Class Distinction: Shadowy Lines that Still Divide

The notion that the class distinction has ceased to exist in the modern American society must be dispelled in the face of reality on the ground. Those who feel that the American society is heading towards classlessness are indeed laboring under huge misimpression. According to Janny Scott and David Leonhardt the American society still remains class oriented and divided into three main classes.The

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Columbus Log and Native Societies

Columbus’ log of journey throws ample light on the lives and lifestyle of several native Indian societies whom Columbus met and closely observed on his way to India through the Western sea route.It happens to be an authentic record of the facts pertaining to these native societies that inhabited the New World prior to the massive onslaught of the west European countries that trailed Columbus’

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The Mark of a Good Manager

In this era of globalization and keen competition, an ideal manager must size up to the challenge and must fit the bill. The role of the managers has been completely rewritten in the present. An ideal boss must shed his/her ego and come down from the high pedestal he/she spoke from in the past.The modern day manager just can’t afford to sit in an ivory tower and issue orders from above as may

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Caution: Praise Can Be Dangerous Too

Praise is perceived to be a highly motivating, powerful and effective tool in getting things done in life. Appreciation and praise are often considered to be very effective while guiding students too but the fact remains that not every kind of praise is praiseworthy. A leading Professor of Psychology from Stanford University has cautioned against misdirected, meaningless praise. Carol S. Dweck's

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Ever-increasing Aggression and Violence in the United States

The shootings at Virginia Tech University in April 2007 brought home the tragic consequences of violence in a most poignant manner. As yet another instance of senseless aggression unfolded, the nation watched as details emerged about the perpetrator and the deaths of 32 students and professors. The shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, lived a troubled life characterized by social isolation, alienation, and

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Obama Gets Gun-Shy; Despite a Recent Spate of Killings

On the morning of April 4, Richard Poplawski had a quarrel with his mother. It was over a dog urinating on a carpet. Mom called the police to have her 22-year-old son evicted from her house, a brick ranch with a dirty aluminum awning in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Two officers responded to the call, figuring it was a typical domestic dispute. Margaret Poplawski greeted them by

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Gun Violence and Public Health

The blood had not yet dried in the lecture rooms of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, before polarized camps claimed that the slaughter of 32 students and teachers vindicated their particular stance on gun control. So shrill was the debate about whether the tragedy would have been better prevented by reducing firearms through stronger gun laws or by increasing availability through liberalizing

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Guns, Fear, the Constitution, and the Public Health

It is 1992, and schoolmates Yoshihiro Hattori and Webb Haymaker have been invited to a Halloween party. Yoshi, a 16-year-old exchange student and avid dancer, wears a white tuxedo like John Travolta's in Saturday Night Fever. By mistake, they stop at a house up the block from their destination. No one answers the doorbell.Inside are Rodney and Bonnie Peairs. She opens a side door momentarily,

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Violent Death in American Schools in the 21st Century: Reflections

On October 2, 2006, shootings at the West Nickel Mines Amish School resulted in the homicides of 5 female students and the suicide of the adult male perpetrator. This was the 19th violent death incident in Pennsylvania schools since 1992 and the 9th such incident of the 21st century in the state, based on data collected by the National School Safety Center.Since 1992, both the NSSC and the

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Rising Gun Violence: Why are We Shocked?

About two years ago, the Virginia Tech shootings shocked many across our nation. But if you felt shocked, then you weren't paying attention. To be shocked means what happened was unexpected, an accident - as if you had no way to see it coming. But is there no way to draw relationship between vast consumerism, violence, and the sale of guns? Buying a gun is as easy to some people as acquiring a

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As the Foreclosed Move Out, First-Time Buyers Are Moving In

While her friends ran up credit card debt and bought show homes beyond their means, Taina Goldman saved for a down payment. She moved back in with her parents, sharing a room with her young daughter, ate in and worked two jobs."I don't live dangerously," said Ms. Goldman, 42, a nurse. "You can't live on 'what if.' "Now, she is reaping the rewards. She and her daughter recently moved into a

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Father and Son Relationship in ‘Death of a Salesman’ and ‘Fences’

Once, talking about his relationship with his father, Arthur Miller said that it was, "like two searchlights on different islands." searching for each other. Nothing can describe better the theme of strained father-son relationship, Miller so passionately explores in his plays like 'Death of a Salesman' and 'All My Sons".When asked about the reason for this recurring theme, Miller said, "The two

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What Is the Mobile Web?

Imagine walking by a movie poster for the upcoming Harry Potter film and scanning it with a click of your camera phone in order to download associated ringtones, get show times, or even buy tickets. How about snapping a photo while browsing through a magazine to get a free sample of a new perfume? This may sound like science fiction right now, but in Japan, this type of mobile search technology

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In Foreclosure Crisis, a Rise in Banks Walking Away

Mercy James thought she had lost her rental property here to foreclosure. A date for a sheriff's sale had been set, and notices about the foreclosure process were piling up in her mailbox.Ms. James had the tenants move out, and soon her white house at the corner of Thomas and Maple Streets fell into the hands of looters and vandals, and then, into disrepair. Dejected and broke, Ms. James said

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Ire in Foreclosure Crisis Turns to a Home Builder

A major home builder that helped fuel the country's building boom is now under attack for what some homeowners and builders say was its role in the bust that followed.Several former homeowners spoke here on Thursday about their disenchantment with the builder, KB Home, at its annual shareholders' meeting. The speakers said the company had pushed them into high-risk, high-interest loans for homes

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The Foreclosure Learning Curve

In these days of crisis, a foreclosure takes place every 13 seconds in the U.S. So, doing the math, that means more than 400 foreclosures were initiated somewhere in the nation during the 90-minute program "Foreclosing on the American Dream" at the midyear meeting.And while there's a sense of urgency to address the problem, a response by policymakers and lawyers practicing in the field remains a

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State Cracking Down on Mortgages

New mortgage rules have been finalized in Pennsylvania as state officials try to prevent a repeat of some of the risky lending practices that led to the foreclosure crisis.The rules require mortgage companies to document a borrower's ability to repay a loan and require lenders to make extra efforts to disclose complex loan features that might make loans hard to repay.The rules are part of a new

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Renters Blindsided by Apartment Foreclosures: New Law Provides Help to Tenants

A couple of weeks ago, Devanie Jones came home from work and found a notice on the door of the two-bedroom, downstairs unit she's been renting for more than a year in a duplex at N. 11th and W. Burleigh streets.The notice said she had 24 hours to get out because the property had gone through foreclosure and had been sold at a sheriff's sale.Jones, 38, was shocked and confused. "I didn't know what

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Violence in Schools: Possible Interventions and Remedies

The concern about school violence is high on the political agenda presently across Europe and United States of America. There have been a number of high-profile incidents of school violence, including indiscriminate firing and ruthless mass murders.Except for the dastardly acts of violence or shooting, most smaller incidents of violoence in schools simply go unnoticed or unpublicized. Assaults

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