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Paper Puppet Essay Example for Free

Paper Puppet Essay Creations in organizations might be ascribed to exercises, for example, the paper manikin creation. Such creations are...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Folklore in Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, and Alice in Wonderland :: Movies Film TV Television Essays

Folklore in Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, and Alice in Wonderland Folklore in the movies usually focuses around a hero or heroine, that hero or heroine is in a situation that they have to overcome. The hero or heroine can come in many different forms; it could be a teenage boy a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, or an over the hill astronaught lost in space, or a little girl who falls down a hole. I am going to show how three movies contain folklore, Star Wars IV: A New Hope, Planet of the Apes one, and Alice in Wonderland. But first I need to define what folklore in the movies is. Folklore in the movies has five main points which the hero or heroine goes through. The call to adventure: something has to happen to the hero or heroine in order to get them involved in some situation which concerns them greatly. Refusal of the call: the hero or heroine has to disobey something or someone. Supernatural aid: the hero or heroine gets help from an outside force, someone wiser than the hero or heroine, and someone who understands the situation better. The crossing of the first threshold: once involved with the situation before them, the hero or heroine has a conflict which causes them to get caught in the belly of the whale. The belly of the whale: the hero or heroine gets caught in some place, of which they try to escape. Star Wars is one of the best movies to use as an example for folklore in the movies. The call to adventure: fate would have it that R2D2 would land into the hands of Luke Skywalker. The only thing keeping Luke from joining the Rebel Alliance is his uncle Owen Lars, aunt Beru Lars, and the harvest; but when the empire comes looking for R2 they come to Luke's house and kill his aunt and uncle. Refusal of the call: at first Luke says no to Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. Han Solo doesn't want to help the Rebel Alliance at first, but at the end he does and saves Luke's life. Supernatural aid: Obi Wan is the old man in Star Wars who understands the force and who teaches Luke the ways of the force. The crossing of the first threshold: when Alderaan gets blown up, the Millennium Falcon gets caught in the Death Star's tractor beam, leaving them stuck inside the largest, most deadly battle-station ever created.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Evidence of Neocolonialism in African Trade Relations Essay

Athow Brian and Robert G. Blanton present their study of African trade relations before and after European colonialism in â€Å"Colonial Style and Colonial Legacies: Trade Patterns in British and French Africa. † This study is quite important as it is an effort to scientifically assess the colonial trade legacy in a comparative manner. In fact, it is the only research of its kind analyzing trade relations of previously colonized states of Africa between 1938 and 1985. The authors’ goal is to discover whether neocolonialism continues to exist in the previously colonized African states with respect to trade relations. In other words, do the previously colonized African states continue to depend on the colonialists for trade? The underdevelopment of Africa is attributable to many factors, including the fact that it takes economically powerful governments with a strong sense of their goals to empower their people and develop nations. It is a well-known fact that the European colonialists had their own interests at heart. Their mercenary objectives could not accommodate the goal of developing Africa. African states that came to be ruled by Europeans were forced to produce agricultural goods as well as raw materials to meet European demands alone. The â€Å"traditional agricultural economies† of the colonized states of Africa were forced by French and British colonialists to start specializing in cash crops that were solely meant for export. Although the French and British colonialists came to hold significant political power over the African people, the local needs of the latter were utterly disregarded. No wonder, although Africa continues to appear lush green to the human eye, its people suffer from severe hunger. After all, their needs have been disregarded even after independence was attained from the European colonialists. As a matter of fact, the authors of â€Å"Colonial Style and Colonial Legacies† found that the African states that were previously colonized by the French continue to have France as their chief trading partner. Similarly, African states that were previously colonized by the British continue to trade with the British in addition to other states that had been colonized by the British. What is more, the trading style of the colonialists continues to be used by the African states that were colonized by the French and the British. French colonies of Africa were under a centralized rule. For this reason, they continue to consider France as their chief trading partner. British rule was decentralized to a large extent. Moreover, the British had already established trade relations between the African colonized states and other nations across the world that had been colonized by the British. These