The Culture Wars in the United States of America

The culture wars can be defined as the debates between the representatives of the opposite cultural movements and ideological camps. The representatives of these camps support opposite ideologies and depend on different moral values. During the 1920s, the culture wars developed between traditionalists and modernists whose visions were different in relation to questions of economics, education, and religion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Culture Wars in the United States of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the Roaring 20s were associated with the significant cultural and ideological debates based on the changing principles of the social development. Today, the American society also experiences a kind of the culture wars which began in the 1980s as the reaction to the conservative policy of Ronald Reagan. In spite of the fact there are many years between the two periods of the culture wars, the ideological backgrounds and reasons for the wars are rather similar and depend on the opposition in the views of traditionalists and modernists. It is possible to concentrate on several issues significant for the discussion during the culture wars of the 1920s. The growth of the cities made many people emigrate from the rural territories to the urban regions of the USA. The rural population was discussed as alien in the cities (Jones et al. 212). Moreover, the immigration from the other countries was also limited. Trying to preserve the traditional values, the conservative Americans contributed to the development of nativism. The cultural wars of the 1980s-2000s are also focused on the problem of immigration as the process threatening for preserving the national identity. The next point is the opposition between the religious and scientific worlds. Thus, the supporters of the traditional religious views could not allow the study of the evolution theory in the 1920s. Today, it is als o possible to observe the war between the religious and scientific worlds which is based on discussing the ethical issues of stem cell research and gene engineering. The next similar feature is the debates on the cultural aspects. During the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance made traditionalists discuss the possibilities of the cultural decline, and the emergence of the â€Å"Lost Generation† movement was the reaction of the progressive cultural activists to the debates. The development of the pop culture and the MTV Generation during the 1990s-2000s is the reaction to the traditionalists’ views of the present days. Furthermore, the changes in the women’s status and the orientation to the birth control during the 1920s were as provocative as the abortion policy during the 1990s.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The progressive representatives of the roaring 1920s spent t heir time dancing and drinking, making the traditionalists discuss the aspects of the moral decline within the society. Nevertheless, the progressive representatives of the 1980s-2000s orient to the policy on the recreational drug use. The conservative public in the 1920s was shocked by changes in gender roles, and the conservative public in the 1990s was shocked by extreme changes in approaches to notions of sexuality and family (Jones et al. 410). The movement for the rights of homosexuals became the synonym of progressivism during the 1990s-2000s. Thus, it is possible to note that the main points discussed during the culture wars are similar for the 1920s and for the 1980s-2000s. However, the debates of traditionalists and modernists from two periods of time differ in the level of intensity and controversy. Today, the questions are more provocative, and the ethical issues involved are more influential. In spite of the fact the American contemporary society can be discussed as plu ralistic, the culture wars cannot be resolved once and for all because any new progressive visions in relation to the spheres of morality, politics, social life, and culture can be argued by the supporters of the traditional rules. Works Cited Jones, Jacqueline, Peter Wood, Thomas Borstelmann, Elaine Tyler May, and Vicki Ruiz. Created equal: A history of the United States. USA: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. This essay on The Culture Wars in the United States of America was written and submitted by user Samara Gilmore to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Security Concerns

Security Concerns For E-Topia Online Gaming Center Executive Summary One of the main concerns for online gaming centers around the world is security from both internal users and outside hackers. There is no way to create a totally secure environment without restricting bandwidth and or computing power. E-Topia needs a network configuration which will provide better security for its computers and customers. The current configuration provides adequate internet access, but is wide open to hackers and viruses. With better security for our internal network, our IT staff will spend less man hours troubleshooting and fixing computers. Currently, the average repair time of one of our computers is four hours. Since there are about 40 computers with four different types in various areas of the building, we average about one to two computers which need to be fixed per day. By increasing security, we will not have these problems. And any potential problems will not take as long to repair. Since most of our customers play online games, each computer needs to be running as fast as they possibly can. Also each computer can potentially be a server and needs only to have open access to the Internet. Any firewall that is installed will need to allow for just about any application in use today. By implementing a Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP client environment, we can control what each client computer can do from over the network. We will also install Symantec AntiVirus Enterprise Edition on the server and the Corporate Edition on the client computers. A firewall or network address translation will not be used. When computers will eventually need to be formatted and reinstalled, the server will be able to deploy Windows XP and all other necessary software. This will eliminate the amount of time the technician needs to spend at the computer. The server will also be configured to automatically deploy Wind... Free Essays on Security Concerns Free Essays on Security Concerns Security Concerns For E-Topia Online Gaming Center Executive Summary One of the main concerns for online gaming centers around the world is security from both internal users and outside hackers. There is no way to create a totally secure environment without restricting bandwidth and or computing power. E-Topia needs a network configuration which will provide better security for its computers and customers. The current configuration provides adequate internet access, but is wide open to hackers and viruses. With better security for our internal network, our IT staff will spend less man hours troubleshooting and fixing computers. Currently, the average repair time of one of our computers is four hours. Since there are about 40 computers with four different types in various areas of the building, we average about one to two computers which need to be fixed per day. By increasing security, we will not have these problems. And any potential problems will not take as long to repair. Since most of our customers play online games, each computer needs to be running as fast as they possibly can. Also each computer can potentially be a server and needs only to have open access to the Internet. Any firewall that is installed will need to allow for just about any application in use today. By implementing a Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP client environment, we can control what each client computer can do from over the network. We will also install Symantec AntiVirus Enterprise Edition on the server and the Corporate Edition on the client computers. A firewall or network address translation will not be used. When computers will eventually need to be formatted and reinstalled, the server will be able to deploy Windows XP and all other necessary software. This will eliminate the amount of time the technician needs to spend at the computer. The server will also be configured to automatically deploy Wind...

