Undertaker

Undertaker Undertaker Undertaker By Maeve Maddox After reading my recent article on caretakers and caregivers, a reader asks, How about explaining the particular use of another kind of â€Å"taker†-an undertaker, as in mortician or funeral director. If the business that is being â€Å"undertaken† [is] that of burying the dead, why don’t we call other professional services such as banker, realtor, physician, â€Å"undertakers† as well? The easiest answer to this question is that at one time we could have used the word for other service providers, but in current usage, undertaker has dwindled to only its present specialized meaning. In the 14th century, an undertaker was a â€Å"helper.† Wycliffe translated Psalm 53:6 as â€Å"The Lord is undertaker of my soul.† In the 17th century, undertaker had more than one meaning: an investor a person who acts as security for someone else in a business undertaking a baptismal sponsor. In the 19th century, undertaker could refer to: a subcontractor an investor. a book-publisher a play producer Undertaker with the meaning, â€Å"one who makes a business of carrying out the arrangements for funerals† was already in use in 1698. By 1884, someone could write, â€Å"You look as solemn as an undertaker.† Such is the human aversion to death that words closely associated with burial tend to be abandoned for other uses. The noun shroud, for example, started out in English with the meaning of â€Å"clothing.† In Aelfric’s translation of Genesis 45:22, God gives Adam and Eve â€Å"twa scrod† (two shrouds) to cover themselves. By the 16th century, shroud had taken on the meaning of â€Å"white cloth or sheet in which a corpse is laid out for burial; a winding-sheet.† Note: Shroud in the sense of â€Å"a set of ropes, usually in pairs, leading from the head of a mast and serving to relieve the latter of lateral strain† was in use in the 15th century. The ropes â€Å"clothed† the mast. Coffin is another word that started out with a general meaning that had nothing to do with death: â€Å"basket.† In a 14th century sermon referencing the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the left-over food filled â€Å"twelve coffins,† but by 1525, coffin had taken on the specific meaning of â€Å"the box or chest in which a corpse is enclosed for burial.† In the United States, funeral directors came to feel that the word coffin was too creepy for consumers, so they decided to change the name to a more pleasant word: casket. In its original sense, a casket is â€Å"a small box or chest for jewels, letters, or other things of value, itself often of valuable material and richly ornamented.† For example, the Franks Casket in the British Museum is a beautiful little 8th century chest made of whale’s bone and carved with scenes depicting the Adoration of the Magi, the Emperor Titus, Romulus and Remus, and Weyland Smith. The coffin-to-casket evolution in the U.S. is an example of a pretty word taken as a euphemism for something unpleasant, which in time comes to acquire the same unpleasantness it was supposed to obscure. At least one meaning that used to be attached to undertaker is still to be found in another â€Å"under† word, underwriter. Sometimes public radio announcers refer to their sponsors as underwriters. And in one sense, we are all â€Å"undertakers† when we undertake a new project. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational Writing10 Colloquial Terms and Their MeaningsHow Do You Fare?