trading patterns continue to this day, which is the reason why the authors of â€Å"Colonial Style and Colonial Legacies† refer to neocolonialism in African trade relations. According to the authors, old habits die hard. Africa continues to suffer from severe poverty because its resources do not support the Africans. Rather, previously colonized African states continue to produce for the French and the British peoples. Africans are dependent on the moneys they receive for the goods they export to France and Britain, in addition to previously colonized British states in other parts of the world. Seeing that Africa appears to be on the losing side of this deal, the article, â€Å"Colonial Style and Colonial Legacies† calls for massive structural changes in the political and trade patterns applied in Africa today. It would take African governments to develop a strong sense of their goals to achieve economic independence for the Africans – this time having the interests of their own people at heart. Bibliography Brian, Athow, and Robert G. Blanton. â€Å"Colonial Style and Colonial Legacies: Trade Patterns in British and French Africa. † Journal of Third World Studies (Fall 2002). Available from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3821/is_200210/ai_n9134671. Internet; accessed 27 November 2008.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Classroom Management Critique Essays

Classroom Management Critique Essays Classroom Management Critique Essay Classroom Management Critique Essay Running head: Research Analysis and Article Critique Research Analysis and Article Critique Kellee Holland EDD/711 Student discipline and classroom management are among the highest concerns of teachers, administrators, and community members. Classroom management defeat is one of the most common reasons that teachers change professions. The School wide Positive Behavioral Support program is an approach that schools are implementing to prevent behavioral problems. About 7,500 schools across 40 states are now implementing variations of school wide PBS (Sugai, G. 008). The school wide Positive Behavioral Supports approach is a three tiered program implemented by schools to improve or prevent behavioral challenges. In the first tier, students are taught a social skills curriculum that is positive, formal, and in support of the academic school mission. This strategy is implemented in every aspect of the school community including areas outside of the classroom. Only about twenty to thirty percent of students will need a more intensified approach if the school does an excellent job with school wide social skills. These students typically have trouble socially, break rules, and have difficulty following directions. The second tier is a more intense approach and is usually used in a small group setting. The session includes social skill instruction, counseling, and conflict management. At the tier three level students receive individualized counseling. Prompting, positive reinforcement, and counseling are among the strategies used to improve behavior. Students move throughout the tiers based on their individual needs. The distinguishing factors of the tiers include size of grouping, frequency of interaction, and adult supervision. When it comes to discipline, schools should model positive behavior and spend less time reacting to negative behavior. For students who are academically and socially successful, the code of conduct provides boundaries for rule breaking behaviors. Tier two and tier three would be used for those students who are noncompliant and have trouble cooperating with adults. Positive Behavioral Support is implemented in schools by first establishing a leadership team. The school creates a mission statement by teaching students positive social skills, respect, responsibility and safety. Students will receive positive feedback for emulating positive behavior. Consequences are established in the form of a discipline handbook or code of conduct. Schools monitor the effect of this approach by keeping records of office referrals. A survey is given to the staff and students to determine how the school climate is perceived from various viewpoints. I have found this information to be very helpful. Many times as an educator, I have students who are defiant or insist on breaking school and classroom rules. Through productive research, I have found that these students need a modified approach. Intervention is often used for students who are struggling academically. After reading this article, I can begin implementing strategies and modeling specific behaviors that can ensure an increase in positive behavior in the classroom. Reference Sugai, George. Beyond the Discipline Handbook: How Schools Can Implement a Positive Approach to Managing Student Behavior | | . (2009). Education Digest: Essential Readings Quick Review, v75 n3 p37-41 Nov 2009 , 75(3), 37-41.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Unethical Ads Due to the Introduction of Reference Ads