See below Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

See below - Assignment Example hile urban areas did not necessarily grow in terms of number, the size and density of urban areas, especially in the North, grew rapidly in the period immediately following the end of the civil war. This growth was fueled by several sources. Europe had recently faced several major crises, including the Irish Potato Famine (ending 1852, only a decade or before the civil war), fueling continued Irish immigration that continued as family connections were made in the United States. The Revolutions of 1848 caused political strife, as did the collapse of the second French Empire. In short, many Europeans were pushed into immigration seeking a better life, driving the unprecedented growth of American cities. A second notable source of growth for American cities in this period was immigration of black southern Americans. Finally able to move freely, many chose to leave their former slave-masters and seek better jobs in the North. These new urbanized areas incorporated America, becoming one o f America’s first â€Å"melting pots,† as long-standing Americans interacted frequently with new immigrants from the south and Europe. This increased urbanization also had significant economic impacts. American cities, fueled by massive population growth, and seemingly unlimited natural resources, quickly became some of the most productive places in the world. This created a vast amount of wealth, new businesses constantly â€Å"incorporating,† and developing into some of the most powerful institutions in the world. The richest Americans from the â€Å"Gilded Age† were some of the richest people in the history of the world up to this point, and the likes of Rockefeller and his ilk gave this era it’s gilded name. The third prong of incorporation in the United States, racial incorporation, was much less complete than the other two. Laws were set in place theoretically giving black Americans all the rights of to participate completely in the political process, if not fully in

Transitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Transitions - Essay Example Particularly negative stress in life affects you the most. Some stress can have a positive effect. From a positive stress perspective, its individual's natural reaction to accept dealing with life's extraordinary challenges and fight against the odds. Stressful events can also bring out the best and actually increases ability to survive in side the individual. Many people experienced great energy boost when they are forced to deal with a stressful situation they came across. Positive stress can help with concentration and focus. An individual faces stress in sudden changes in life; includes death of parents, abandonment, serious accidents, natural disasters, demolition of home, war, physical and sexual assaults. They disrupt the life and cause of serious stress and pain. It includes, rush hour traffic, aggravating associates, long lines at the store or bank, too many things to do, and misplacing things. Over time, stress takes a toll on our health and well being. It can lead to feelings of hopelessness or high blood pressure rates and helplessness, low self-esteem, headaches, sleeplessness, and frequent illness Stresses in the urban life come with poverty, unemployment, single parenting, and overcrowding. The lives of street children are usually filled with long-term problems that are difficult to solve: poverty, denial of human rights, psychological difficulties, illnesses, and lack of educational and recreational opportunities. Rejection or a sense of rejection by family members, friends, school, health or other services, and society in general Adolescent developmental changes 2. Life transitions Transitions in life, such as moving neighborhoods or cities, changing peer groups, or beginning a romantic relationship, changing schools or switching over to new job are always stressful because they require people to behave in new ways.Meaning of Transition Life is full of transition, death and parting being a major part of life. Change happens frequently throughout life, and an individual will go through many transitions. Life transitions are predictable changes in lives. Transition means changing from one place, stage, or relationship to another and some will signal the start of a new set of ventures. As described in United Nations Economic and Social Council doctrine; "Political, economic and social changes in transition countries left large segments of society very vulnerable. People lost guaranteed employment, the security of old age pensions and free access to basic social services. Massive unemployment, underemployment, non-payment of salaries, loss of savings due to hyperinflation and fast rising costs of health and other services made them very susceptible to various risks. They suffered from the loss of self-respect, when their skills and knowledge were no longer in demand. Many people became marginalized, as they lost access to

