Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that Michael Eric Dyson wrote this book the year following the disastrous storm of the book's title. During that storm thousands of people from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle were displaced from their homes and hundreds likely died. The writer discusses that Dyson's book is not simply an objective historical overview of the storm, but attempts to present a very well defined thesis which the author argues throughout the book; namely, that the politics of race and class directly contributed to the magnitude of the disaster. Dyson is at his best when he exposes the errors of media reporting. The writer maintains that his determination to force a racial and class-based story out of the events of Katrina seems to have led him to pick and choose among the data at his disposal, using anecdote and opinion designed to fit his thesis.

From the Paper
"Michael Eric Dyson is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and wrote this book, Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster in 2006, the year following the disastrous storm of the book's title. During that storm, which hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in late August of 2005, thousands of people from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle were displaced from their homes (or lost their homes due to wind and flooding) and hundreds likely died, although the exact figures are impossible to accurately derive. However, Dyson's book is not simply an objective historical overview of the storm, but attempts to present a very ..."

Tags:history

Abstract
The paper explores the life and scholarship of Michael Eric Dyson as it pertains to his book "Come Hell or High Water". The paper then considers the scholarly and literary criticism of his work, but reaches the conclusion that "Come Hell or High Water" is insightful in both breadth and depth as it pertains to racial politics and the reaction of the federal government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Outline:
Introduction
Michael Eric Dyson
Connections between Dyson's life, his Scholarship and his Book, "Come Hell or High Water"
Scholarly and Literary Criticism of "Come Hell or High Water"
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The links between Tyson's life, scholarship and the book Come Hell or High Water are obvious and concrete. As it pertains to his life the book come hell or high water chronicles the difficulty that people of New Orleans had in getting out of the city when confronted with the reality that a dangerous storm was coming. In the book he pointed to the plight of the poor and the working class and how the cost of daily living impeded upon their ability to escape the storm. He points out in the book that these were not people who could afford to just pick up and leave, quite often they did not have transportation and if they did have transportation they would not have money for a hotel room once they fled the city. Those who were able to get out and had to rebuild their lives elsewhere had to overcome a great deal of adversity. This scenario and other aspects of the book are connected to Dyson's life in that he comes from an impoverished background and as such he has a personal understanding--to some extent--of the difficulty that the poor and working class individuals face."

Tags:New, Orleans, blacks, poverty, Bush, administration

Abstract
Dante's "The Inferno" paints an incredibly vivid picture of what Hell is like. The journey Dante undertakes in order to progress pass his "lost" stage and escape Hell can be likened to the 12-Step Program a recovering alcoholic must complete in order to finally escape from the clutches of drinking to excess. This paper explores Dante's journey through the perspective of this 12-Step Program. By going through each step, one can witness the introspective and emotional self-examination Dante goes through, with a little help from his support group, in order to get out of Hell.

From the Paper
"The first step that every recovering alcoholic must take involves the process of admitting his or her problem. Alcoholics must acknowledge that they are helpless when battling their addiction and they must admit that this addiction to drink has wreaked havoc on their lives to the point where they have lost control (Alcoholic Anonymous, 1955, 59). Dante's predicament is no different to that of an alcoholic struggling to regain control over his or her life. At the beginning of the poem, Dante is portrayed as having gotten lost on the path of life and trying to get back on the right path. Using imagery, Dante recalls that "in the middle of his life, he [finds] himself lost in a dark forest, having lost the right path while half asleep." "

Tags:alcohol, alchoholics, anonymous, support, group, inferno, addiction

Abstract
This paper plots the evolution of hell by examining the ancient literature of different eras. The paper points out how society's current perception of hell is drastically different from the perception of hell held originally by the masses.

From the Paper
"For thousands of years the perception of hell and the afterlife has evolved. Currently society thinks of it as a den of eternal torture, full of fire, sulfur, and brimstone; however, this was not always the case. Relative to the age of the afterlife, hell is a new idea. Nevertheless, hell has changed much in its short lifespan. By studying ancient literature, we are able to track this evolution. Long ago, souls were not judged and went unpunished. Long ago, hell as an inferno of torment was just blooming inside the head of men. In this time, there was no hell."

Tags:augustine, gilgamesh, hellenism, hellenistic, homer, odyssey, oresteia, plato, republic, saint

Abstract
In this article the writer discusses that the outlaw biker gangs are the opposite of the 'classy' Mafia since they portray the rebellious nature of man and ride out into the sunset in their Harleys with the wind blowing in their faces. The writer notes that of the various outlaw biker gangs, the most famous - and probably notorious ones - are the Hell's Angels and the Outlaws gangs. Both groups were founded in the first half of the 1900s, one during the Depression Era while the other was a spin-off of a World War II unit. The writer looks at Sheila Ahern's 'The Gang's Not All Here' article which gives a brief history of these two outlaw biker gangs.
The writer concludes that that a closer look at statistics throughout the years would prove a major involvement of the various outlaw biker gangs in almost all types of criminal activities.

From the Paper
"Outlaw biker gangs have been known to indulge in various criminal activities from drugs, prostitution, murder-for-hire to blackmail. With the emergence of the Internet and other modern technologies, the various outlaw biker gangs have launched a public relations campaign to show that they are misunderstood segments of the society and the criminal activities attributed to them are works of wayward members that have nothing to do with the general membership of the group. "

Tags:Hell's, Angels, motorcycle, criminal, black, leather, jackets

Abstract
A paper which introduces the term 'mid-life' crisis. It shows how 14th century poet, Dante, described his own mid-life crisis in his famous work, "The Divine Comedy" and that ever since the existence of a mid-life crisis has been postulated, Dante;s experience as described in the opening canto of "Inferno", has become the metaphor for the middle life years.

