Abstract
This paper discusses the movie "My Cousin Vinny" in terms of its use of stereotyping, its view of the legal system, family values, and the relationship between Vinny and Lisa.

From the Paper
""My Cousin Vinny" is a film that is hard not to love. As a hilarious comedy about a murder case that hinges on mistaken identity, it pits neophyte New York lawyer Vincent Gambini against Southern D.A. Jim Trotter in a little Alabama courtroom, presided over by the hard-line Judge Chamberlain Haller. The movie's comic appeal alone makes it well worth watching-repeatedly, in fact-but interwoven into the fabric of the story are themes worthy of discussion; stereotyping, the legal system, family values and the relationship between..."

Tags:My Cousin Vinny, Miramax, stereotyping, legal system, family values

Abstract
This paper presents a review of the poem by Gwendolyn Brooks "The Rites for Cousin Vit." The poem considers the relationship between representation and knowledge and Brooks uses this poem to represent her knowledge about death and human nature. As these two topics are metaphysical and difficult for humans to understand at all, Brooks' treatment of them through poetry allows for their most accurate representation. Through poetic style and technique, Brooks manages to convey the chaos, emotion, and complexities of death and human nature that could be done in no other way.

From the Paper
''Contrasted to images in the second part of the poem, however, the images of lifelessness at the beginning of the work are even more contradictory, or even confusing. The second half of the poem has the object doing the action--she "rises in the sunshine;" she "goes," this time independent of the narrator. She is described as "vital," and "squeaking," in "bars," which are typically associated with liveliness. She "walks," "talks," and "does the snake-hips with a hiss." Even the last word in the poem, the disembodied "is," is reminiscent of life and being (Brooks 1-14).
''Thus, Gwendolyn Brooks' "the rites for Cousin Vit" employs unique stylistic and syntactic strategies, which imply contradiction and confusion. While the poem certainly does consider the relationship between knowledge and representation, the contradictions in the poem do not suggest that this relationship is flawed in poetry. Instead, Brooks' poem considers this relationship by also considering the relationship between death and life in the poem, as well as the relationship between the two characters. In other words, Brooks presents knowledge about the relationship between death and life and the nature of humanity in a form that is easier for humans to comprehend and understand by offering the complexities of the poem as representation.''

Tags:lifelessness, death, humanity

Abstract
Paper discusses Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden" in relation to Mary Lennox whose disagreeable character is shaped by an ignoring mother who like Mary's Indian ayah dies; her cousin has lost his mother when a child & both show the effects; the second novel implies the strength of an Afghan 13 year old girl having known normal family life till the Taliban regime, her mother disappearing as a refugee, then her father's death. Some material on childhood separation; absent mothers and the ways of thinking/coping of children.

From the Paper
The Absent Mother, Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, & Ellis's Parvana's Journey. Introduction This paper discusses two children's novels to present variations in children to experience what is known as the absent mother in psychoanalytic theory. Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) in her well known story, The Secret Garden, refers to Victorian and Edwardian ideas of the family, motherhood, and child-raising in contrast with the experience of Mary Lennox who never knows a normal experience of mothering. The same is true of her cousin, Colin, whose mother died when he was small and

Tags:f hodgson burnett, deborah ellis, absent mother

Abstract
This essay compares the various ways in which American marriage ideals have resulted in the stigmatization of non-traditional types of marriage such as cousin, polygamous and homosexual. It emphasizes the roles of religion and reproduction in determining which types of marriages are considered acceptable. The writer concludes that while American has had a rapid push towards civilization and culture, this has led to the stigmatization of American citizens who are simply pursuing marriage in nonstandard ways.

From the Paper
"Morality and evolution have come together to form American cultural assumptions about marriage. Consequently, both American society and law have banned and stigmatized cousin, polygamous and gay marriages. Because many people in America regard marriage as a sacred institution comprising the basis of civilized society, an inability to reach this status has serious social and legal consequences. American cultural assumptions have limited the purpose of marriage to one particular pattern of reproduction, stigmatizing people with other beliefs or practices."

Tags:eugenics, homosexual, lesbian, religion, society

Abstract
This paper reviews Moya's work on the Spanish immigrant community that came to Buenos Aires during the 19th century and explains his motive for writing the book. The paper also discusses the central thesis in the book, Moya's analyses of the history of the immigrant community, and the strengths and weaknesses in the book.

From the Paper
"According to Moya, statisically, Buenos Aires in South America had the third largest Spanish population in the world, after Madrid and Barcela in Spain. This surge in population occured after four million Spaniards immigrated to Buenos Aires in the 19th century. Moya suggests that methodologically, the large proportion of the Spanish population that immigrated to Barcelona was ignored by historians because these individuals were not seen as exotic in comparision to other immigrant communities in Argentina. While it is true that the nation as a whole experienced an increased rate of immigration during the 19th century, the Spanish immigrants were viewed in a uniquely complex way, in regards to their Hispanic heritage. They were poor and of working class, yet they spoke Spanish. They were of despised groups and professions, quite often, but they were seen as embodying the local heritage."