Processes and Applications of Fermentation

Processes and Applications of Fermentation Hort-312 (1+1) Topic: Fermented Food Dr. Ananta Saikia Sir, Murchana Malakar Introduction Fermentation is the process of producing a fermented product by the mass culture of micro organisms involved in it [14]. It is derived from the Latin word fevere meaning â€Å"to boil†. Biochemically, fermentation is a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic breakdown of sugar into alcohol. It is the oldest most which is the most economical method of preserving food [2]. The local people have been using the microbes without knowing their effects to produce the fermented products [10]. For household purpose, fermentation is followed with simple processing methods. Due to the lack of sterility, the end products often contain mixed microbial population [8]. Fermentation promotes digestibility and improve the health of human beings [6]. It promotes the shelf-life reducing volume, less cooking time and higher nutritive value. It helps in the detoxification of undesirable compounds such as phytates, polyphenols and tannins[11]. It also enhances the aroma and flavour of the fermented food. For industrial purpose, it is carried out on a large scale for manufacturing of the product. But in the second phase Microbiology evolved as a science for the first time in the history of fermentation [3]. Processes involved in fermentation:[7,13] Acetic Acid Fermentation: Acetobacter spp. is the main microorganism involved in this process. It aerobically converts the alcohol to acetic acid. Examples: Wine, Cider and melt honey. Lactic Acid Fermentation: It is carried out by lactic acid bacteria. Examples: Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi Alcoholic fermentation: Yeast is the main micro organism involved in this process which yields ethanol. Example: Brandy, Beer, Whiskey Alkali fermentation: It occurs in case of fish and seeds which are used as condiment.Example: Fish sauce, bagoong. Types of fermented food: Cereal based fermented food: Cereal grains are considered to be on one of the most important source of carbohydrate, protein, vitamin and mineral. It improves the texture, aroma of the end product. Most common type of cereals (such as wheat, rice, sorghum or corn) is used for the preparation of fermented foods. The bacteria species involved includes Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, Bacillus, Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, and Micrococcus. Fungi genera include Fusarium, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Trichothecium. The yeasts include Saccharomyces[10] (Steinkraus, 1998). Table 1: Commonly used cereal based fermented food and beverages [1,4,5,9, 12]. Anarshe Rice India Ang-kak Rice South East Asia Bagni Millet Caucasus Banku Maize Ghana Bogobe Sorghum Botswana Brem Rice Indonesia Busa Rice Egypt Chee-fan Wheat China Chicha Maize Peru Chonju Rice Korea Dalaki Millet Nigeria Dhokla Rice/Wheat India Dosa Rice India Darassum Millet Mongolia Hamanatto Wheat Japan Idli Rice India/Srilanka Injera Wheat/Sorghum Ethiopia Jalebies Wheat flour India/ Nepal/ Pakistan Kanji Rice India Kaffir beer Kaffir corn South Africa Kisra Sorghum Sudan Lao-chao Rice China/ Indonesia Me Rice Vietnam Miso Rice and soybeans Japan/ China Nan Unbleached wheat flour India/ Pakistan Nasha Sorghum Sudan Ogi Maize/Sorghum Nigeria Puto Rice Philippines Pozol Maize Mexico Rabdi Maize India Sorghum Beer Sorghum/Maize South Africa Sake Rice Japan Takju Rice/Wheat Korea Torani Rice India Tape ketan Rice/ Cassava Indonesia Uji Maize/Sorghum Kenya Vada Ceral India Legume Based Fermented Foods: Pulses are the chief sources of proteins. The micro organisms involved in it are: Mucor sp., Aspergillus spp., Lactobacillus sp. , Saccharomyces sp. Table 2: Fermented foods of legumes [6]. Aagya Soybean India Chee-fan Soybean China Dawadawa African locust bean Nigeria Kecap Soybean Indonesia Khaman Bengal gram India Meju Soybean Korea Natto Soybean Japan Soybean Milk Soybean China Tempeh Soybean Indonesia Waries Black gram India Fermented Milk Products: The fermented milk products have higher nutritive value, better keeping quality and it has a strong therapeutic potential. Micro organisms