From the Paper
"In the context of a normal, socially prescribed rite of passage, a crisis; is the halfway point through a natural process. If one focuses on only one part of a complete and purposeful process, one may miss the intent of the whole. People in traditional cultures accepted that the life cycle comprised stages and that getting through the times of transition was a natural process. They did not fear the middle (i.e., the conflict or crisis)" part of the process; because they knew it would be resolved eventually. (Atkinson, R., 2002) Dante was an ardent Catholic, as well as a Classicist who had been living the life of a political exile away from his beloved Florence. In The Divine Comedy, he created a highly regimented Hell, developing a hierarchy of sins in the tradition of Greek philosophy. Each sin was illustrated in well-known figures in 14th century Italy and the legendary Greeks and Romans, among whom were his numerous political enemies as well."

Tags:Rights of Passage Augustine The Confessions Hell, Purgatory and Paradise Virgil Whites Blacks divine comedy

Abstract
The paper discusses how in 1977, beauty queen and Orange Juice spokesperson Anita Bryant began her religious-themed attack against equal rights for gays- which she spread to raciosm, anti-Semitism and her belief that most minorities, according to her Bible, are doomed to hell. The paper relates that she won anti-gay right legislation in Dade county, which stood for some twenty years. The paper then discusses how last year, the Mormon chuirch contributed millions in favor of Prop 8, overturning the California Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex marriage was legal in California. The paper argues that in both instances, it was misguided religious fervor that stirred homophobia.

From the Paper
"Homophobia is nothing new. But, sometimes the efforts go beyond words and slogans and occasional beatings and so-called "gay bashing" that can result in death, such as occurred in Colorado with the severe beating of Matthew Shepard. However, the most insidious forms of homophobia are those in the guise of legislation and "moral crusades." The recent victory of Proposition 8 in California was ostensibly to overturn the California Supreme Courts decision that same sex marriage was legal. In fact, it was a crusade funded in the millions of dollars by the Mormon Church and its parishioners. "(A) spokeswoman for Yes on 8,...""

Tags:same sex marriage, mormon church, homosexual rights

Abstract
This paper examines the principles of both the Christian and Buddhist faiths. The paper explains that although differences abound between religions of the world, both Christianity and Buddhism believe in a variation of hell and punishment, although the result of the penance is quite different. The paper then looks at the image of God in the Christian religion and the lack thereof in the Buddhist religion. The paper also points out that the existence of God is a matter of faith, whether one is a Christian, Buddhist, or any other religion, as God cannot be experienced by any of man's physical senses. The writer believes that each individual in this world is still at liberty to believe what he or she desires, therefore, each religion must learn to respect one another to survive in peace and harmony without judgment or oppression hindering anyone's beliefs. In conclusion, the writer favors Buddhism as a religion of choice and freedom, rather than one of tyranny and control, which the Christian religion has sometimes displayed over the years.

Outline:
Introduction
The Christian Image of God
Buddhism and the Lack of God
Christianity vs. Buddhism
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Bible states that God created Jesus through Immaculate Conception through a virgin named Mary. As he grew older, he began to do miracles in the Middle Eastern area in which he lived, by healing the sick. He began teaching what is now known as Christianity, chronicled in the New Testament of the Christian Holy Bible. His teachings attracted many and he gathered a number of disciples who would travel with him, doing his work and spreading his message."

Tags:New, Testament, holy, bible, Gautama, Buddah

Abstract
The paper relates that Emanuel Swedenborg has been often been referred to as a "Visionary Savant in the Age of Reason" (Swedenborg, Lecoq, Dole, Johnson & Rose, 2003, p. 10), and until reaching middle fifties, Swedenborg was known for prolific accomplishments as a scientist, inventor, and philosopher. However, the paper describes how in 1743, at the age of fifty-six, Swedenborg began having mystical experiences involving visions and fantastic dreams in which he claims to have seen demons, angels, Heaven and Hell, Jesus, and much more. The paper relates that for the remaining years of his life, Swedenborg devoted himself to writing about his spiritual experiences as well as his personal Christian theology. The paper describes Swedenborg's understanding of Christianity as presented in the theology of his writings.

From the Paper
"Emanuel Swedenborg has been often been referred to as a "Visionary Savant in the Age of Reason" (Swedenborg, Lecoq, Dole, Johnson & Rose, 2003, p. 10). Until reaching middle fifties, Swedenborg was known for prolific accomplishments as a scientist, inventor, and philosopher. However, in 1743, at the age of fifty-six, Swedenborg began having mystical experiences involving visions and fantastic dreams in which he claims to have seen demons, angels, Heaven and Hell, Jesus, and much more. For the remaining years of his life, Swedenborg devoted himself to writing about..."

Tags:swedenborg, trinity, holistic metaphysic

Abstract
This paper shows why Elvis Presley rose to fame so quickly. It examines the social, race, political and youth issues of the time and explains how each one of these factors had a major influence on his success as a rock star.

From the paper:

"Though some like to recall it as a time of innocence, it was in 1956 that the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation on buses and trains unconstitutional, and the year of the Montgomery boycotts. Elvis, as he once told an interviewer, did not just happen to ?come along at the right time.? There is a social and cultural context to his success. Elvis mirrored the contradictions of the South. According to John Reed of the University of North Carolina, ?Aside from the way he moved his lower body, hell, he was a gospel-singing mama?s boy.? Perhaps he also mirrored the contractions of post-war American youth seeking an identity apart from their parents."

Tags:rock, n, roll, music, social, war, expression