages and loans. Everyone depended on the company for daily necessities such as food and clothing because the company owned the stores in Matewan and because all employees of Matewan were paid in company script which only allowed them to buy in the company stores. Furthermore, their contract said that to buy from any other store would mean immediate discharge from employment. The Stone Mountain Coal company was the only major employer in town. To become self-employed, citizens of Matewan would have needed initial endowments of resources, products and land that were only available at the company's prerogative. The Stone Mountain Coal company kept economic control through political processes which served to punish behavior unfavorable to the company. The company sent in agents from Baldwin-Felts to act as the feudal managers or Knights who intimidated the people and infiltrated the new union.

Sleepwalking Essay -- Research Psychology Essays

Sleepwalking Somnambulism, or sleepwalking, belongs to a group of parasomnias. This disorder of arousal is characterized by complex motor behaviors initiated during stages 3 and 4 of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep (slow-wave sleep) (3). Behaviors during sleepwalking episodes can vary greatly. Some episodes are limited to sitting up, fumbling and getting dressed, while others include more complex behaviors such as walking, driving a car, or preparing a meal (2). After awakening, the sleepwalker usually has no recollection of what has happened and may appear confused and disoriented. The behaviors performed while sleepwalking are said to be autonomous automatisms. These are nonrelfex actions performed without conscious volition and accomplished independently from the I-function (3). This insinuates that everything done while sleepwalking is involuntary because the exhibited behavior is not a result of the I-function's output. Therefore if the I-function is not involved what causes people to sl eepwalk? What happens to the I-function during sleepwalking? What does this imply about brain and behavior? Sleep is a succession of five recurring stages: four non-REM stages and the REM stage. Researchers have classified these stages of sleep by monitoring muscle tone, eye movements, and the electrical activity of the brain using an electroencephalogram (EEG) (4). EEG readings measure brain waves and classify them according to speed. Alertness consists of desynchronized beta activity whereas relaxation and drowsiness consist of alpha activity (4). Stage 1 sleep includes alternating patterns of alpha activity, irregular fast activity and the presence of some theta activity. This stage is a transition between sleep and wakefulness (4... ...it can function independently from it. Despite my greater understanding of somnambulism I was unable to determine why the nervous system causes people to sleepwalk. It has been shown that no dreaming occurs during these stages of sleep. Therefore I do not understand what sleepwalkers are acting out. This question still remains open for investigation. Works Cited 1)Bassetti, C., Vella, S., Donati, F., Wielepp, P. Weder, B. SPECT during sleepwalking. Lancet 2000 Aug 5; 356(9228):484-85 2)3)Masand, P., Popli, A., Weilburg, J. Sleepwalking. American Family Physician 1995. v5 n3 p649. 4)Carlson, N. Physiology of Behavior. 7th ed. Allyn and Bacon. USA, 2001 5)McCarley, R.W. and Hobson, J. A. The form of dreams and the biology of sleep. In the Handbook of dreams: Research, Theory, and Applications, edited by B. Wolman. New York: Can Nostrand Reinhold, 1979.