involved are: Lactobacillus sp, Saccharomyces sp, Acetobacter aceti, Yeast. Table 3: List of Fermented milk products [6] Buttermilk Bovine USA/ Australia Chhurpi Yak India Curd Bovine, Buffalo India Cultured cream Bovine USA Koumiss Horse, Mare, Camel Russia, Asia Kefir Bovine, Goat Russia Laktofil Bovine Sweden Lassi Bovine India Leben Ewe, Goat, Sheep Labenon, Iraq Quark Bovine Germany, Europe Viili Bovine Finland Yoghurt Bovine/ Goat Turkey Fermented Fish Meat Products: Meat and fish are the rich source of proteins. Fermentation helps in increasing the shelf life and also gives unique flavour and texture to the final product. It involves the micro organisms such as Actinomycetes, Pseudomonas, Yeast, Penicillium, Lactobacillus, and Micrococcus. Table 4: List of Meat and fish products [6] Bacon Cured Meat Europe Bagoong Fish Philippines Fish sauce Fish South East Asia Ham Meat Europe Katsuobushi Fish Japan Fermented Fruits Vegetables: Fermentation is the oldest method of extending the shelf life of perishable products. Table 5: List of fermented fruits and vegetables [6] Gundruk Radish India Kimchi Radish Korea Olive Olive Spain Pickle Vegetable India Yan-taozih Peach China Sauerkraut Cabbage Internatinal Soidon Bamboo shoot India Yan-tsai-shin Broccoli Taiwan Benefits of Fermented Foods: Variation in the types of fermented products Important ingredients can be prepared from it Quality is increased to a great extent. Preservation increases the shelf life. It helps in the recovery of a disease free life. Raw materials can be digested to a great extent. Conclusion: Fermented products which are associated with several cultural and social aspects contain a wide range of probiotics. The tactics which are practised by the ethnic groups reveal the correlation of nature with the people including the micro flora. Value added methods are practised by genetic improvement, strains of micro organisms, using of immobilised systems which will lead to industrialization of the food products. Hence, the fermented products can be maximised and commercializing the technological development in terms of financial support by the governing agencies. References: [1] ] Adams, M. R. (1998). Fermented weaning foods. In J. B. Wood (Ed.),  Microbiology of fermented foods (pp. 790–811). London: Blackie  Academic. [2] Billings, T. (1998). On fermented foods. Available: http://www.living-foods.com. [3] Caplice, E., Fitzgerald, G. F. (1999). Food fermentations: role of  microorganisms in food production and preservation. International  Journal of Food Microbiology, 50, 131–149. [4] Chavan, J. K., Kadam, S. S. (1989). Critical reviews in food science  and nutrition. Food Science, 28, 348–400. [5] Harlander, S. (1992). Food biotechnology. In J. Lederberg (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of microbiology (pp. 191–207). New York: Academic Press [6] Jeyaram, K., Singh A., Romi, W., Devi, A.R., Singh, W.M., Dayanithi, H., Singh, N.R. and Tamang, J.P. 2009. Traditional fermented foods of Manipur. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 8(1): 115-121. [7] Modi, H.A.(2012). Aavishkar Publishers, Distributors, Jaipur, pp-1-203. [8] Nout, M.J.R. and Sarkar, P.K. 1999. Lactic acid food fermentation in tropical climates. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 76: 395-401. [9] Sankaran, R. (1998). Fermented food of the Indian subcontinent. In  J. B. Wood (Ed.), Microbiology of fermented foods (pp. 753–789).  London: Blackie Academic and Professional. [10] Sekar, S. and Mariappan, S. 2007. Usage of traditional fermented products by Indian rural folks and IPR. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 6 (1): 111120. [11] Sharma, A. and Kapoor, A.C. 1996. Level of antinutritional factors in pearl millet as affected by processing treatments and various types of fermentation. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 49: 241-252. [12] Soni, S. K., Sandhu, D. K. (1990). Indian fermented foods: microbiological  and biochemical aspects. Indian Journal of Microbiology,  30, 135–157. [13] Srivastava, R.P. Kumar, S(2002). Fruit and Vegetable Preservation.CBS Publishers and Distributors Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, pp-81-82. [14] Stanbury, P.F. 1999. Fermentation Technology. In Stanbury, P. F., A. Whitaker, and S. J. Hal (Eds), Principles of Fermentation Technology, 2nd Edition, p 1-24. UK: Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. [15] Steinkraus, K. H. (1998). Bio-enrichment: production of vitamins in  fermented foods. In J. B. Wood (Ed.), Microbiology of fermented  foods (pp. 603–619). London: Blackie Academic and Professional.

