Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Summary - Essay Example While Pennsylvania showed average tuition and fee charges as $8410 in 2005-2006, it was $3100 in Florida and $6910 in South Carolina. In fact, there was notable difference in charges as well as in the student enrollment in various institutions. A number of reasons are pointed out as the factors driving tuition charges. Dennis Jones suggests tuition setting in public institutions as closely related to the health of other institutional revenues. Apparent influences of a variety of political factors in postsecondary policy making at the state level has been observed. Various examinations revealed relationships between indicators of educational structure and indicators of political influence. Descriptive representation compares the similarities in background between elected officials and their constituents. On the contrary, substantive representation refers to the interests elected officials serve. There are various opinions on the enhancement of substantive representation and various mo dels are also developed. The model named ‘presence’ assumes minority representatives to act as stronger advocates for minority constituents (McLendon et al, 6). The panel-data model implies that pricing behavior of universities is heterogeneous and is difficult to be captured using available data (McLendon et al, 15).

Preventing Caregiver Abuse Essay Example for Free

Preventing Caregiver Abuse Essay The term â€Å"caregiver† is used to refer to an individual who assists another who cannot act freely due to certain chronic conditions. There are two main types of caregivers: the â€Å"informal caregivers† are family members or sympathetic friends who care for impaired older people living at home. The â€Å"formal caregivers,† on the other hand, are hired or volunteer workers who are connected either with the health care systems or social service agencies. The tasks associated with caregiving are grouped under two categories, namely: the ‘Activities of Daily Living† (ADLs) and the â€Å"Instrumental Activities of Daily Living† (IADLs). Included under ADLs are activities like getting in or out of bed, taking a bath, getting dressed, and the general toilet use. IADLs, on the other hand, may include meal preparation, general household chores, grocery shopping, and the management of the care receiver’s medication (Nerenberg, 2002). Studies have shown that the greatest negative consequence to caregiving is â€Å"stress† which is believed caused by fatigue due to lack of sleep, improper nutrition, and lack of exercise. Stress is also believed caused by the â€Å"burden† being experienced by caregivers. This burden increases as the level of disability of the care receiver increases, thereby needing a greater extent of care. Some quarters suspect that stress is one of the main reasons for caregivers to â€Å"go over the edge† and consequently abuse their patients (Nerenberg, 2002). For others, however, stress is not a cause but merely an aggravating factor. Abuse, which does not only mean physical injury but also includes â€Å"mental anguish, unreasonable confinement, sexual abuse or exploitation, or financial exploitation† of defenseless older people, are believed by some to be caused by factors like the caregiver’s frustration, sense of isolation, insufficient support from the community, behavior of the care receiver, and the nature of his or her daily tasks (Bratteli, 2003). Bratteli (2003) offered several legal remedies which are expected to prevent caregiver abuse in care facilities, namely: †¢ The care receiver should accomplish a â€Å"Financial Power of Attorney,† a legal document which would appoint his or her attorney-in-fact who will attend to his or her financial matters. This is usually a trusted relative or friend, the appointment of whom will prevent financial exploitation especially when the care receiver is staying in an institution. †¢ Accomplishment of a â€Å"Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. † This is another legal document which appoints an agent who will decide for the care receiver on matters of healthcare. It contains the care receiver’s preferred method of treatment and would prevent neglect on the part of the caregiver in an institution. Nerenberg (2002), on the other hand, pointed to some techniques and services which are now available which could reduce the risk of abuse on the part of caregivers who care for older people at home. According to her, these techniques and services were specifically developed in order to meet the needs of caregivers in terms of assistance and support. One of these is a program aimed at providing relief. Under this program, employees or volunteer workers visit the patient at home and spend several hours with him or her in order to allow the caregiver to have some rest. Other programs arrange for the care receiver to stay for several days in a care facility to allow the caregiver to enjoy an extended break. Some support services take the form of friendly visits and reassuring telephone calls to address the feeling of isolation by providing â€Å"social contact and emotional support. † These practices also relieve the anxiety being felt by the caregiver. Finally, caregivers should also be provided with informative materials which would teach them the techniques for reducing stress like exercise and proper diet (Nerenberg, 2002). References Bratteli, M. (2003). CAREGIVER ABUSE, NEGLECT AND EXPLOITATION: The Journey Through Caregiving. North Dakota Family Caregiver Project, North Dakota State University. Nerenberg, L. (2002). Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse. National Center on Elder Abuse. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www. ncea. aoa. gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/family/caregiver. pdf