Unethical Ads Due to the Introduction of Reference Ads Free Online Research Papers Introduction One of the most important contributors to the success of consumer products is advertisements and the perception that these ads create in people’s minds. People are exposed more to television ads and hence are more influenced by them. This influence is known and hence well taken advantage of by advertisers. They tend to drum a message into the consumer’s mind to manipulate their acceptance of the product. Study says that if a message is drummed into us enough, whether consciously or unconsciously, it is likely to have an effect (J.E.Gratz The Ethics of Sublimal Communication). Does this indicate that consumers remember every ad they see, or atleast the ones that have had an impact? Study also suggests that people tend to take ads personally and subconsciously rate them as good or bad on the basis of many parameters. Infact the public’s views towards advertisements are copiously negative (e.g., Bauer and Greyser 1968, Mittal 1994). Negative information is also more diagnostic than positive information, meaning the consumers put greater weight on it in their brand judgments (Ahluwalia, Burnkrant, and Unnava, 2001). This therefore says that consumers tend to remember the effect of a negative ad. On the other hand studies suggest that consumers have less retention power when it comes to advertisements. When there is time difference between two ads and the time interval in laced with other learning (other ads) then the consumer’s recollection of the first ad is inhibited (e.g., Raymond R Burke and Thomas Skrull Competitive Interference and Consumer Memory for advertising; Melton and Irwin, 1940). Is it therefore possible that the perception of an ad changes when the ad is compared with another ad, especially a ‘negative’ one? Does the introduction of a reference ad change the perception about an ad that was erstwhile perceived to be negative, into a lesser negative one, or, maybe even, positive? A reference ad can be defined as any ad in relation to which other ads are seen. (Contextual effects of reference pricing in retail advertising- Abhjit Biswas and Edward A Blair). This research has been conducted to understand the change in the perception of unethical ads because of an introduction of a reference point. A simple way of checking this is to note the initial perception of an unethical ad and then take a second rating of the same when shown against another unethical ad (determined by the ratings of the control group) and compare the two to see if there is any change. This will show very clearly that the perception about an ad changes when the reference point has been introduced. What also needs to be checked is if there is any other factor contributing to this change in perception. Factors such as gender, (Females perceptions of offensive advertising: The importance of Values, expectations and control – Timothy P Christy) etc. may influence the perception of an ad but not the change in perception. This has been taken into account by having equal representation in the sample at every level. If our hypothesis is proven right, then this study will enable ad-makers to understand how to position their ad along with those of their competitors’ or other products’, such that the perception of consumers towards their ad is more tolerant when compared with the competitor’s ad especially when the decision is based on towing the fine line between humour and vulgarity. Methodology The research started out with the selection of five unethical advertisements. They have been determined to be unethical based on a previous study conducted by Dwane Hal Dean in ‘After the Unethical Ad – A comparison of Advertiser Response Strategies’ ‘†¦There is a large body of literature on advertising ethics. Among other topics, papers have addressed the ethicality of political attack ads, the use of sexual appeals in print advertising, the use of fear appeals in advertising, lottery advertising, the use of questionable environmental claims to sell products, the use of reference prices in advertising, the uses of cookies and spamming in electronic media, advertising that targets children, advertising that stereotypes minorities and alcohol advertising that specifically targets low income minority populations.’ Hence we selected five advertisements depicting sexually explicit scenes, brand wars, over-hyping of the product, The ads also were: 1. Well known brands available in India too 2. Ads with unethical connotations; unethical per the standards defined in the research paper cited earlier 3. Brands that are relevant to our sample – youth 4. Brands that are leaders in their respective segments The sample size has been determined as follows: D =  ± 0.5, ï  ³ = 3.5, z = 1.96 (Confidence interval of 95%; Precision and reliability (acceptable confidence level) required: D =  ± 0.5) n = 190(approx) Determination of ï  ³ Estimating Variances for Rating Scales used in marketing research Source: â€Å"Sample Size Tables for Significance Tests,† Research on Research 45 (Chicago: Market Facts Inc. , undated) Number of Scale Points Typical Range of Variances 3 .67 4 1.0 5 1.8 6 2.5 7 3.5 8 4.0 9 5.0 10 6.0 The sample includes MBA students in the age group of 21 – 24 yrs Research Design This research involves testing the difference in scores when a respondent is shown the ad individually and in comparison with another. Hence we would need two groups, one experimental and one control. The research design being used is Posttest-Only Control Group Design EG: R X O1 CG: R X O2 The treatment effect is thus obtained by: TE = O1 – O2 Pretest The pretest was conducted on a sample of 50 students. Five groups of ten students were shown five ads determined unethical as per the research stated earlier. Ratings were on a semantic differential scale of 1 – 7 with 1 being Unethical and 7 being Ethical. In our differential scale, throughout the study, we have used 1 as Unethical and 7 as Ethical as this would eliminate the interviewer’s intention of wanting the scores to tend towards