Abstract
This paper argues that defining and describing cross-cultural similarities and differences is best accomplished by using culture-general rather than culture specific dimensions. The paper defines culture and discusses the problems associated with culture-specific information, particularly in that one usually finds exceptions rather than the general rules of the culture.

From the Paper
"By adopting the perspective that cultures begin with some universal similarities, research into cross-cultural differences takes on more widely understood parameters. The scientific community itself, by adopting certain universal standards so that everyone can communicate the same information is certainly an example of this. While generalizing about different cultures may have some drawbacks, it is certainly an acceptable risk when compared to the bias that can result when researchers attempt to look more closely at particulars and judge them without having an overall framework of understanding."

Tags:exceptions, knowledge, society

Abstract
This paper examines the differing options that have been presented for defining and measuring poverty and assesses the relative flaws of each method. The paper begins by defining poverty and then discusses the reasons why there exist serious problems with attempting to define it. The paper then describes the inherent pitfalls that are evident in each method of measuring poverty. The paper also presents the writer's personal opinions on the above issues.

From the Paper
"In conclusion, it is clear that there exist significant difficulties when we attempt to both define and measure poverty. As we have seen it is very often personal opinion that either guides where we place the poverty line or what factors we use to measure poverty accurately. Using systems based on income is the common method and it is employed in many areas of the world, in particular the United States. However, Townsend was correct to highlight how income alone is not encompassing enough and it is important that we consider other factors that are integral in making and sustaining a good life. Access to quality social care is one of the most vital parts of these other factors."

Tags:society, legislature, standards, income

Abstract
This paper analyzes Martin Heidegger's definition of art. The author claims that the origin of art is created from some form of activity on the part of the artist, whether it be creating a painting, song, sculpture or poetry. This paper focuses on Van Gogh's painting "A Pair of Shoes" and describes Heidegger's view of this particular work of art as well as his perception of the artist. The writer of this paper questions whether the artist creates the art or if art in fact creates the artist. This paper also discusses the significance of technology and nature in any work of art while describing Heidegger's definition of the 'thing' needed when creating art.

From the Paper
"After mentioning the artist, Heidegger begins to question what the artist is. We must question then if the work is what makes the artist, or is it the artist that makes the work. He tells us that the artist is the source of the work, and the work is the source of the artist. Both the work and the artist depend on each other, and one of them cannot exist without the other. Both the artist and work are related to a thing that comes before each, and that is what Heidegger calls art. If artist and work are both dependent on each other to be the source of the other, so do to both depend on art as their source. Heidegger asks if art can be a source of a work of an artist. Heidegger then claims that art is nothing more than a collective noun that signifies nothing now."

Tags:art, book, literature, van, gogh, painting, poetry, technology, review, perception

Abstract
Utilizing a Judeo-Christian approach to the problem of suffering as it arises from both moral and natural evil, this paper explores the nature of suffering in an attempt to understand why God allows it and what it says about God. The writer first defines suffering and describes what precipitates it and how it affects humanity. The writer then analyzes several different responses by different scholars to this problem, but does not find an intellectual solution. The paper concludes that since God gave freedom to his creation, life inevitably experiences suffering and evil but these do not have the final word. God stands before and after both suffering and evil.

From the Paper
"Suffering as caused by "natural evil" is seen throughout the history of humanity and all kinds of life. Pain is also rampant throughout the animal kingdom. Pain is seen as more of a physical manifestation in a discomforting sensation, whereas suffering occurs upon a reflection of the physical pain or even emotional pain. The distinction is not so clear throughout the theological/philosophical literature. It seems to be much clearer from a psychological standpoint."

Tags:hermeneutical, universe, presupposition, Jesus, organism, atheist, deity, Bible, Christianity, theodicy

Abstract
"Dumping", which is defined as the practice of exporting a product at a price lower than the price at which an identical product is sold by the same producers in the exporting country's domestic market, features as a prominent reason cited by many governments to raise their trade barriers. Article VI of the GATT agreements legitimizes the use of anti-dumping (AD) duties under certain unique circumstances. In November 2003, the Delegation of the European Commission to the WTO initiated a dispute settlement process with the Delegation of India over AD measures imposed by the Government of India on imports of certain products originating in the European Communities (EC). The 27 AD cases mentioned were on products with end-usage in the textile, pharmaceutical, chemical, and steel sectors, three of which concerned acrylic fiber. This paper provides an in-depth economic analysis of the trade dispute in question between India and the EU by focusing on their trade in acrylic fiber. It begins by describing the nature of the acrylic fiber industry and discusses comparative advantages in world fiber production. The paper then proceeds to build a Heckscher-Ohlin model of trade between the countries in question and illustrates welfare changes and income distributions of free trade relative to autarky. Thereafter, it examines whether the AD measures imposed by India are indeed justified. This is done by analyzing the market behavior and pricing strategies of major EC firms in this industry and by looking for evidence of injury to Indian exporters. Finally, the paper extends its previous analysis to discuss welfare implications of the imposed AD duties relative to free trade. The paper includes graphs and illustrations.