The Empty pillow :: essays research papers

Using the theory of reason action-Fishbein and applying it on a 5 min. scene of the movie by: AlomaniQ8 THE EMPTY PILLOW This is a love story that it’s events occur, in Egypt, in the fifties, where there were strict traditions about love between non married lovers, and where the word of the parents rules the lives of their sons and daughters. In that movie, a young man (salah) who is still a student falls in love with a beautiful girl (Sameha), whom she is also an eighteen years old student, they are both college students, that get supported by their families. The scene begins, when Salah asks his father that he wants to be married, but his father laughs, and asks him if he is able to support himself or her. Salah’s father suggested that he should wait until he graduates and gets a job, so he could marry her. Salah refuses, saying that she would get married to someone else, and her parents will not wait for me until I graduate. Unfortunately a doctor proposes to her an d asks her hand to be his wife. Sameha’s father and mother agree instantly, without giving Sameha any notice, only thinking of the position and the how they would guarantee a wonderful future for their daughter with this doctor, adding that he is a very nice man and have great reputation. Sameha says that she is young to be married, and disagree. Sameha’s father say’s â€Å"no doughtier of mine argues with me in such matters, you will do as I say† Consequently, Sameha stop arguing. And shows yielding. She think about the hard time choosing between the two, the one she loves! or the fine rich physician, which her parents ergs her to marry. In order to prevent the marriage, Salah meets her in the desert where they used to meet. He starts convincing her to run a way with him. Sameha refuses, saying that her parents might have a heart attack, then she will not forgive herself. Salah remembers, what one of his friends suggested to him, and that he should rape her, and in this way she would be his according to the traditions. Consequently he tries to do so. She cries and begs him to let her go. But he refuses, until he notices the ring that she is still wearing, which he brought to her as a token of their love.

Learning to be a Citizen of Cyberspace :: Technology Education Papers

Learning to be a Citizen of Cyberspace Most researchers agree that the growth of a knowledge-based society will bring about fundamental changes in the production, distribution and exchange of information and that most every social and cultural institution will be changed in some way, but none more than education (Negroponte, 1995; Oppenheimer, 1997; Stevenson, 1997; Upitis, 1997). This is because, more than any other social institution, education is fundamentally about knowledge, information, and communication. Although it certainly makes use of material tools and sometimes results in the production of material goods, these are ancillary to the fundamental process of education: people use knowledge to create more knowledgable people. It is therefore not surprising to find considerable support for transforming education so that it is as fully independent as possible from geographic location and physical space. If education does not require a specific spatial location or a building then it can be delivered from anywhere to anywhere. This will, some argue, transform the fundamental infrastructure of education at every level, starting particularly at the post-secondary level, and will fundamentally erode local community, or even national control over education. The development of on-line courses, libraries and other information resources, and the marketing of distant or on-line education by businesses and schools eager to profit from opportunities to expand their horizons, are the beginning of what some see as a revolution in learning. (Veccia, 1998; Wilson, 1997) In addition to overcoming geographical constraints on the delivery of education, new technologies promise to expand the basic nature of education. In quantitative terms, computer communication is opening up vast new sources of information and learning by enabling on-line access that frees schools from complete dependence on paper delivery. Associated with this is the ability to link written with audio and visual material that can enrich the full range of the learner’s senses. The technology also creates a qualitative expansion in the means of education by taking a process rooted in the one-way delivery of knowledge and making it more participatory and reciprocal. Education moves from an emphasis on transmitting information to the active creation of knowledge. Moreover, according to this view, computer communication takes a system of learning based in narrow linear, narrative forms, and opens it up to a wide range of non-linear, exploratory processes that allow the learner to m ake full use of his or her own multiple cognitive maps. As a result students mutually constitute their learning environments, all of which grow in the learning process.