Unethical (if it is placed on the right side as against the general tendency to have a negative on the left side and a positive on the right). On the basis of this data the following scores were obtained: Advertisements Ratings (sum of ratings of each group) Fair and Lovely Pepsi Microsoft Levis Pepsi It is evident from this that Fair Lovely, Pepsi and Microsoft were voted as the three most unethical ads. Further study was done on the basis of these three ads. Control Group Three control groups with 20 students each were randomly selected and shown the three ads separately and asked to rate them on the semantic differential scale mentioned earlier. They were shown the ad in a closed room, with no other intervention. The ads were shown once and the respondents were asked to rate it. The mean score of the ratings given by each control group is as below: Control Group Advertisement Mean score 1. Microsoft 3.5 2. Pepsi 3.45 3. Fair Lovely 3.65 Experimental Group The experiment group consisted of 20 students each and six such experiments were conducted. Students shown two ads and their ratings for the same were noted on a single data sheet on the differential scale mentioned earlier. There was no break between the ads and the respondents did not rate each ad separately. They were specifically instructed to rate both the ads together after seeing both the ads. No other instructions were given to them. Here the first ad shown becomes the reference point for the second ad. The intent is to compare the scores of the second ad thus tested with the scores received for the same by its control group. The mean score of the new ratings thus developed is as below: Reference ad Second ad in the control group Microsoft Pepsi Fair Lovely Microsoft 4.35* 4.15 Pepsi 3.45 4 Fair Lovely 3.95 3.6 * Interpretation of score: The Microsoft ad got a mean score of 4.35 when it was shown after the Pepsi ad. The Pepsi ad is the reference point for the Microsoft ad. Analysis Our hypothesis is as follows: H0:  µ1 =  µ2 The means of both the samples (control group and experimental group) are the same. There has been no impact of the reference ad HA:  µ1 ≠   µ2 The means of both the samples are not equal. The reference ad has had an impact A simple comparison of means show the following information: Microsoft Ad: Case Processing Summary Cases Included Excluded Total N Percent N Percent N Percent cg_exp_microsoft * seen_notseen_refad_microsoft_group 60 100.0% 0 .0% 60 100.0% Report cg_exp_microsoft seen_notseen_refad_microsoft_group Mean N Std. Deviation not seen 3.50 20 1.469 seen pepsi 4.35 20 1.899 seen fair 4.35 20 1.496 Total 4.07 60 1.656 Pepsi Ad: Case Processing Summary Cases Included Excluded Total N Percent N Percent N Percent cg_exp_pepsi * seen_notseen_refad_pepsi_group 60 100.0% 0 .0% 60 100.0% Report cg_exp_pepsi seen_notseen_refad_pepsi_group Mean N Std. Deviation not seen 3.45 20 2.012 seen micro 3.45 20 1.849 seen fair 3.60 20 1.957 Total 3.50 60 1.909 Fair Lovely Ad: Case Processing Summary Cases Included Excluded Total N Percent N Percent N Percent cg_exp_fair * seen_notseen_refad_fair_group 60 100.0% 0 .0% 60 100.0% Report cg_exp_fair seen_notseen_refad_fair_group Mean N Std. Deviation not seen 3.65 20 1.981 seen pepsi 3.60 20 1.392 seen micro 3.95 20 1.731 Total 3.73 60 1.696 There is an apparent difference in the means of the scores of the control groups and the experimental groups. This could mean that the ethical perception of the ads in the minds of the consumers. However this does not prove that the change in perception has been due to the introduction of another unethical ad. There is no explanation of the relation with the reference ad. To understand this further we did an ANOVA. On conducting an ANOVA test these were the results obtained: Microsoft Ad: ANOVA cg_exp_microsoft Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 9.633 2 4.817 1.805 .174 Within Groups 152.100 57 2.668 Total 161.733 59 Pepsi Ad: ANOVA cg_exp_pepsi Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups .300 2 .150 .040 .961 Within Groups 214.700 57 3.767 Total 215.000 59 Fair Lovely Ad: ANOVA cg_exp_fair Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Between Groups 1.433 2 .717 .243 .785 Within Groups 168.300 57 2.953 Total 169.733 59 Our significance level p is .05 and here in all the three cases, the significance is greater than p. Hence we will not reject H0 Therefore the conclusion is that there has been no impact of the reference ad on the perception of another ad. Conclusion Our study has proved that there is no relation between the perceptions of two ads on the consumer’s mind. The ethical perception of one ad does not alter the ethical perception of another ad which would have erstwhile been thought to be equally or more unethical. Our study said that Negative information is also more diagnostic than positive information, meaning the consumers put greater weight on it in their brand judgments (Ahluwalia, Burnkrant, and Unnava, 2001). Here it is apparent that an unethical ad is rated as negative by the consumer. They may even remember the ad, but the depiction of a more unethical ad does not make the former ad positive. The negative impact or perception of an ad remains. We attribute this lack of change in ethical perception of an ad even with the change in reference point to the fact that an unethical ad, no matter how slight or grave it is, is not compared to another one. Once the consumer/viewer mentally rates the ad as unethical, nothing can change his perception of the same. Hence it would be wiser