Media Hype, Racial Profiling, and Good Science Essay

Summary: Gold begins his essay right away, without any sort of formality. The essay begins with Gold laying a foundation for the requirements of â€Å"good science. † After which Gold spells out the requirements of articles to sell large volumes of newspapers. This latter generates the term anecdotes. The term anecdote is analyzed, scrutinized and concluded as unacceptable due to the evidence relying more on beliefs than facts. Thus creating a vicious circle. Gold than highlights the fact that there exists large numbers or web pages, lawsuits, publications and presentations specifically directed at the issue. Varying levels of government in the United States has passed legislation about the issue. Individuals known as experts of have been successful writing books and employed as expert witnesses or consultants on the matter. Departments of been created to address the issue and conferences devoted to the topic. The American experience has been deemed applicable in Canada. Gold delves into the high social costs involved in the existence and beliefs of the racial profiling anecdotes. The solution is more important than the conception. Gold offers that communication, building trust, transparency and any inappropriate behavior dealt with seriously by the government are requirements to the solution. Gold then goes on to say that the community must also realize that the guilty may use any method to escape punishment. Gold comments that racial profiling is a phenomenon that is supposed to exist in Policing. The Toronto Star claims to have proved this phenomenon by evidence. This evidence needs to be examined by science. Gold then begins to explore the definition of racial profiling. Sometimes the term is used when a handful of officers are bigots. Sometimes it is applied when it seems that the police service promotes racism through its training materials. There is no evidence that American policing material is connected to Toronto Police. Profiling is the activity and racial a subspecies of profiling. Criminal law literature hosts a variety of profiles. As well, police profilers generate ad hoc profiles. Profiling is a â€Å"junk science† involving vague and non-specific characteristics that can be manipulated. There is no scientific merit to profiling. Racial profiling is one-dimensional profiling where the race replaces all other characteristics. Profiling implies to tell us something about an unknown suspect by identifying characteristics. Racial profiling claims to predict the race of a suspect. Claims should recognize the difference between reactive and proactive policing. Reactive policing is when police seek out a specific gender and race because witnesses described the culprit as such. Reactive policing is irrelevant to profiling. Proactive police activity should be the only data used. Statistics on police-minority interactions need to take into consideration the demographics of a given area. Also, are police targeting specific activity due to community concerns in a certain area? It may surprise people to know how much police activity is reactive and how little is proactive. The Toronto Star fails to recognize such issues. The data collected by the Toronto Star also fails to make the distinction. Gold then moves into to the claims and conclusions aspect of the essay. Stating that data collected needs something to be compared to or measured against, some sort of baseline. The Toronto Star used general population figures from the last available census. Apparently, using uses such as a baseline in unacceptable in the expert statistical analysis. Gold attempts to illustrate that fact that the Toronto Star blundered their way from the statistical analysis without using any accepted criteria. After which Gold suggests that data collection needs to be done under comparable conditions. Gold then moves onto another publication â€Å"Wortley and Tanner,† and the definition used by them. The term greater levels are brought up, and Gold asks â€Å"compared to what? † Wortley and Tanner utilized surveys to collect their data, which results in an opinions and claims survey. Gold calls such data collection, â€Å"Anecdotes in bulk. † After this, Gold goes on for some time about assumptions and making the leap from report to reality based on anecdotal evidence. Gold implies that the Toronto Star failed to take into consideration population distribution and population concentration of identifiable groups. The Toronto Star assumes that all groups are even distributed amongst throughout the general population. The Toronto Star compares data of an ethnic population to number of arrests for violent crimes in higher. Violent crimes will be a reactive policing perspective with witnesses identifying physical traits of the culprits. Such data cannot be used for profiling. This was mentioned earlier on in Gold’s essay. Gold then gives an example of a specific case in the United States where profiling failed the Police investigation. Constant failure to identify criminals using a profile would become apparent with an increase in unsuccessful outcomes. For the conclusion, Gold regurgitates the term â€Å"junk science† and how it is unsuccessful. Then applauds Wortley and Tanner for their cautionary note to have such figures scrutinized by experts and peers before releasing results to the public and that quality control needs to be applied to media discussions on the topic. Strengths: Gold does a good job comparing â€Å"good science† with â€Å"junk science,† and how inaccurate the use of â€Å"junk science† will be. Gold quickly defines terms that he continually uses throughout the rest of his essay to assist the reader in following his train of thought. At the beginning of the essay Gold lays the groundwork for what he will discuss throughout the essay. He, quickly lays down his assumption of what racial profiling is and how unlikely that it is used by police. Gold lies out his essay with sections with subtle conclusions being drawn by the end of each. This helps to keep the reader on track as he attempts to dispel the phenomenon known as racial profiling. Hold spends most of his time attacking the foundation of each group or agencies bases for profiling. He uses references and his knowledge of statistical analysis to debunk each idea. Also, Gold uses various examples of how ineffective the outcome would be given each scenario. Gold illustrates how some groups confuse proactive and reactive policing as the same thing, when in fact they are not. He does his best bring that idea several time throughout the essay. Gold is forthcoming with the fact that he was retained by Toronto Police to make submissions on this same very topic. That mention shows that Gold is trying to be honest with the reader. Also, I believe that it aids the read into recognizing that Gold would have had to do a far amount of research to make such submissions. The fact that Gold is privately employed and not a government employee may make the reader feel that he is less-biased on this particular topic. Weaknesses: At some points during the essay Gold seem to gone off on a tangent. At one point he offers solutions to bridge the gap between government agencies and communities. This is done more than once, and was not relevant to the topic being discussed in the essay. There are a few points where Gold appears to be talking in circles with verbal jargon. I didn’t feel those points in his essay resulted in any valid point to validate his argument. It was almost as though Gold digressed or lost focus for a moment. There are points within the essay where Gold appears to put his personal thoughts in brackets, thereby taking away from his credibility. For most of the essay Gold is trying to prove that the Toronto Star wrote an article without merit or proper research. Near the end of the essay he brings up another writer â€Å"Wortley and Tanner. † I believe that it would have been more effective he had integrated both writings earlier on in the essay. It appears as though â€Å"Wortley and Tanner,† are almost an afterthought. Conclusion: I think Gold effectively made his point with this essay. He is credible and knowledgeable, proving his point with examples, scenarios and data. He shows an appreciation for other points of view and illustrates how they may be incorrect based on their data collection. He affectively dissects the definition of the issue and how come groups confuse racism with racial profiling. As well his recognizes the differences between proactive and reactive policing. Gold shows how reactive policing gets generalized by most groups when in fact the investigation is driven by information from independent sources. I believe the weak points in Gold’s essay are overshadowed by his strong points, resulting in a fair and reasonable conclusion to his argument.