Milkshake Factory Case Study

The story of George Stein exposes the dynamics that drive the night shift at Eastern Dairy’s milkshake factory. George was excited to join the dairy’s unionized workforce because its contributions-to-inducements balance was so favorable. As soon as he crossed the functional boundary into the organization, more specific features of George’s work group became apparent. First, there was no manager to speak of supervising the night shift. Second, horseplay was the workgroup norm, considered a natural and necessary complement to the hard work the team did every night.Although the management likely excused this as peripheral role behavior, it was relevant and desirable to the members of the night shift itself because it allowed them to cultivate camaraderie and maintain morale, giving them motivation to perform as well as participate. Management’s only expressed expectations were that the night shift complete the set of production orders they were given each nig ht and that the equipment was spotlessly clean by 7 a. m. As long as these tasks were accomplished, the night shift was left to self-regulate.The night shift constitutes its own subculture within Eastern Dairy, and the special conditions that govern that workgroup make it discernibly different from the mainstream organizational culture. The absence of a formal manager to indoctrinate employees into organizational values such as quality management has allowed a different set of values and basic assumptions to emerge among the members of the night shift than might be held by the organization as a whole. For example, they share an implicit assumption that, where there is a conflict between workers’ best interests and quality control, the workers should win out.From a differentiation perspective, we can predict that the night shift’s internal consensus on this point is likely to be at odds with that of the managerial subculture. [1] If the company has the goal of total qua lity control, it has not taken the steps necessary to spread that philosophy throughout its ranks. Rather than sharing management’s presumed focus on the customer, the night shift is focused on doing their job quickly enough to get out of work on time.Since they have not received explicit training or communication about quality control issues, it is reasonable that they retain the view that some level of defects in the manufacturing process is normal and acceptable. If we are willing to dismiss the quality control aspects of the production line blockage issue, there remains the ethical question of what is the right way to deal with the problem. If George removes the filters as instructed, the 500 gallons of milkshake destined for public consumption will be contaminated with maggots.If he doesn’t, attempting instead to clear the filters every time one clogs, the production run will take forever, meaning everyone will have to stay late, and the equipment will not be clea n in time for the start of the day shift. If the crew discards the entire contaminated batch and restarts the production run from scratch, clean-up will still be delayed to some extent, plus the company will have to waste 500 gallons of milkshake mix. The instructions management (to our knowledge) has provided to Paul indicate that it prioritizes timely completion of the production orders and subsequent clean-up over things like purity of the product.Additionally, Paul knows that, due to pasteurization, the milkshakes will not hurt anyone, and due to homogenization, the extraneous matter probably won’t even be noticed. After weighing all of these points, Paul decides to remove the filters in order to process the milkshake mix, maggots and all. Whether this is an ethical solution to the blockage depends on the system of ethics used to judge it. Paul appears to be following utilitarian ethics in his decision, by which milkshake contamination is an undesired but acceptable outco me of the action of greatest net benefit to all involved.He is not ignoring the effect of this action on the prospective drinkers of the milkshakes; he just feels that they are not affected adversely enough (due to homogenization and pasteurization) to change the assessment of greatest net benefit. According to act utilitarianism (and potentially rule utilitarianism, if the rule agrees), Paul’s decision is perfectly ethical. According to right-based ethics, however, he is acting unethically because allowing the contaminated milkshake to go to market interferes with the consumers’ rights to make an informed decision about the products they purchase.Finally,[2] an ethical egoist would be split on the issue: If George were a individual egoist, he would remove the filters without hesitation because doing so will make his life easier, but if he were a universal egoist, he would refrain from sending the contaminated batch to market because he wouldn’t like to be on th e receiving end of that action. [3] George’s focus on others is apparent from the guilt he feels about the children who could find themselves drinking maggot-filled milkshakes because of his actions. Paul’s order to emove the filters falls on the cusp of George’s zone of indifference, and he considers disobeying out of concern with the morality of the request. One reason for George’s ambiguity is that he lacks the leadership defined by Mary Parker Follett. Paul may be the workgroup’s informal leader, but he has no real authority over his colleagues. He may know the technical aspects of the job, but he does not see the â€Å"big picture,† which includes the trust relationship between the dairy and its customers. He does his best to solve problems, but he hasn’t been given the resources to head them off before they occur.The solution he chooses for the blockage problem does not display the