for an ad-maker to refrain from offending the sentiments of his viewers, in the pretext of being humourous or different. This survey was conducted on the youth, who are generally perceived to be more tolerant or accepting towards ethical/unethical issues in ads. If their perception of an unethical ad remains unchanged by another ad then it strongly points out the fact that ethics or values that people hold dear cannot be manipulated by ad-makers or marketers. References J.E.Gratz The Ethics of Sublimal Communication Bauer and Greyser 1968, Mittal 1994 Ahluwalia, Burnkrant, and Unnava, 2001 Raymond R Burke and Thomas Skrull Competitive Interference and Consumer Memory for advertising Melton and Irwin, 1940 Contextual effects of reference pricing in retail advertising- Abhjit Biswas and Edward A Blair Ethics In Advertising Ideological Correlates Of Consumer Perceptions – Debbie Treise, Michael F Weigold, Jenneane Conna and Heather Garrison The Influence of Positive Moods on Brand extension Evaluations – Michael Barone, Paul W Miniard, Jean B Romeo An Examination of Consumer’s Perceptions of Purpose and Content of Corrective Advertising – George E Belch, Michael E Belch, Robert B. Settle and Lisa M D Lucchi Being ‘Effective’ in Branding?  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Adrian Zambardino, Ogilvy Advertising, UK and John Goodfellow, London Metropolitan University, UK Consumer Perceptions of Promotional Activity – Aradhna Krishna, Imran S Currim and Robert W Shoemaker The Influence and Context of College students’ Perceptions of Advertising Offensiveness – Timothy P Christy, University of Oregon, Eugene OR Eric Haley, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Research Papers on Unethical Ads Due to the Introduction of Reference AdsResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Customizing the Spellchecker in Microsoft Word

Customizing the Spellchecker in Microsoft Word Customizing the Spellchecker in Microsoft Word The spellchecker in Microsoft Word is a useful tool (even if it can’t replace proofreading). However, to make the most of this tool, you may need to check its settings. And in this post, to help out, we’re looking at three ways of customizing the spellchecker in Microsoft Word: Setting the proofing language Adding and ignoring specific terms via the contextual menus Editing and creating custom dictionaries Read on to make sure that you can use the spellchecker to maximum effect. 1. Setting the Proofing Language The simplest way to customize the spellchecker in MS Word is to change the proofing language. If you are writing for a U.S. audience, for example, you will want to use American English. This will make sure the spellchecker looks for U.S. spellings (e.g., color instead of the U.K. English colour). To check the proofing language in Microsoft Word, all you need to do is: Select the text you want to spellcheck (use Ctrl + A to select all text) Look for the current language on the status bar The status bar in MS Word, including the proofing language. And if you need to change the language setting: Select the text you want to spellcheck Go to Review Language Proofing Language on the main ribbon (or Tools Language in Word for Mac) In the new window that opens, select the language required and click OK Selecting the proofing language. This will change the proofing language used for the selected text. 2. Adding and Ignoring Terms As well as changing the proofing language, you can add individual terms to the spellchecker dictionary. This is useful when Microsoft Word does not recognize a proper noun or a technical term, as the spellchecker will underline it in red even if it is spelled correctly. For instance, if we were writing about the philosopher Paul Ricoeur, we may need to use his surname a lot. And while Microsoft Word does recognize some famous or common names, it marks â€Å"Ricoeur† as an error. So if we want to use the spellchecker, we will need to fix this. To do so, we can right click the underlined term and select Add to Dictionary. It will then be added to the dictionary for all documents. Adding a term to the custom dictionary. If you don’t want to make a permanent change, you can tell the spellchecker to ignore words. For instance, you can click Ignore while running a spellcheck to overlook a single term. But you can also click Ignore All to stop the spellchecker from highlighting the term anywhere in the document. 3. Customizing the Spellchecker Finally, for complete control over the spellchecker, you can edit your dictionary. This â€Å"custom dictionary† includes any terms that you have selected via the Add to Dictionary option mentioned above. But you can also add and remove terms from the dictionary by: Going to File Options Proofing (or Preferences Spelling Grammar in Word for Mac if you are not using a Windows computer) Clicking Custom Dictionaries Selecting your custom dictionary (usually named CUSTOM.DIC) Clicking Edit Word List Adding or removing terms as required and clicking OK to confirm Editing the custom dictionary. You can also import and create custom dictionaries for particular documents by clicking New or Add in this menu. This can be useful when working to a specific style guide, allowing you to quickly import saved spellings.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Interpretation and Significance of Lao Tzu's Sayings Essay