Tags:monograph, european, spain, hispanic, south, america, lower, working, classes, madrid, barcelona

Abstract
This paper explains that Saudi Arabia has the highest number of first cousin and second cousin marriages because in the Saudi family, the only interaction which is permitted between a man and a woman is inside the family structure with cousins. Fifty percent of all marriages are consanguineous and three out of four of these are between first cousins. The author stresses that the recessive genes resulting from consanguineous marriages often result in the off-spring having many cardiac malformations and diseases that are very rare in the west or totally exclusive to some Saudi Arabia tribes. The paper recommend that, to stop this practice, thus reducing the societal costs, the Saudi Government (1) has first and foremost to discourage inbreeding on a public level with the help of the Ulema and religious leaders of the land, (2) has to increase awareness among both tribal and urban dwellers about the problems arising from inbreeding and (3) all families should be taught to recognize diseases in their family to assist in determining the genes that are causing the problem. Map.

From the Paper
"Since the Saudi society is an ultra conservative society, there hasn't been much talk about the effects of these marriages on child birth before recent times. In older times the child would probably die, most still do, and no body would attribute it to social practices of the people in regards to marriage. Although this is changing, there is still a long way to go. In a study by Al Gain on the disabilities in Saudi Arabia, he found out that most parents of disabled children had no idea of inheritance rules, and the diseases afflicting their children were actually genetic disorders."

Tags:genes, islam, patrilateral, recessive, disabilities

Abstract
This paper explains that Americans had been cultivating the hemp plant for hundreds of years, but, in 1937, the Marijuana Prohibitive Tax Act outlawed the growing of any kind of hemp. The author points out that there are as many as 25,000 industrial uses of hemp, including rope, clothing, diapers, car parts, and carpet; oil from the seeds is used in shampoo, beer, vitamins, and lip balm. The paper stresses that hemp production is a growth industry around the world, and American farmers are losing revenue to foreign nations that allow the growing of hemp, such as Great Britain, France, and Spain.

From the Paper
"Contrary to popular misconception, the hemp plant is not marijuana. Known by the botanical name "cannabis sativa," hemp does not contain the narcotic qualities of marijuana, and so its growth is not dangerous to the community. While many people believe growing hemp is just like growing marijuana, there are numerous differences. Hemp grows taller than marijuana, and they are spaced quite close together in the fields, unlike marijuana, which is spaced out for optimum leaf growth. In addition, hemp produces more flowers and seeds, while marijuana cultivation is mainly concerned with unfertilized female plants, which create more leaves."

Tags:prohibitive, rope, oil, sativa, revenue

From the Paper
"This study will examine the influence of Ali Talib, the cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, on the development of the religion of Islam, as well as on the Shi'ite branch of that religion. The study will include consideration of Ali's struggles in life as well as the reasons he was not chosen to be the successor to Mohammed.


Ali was born approximately in the year 600 A.D., when Muhammed was about thirty years of age. When Muhammed was six, after the death of his father, mother, and grandfather, he "entered the household of his uncle Abu Talib, the father of Ali and the head of the Banu Hashim family. Thus, Ali was not only a cousin but also virtually a foster-brother of Muhammed (although there was a considerable age difference between the two)" (Momen, 1985, p. 2)."

From the Paper
"Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin and the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, married to Muhammad's daughter Fatima. As a boy Ali, who was much younger than the Prophet, lived in Muhammad's house and was practically adopted by him. At the death of the Prophet the confusion over the succession (al-khilafah, hence the "caliphate") to the leadership was heavily debated. Ali's claims, based on his double relationship to the Prophet, were supported by many. But the leadership was given to Muhammad's father-in law, supported by Muhammad's wife A'isha. After two more successors, Ali ibn Abi Talib was declared caliph. But his rule was brief and when he was assassinated those who seized power began the line of the Umayyad caliphs.

The followers of Ali (the shi'ah of Ali) remained faithful and most did not recognize the Umayyad line. This difference.."

Abstract
This paper attempts to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of cultural similarities and differences between the two peoples. The author begins by providing a definition of culture, and then offers a thorough analysis of the various cultural attributes of both groups -- from religion to power to territorialism. The paper concludes with a section entitled "Is Peace Possible?", which looks at this perennial question from the unusual perspective of the cultural impediments to peace, rather than the political ones.
Introduction: What is Culture?
Why Israel and Palestine are Like Each Other and Dislike Each Other
Territorialism
Religious Differences
Influence of United States and Europe
Dissimilar Values
Money
Power
Different Governments - Different People
Is Peace Possible?

From the Paper
"Traditionally the word culture is used to define people who share a certain set of values. These values may include similar national character, a particular geo-political heritage, or a state sanctioned religion. The article, "The Man in the Baghdad Cafe" goes on to say that in many cases people define themselves by a very small number of shared values rather than the cultural larger set that are said to be shared by Europeans or Asians or residents of the Middle East. In Europe, more people identify with their geographical territory such as Germany or France or England than they do either with national character or religion (Protestant work ethic)."

Tags:Middle, East, Jew, Judaism, Muslim, Islam, Israel, Palestinian, clash, culture, peace, territory, compromise