forethought of the ideal leader because it leav es the team open to potential repercussions from management and/or the public if the contamination is discovered. Nonetheless, Paul is George’s most obvious role-sender because he has the most impact on George’s daily work experience. Under the circumstances, Parker-Follett would like to see George try to influence Paul by suggesting a content innovation that miraculously solves their problem in an unforeseen way.In the end, it is not George’s responsibility – or ultimately even Paul’s – to solve the dilemma that confronts them. The management has not provided the night shift enough guidance to establish unequivocally what the organization considers the right way to proceed. The uncertainty the employees face in this situation is a good argument for formalized codes of ethics and quality control training. In the meantime, ethical relativism will prevail on the night shift: they will have to decide what is â€Å"right† based on what is best for everyone present. ———————- [1] This assumes two things about the managerial subculture: a) it espouses a commitment to quality management, and b) its in-use values do not conflict with the espoused values. [2] Justice theories of ethics can be construed to agree with rights-based theory, but they deal to a greater degree with more over-arching questions of how society should be run. As such, justice ethics are the least applicable to this situation. [3] Of course, a person who sees the contamination as harmless could allow it to happen without violating the â€Å"golden rule. †

Budget Planning and Control Tootsie Roll Industries

Budget Planning and Control Tootsie Roll Industries About the company Tootsie Roll Industries is based in the United States and it deals with the production of food items that have high levels of Carbohydrates and sugar. The company was established in 1896 and it operates in the confectionery industry. Currently, it is a public company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol TR.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Budget Planning and Control: Tootsie Roll Industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Currently, the shares of the company are trading at $31.86 per share. Further, the company has a market capitalization of 2.0 billion. At the end of the year 2014, the total revenue of the company amounted to $544 million while the operating income totaled to $84 million, an equivalent of 15.4% of sales. The net income for the year amounted to $63 million. The total assets at the end of the year 2014 amounted to $910 million, while liabilities and equity amounted to $220 million and $691 million. A review of the balance sheet shows that the company has more equity than debt in the capital structure. A review of the trend of the performance of the company over the years shows that the performance of the company has improved. Finally, the company has engaged more than 2000 employees. The paper seeks to analyze various aspects of budgeting for Tootsie Roll Industries. Reasons for budgeting There are a number of reasons why companies need to prepare and manage budgets on a period basis. The first reason is that budgets enable the management to plan for the future (Brigham Michael, 2009). In this case, the budget aids the management in developing a direction for the entity. It also facilitates the development of future policies for the organization. Also under planning, budgets aid management in planning for problems that might arise in the future. Finally, as a way of planning for the organization, budgets helps the managem ent in setting standards that can control the use of available resources (Collier, 2010). The second reason why companies need to prepare budget is that it aids in delivering important information on matters that deal with the capabilities of resources. An example is that a cash budget gives information on the ability of the company to generate revenue and pay for expenses. Further, a budget encourages coordination across various departments and units because the plan for a specific period is communicated to various employees (Brigham Michael, 2009). This contributes to the achievement of the overall objective of the entity. Thus, if the company carries out proper budgeting, then it serves as an effective tool for planning and controlling (Brigham Michael, 2009). Positive outcome The positive outcomes that are likely to be reported when budgets are carried out effectively are reduced costs and improved profits. This is based on the fact that budgets aids in effective management of costs and this has a positive impact on the performance of the company. As a result, the elements in the budget will be equivocal to achievement of the intentions of a company. Besides, the company will be able to track different budget performance matrices over a specified period of time.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Negative outcome The negative outcomes that are likely to be reported when budgets are carried out effectively are resource misuse and inability to track different parameters of performance of a specified period in a company. If budgeting is not done effectively, then there is likely to be misuse of resources since budget controls resource allocation and use in a company (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). This will lead to poor working capital management and low level of sales. This may translate into poor performance since misusing resour ces cannot translate into efficiency. Therefore, it is important for the company to carry out planning for all financial years. Budget plan The company needs to come up with a comprehensive budget plan because it is involved in the production and sale of its products. Therefore, the high-level