Caso de menores centroamericanos detenidos en frontera

Caso de menores centroamericanos detenidos en frontera La crisis de la frontera dejà ³ unos 70,000 menores centroamericanos detenidos por la Patrulla de Fronteriza (CBP, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), tras cruzar ilegalmente la frontera de Estados Unidos. Se estima que en el aà ±o fiscal 2015 el asunto de los menores que cruzan ilegalmente la frontera puede llegar a ocasionar a Estados Unidos gastos por importe de $2 billones (dos mil millones de dà ³lares). Por ley, cuando un menor de 18 aà ±os es detenido por la CBP su informacià ³n no se introduce en la base de datos en la que aparecen los nombres, nacionalidad y lugar de detencià ³n de los indocumentados que han sido arrestados. (Para saber si un adulto est detenido por Inmigracià ³n, aquà ­ est la base de datos en la que verificar). Tampoco se les envà ­a a los centros de detencià ³n donde estn retenidos los inmigrantes adultos.   En este artà ­culo se explica: Procedencia de los nià ±os (que determina en algunos casos quà © pasa inmediatamente despuà ©s de la detencià ³n)Razones por las que viajan a Estados Unidos (ya que algunas causas podrà ­an servir de base para una vez aquà ­ buscar una salida migratoria para poder quedarse legalmente)Lugar en el que se les da alojamientoDà ³nde encontrar ayuda legalQuà © pasa cuando se les envà ­a de regreso a su paà ­s  ¿De quà © paà ­ses proceden los esos nià ±os? Estos unaccompanied minors, como se les conoce en inglà ©s en el lenguaje de Inmigracià ³n, proceden principalmente de: HondurasGuatemalaEl Salvador De esos tres paà ­ses proceden el 74 por ciento de los menores arrestados. Y en menor medida, de Mà ©xico. Pero han llegado a la frontera menores de Asia (Sri Lanka) y frica (Tanzania). Para llegar a la frontera de Estados Unidos han viajado por semanas, e incluso meses, distancias que pueden superar las mil millas. El viaje est lleno de peligros extremadamente graves. Se ha documentado toda clase de abusos, como extorsià ³n, violaciones sexuales, violencia fà ­sica, secuestros, mutilaciones, prostitucià ³n, obligacià ³n para transportar drogas para traficantes e, incluso, asesinatos.  ¿Quià ©nes son esos nià ±os? En su mayorà ­a son varones adolescentes, pero se aprecia una tendencia con cada vez ms muchachas y nià ±os de ambos gà ©neros menores de 13 aà ±os. Se han dado casos en los que la CBP se ha encontrado a nià ±os de tan sà ³lo cinco aà ±os.  ¿Por quà © huyen de sus paà ­ses e inician un viaje tan lleno de peligros extremos hacia Estados Unidos? La razà ³n principal es la violencia, los nià ±os escapan de: las gangas (pandillas, gangs) y de su presià ³n para reclutarlos a ellos o a familiares.traficantes de drogas y toda la violencia que crean a su alrededor.situaciones de violencia domà ©stica grave Inician su camino hacia Estados Unidos porque creen que aquà ­ pueden encontrar una situacià ³n mejor y porque muchos de ellos tienen en el paà ­s a al menos un familiar (padre, padre, hermano, tà ­os, etc).  ¿Quà © sucede cundo la CBP los arresta? Si los detenidos son menores  mexicanos son, en casi todos los casos, enviados de regreso a su paà ­s en cuestià ³n de horas por un acuerdo binacional. Sin embargo à ºltimamente hay un cambio en esta polà ­tica para los jà ³venes mexicanos. Pero Estados Unidos no tienen ningà ºn acuerdo de este tipo con los paà ­ses de Centroamà ©rica. Por eso, cuando un menor de ese paà ­s es arrestado tras cruzar ilegalmente la frontera esto es lo que pasa: Queda en custodia de la CBP por unas horas o unos dà ­as. Si necesita asistencia mà ©dica, se le brinda.Pasa a estar bajo custodia del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de EEUU. A estos muchachos les acoge en centros destinados de la Oficina de Reasentamiento de Refugiados (ORR, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). En la actualidad, hay 80 centros dedicados a alojar a estos menores, la mayorà ­a estn en los estados fronterizos, pero no siempre. Algunos de ellos estn gerenciados por organizaciones como Catholic Charities y SouthWest Key. Si estas instalaciones estn llenas, como ocurre ahora donde se est alojando aproximadamente cada dà ­a a 25,000 nià ±os, se recurre a barracones militares, como es el caso de la Base del Ejà ©rcito del Aire en Lackland, Texas. Los nià ±os estn atendidos, van a la escuela en las propias instalaciones pero no pueden salir, excepto por circunstancias excepcionales, como ir a consulta de un psicà ³logo o mà ©dico. Y lo hacen acompaà ±ados.En general los muchachos estn en estas instalaciones una media de 40-45 dà ­as (antes se estaba ms). A partir de ahà ­ la mayorà ­a -aproximadamente el 90 por ciento- pasa a estar en custodia de un familiar que se encuentre en Estados Unidos. Si no tienen familiar, pueden ir a Centros de Acogida para Menores (youth shelters, en cualquier parte del paà ­s).   Al ser menores de edad sus nombres no aparecen en la base de datos de personas detenidas por la CBP.  ¿Cul es la situacià ³n migratoria de estos menores y cules son sus opciones? Han entrado ilegalmente en Estados Unidos, por lo tanto, se inicia un procedimiento de deportacià ³n en su contra. Al cabo de 1-2 aà ±os la inmensa mayorà ­a acaba siendo deportado y enviado de regreso a su paà ­s de origen. Estos son los tiempos medios de demora para los casos ante Corte migratoria segà ºn el estado.  ¿Cà ³mo se puede luchar para que no se produzca la deportacià ³n? Se estima (no se sabe con seguridad) que aproximadamente un 40-50 por ciento de estos menores podrà ­a beneficiarse de alguna de las siguientes medidas: AsiloVisas para và ­ctimas de trfico humano o violencia criminal Programa de Estatus Especial de Inmigrantes Juveniles, conocido en inglà ©s como SIJ, para menores de 21 aà ±os no casados que han sido gravemente abusados y/o abandonados por sus padres o guardianesO alguna otra medida de alivio para la que puedan calificar Cuando estn bajo la custodia de ORR pueden tener contacto con organizaciones pro bono de defensa legal, con los que establecer contacto para el juicio de deportacià ³n. Pero un gran problema es que no todos los menores son contactados. Ni tampoco los familiares bajo cuya custodia quedan mientras se tramita todo el proceso de la deportacià ³n. Son situaciones legales complicadas para las que la mejor opcià ³n es contar con un abogado especialista en estos temas. Pero ni los nià ±os ni sus familias estn, en la mayorà ­a de los casos, en situacià ³n de pagar por un letrado. Y en corte de Inmigracià ³n, por ser un asunto civil, el gobierno no pone abogado de oficio a las personas que no pueden pagarlo. Sin embargo, sà ­ que convendrà ­a intentar buscar ayuda legal, en la forma de abogados pro bono. Se puede contactar con KIND (Kinds in Need of Defense), una organizacià ³n sin fin de lucro en Washington D.C. que puede poner en contacto a los menores con abogados que los pueden representar en corte sin tener que pagar, si no tienen medios econà ³micos. Si se est en la zona del Bajo Valle de Rà ­o Grande, se puede contactar con ProBar. O pedir una cita en organizaciones como Catholic Charities para ver si pueden hacer un referido a un abogado que trabaje pro bono en estos casos de menores que llegaron sin estar acompaà ±ados de adultos.  ¿Quà © pasa cuando el juez de Inmigracià ³n resuelve? Si se concede alguna medida de alivio, se pueden quedar en Estados Unidos. Hay que saber muy bien cul se concede ya que cada una tiene sus propias caracterà ­sticas, derechos y obligaciones. Si se ordena la deportacià ³n se les enviar de regreso a sus paà ­ses en vuelos de deportados.

