ERUDITION

During times of crisis, individuals frequently exhibit an unfortunate tendency to safeguard themselves while searching for scapegoats to hold responsible for the predicament. These trends became more apparent in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Arab Americans, who had previously integrated into society, became the victims of hostility, enduring verbal abuse, e-mail harassment, shoplifting, and even murder. Fearing for their safety, Arab students left the United States and returned to their home countries. According to Irvin Staub, a psychology professor from Amherst, Massachusetts, who specializes in aid, altruism, and prevention of sociopolitical conflict, "we find ourselves in a mindset where we feel the need to safeguard ourselves and scrutinize those who aren't part of our community. Being victimized, whether as an individual or a group, diminishes one's sense of self and creates a perception that the world is a more perilous plac...

Definition of sexual harassment Sexual harassment includes a wide range of behaviors, from stares and rude jokes to derogatory comments based on gender stereotypes, sexual assault and other acts of physical violence. Although the legal definition varies by country, it refers to unwanted and unreasonable sex-related behavior. A fairly broad definition considers sexual harassment as "any unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, verbal or physical conduct or gestures of a sexual nature, or any other conduct of a sexual nature that could reasonably be expected or considered to cause offense". Insulting others. Such harassment may be, but is not necessarily, interference with work, conditions of employment, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment”. Acts of sexual violence are always considered sexual harassment (as well as criminal acts). Suggestive jokes or insulting comments directed at one gender can be considered sexual harassment in the...

Patriotism, a sense of attachment and commitment to a country, nation or political community. Patriotism (love of country) and nationalism (loyalty to a nation) are often taken as synonymous, yet patriotism originated nearly 2,000 years before the rise of nationalism in the 19th century. Greek and especially Roman antiquity provide the roots of a political patriotism that envisions loyalty to the patria as loyalty to the political concept of the republic. It involves the love of law and general liberty, the pursuit of the common good, and the duty to treat one's country justly. This classical Roman meaning of patria resurfaced in the context of 15th-century Italian city-republics. Here, Patria stands for the general liberties of the city, which can only be secured by the civic spirit of the citizens.  For Niccolò Machiavelli, the love of general liberty enabled citizens to see their private and special interests as part of the common good and helped them resist corruption and tyran...

From hard liquor to hard seltzer, alcoholic beverages are an almost ubiquitous part of many modern cultures: wine with dinner, beer with friends on the weekend, celebratory champagne toasts, etc. However, because alcohol is a drug that can significantly affect a person's judgment and physical abilities, many countries age-restrict the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Effects of alcohol on the body In chemical terms, alcohol is an organic compound produced when grains, vegetables or fruits are allowed to ferment. Medically, alcohol is classified as a depressant (as opposed to stimulants like caffeine or hallucinogens like psilocybin) with a wide range of physiological effects. Most of these effects involve a reduction or inhibition of physical activity. For example, alcohol inhibits physical motor function and slows reaction time. Consequently, the more one drinks, the slower and more sluggish one becomes. Similarly, alcohol also inhibits the brain's communication pathways. T...

 Intelligence testing is a hotly-debated topic that often divides opinion. The term "intelligence testing" refers to the concept and practice of assessing individuals' performance on various diagnostic instruments (intelligence tests) in order to predict future behavior and life chances or to identify targets for intervention (eg, educational programs). Additionally, the interchangeability of the terms 'intelligence' and 'IQ' in common parlance creates ambiguity. IQ refers to both a test score and the underlying characteristic (intelligence) intended to explain the score. To begin with, intelligence tests have been around for a long time, with pioneers like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Thomas Young. It's worth reviewing the sordid, controversial history of IQ testing. Over the past 120 years, intelligence tests, or IQ tests, have greatly influenced society. For example, in the early 1900s, eugenicists used experiments to determine who should be s...

 Etymology The etymology of Bangladesh (Bangla Desh) can be traced back to the early 20th century, when Bengali patriotic songs, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam's Namo Namo Namo Bangladesh Momo and Rabindranath Tagore's Aji Bangla Hriday, used the term. In the past the word Bangladesh was often written as two words, Bangla Desh. From the 1950s, Bengali nationalists used the term at political rallies in East Pakistan. The term Bengali is a principal name for both the Bengali region and the Bengali language. The origins of the word Bengali are unclear, with theories pointing to a Bronze Age proto-Dravidian tribe, the Austric word "bonga" (sun god) and the Iron Age kingdom of Bengal. The first known use of the term is the Nessari Plate of 805 AD. The term Bhangaldesh is found in 11th century South Indian records. The term gained official status during the Bengal Sultanate in the 14th century. Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah proclaimed himself the first "Shah of Bengal" in 1342...