Al

Al The essay is a critical analysis of the article titled â€Å"Al-Zawahiri appointed al Qaedas new leader† which was posted on the jihadist website published on June 16 2011 by the CNN Wire Staff. The article talks about international relationship between American and the Islam community which has been viewed for the past decades as deteriorating as results of terrorism.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on â€Å"Al-Zawahiri appointed al Qaedas new leader† Article Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is worth noting that the issue of terrorism has been a hard nut to crack in the entire world and has continued to cause sleepless night to a number of countries (Shimko 127). Since the death of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda the group was reluctant to accept his death. After consultation and coming to terms with his death, they settled on Al-Zawahiri his long term deputy to take charge of the gr oup, Hereby the General Command of the Qaeda al-Jihad and after the end of the consultations we declare that Sheikh Dr. Abu Muhammad Ayman al-Zawahiri† (CNN Wire Staff par. 4). The individual has been linked with the attacks in Kenya and Tanzania leaving close to 300 people dead and over 5000 injured. The United States of America government placed a reward of 25 million dollars for information leading to his arrest. During an attacked launched by the U.S in Afghanistan, his wife and three of his children died. From the article it is evident that Al-Zawahiri hailed the fallen al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He said in reference to Osama went to his God martyred because he said no to America (CNN Wire Staff par. 5) The appointed leader had harsh words for the Pakistan government and claimed that Americans are not fighting al Qaeda who will not stop at anything other than confronting their oppressors. The posting although did not talk of pro-democracy uprising, it is clear tha t their policies will not be shifted and promised to support such groups as Taliban in fighting NATO and U.S. analysts hold the opinion that Al-Zawahiri will have a difficult task in leading the group. They assert that he has no charisma as that of his predecessor. My view however is contrary to theirs. Having in mind that he was born in a wealthy family just like Bin Laden, and then he will have an easy time motivate the group and give them direction since Bin Laden did a lot of work in shaping the entire group as well as imposing chain of command. Despite the claim that he commands no loyalty from members, this does not warrant the assumption that he won’t propel the group in carrying out attacks.Advertising Looking for article on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In my humble view, the leadership of Al-Zawahiri will definitely worsen the relationship of America with other Islamic coun tries particularly Egypt where the leader has roots. This rests on the view that the membership of the group will expand making American to receive opposition from all quotas. Interestingly, it is evident that even after the killing of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda will not stop on their activities and the chances of them revenging are high. However, it is not easy to establish the timeline for the revenge. This thus calls the American authorities to be on alert at all times and change their strategies for curbing terrorism if need be. The following statement summarizes their desire to revenge, â€Å"will remain on the path of righteousness as a coherent, solid, cemented rank† (CNN Wire Staff par. 10) References Shimko, Keith. International relations: Perspective and controversies. New York: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Al-Zawahiri appointed al Qaedas new leader, 2011.  Web.

The Principle of the Mercantile System (1776) Summary

The Principle of the Mercantile System (1776) Summary According to Adam Smith in this article, the basis of England's wealth is gold and silver, not in the lands, houses, or resources. He goes on the explain through the article that England has lost it's focus on the industry of the consumer and concentrated more on the importation of the money they receive from their colonies. The wealth is only considered to consist of gold and silver and, "that those metals could be brought into a country which had no mines only by the balance of trade, or by exporting to a greater value than it imported." Smith makes the point that England has started "a monopoly against their countrymen," because the market encourages the industry to import products from foreign countries and place high duties upon them.This is a nationalistic feeling because Smith is speaking for the people that the market in England is not for the people, but rather against them.Smith Street, Warwick - no's 55 to 61 Smith StreetIt is built for the rich man to make his silver and gold and not for the working class families who survived on "cottage industry" or home-industry. He sees the importance of the difference of economies in the big state, little-state scenario.