Ethics in Business. The analyse of the case study Essay

Ethics in Business. The analyse of the case study - Essay Example It is agreeable to say that by conviction and not through interest, we should treat others the very same way we would want them to treat us (Cory 2004:1). When adhered to, such moral values enhance the performance and profitability of the firm since it attracts and maintains customers together with their trust in the products or services offered by the business. The companies’ basic moral principles according to Cory (2004:2) â€Å"†¦are honesty, acting in good faith and in an equitable and just manner without betraying the trust of the stakeholders and by treating them as equals, practicing reciprocity, avoiding the exploitation of others, and acting from your own free will without forcing your will on your partners†. It is virtues like honesty and acting in good faith that in our case study we see Steffan, in his capacity as the project manager violating deliberately. There is need for business to develop and faithfully practice these moral values for purposes of well societal being. Unfortunately they fail to do that. Incidentally it is the managers and the CEOs who often are accused of violation of core values of the society like in the case of Steffan Larson who disregards Lauren’s advice. They are usually morally blind and instead throw their focus on profit making. This is largely so because of shareholders’ pressure for profit generation and the capitalistic economic arena in which they operate. But this notion is disputable since even in non-profit making organizations there is open deviation from set rules and regulation. They therefore do business without caring about people’s lives, the environmental, political, social, and moral values. International corporations also want to be exempted from certain core values of a given place if in their view the values will conflict with their set objects, a theory Bowie (2002: 3) calls relativism. He says that the international corporations want to