budget will capture the two aspects of the business and it gives strict control on spending (Brigham Michael, 2009). Thus, the high-level budget plan for the company is summarized in the table below. The plan above brings together all the aspects of the organization in one budget. It ensures that several employees are involved in planning and control of resources. Budgeting phases Budget preparation goes through four distinct phases. The first phase is budget preparation. This stage is quite critical because the resources available in the organization are reviewed to ascertain whether they can enable the company to achieve the desired goals and objectives (Brigham Michael, 2009). The phase is the approval of the budget while the third phase is executing the budget. The final stage is evaluating the budget. This stage ensures that resources are spent in accordance with the budget (Atrill, 2009). All these phases are critical because they ensure that the budgeting process is successful.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Budget Planning and Control: Tootsie Roll Industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Methods and techniques of managing budgets Methods managing budgets The first technique of managing budgets is by preparing flexible budgets. These are budget relationships that can be adjusted to various levels of activities. This technique is suitable for performance management (Atrill, 2009). The second technique is by managing variances by exception. These variances can cause significant variations on the results. Managing variances is a technique that ensures that the company stays within th e budget (Hansen, Mowen, Guan, 2009). Techniques of managing budgets The first method of managing budget is drawing parallel budgets from which the most effective budget is picked. This method is necessary in minimize possible risks as a result of dynamics that might affect projections in a single fixed budget (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). The second method of managing budgets is creating a matrix for balancing the actual and projected figures to ensure that the funds allocated for each function are spent within the acceptable degree of variation (Atrill, 2009). Action plan to resolve budget misalignment Flexibility is often compromised in companies facing uncertainty. In real sense, there should be a balancing system that is critical in improving leadership skills, evaluation skills, promoting creativity, and tracking goals (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Therefore, the basis for flexibility implementation should function on a comprehensive analysis of how budget monitors an y change in variance from expected outcome to facilitate work-life balance in a project (Brigham Michael, 2009). The concept should remain relevant even during economic downturn since an ideal tracker has a moderator within Pareto efficiency matrix (Arnold, 2008). Recommendations for resolving budget misalignments Managing variances by exception This is achieved through variance analysis to resolve budget misalignment. Variance analysis focuses on the difference between the actual and budgeted amounts. It analyzes the total variance between standard and actual result (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Variances can either be favorable or unfavorable. Variance analysis has a number of advantages. First, it helps in performance management. This is because the management uses results of variance analysis to measure performance against expected results. Secondly, variance analysis improves responsible accounting. Finally, variance analysis encourages management by exemption, that is, ma nagement puts a lot of emphasis on areas with adverse variances (Atrill, 2009). The rationale for this technique is the ability to track the variances that might be detected in budget implementation to ensure that these variations do not affect the overall outcome (Brigham Michael, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Preparing flexible budgets In line with the main objective to determine the forecast density closest to actual value, it is of essence to resonate upon the principles of relative performance of different competing forecast densities as part of the cost reduction system. In computing this, higher scores are given more priority since they are prone to give positive values. Besides, this model distributes higher probability to values observed (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). From the different densities realized and those forecasted, the sequences of observed results on densities of return are compared from the base line of an average score. Subsequently, in line with the accuracy of equal forecast, the loss differential is expected to be minimal (Brigham Michael, 2009). The rationale for this technique is that the parameters and variables used are aligned to ensure that threshold on model-independent is achieved within competing parameters (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Thus, thi s is the most appropriate benchmarking for managing a budget. References Arnold, G. (2008). Corporate financial management. New York, NY: Pearson Publishers. Atrill, P. (2009). Financial management for decision makers. New York, NY: Pearson Publishers. Brigham, E., Michael, J. (2009). Financial management theory and practice. New York, NY: South-Western Cengage Learning. Collier, P. (2010). Accounting for managers. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Graham, J., Smart, S., Meggison, W. (2010). Corporate finance: linking theory to what companies do. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Hansen, R., Mowen, M., Guan, L. (2009). Cost management: accounting control. New York, NY: South Western Cengage Learning.

Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls Professor Ramos Blog

Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls Lance Barnett English 102 8/9/18 Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls The term â€Å"Zombie† is derived from nzambi, the Kongo word for the spirit of the dead. Zombies have become supremely popular in media and entertainment in recent years. A multitude of movies, books, comics, and video games are based around zombies and the zombie apocalypse. Shows such as The Walking Dead and I Zombie have become incredibly popular and even unrelated series have begun to incorporate zombies in one way or another. Almost every franchise imaginable has some kind of zombie or undead in it now. From Super Mario and Call of Duty to Star Wars and Marvel Comics, the undead craze is sweeping the nation. The idea of the dead returning to torment the living is no new invention however, so the question is why has it gained so much traction in media and pop culture recently? What caused this generation to become so infatuated with the living dead? For the most part, mythical monsters are based around exactly that, myths, but zombies are a little different. Monsters such as vampires, werewolves, or Frankenstein’s monster are creations that represent mankind’s fears, uncouth desires, or shortcomings in the eras in which their story is being told. Zombies fall into that category as well but, in addition to that, they have origins that are rooted in real events as well as myths that date all the way back to prehistory. One of the, if not the, largest contributors to the creation of zombie lore were the Haitians. In Haiti, which is primarily a voodoo nation, it was common for someone known as a Bokor to create and employ Zombie slaves. Now, of course, these zombies are not truly undead in the sense that they are not actually soulless, walking corpses, but for generations their appearance, demeanor, and the method of their creation led the majority to believe that they were indeed the dead risen. In Haiti, if you just so happened to know of a nearby bokor, you could hire them to zombify someone. Say your spouse is caught cheating, your child has grown into a dishonorable adult, or that conniving M’baku down the street stole another one of your chickens. If you wanted to, you could hire a bokor to turn said transgressor into a shuffling, mindless, entity. Bokors are alchemists who create various concoctions using ingredients such as bones, shells, herbs, and animal parts. The zombies that they create are actually living people who have been introduced to a potent zombie mixture called â €Å"coup padre† that dulls their minds and make them susceptible to the influence of their master. Though the full recipe for the concoction is unknown, it is common belief that tetrodoxin, an incredibly dangerous neurotoxin found in the fou fou, also known as the porcupine fish, is used very carefully in the mixture. Small doses of tetrodoxin often cause confusion, loss of balance, and difficulty breathing. These symptoms are why we commonly see zombies in our fiction aimlessly wandering with blank stares, shambling, and moaning/ huffing. Often times, if a bokor is coming for someone, they will find a way to get them to ingest a concoction that renders them in a near death state that is indistinguishable from death itself without modern medical equipment. The victim’s heartrate will drop dramatically, the skin becomes pale and clammy, and their pulse becomes unnoticeable. After their burial, the bokor will visit the grave, dig up their new slave and give them the coup padre. The victim then awakens as a dull and mindless drone. The people of Haiti were unaware of exactly how a bokor went about creating zombies. All they knew was that someone in their community was pronounced dead, was buried, and is now rumored to have been seen meandering around. Thus the idea of the mindless, shambling, zombie was born. Zombies became known in the United States when stories of the zombie slaves of Haiti made their way over and left the populace shocked and horrified by the dark rituals of these voodoo shamans. These tales led to the creation of the 1932 movie White Zombie, which is the first feature length zombie film ever made. In the movie, the female protagonist is stalked and transformed into a zombie by an evil voodoo priest played by the famous horror actor Bela Lugosi, best known for his influential role as Dracula in the 1931 film. The true rise of zombies into popularity, however, didn’t come until the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero. Two more zombie films were directed by Romero over the next 15 years and, shortly after the start of the 80s, the subject of zombies really started to pick up. The early examples of zombies in media often portrayed them as the result of supernatural practices such as witchcraft, voodoo, or demonic rituals. This came as a result of historic accounts and myths about undead. Regardless of the vast differences between them, stories about zombies throughout history have been rooted in the supernatural. The fear of the dead rising from their graves has been prevalent among mankind for as long as we can remember. Stone Age remains appear to have been originally buried intact, but eventually they began to bury their remains with their skulls smashed or removed and buried in a separate grave farther away. Some believe that this was done to ensure that the dead would not return to life. Zombies aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible, but there are references of the dead coming back to life here as well. Ezekiel finds himself in a boneyard and prophesies to the bones. The bones shake and become covered in flesh, yet â€Å"there was no brea th in them.† Isaiah 26:19 states, â€Å"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.