The Problems With Affirmative Action Essay -- affirmative action argum

The Problems With Affirmative Action Tim was working as a college professor for many years at an ivy-league school. Tim was a very well liked by the students and by the administration. Tim's qualifications were hard to beat, with a book and many other writings to his credit. One day he went to work and found out that he had been replaced by a woman that had less experience and fewer credentials (McElroy). The definition of affirmative action is as follows: Affirmative action means taking positive steps to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals from groups that have traditionally been discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, disability, or other characteristics. In this sense, affirmative action goes beyond equal employment opportunity, which requires employers to eliminate discriminatory conditions, whether inadvertent or intentional, and to treat all employees equally in the workplace ( What ... action? ). Tim lost his job to a procedure that had the main purpose to make the process of hiring workers and accepting people to colleges equal for the minorities and women. However, the process, affirmative action, does not make it equal and it gives minorities and women extra rights. Affirmative action is a procedure that is unfair and unjust to the majority of the people. It is not ethical to cure discrimination of minority's and women with another form of discrimination when the majority is discriminated against. Discrimination is hard to correct, but if laws are for discrimination of any kind, it will never be corrected. Plous argued against this and said, "the most effective way to cure society of exclusionary practices is to make special efforts at inclusion." In the statement, the word "special"... ...ww.now.org/press/04-03/04-01.html>. Jorgensen, Eric T. "Affirmative Action is Not So Bad." The Back Page. 4 Sept. 1998. 21 Oct. 2003 <http://www.sff.net/people/ericj/backpage/1998/affirmac.htp>. McElroy, Wendy. "What does Affirmative Action Affirm." wendymcelroy.com. 24 Oct. 2003 <http://www.zetetics.com/mac/affirm.htm>. Plous, S. "Ten myths about affirmative action." Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination. 2003. 21 Oct. 2003 <http://www.UnderstandingPrejudice.org/readroom/articles/affirm.htm>. Smith, Peter J. "Affirmative action can hurt qualifited whites." The State News: Michigan State University's Independent Voice. 15 Sept. 1998. 21 Oct. 2003 <http://www.statenews.com/editionsfall98/091598/op_ltr3.html>. "What is affirmative action?" Hrnext.com. 2003. 21 Oct. 2003 <http://www2.hrnext.com/Article.cfm/Nav/1.41.105.0.6829.6829>.

Psychology of a Serial Killer Essay

Abstract Serial killings are defined as â€Å"having three or more victims in as many locations and as different events with the killer having a ‘cool off’ between each attack† (Fox & Levin, 2005, p. 17). Serial killings also happen over a period of months or years with the killer leading a normal life in between. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental process. â€Å"There are grounds for the point of view that serial killers act from a conscious perspective but are influenced by a variety of unconscious drives† (Holmes & Burger, 1988, p. 98). There are different views of what makes a serial killer, ranging from mental instability or defect to problematic and abusive childhoods. Looking at the murders, methods, victims, and motivations of three different serial killers received from coroner reports, witness accounts, and their own point of view provides an opportunity to see any similarities behind what drove them to kill. Psychology of a Serial Killer Jack the Ripper Considered one of the most infamous of the world’s serial killers, Jack the Ripper’s murder spree lasted from 1888 to 1892 in the East End of London. Also known as the Whitechapel Murderer, he attacked prostitutes during late night and early morning hours, mutilating his victims’ bodies with the skill of someone who knows basic anatomy. Jack the Ripper’s first known victim was Mary Nichols, a prostitute, who was found early in the morning in a gateway in Bucks Row, Whitechapel on 31 August 1888. â€Å"She was lying on her back with her legs straight out, skirts raised almost to her waist and throat slashed almost to the point of beheading† (Jones, 2010). His second victim was Annie Chapman, another prostitute, found 8 September 1888 in the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street at 6am. The official coroner report stated: The left arm was placed across the left breast. The legs were drawn up, the feet resting on the ground, and the knees turned outwards. The face was swollen and turned on the right side. The tongue protruded between the front teeth, but not beyond the lips. The tongue was evidently much swollen. The front teeth were perfect as far as the first molar, top and bottom and very fine teeth they were. The body was terribly mutilated†¦the stiffness of the limbs was not marked, but was evidently commencing. He noticed that the throat was dissevered deeply; that the incisions through the skin were jagged and reached right round the neck. On the wooden paling between the yard in question and the next, smears of blood, corresponding