The concept of peak oil has been devised to reflect scarcity Essay

The concept of peak oil has been devised to reflect scarcity associated with oil supplies. But surely the price of oil would be a more efficient indication of its scarcity - Essay Example In contrast to the peak oil concept, global oil production showed a decline from its peak point at 74 mb/d in 2005; however, after a short decline the figures rebounded, and in 2011 there were higher production of oil than 2005 (US energy information and administration, 2011). Peak oil is ascertained by taking into account extraction rates from each oil well, the predicted oil reserves, and total extraction rate of an oil field comprising of associated oil wells (Berdellà ©, 2011). Here the core contentious issue is that the concept of ‘peak oil,’ which had been devised to reflect oil scarcity, is an ambiguous indicator of scarcity. Instead, some economists content that oil prices prove to be a more efficient indication of the scarcity of oil. Various experts contend that oil scarcity is dependent on the rate of consumption, where constraints placed on supply side are based on product demands. James L. Smith in his research papers, using benchmark scenario, high growth scenario and low growth scenario graphs, proved that peak timing is inconsistent as an indicator of oil scarcity (2011, pp. 8-13). Observations revealed that during 2007-08 economic crisis, despite oil supplies not increasing, there was loosening in the oil scarcity factor, owing to low demand. The equation for supply-demand graph can be plotted effectively through the factor of pricing, hence making oil prices a better indicator for its scarcity. Natural oil does not have any uniform or any standardised quality, and tends to vary significantly, which range from medium quality oil, to oil with high API gravity (high quality) from Saudi Arabian fields, to low API gravity (poor quality) heavy oil from fields in South America and Canada. Despite reports of fall in high quality oil levels, as far as supply of heavy oil is concerned, there is no scarcity, and many oil fields in deep-water areas remain unexplored (Stier, 2008). The Saudi Arabian high API oils are relatively easy to extract and oil