Breakdown and Review of Where the Wild Things Are

Breakdown and Review of 'Where the Wild Things Are' Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  has become a classic. Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal as the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year, it was first published by HarperCollins in 1963. When Sendak wrote the book, the theme of dealing with dark emotions was rare in childrens literature, especially in picture book format. Story Summary After more than 50 years, what keeps the book  popular is not the impact of the book on the field of childrens literature, it is the impact of the story and the illustrations on young readers. The plot of the book is based on the fantasy (and real) consequences of a little boys mischief. One night Max dresses up in his wolf suit and does all kinds of things he shouldnt, like chasing the dog with a fork. His mother scolds him and calls him a WILD THING! Max is so mad he shouts back, ILL EAT YOU UP! As a result, his mother sends him to his bedroom without any supper. Maxs imagination transforms his bedroom into an extraordinary setting, with a forest and an ocean and a little boat that Max sails in until he comes to a land full of wild things. Although they look and sound very fierce, Max is able to tame them with a single glance. They all realize Max is ..the most wild thing of all and make him their king. Max and the wild things have a fine time creating a rumpus until Max begins to want to be †¦where someone loved him best of all. Maxs fantasy ends when he smells his dinner. Despite the wild things protests, Max sails back to his own room where he finds his supper waiting for him. The Books Appeal This is a particularly appealing story because Max is in conflict with both his mother and his own anger. Despite the fact that he is still angry when he is sent to his room, Max does not continue his mischief. Instead, he gives free rein to his angry emotions through his fantasy, and then, comes to a decision that he will no longer let his anger separate him from those whom he loves and who love him. Max is an engaging character. His actions, from chasing the dog to talking back to his mother are realistic. His emotions are also realistic. Its quite common for children to get angry and fantasize about what they could do if they ruled the world and then calm down and consider the consequences. Max is a child with whom most 3- to 6-year-olds readily identify. Summing Up the Impact of the Book Where the Wild Things Are is an excellent book. What makes it so extraordinary is the creative imagination of both Maurice Sendak the writer and Maurice Sendak the artist. The text and the artwork complement one another, moving the story along seamlessly. The transformation of Maxs bedroom into a forest is a visual delight. Sendaks colored pen and ink illustrations in muted colors are both humorous and sometimes a little scary, reflecting both Maxs imagination and his anger. The theme, conflict, and characters are ones with which readers of all ages can identify, and  is a book that children will enjoy hearing again and again. Publisher: HarperCollins, ISBN: 0060254920

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands Essay

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands - Essay Example Its goal is to substantially address the needs of its customers, but not until when it discovered the advantage of creating a need for its product and service offerings. The modern marketing emphasises that marketers are good at creating needs for their offerings (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). In fact, Apple is very good at creating needs for its product and service offerings, the very basic foundation of how it tries to achieve its competitive advantage. However, as it continues to grow, Apple Incorporated has become highly recognized with its brands, which brings it at the top of the competition. Porter’s theory of competitive advantage applies to Apple Incorporated and its brands. The power of its brands is very important component of differentiation strategy (Porter, 1998). People simply associate the Apple brand with standard quality, reliability, and many other intrinsic values. This is due to the fact that brands simply emphasise attributes and meanings ( Belch and Belch, 1998). In a highly capitalist world, brands have important value that could be maximised for profit making (Arvidson, 2006). Branding is a specific marketing strategy and as a way to enhance profitability, productivity and efficiency (Moor, 2007). Moor added that branding seeks to develop political message, corporate image, people, and behaviours. It is in these reasons Apple wanted to invest more in reconstructing, refining and enhancing its brands prior to becoming a cut above the other in its industry. As widely observed, the media have always been the integral parts of Apple’s success in achieving a powerful brand in the world. As a result, Apple has become an iconic brand because it came to a point of becoming a cultural icon with corresponding identity value (Holt, 2004). There are many strategies in doing this and they are integral parts of cultural branding principles. In this paper, the proponent tries to incorporate in the analysis how Apple Incorpo rated was able to successfully achieve or create the power of its brands using the media as integral parts of communication, a specific strategy in cultural branding principles (Holt, 2004). The discussion in particular includes media, brand development, and the concept of gratification of needs based on psychological perspective. Media and brand development Media are anything with spaces that have the capacity to allow marketing to take place in them (Moor, 2007). Space is very important for Moor as a specific site to develop relationships between brands and customers. She added that it is a communicative medium or opportunity for marketing to take place. Ads are specific forms of communications placed within a communicative medium (Cook, 2001). For many years, Apple Incorporated is using the media in order to promote its brands. Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes are the most important brands that are established by Apple with the aid of the media. In 2006, Apple’s ad budge t is $338 million, $467 million in 2007, and $486 million in 2008 (Blakely, 2008; DeWitt, 2009). In 2009, Apple spent $501 million for Ad expense (DeWitt, 2009). There seems to be an increase in the budget allocated by Apple for its ads, but it is actually decreasing based on percentage of revenue; 5 percent in 2001 and 1.17 percent in 2009 (DeWitt, 2009). This means that the higher the revenue of Apple has become, the lesser it allocated budget for its promotional activities. This