to where the head of the deceased lay, were to be seen. These were about 14 inches from the ground and immediately above the part where the blood from the neck was pooled. (Jones, 2010) Later, after the body was moved to the morgue, the autopsy conducted revealed Annie Chapman was missing her womb. The third victim was Elizabeth Stride on 30 September 1888. She was found at one in the morning in Dutfield Yard. Her throat was cut but, â€Å"she was lying on the ground as though quietly placed there† (Jones, 2010), obviously, one of Jack the Rippe r’s less horrific murders. Roughly forty-five minutes after finding Stride, the body of Catherine Eddowes was found in Mitre Square laying on her back, clothes thrown above her waist and her throat slit as well. Jack the Ripper’s fifth and supposedly final victim was Mary Kelly on 9 November 1888. She was found that morning at 10:45 in the morning in her room at Millers Court. The coroner report stated: The body was lying naked in the middle of the bed, the shoulders flat, but the axis of the body inclined to the left side of the bed. The head was turned on the left cheek. The left arm was close to the body with the forearm flexed at a right angle & lying across the abdomen. The right arm was slightly abducted from the body & rested on the mattress, the elbow bent & the forearm supine with the fingers clenched. The legs were wide apart, the left thigh at right angles to the trunk & the right forming an obtuse angle with the pubes. The whole of the surface of the abdomen & thighs was removed & the abdominal Cavity emptied of its viscera. The breasts were cut off, the arms mutilated by several jagged wounds & the face hacked beyond recognition of the features. The tissues of the neck were severed all round down to the bone. The viscera were found in various parts viz: the uterus & Kidneys with one breast under the head, the other breast by the Rt foot, the Liver between the feet, the intestines by the right side & the spleen by the left side of the body. The flaps removed from the abdomen and thighs were on a table. The bed clothing at the right corner was saturated with blood, & on the floor beneath was a pool of blood covering about 2 feet square†¦ The face was gashed in all directions the nose cheeks, eyebrows and ears being partly removed. The lips were blanched & cut by several incisions running obliquely down to the chin. There were also numerous cuts extending irregularly across all the features. (Jones, 2010) Police later found that at four in the morning, neighbors had heard muffled calls of murder but had ignored them believing them to be from a case of domestic violence. Little else is known of Jack the Ripper as he was never caught. Speculations about his identity range from the severely impoverished to the very wealthy, and suspects are being added to the list to this day. John Haigh A respectable, well dressed, middle-class man of the 1940’s, John Haigh was a depraved killer who frequently blamed his strict religious upbringing for his actions. He was raised in a purist and anti-clerical household where he was cut off from normal society and his only source of entertainment came from the Bible. According to Haigh’s father, the world was evil and a person who sinned became marked and evil. The fear of gaining such a mark caused Haigh to be terrified of doing anything wrong. â€Å"It is said that a turning point in the boy’s developing psyche came when Haigh realized that no such blemish would appear, despite having lied or committed some other questionable behavior. He then started to believe that he was invincible and could get away with anything† (UK, 2005-2011) thus causing Haigh to become a manipulating and compulsive liar. After leaving his parents’ home, Haigh became a salesman and took to illegal activities such as fraud that usually landed him in prison serving short sentences. Haigh’s first victim was from the McSwan Family, a family he had come to know well; he lived with them and worked for them before marrying the daughter later. September 1944, Haigh took Donald McSwan to his residence where he then killed him; â€Å"the murder was carefully planned – having bludgeoned his victim with a club (or a similar weapon); Haigh then destroyed the body in a vat of acid. When bone and flesh had been reduced to a sludge-like mess, he poured the gooey residue onto the dirt surface of an open yard behind the building† (John Haigh-Acid Bath Killer, n.d.) When Donald’s parents began asking Haigh about their son’s disappearance, he concocted a lie then lured them to his residence and disposed of them in the same fashion. He forged all their assets into his name and then promptly lost it gambling and began looking towards murder again. Haigh’s next victims were old retiree’s, Rosalie and Archibald Henderson that he met by acting as though he was going to buy a house from them. February 1948, he drove Dr. Henderson to his workshop where he shot him in the head and disposed of the body by dumping it into a vat of sulphuric acid. He then returned to Mrs. Henderson and told her that her husband had taken sick and needed her. She accompanied Haigh to his workshop where she met the same lethal fate as her husband. In both the McSwan and Henderson murders, Haigh emulated his victims’ handwriting and sent notes to their servants, relatives and friends; he explained that they had moved to Australia or some other distant place, mentioning that ‘Mr. Haigh’ would settle their affairs. (John Haigh-Acid Bath Killer, n.d.) Haigh gained a substantial amount of money from the Henderson’s which he again lost to gambling. Haigh found and killed his next victim on 18 February 1949. Mrs. Durand-Deacon accompanied him to the Gloucester Road address. As soon as she entered the basement premises, Haigh shot her in the back of the head, killing her instantly. He stripped her and dumped her body into a 40-gallon vat of sulphuric acid. Haigh drained the receptacle through a basement sewer; afterwards, he scraped the sludge from the vat and dumped this onto the dirt of the back yard. This was hard work and Haigh, according to his later statements, paused to go to the nearby Ye Olde Ancient Prior’s Restaurant where he ate an egg on toast. He then returned to his workshop to â€Å"tidy up†. (John Haigh-Acid Bath Killer, n.d.) This would be the murder that got him caught. Haigh decided to play the concerned citizen since his latest victim was so close to home so he approached her closet friend, Mrs. Lane, and asked about Mrs. Durand -Deacon. After replying that the friend had thought Mrs. Durand-Deacon had left with him, Haigh quickly denied the accusation. The following day, he asked the same question to Mrs. Lane who decided to report the disappearance to the police. Haigh accompanied her to the police station to navigate suspicion away from himself, but one police officer preformed a background investigation on Haigh and because of what he saw became suspicious. Haigh was arrested and sentenced to death regardless of his claims and demonstrations of insanity. Jesse H. Pomeroy â€Å"The Boy Fiend, Jesse Pomeroy, is the youngest convicted serial killer in history† (Wilhiem, 2010). Starting with a troubled childhood due to a birth defect, Pomeroy was the subject of ridicule among his peers and his father couldn’t stand the sight of him and would viciously beat him when angry before his mother chased him off. It was stated that; Jesse was an intelligent boy, if somewhat anti-social. He would not join the other boys in baseball games or other athletic pursuits, but he was fond of playing ‘scouts and Indians’ where he would invariably be an Indian and devise elaborate imaginary tortures for captive scouts (Wilhiem, 2010). Pomeroy’s mother was the first to notice something was wrong with her son after finding the heads twisted off her parakeets’ heads. The start of Pomeroy’s decent into murder began in Boston with Billy Paine who was found beaten in an outhouse. Soon after the police found Tracy Hayden in the same outhouse where â€Å"He was tied, stripped naked, and whipped across the back. The boy hit him in the face with a board, breaking his nose and knocking out two teeth. Then he threatened to cut off Tracy’s penis† (Wilhiem, 2010). Pomeroy’s third victim was Robert Maier who withstood the same brutal treatment. Chelsea police interviewed hundreds of boys but received no leads. Rumors began to circulate about the description of the killer and the picture people portrayed were that of the devil. Pomeroy was named â€Å"The Boy Torturer† after stripping and beating Johnny Balch. Pomeroy’s mother, suspected her son, and moved to South Boston with her family where the assaults continued only more often and more inhumane. â€Å"On August 17, seven-year-old George Pratt was abducted and wa s not just flogged. This time the abductor stuck a needle in his arm and his groin, and bit chunks of flesh from his face and buttocks† (Wilhiem, 2010). Pomeroy began using a knife to stab his victims repeatedly before attempting to cut off their genitalia. Robert Gould was the eighth victim and able to give police a useful description of his assailant. The parents of Gould refused to allow him to be escorted around to identify his attacker, and police were forced to ask Pomeroy’s seventh victim, Joseph Kennedy, who was then shown around the local schools and even came face to face with Pomeroy and was unable to identify him as the killer. That day, after school, for reasons Jesse was never able to explain, he went to the police station. Seeing Joseph Kennedy there, he quickly turned and left the station, but a policeman followed him out and brought him back. Now, looking closer, young Joseph saw the white eye and identified Jesse as his torturer. Jesse was held in a cell overnight and was persuaded to confess. The next day all of the victims identified him as their attacker. Jesse, then 12 years old, was sentenced to the reformatory, ‘for the term of his minority’ – a period of six years. (Wilhiem, 2010) Pomeroy acted as though he was better within the reformatory and seventeen months after his arrest, Pomeroy was placed on probation and set free. â€Å"March 18, 1874, 10-year-old Katie Curran left her home to buy a notebook for school and never returned. She was last seen entering Mrs. Pomeroy’s store. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Jesse’s history and the Corrans feared the worst.