City of God Essay Example for Free

City of God Essay Question 1: a) Throughout the film we see Lil’ Dice evolve into Lil’ Ze. Lil’ Dice turned into Lil’ Ze when he became a man, and when he became in control of the drug scene in the slums. Lil’ Dice was just a child and did not know any better, He was influenced by all the horrible things that were happening around him while he was young. Changing his name to Lil’ Ze was a way to show his man hood and too grow up. Also so show a form of power to others, as if he could do as he pleases. Lil’ Ze became a monster due to his environment. Any child how is introduced to this type of violence at a young age could potentially react in the way that he did. Growing up, the people who he looked up too were hoods, and therefore that’s what he aspired to be. He tried to be better than them. He wanted to be the best and that’s how he became such a heartless killer. b) Tiny was portrayed as a very powerful man. He is someone people do not want to mess around with. What he says goes. In the excerpt, Tiny said â€Å"if anyone was still dealing in the area, he was ordering them to stop.†(Pg.429,p2) In this quote he is using his power to get what he wants and to start his business again. Tiny also showed no weaknesses, he showed everyone else that he wasn’t afraid of anything. Even the other gangs in the slums. In the excerpt, Tiny’s death was portrayed very differently in the excerpt than the film. Tiny was killed by other blocks gangs where as in the film, Lil’ Ze was killed by the Runts. Tiny’s demise was due to what was going on in the slums and the conflict between drug gangs. Whereas Lil’ Ze was killed by runts who had guns. The endings also differed because Lil’ Ze had been arrested where as Tiny hadn’t been. c) The film ends with the Runts killing Lil’ Ze because it shows that Lil’Ze was no longer in power and he was looked down upon by those who wanted to be him. His reign was over. This shows that the future of Favela will be filled with violence, and will only get worse in the future. Since the runts grew up in this society, they never really had a chance to avoid this lifestyle. It’s also hard to live a crooked society and get money in a proper way. Personally I have sympathy for the runts because they have to rob and steal in order to survive. They also were introduce to so many drugs, whereas Lil’ Dice was only introduced to stealing. The runts were introduced to killing, drugs, and stealing. Therefore they had no choice but to follow this path. d) The film does not glamorize the gangster lifestyle. In the typical gangster movies, people are rich and cheating the rich. They are not in a situation of poverty or struggle. They normally come from wealthy families and big cities. Whereas in City of God they are stuck in the slums and the only way to get out is violence. The only way to be rich is to drug deal. Therefore this movie doesn’t glamorize the gangster lifestyle because they are not in a good situation. Question 2: a) The reasons for joining the gang and being a leader for Knockout Ned and for Lil’ Ze are very different. Lil’ Ze grew into it, whereas Knockout Ned chose to join for revenge against Lil’ Ze. Knockout Neds reasons for joining did make it more acceptable, but then it turned him into a hood, and poisoned his mind, and he became just as bad as Lil’ Ze. b) Antunes has a major role in Knockout Ned’s gang life. When Antunes is killed, Knockout Ned sets his killers houses on fire and seeks for revenge; this causes the gang war to get bigger and more personal. Antunes was also involved in the warfare at the beginning, and therefore Knockout Ned had more reason to be involved. c) Benny and Knockout Ned are role models in their group for many reasons. Benny was smart, kind, spontaneous, and a leader. He always listened and did the right thing. He also gained a lot of respect for standing up for others and for influencing Lil’ Ze. He was the peace keeper between all the gangs. Ned however, was a leader because Lil’ Ze was after him and he joined forces with a gang. He was the one Lil’ Ze set his mind on, and therefore to have revenge, Ned took control of Lil’ Ze’s rival gang. Benny and Ned both treat their women and families properly and liked to be loved by others. They are genuinely kind hearted people. They don’t like to kill, they like to create peace. d) I feel more compassion for Benny because, after being in all this violence, he wanted to escape and leave with his girl. Then he got accidentally shot and he died. Benny didn’t like all the violence, he want to leave and go away to relax and live. I feel bad that his life ended due to an accident. I believe that he was a truly kind person at heart. Whereas Ned started out as a good person and slowly became poisoned with violence. I believed Lil’ Ze liked Benny because Benny was a brother to him. But Lil’ Ze was jealous of Ned and therefore hated him. Question 3: a) The film makes chose Rocket to narrate the film because although he was not involved in the violence, he was a part of it all. He lived with them and was not sucked into all the drugs and violence. He kept his mind on his dreams and did not corrupt himself. Rocket showed the potential that people in that society can have. If it had been viewed under Lil’ Ze’s point of view, the gangs would not be equal, the other group would have been the enemies. And the film would have had much more violence and no potential to show a way out of the slums. b) Rocket never becomes a victim of the slums because deep down he knew he wanted to be a photographer, he had dreams that he could reach. He also gained knowledge from the death of his brother to not get involved in the gangs. He would ultimately get killed if he joined. I think he has a good head on his shoulders because he was educated. He was not a lucky exception, anyone could have done what he did, but they didn’t and they joined in on the crowd. c) Photography saved his life, if he didn’t love photography, maybe he would have joined the gang. He followed his dreams and did not give up on them. He also ended up getting a good job out of taking pictures of the gang and Lil’ Ze. I believe he only gave the pictures of Lil’ Ze dead and not the cops because he didn’t want the cops to be on his bad side. I believe it was the right thing to do to stay alive in the slums. d) The factors that cause the cycle to keep going is that poverty cause people to do unthinkable things such as robbing and killing for a living. Therefore when kids are introduced to it at a young age, it becomes a normal thing for them and they show no mercy to embrace the violent side. The government plays a big role in this vicious cycle because they do not help or support the City of God. They only send more poor and homeless people to this city. They also do not enforce any proper laws to stop the violence. All they have is corrupted police. So the film blames the government for all theses problems.