From the Paper
"It is important to note that the EU is also well endowed in labor and can extract profits from labor-intensive industries, but the region faces a lower opportunity cost of producing one unit of a capital-intensive good such as acrylic, relative to one unit of a labor-intensive good such as cotton. The average size of acrylic fiber manufacturing plants in UK and Germany varies from 70,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes, whereas the average size of the plants in India range from 12,000 tonnes to 38,500 tonnes . Since the production technology for acrylic fiber requires a higher capital-to-labor ratio, this means that unit labor requirements are lower, and productivity higher in the European acrylic fiber industry than that of India. In other words, the fact that the EU is a net exporter of acrylic fiber vis-a-vis India and the rest of the world reflects its comparative and not absolute advantage in the production of this good."

Tags:Acordis, Dralon, DGAD

Abstract
It is the goal of this paper to define anesthesia, describe its uses and origin; and, finally describe its effects on the auditory system. This paper will describe in detail such effects and studies proving amnesia or the existence of surgery memory in spite of the use of anesthesia.

Abstract
The report focuses on the responsibilities of teachers and the various methods used to educate, motivate and stimulate students. It looks at a combination of roles to stimulate learning, such as being a guide, mentor and role model. It also comments on specific responsibilities and on the boundaries that must be set with regard to the teacher-student relationship.

Outline:
Introduction
Role of Teacher
Responsibilities
Boundaries
5. Conclusions

From the Paper
"The role of the teacher also embraces an awareness of the different theories of learning in order to help inform their own practice. Reece and Walker (2003) refer to the main theoretical branches of how people learn - behaviorist, humanistic and cognitivism and suggests that teachers should not stick to just one model but be adaptable and decide which model might best suit their student as well as integrating different aspects of these models at different times for different subjects and for different learning styles."

Tags:education, teaching, teachers

Abstract
The display of Impressionist paintings in France in 1874 led to ridicule, but within twenty years Impressionists were to garner a large and permanent public following. This essay clearly describes how Impressionists played with lighting, color, brushstrokes, subject matter, and scenery to revolutionize art, specifically using Monet's Rouen Cathedral series to examine these changes.

From the Paper
"Impressionism was the first modernist art movement and to this day it remains the most popular (Hughes 113). Early Impressionism resulted from the work of many different painters, all sharing a common philosophy and technique and loosely organized as a group. It was at its strongest between the 1860s and 1890s and included many renowned painters such as Monet, Degas, Gauguin, Renoir, and Seurat. The fist public display of Impressionist paintings in 1874 disturbed the tradition-bound French Academy of Fine Arts and led to ridicule, but within twenty years Impressionists were to garner a large public following and were never again to be the "outcasts." Later Impressionist works built on and expanded the original style of the early artists, and in many cases the early Impressionist artists re-invented themselves and expanded their repertoire to show new forms and techniques of the movement. For these reasons Impressionism remains hugely successful even today, and works by artists in this genre are highly collectible and studied."

Tags:art, impressionism, modern, Monet, Renoir, Gaugin, revolutionize, ridicule, France

Abstract
This paper studies the concept of suturing which is defined in many different ways such as sewing something back together, gesture or pseudo-identification, the individual watching a film as a stand-in for the camera and more. It looks at the filmmaker Ranier Werner Fassbinder's work 'Despair' as an example of a film that attempts to undercut notions of the gazer of the film becoming sutured into the web of the film and of becoming socially subjected to the predetermined constructions of reality within the film's text. Finally, it concludes that the destabilizing of a master narrative with the particularity of autobiography is better than the complicated suturing.

From the Paper
"On a very literal level, to suture something is to sew something back together, usually imperfectly, usually with a substance that is alien to the body that is being altered, such as the doctor's suturing thread that stitches together an open wound. On a semiotic level, according to Jacques-Alain Miller, Miller's definition of suture (in a nutshell) is that the suturing process in culture is the process through which a subject is joined into the signifying chain of culture, allowing a signifier to stand-in for the subject's absence in discourse. (Suture as a Laconian Concept) "

Tags:suturing, film, narrative, Ranier, Werner, Fassbinder, camera, spectator, watching

Abstract
This paper explains that Ehrenreich, describing her personal experiences of living as part of the minimum-wage job market, discovers that the minimum-wage earners cannot escape poverty, mainly because of the cost of housing in California. The author points out that Ehrenreich was moved by experiences that led her to realize the way that the less fortunate are exploited by society. The paper asserts that people who depend on the minimum wage for their survival are largely defined by a society of capitalists who possess the means to exploit the less fortunate.

From the Paper
"Ehrenreich also describes the way that people are always told that hard work pays off some day, and for this reason one finds the working class willing and eagerly working long hours in the hopes of being rewarded. They are sadly mistaken, because if they can hardly make enough money to keep their heads above the water, how then can they save enough for their retirement? Here, it is worth asserting the manner in which individuals live in a state of "false consciousness" by believing what they are told. Individuals (the agency) act according to what they are told or whatever they are influenced by."

Tags:durkheim, marxist, experience, minimum-wage, rent