† The Greeks believed that certain people were more likely to return from the dead than others. Those who committed suicide, were murdered, cursed, or died from other traumatic experiences such as the plague or drowning were thought to likely return as undead and prey on the living. Some believe that the Mayans suffered a kind of zombie apocalypse towards the end of their civilization. Human bones found within the ruins of many Mayan cities exhibit human tooth marks and appear to have been forcefully ripped apart and evidence is thought to have been found of children eating their parents as well. From the state that the cities were left in, it has been surmised that they slaughtered and ate themselves within a few days’ time. In addition to bei ng exclusively supernatural, many ancient incarnations of the undead display special abilities, powers, or quirks. In Norse mythology, Draugr are living corpses who wander their crypts. They are described as bloated with black skin and are known to possess some supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, entering the dreams of the living, and driving people insane. Draugr slaughter and consume the living just like modern zombies but, unlike most modern zombies, draugr have also been known to utilize tools such a heavy stones or swords to kill. Jiang Shi, the Chinese version of the zombie, literally means â€Å"stiff corpse†. These zombies are very strange in that their mode of locomotion is hopping around. In Romania, the Strigoi is a zombie of someone who has died with regrets or troubles. Dying without being baptized or before marriage are other ways that someone could end up coming back as a strigoi. Some post mortem marriage ceremonies are performed for the newly deceas ed as a way to try to keep them from becoming a strigoi. Like the draugr, strigoi exhibit some supernatural abilities or traits that weren’t commonly found among modern zombies until recently including primarily only drinking blood and the ability to transform into animals. These traits almost make them seem more like vampires than zombies, however the fact that your corpse can become one without having been bit by one separates the two in a way. In video games especially, the need to keep things fresh, new, and interesting, has led to the creation of many new types of zombies with strange abilities similar to some of the zombies from history. There are zombies that spit acid, have frog-like tongues, explode, and some that can use certain kinds of weaponry. Media based on cultural mythology also use specific examples of ancient undead to spice things up. The Witcher novels, which follow the adventures of a monster slayer in a fantasy world of Polish mythology, feature the str iga, the Polish version of the strigoi and Draugr make an appearance in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Cohen’s Monster Culture mentions that one important characteristic that monsters have is the ability to shift and reflect the relevant fears and apprehensions of the era that tells their stories. Like vampires evolving from the hideous Nosferatu into the succubus/ incubus-like vampires of today, zombies have also changed. As stated before, historical accounts, myths, and early media representations of undead portray them as supernatural creations. As the fear of witches, demons, and other foul spirits became less prevalent, the reasoning behind zombies shifted from being mainly supernatural to being scientific. Science and medicine have progressed incredibly far in the last few decades and some scientific advances have come under scrutiny as to whether or not they are moral or safe. Scientifically created abominations and diseases have become popular â€Å"monsters† of sorts and zombie lore happened to have very little trouble adopting this idea. The majority of modern zombie fiction revolves around an outbreak of a virus or disease of some kind that transforms people into flesh eating zombies. More often than not, the antagonists of these stories are scientific enterprises who attempt to create bioweapons but then lose control of said bioweapons which causes the initial outbreak. The real life fear of â€Å"Big Science† plays into zombie fiction in a crucial way. As zombies strayed further away from their Haitian roots and as special effects became more and more impressive, depictions of zombies became more and more grotesque in an attempt to keep the shock factor of the audience intact. Another niche that zombies have had little trouble fitting into is the apocalypse genre. The apocalypse genre has been touched upon in history in tales such as Gilgamesh or Ragnarok, but as the new millennium drew near and prophesies from the Mayans and Nostradamus seemed to be coming to fruition, the fear of the end of the world became more and more prevalent. More often than not, zombie centric fiction deals with the spread of the undead bringing total societal collapse. Very rarely are outbreaks contained in small areas. Zombies in modern media have adapted and changed in order to fit into many separate genres from apocalypse to sci-fi to fantasy. This ability to morph and adapt and even bring back traits from history to stay interesting and relevant suggests that zombies still have quite the lifespan left even though they can be considered one of the oldest known monsters. As new genres and forms of media gain popularity, be sure to keep an eye on your dead. They never quite seem to stay where you put them. Zombie Annotated Bibliography Zombies, H. (2018). Zombies: Facts and Voodoo Origins | HISTORY.com. [online] HISTORY.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-zombies [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article discusses the origins of Zombies and how the subject of the undead apocalypse has become extremely popular in pop culture. Great Discoveries in Archaeology. (2018). History of Zombies. [online] Available at: http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp264-ss13/2013/04/25/history-of-zombies/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This student post goes into some more detail about the original Haitian zombie slaves that helped inspire the legends of the undead. Lin, K. (2018). History of Zombies from Ancient Times to Pop Culture. [online] Historic Mysteries. Available at: https://www.historicmysteries.com/history-of-zombies/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article discusses zombies in history that date back even further than the Haitian zombie slaves. Tales and rituals meant to keep the dead at rest from even the stone age and ancient Greece. Mariani, M. (2018). The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/how-america-erased-the-tragic-history-of-the-zombie/412264/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This is another article that explains how the true tragedy of zombie slaves became lost to us as we began to incorporate the subject of zombies into entertainment. Swanser, B. (2018). The Mysterious Real Zombies of Haiti | Mysterious Universe. [online] Mysterious Universe. Available at: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/08/the-mysterious-real-zombies-of-haiti/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article goes the furthest in depth about the process of Haitian zombification and a bit more into their culture.