The Strange Case by Robert Louis Stevenson Essay examples -- psycho, sc

The functioning of the average human mind has intrigued and plagued philosophers and thinkers over centuries, one of the most curious and fascinating studies have been made into personages with dual personalities, schizophrenia being one of the factors. Similarly, in the book, The Strange Case, as well as in the film, Psycho, the books are taken place in late Victorian London, but Psycho is in late 60’s in the USA. The respective authors in these two texts portray that duality of human nature exists in society and humanity through the use of characterization and setting. Stevenson in this story uses characterization to describe that duality of human nature exists in humanity and society: â€Å"There comes an end to all things; my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul†¦all men's respect, wealth...murderer.†( Stevenson 51) Stevenson uses the malaise of Schizophrenia to characterize Dr.Jekyll and his dual personality Mr. Hyde. In the above quote Dr.Jekyll realizes that he has done in justice the whole time without realizing it. Mr. Hyde’s actions have been proven to be inhumane and he has been characterized a â€Å"human juggernaut†; Dr. Jekyll is not solely responsible for his actions because of his dual mindset that precludes an individual from a rational thought process. In the quote above Dr. Jekyll had everyone’s respect and love, and now society labels him as a murderer: â€Å"clubbed him to the earth†¦with ape-like fury†¦shattered†¦the body.†(Stevenson 9) Mr. Hyde is malevolent in nature, â€Å"alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil†(Stevenson 45) whereas, Dr.Jekyll is a calm character. He uses â€Å"ape-like fury†, from that he shows embodiment of a murderer. In Psycho, Norman Bates is a maniac with a dual personality. Although... ...to dark areas of the working unstable mind, and which generally are away from the norms of society and wants to experiment with other areas, this what leads to the motivation that could be the dual mindset. The exception could be for an individual who has complete control over his rationality, but is not the case in these given texts. People who have schizophrenia use violence as an essential element to soothe their mind. My reaction to both Psycho and The Strange Case has been one of horror, which I think is a normal reaction of an individual. I have experienced myself having a different personality, not necessarily a dual mindset, in and out of school. In school I tend to show less off my real emotions, than I do outside of school. Even though for me keeping up with societal norms is a ‘must do’ task, failing to keep with societies rules will fail me internally.

Killing- the only way to solve problems? Essay

At about two o’clock. The argument between the Montague and the Capulet has once more messed up the whole town. A woman with a baby said: â€Å"It is not safe to walk on the streets with children any more. This is the third time that the two (Montague and Capulet) families have been fighting against each other in open public places. If anything like that happens then it must be those two families. † Sampson who is a servant of the Capulet family, and Abraham who is a servant of the Montague were the main people of these incidents. From a witness’s information, Sampson started the fight. He went up to Abraham and annoyed him by telling him that he is better than him as a servant. Abraham did not care about what he said and walk away. Sampson didn’t get what he wanted, so he kicked the old man who is also a servant of the Montague’s family. Abraham could not stand the rudeness of him. So he asked to draw with that man. As soon as they took out their swords, all the people who are in their families took out their swords as well. They messed up all the markets. It was like a war: Chickens were flying across the streets: vegetables were making to pieces. Women with children were running away trying to protect their children. People were throwing things from the windows†¦ On of the Capulet’s servant said: â€Å"Capulet heard the noises out at the center place. He asked for long sword. And run out to join the ‘war’. When Montague heard about the fight, he wanted to fight as well. Because he knows that it must be the Capulet that they were going to fight with. His wife held him, but that doesn’t do anything. He told his wife to let him go and he went to fight as well as the rest of the family. Why can’t the two families be peace? That is a question that many people have tried to find out. Both families had been against each other since a long time ago. If one does some thing wrong, the other must have some kind of reaction to it. Conflicts and conflicts over and over again. God knows what happens next between the two families. Minutes after the fight started. Some one went up to the bell tower, and ran the bell. Prince Escalus came to the place with his train. As they go pass, all the people were running away from them, because they didn’t want to get arrested by the prince. When the prince arrived at the place where the fight took place, everyone stopped fighting. The prince spoke, and mentioned that the old Capulet and Montague have disturbed the quite of the streets. And if they ever do that again, their lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. Both Capulet and Montague ended up going back with the prince in the afternoon.