Interpretation and Significance of Lao Tzu's Sayings - Essay Example Taoists have developed their principles through the processes of self- realization and self-invention based on a variety of philosophical and environmental contexts. Like other organized religion, Daoism has its own doctrines or scriptures for its followers. In their collaborate effort Yijie Tang, and TÊ »ang I-chieh have rightly put it: â€Å"The early form of Daoism (Taoism) held that its body of belief was made up of the tenet of â€Å"the ascent of the three in one â€Å"that is,† the unity of heaven, earth, and man for the attainment of the Great Peace; the blending of the essence, breath and shen to become a saint.† (Yijie Tang, and TÊ »ang I-chieh, 1991, 76 pp.). Daoism (Taoism) is familiar to the world through the famous books Chuang-Tzu and Tao Te Ching. Daoist sayings are more comprehensive, filled with metaphysical principles and these principles emphasis a formation of ‘oneness’ that follow the complex form of diverse world. The book had wide ly accepted as the great sayings of Lao Tzu. It has considered as the unique ideology in Chinese history. Lao Tzu explores his ideas through the help of rhyme and rhythm, paradox, analogy, and proportion. In his masterpiece Lao-Tzu remarks, every people have his/her own freewill and desires. The Chinese word Tao/ Dao means the way to the universe. When analyzing these sayings, one can understand that it is difficult to define these sayings appropriately. In the first part of this work, the author tries to give the foundation about the ideology Tao Te Ching. When analyzing the plight of modern man one can easily find that the sayings of Lao-Tzu have enough relevance. The temporariness of material things and pleasures have well expressed in the sayings of Lao Tzu. The followers of Lao-Tzu purport that the ultimate aim of life is to gain the ‘Great Peace’. One cannot attribute it a clear form or structure that it may appear in any name or material existence.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Prison system in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Prison system in America - Essay Example Arguments against imprisonment include the idea that prison is not being used as a last resort to deter criminal behavior, housing prisoners is expensive, imprisonment doesn’t deter crime and it is cruel and inhumane. Despite statistics that confirm these contentions, imprisonment has experienced a growing attraction as a political response to crime. An increased prison population and its inherent human and financial costs have little effect on the attitudes of some. Despite the obvious and extensive failures of our penitentiary system, more people are being sent to prison for more reasons primarily as a result of tougher sentencing laws specifically involving the ‘war on drugs.’ Over the past quarter century, the U.S. has added to its prison population and therefore to its social problems. Anyone who has seen a prison movie likely has witnessed the stereotypical ‘shower scene’ where gang members viciously attack a lone inmate. They put a knife tightl y against the victim’s throat and threaten to kill him if he puts up a fight. The lone inmate is then repeatedly raped by the gang and afterwards is too frightened to notify prison officials fearing retribution. This Hollywood recreation is not unlike the actual events taking place inside prison walls. Being brutally raped in prison is not simply a physical violation; it is an emotionally scarring event. According to the Human Rights Watch, this and other forms of gang-related violence occur regularly in prisons across the country. â€Å"Gang assaults are not uncommon, and victims may be left beaten, bloody and, in the most extreme cases, dead† (â€Å"No Escape†). However, violent and blatant rapes are but one type of sexual abuse many prisoners must endure. The most prevalent form of rape does not occur by means of violence nor have many of the victims been overtly threatened. Nevertheless, they engage in sex acts unwillingly because they do not believe they ha ve a choice. Prison is an intimidating place. Prisoners, especially those new to the system can be easily coerced into doing things such as allowing themselves to be raped or committing violent acts against others out of fear. This type of prison rape is easier to conceal than violent attacks and much easier for prison staff and the general public to ignore. â€Å"For some prisoners, the atmosphere of fear and intimidation is so overwhelming that they acquiesce in their sexual exploitation without putting up any obvious resistance† (â€Å"No Escape,† 2006). The intimidation begins early and forcefully. According to the account of a first-time offender arriving in prison, â€Å"as soon as I walked on the wing, the catcalls started.† According to another prisoner, â€Å"Most of prison is a mind game. People get taken advantage of when they’re green and don’t know what to expect† (â€Å"No Escape,† 2006). Prison is described by its detra ctors as inhumane, a brutalizing and damaging experience. The prevalent imprisonment trend invokes a high human cost to those who caused no harm to another individual or property. The war on drugs is policy based on morals, not on public health, and is taking a grave toll on the economics and civil liberties of our society. Crime is on the rise overcrowding the prison system while inner cities are becoming unlivable decreasing chances for the economic revival in those areas, all as a consequence of a misguided war on drugs to prevent the misuse of drugs. These governmental drug programs have had very little if any reduction in the use of drugs but a great many innocent victims have had their lives ruined. â€Å"