† (Wilhiem, 2010) At the police station Captain Dyer assured Mrs. Curran that Jesse could not be involved—he had been completely rehabilitated; besides he was only known to attack little boys. â€Å"Katie’s father was a Catholic and reflecting the attitudes of the time; local rumors said he sent her to a convent† (Wilhiem, 2010). Thirty-six days later a little boy, Horace Millen, was seen walking toward the wharf. Later that day Millen’s body was found half naked on the beach; he was stabbed multiple times in the chest, almost beheaded and half castrated. Pomeroy was the first person to come to the police chief’s mind upon hearing about the murders, but he quickly dismissed it on the assumption that Pomeroy was still in the reformatory, his men quickly corrected the assumption and were ordered to arrest Pomeroy. Pomeroy denied all charges, even when confronted with forensic evidence, until he was taken to see the dead body of Millen where â€Å"He admitted he killed Horace, something made him do it. He was sorry and wanted to leave. He told the policemen: ‘Put me somewhere, so I can’t do such things’† (Wilhiem, 2010). Pomeroy’s mother’s business suffered due to the recent events with her son, and she was forced to sell to a grocery chain. During renovations the decomposing body of Katie Curran was found under a heap of ashes and was only identifiable from her clothing. Pomeroy’s mother and brother were arrested for murder but were cleared by Pomeroy confessing to Curran’s murder after interrogation. Later, Pomeroy claimed to have only admitted guilt to save his mother. Pomeroy’s lawyers fought for the insanity plea but were denied because prosecution proved he knew right from wrong, Pomeroy was proven guilty for first degree murder at the age of 16 and sentenced to life in prison. Conclusion Looking at all three killers penchant for mutilating their victims’ bodies, the almost randomness in choosing of their victims, and the childhoods of at least two of the killers, mental trauma sustained during adolescence played a large part in the decline into becoming killers where they took the atrocities they viewed or had been done to them and focused them on their victims as a form of control and improper coping. Unfortunately, in the case of Jack the Ripper, we cannot look into his childhood and compare it to that of Pomeroy or Haigh, but we can deduce that with his choosing of female prostitutes and his horrific mutilation of them, he was traumatized as a child by his mother whether it was because she herself was a prostitute and he often saw her in-coitus with her customers or his mother was extremely controlling like that of the mother of Ed Gein, and after her death, possibly caused by him, he started reaching out and punishing her over and over again using local pr ostitutes as the subjects of his disdain. Pomeroy’s abuse and actions against his victims were a reflection of his father’s actions upon him that, as a way of control, he chose victims younger and smaller than himself to take control of the situation that he couldn’t at home; in essence, he was abusing himself for not being able to do anything against his own father. Haigh, though having an abusive and extremely volatile childhood, did not kill or choose his victims out of anything other than financial gain. Looking at his case files, we see the pattern that after he gambled away the profits of his previous killings he would then find new ‘prey’ to lure into his killing trap. His attempts at pleading insanity fell through because of his pattern of choosing only wealthy or profitable victims that benefitted him in the end and elevated his status. Applying criminological theory to these serial killers is possible, but narrowing their actions to just one is impossible. Some would say that Pomeroy was showing differential association and he had learned his behavior from his father or that strain could apply to both him and Haigh, though Haigh’s was from a financial stand point rather than from an inability to cope with his father beating him. Jack the Ripper is the only killer who would be difficult to apply any theory to with as little as we know of him or his childhood. References David Lester, P. (1995). Serial Killers: The Insatiable Passion. Philadelphia: Charles Press Publishers, Inc. Fox, J. A., & Levin, J. (2005). Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder. Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi: Sage Publications, Inc. Holmes, R. M., & Burger, J. D. (1988). Serial Murder. London: Sage Publications, Inc. John Haigh-Acid Bath Killer. (n.d.). Retrieved from horrorfind.com: http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/horror/bedlambound/library/haigh.html Jones, R. (2010). Jack The Ripper: History, Victims, Letters, Suspects. Retrieved from Jack The Ripper History: http://www.jack-the-ripper.org/ Pomeroy, J. (2002). Autobiography of Jesse H. Pomeroy. Retrieved from http://kobek.com: http://kobek.com/autobiography.pdf UK, A. (2005-2011). Bibliography- John Haigh: The Acid bath Murderer on Crime and Investigation Network. Retrieved from CRIME FILE – Famous criminal: John Haigh: The Acid Bath Murderer : http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/jo hn-haigh-the-acid-bath-murderer/biography.html Wilhiem, R. (2010, August 7). Jesse Pomeroy: â€Å"Boy Fiend†. Retrieved from Murder By Gaslight: http://murderbygasslight.blogspot.com/2010/08/jesse-pomeroy-boston-boy-fiend.html