Edward Gein Essays - Human Trophy Collecting,

Edward Gein All through history there have been stories of death and killing. There have been many murders in America. Some killers have had odd practices that they inflict on their victims; however, few have gone to the extent of Edward Gein. Because of his obsession with women and odd practices committed on the bodies of his victims, Edward Gein is considered to be the most bizarre murderer in America's history. Ed Gein was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 21, 1906 (Woods 8). His father later moved the family to Plainfield, Wisconsin (Woods 9). Gein had one brother named Henry (Woods 6). Their father was an alcoholic and their mother was a strict believer in God and doing the right thing. Their mother impressed on them the importance of marriage before sex. In 1940, Ed's father died. Even though he was thirty-four, Gein was still living on the farm with his mother and brother (Woods 22). In 1944, Henry Gein asked Ed to help him do some controlled burning on a marsh on the family's property. Ed had taken care of his part of the burning and went looking for his brother, but could not find him. Ed organized a search party, but they found nothing. On his way back to the house, Ed found Henry laying on a brush pile, dead. Ed attributed the death to heart attack or smoke inhalation, and the idea of an accident was accepted by all. No autopsy was performed. Some people believe that this may have been the beginning of Ed's killing spree(Woods 23). The next year, 1945, Ed's mother suffered a stroke. Ed says it was because of the way his neighbors constantly argued and how much it upset his mother. Ed was in charge of taking care of his mother. He took care of her for a period at the farm but could not handle it and was forced to put her into a hospital. Soon after, she had a second stoke and died (Woods 34). This left Ed alone. He began reading books about the female anatomy and became very interested in adventure stories involving head hunter and cannibals. At one point, a well-meaning person brought him back two shrunken heads from the Philippines. Ed found them very interesting and showed them off to many people in the community. As time went on he also became interested in the preservation of the human body after death and read books on the subject (Gollmar 74). In 1947, Ed began robbing graves in three local cemeteries. Sometimes he would take the whole body and sometimes just parts. His favorite part was usually the head of the dead person (Gollmar 58). He would cut it from the body in the cemetery and take it back to his house. When there, he would make a death mask. He would remove the skin from the bone and stuff the skin with tissue paper and saw dust. When the police searched his house, they found approximately ten of these masks scattered around the home of Ed Gein (Portrait of a Killer 40). In 1954, Ed committed the first murder he admits to. Mary Hogan, the owner and operator of a local tavern was killed. She was shot and her head was possibly cut off at the scene. At the scene, the police found a large pool of blood but no drag marks. Therefore Mary Hogan had been carried from the bar. After Gein had been caught, the police realized he was too small too carry the large stature of Mary Hogan from the scene and believed he may have had an accomplice for this murder and the grave robbings, but Gein constantly denied this (Gollmar 89). Ed Gein had few close friends. However, after he was caught a man who was believed to be Gein's best friend became violently mentally ill and was committed to a mental hospital. He died in the hospital a short time later. The police think he may have been Gein's accomplice in the murder of Mary Hogan (Gollmar 45). Ed Gein's final victim was a local shop owner named Bernice Worden. The killing took place on November 16, 1957. It was

East Meets West

East Meets West This paper describes intriguing accounts of various encounters of people between the ninth and 17th century. Ibn Fadlan, an Arab Chronicler, gives an account of his encounter with the Rus (One of the Swedish tribes) in the ninth century. Fadlan experienced a different culture from his Arabic. He described it as an alien and backward culture. Referring to the Rus, he says, â€Å"They are the filthiest of God’s creatures†.[1]Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on East Meets West specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, gave a historic account of his first encounter with the Japanese people in the 15th century. He described the Japanese as the best people known among the heathens.[2] â€Å"Portuguese Views of Chinese†[3] is an account of the first impression the Portuguese had upon encountering the Chinese. Canton described the Chinese as foolish people without knowledge of war. He al so described, He also described the Portuguese plan to invade and conquer China through a military warfare[4]. â€Å"Commentary on Foreigners from Ming official† is a description of the opinions of the Chinese about foreigners. According to the commentary, the foreigners invaded China at first without much effect. They were friendly in their engagements. However, their settlement and participation in Chinese trade had become intolerable because of their infiltration of Chinese culture with their foreign cultures. The Ming official described a plan of evicting foreigners from the Kingdom of Ming in the commentary[5]. In general, East Meets West is a description of various encounters of people between ninth and 17th century. Each of the four encounters had a different reception by the involved parties. The Eastern and Western encounters formed a prelude to major trends in world history. Briefly, the four perspectives of encounters of different people in the past had similar rea ctions. St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary of the 15th century, landed in Japan in 1552 on a missionary journey to spread Christianity. The warm reception he was given by the Japanese made him describe them as â€Å"courteous people†.[6] He described the Japanese as the best and most friendly people in the heathen world[7]. He described them as slow to anger and violence, despite their high regard for arms. Xavier also described the Japanese as people who had high regard for their arms and intolerance of contemptuous words and insults. He envisioned an easy missionary work of converting Japanese people to Christianity because of their high literacy and willingness to listen to foreign ideas. Besides many praises, Xavier also described the Japanese people as sinners because of their tolerance of some social evils such as the generational class system.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF L earn More Fadlan described the Rus as a backward people with primitive cultural practices. He described the fondness and love of Rus men for women. He noted in his encounter that each man had several slave girls for his sexual gratification. This cultural orientation made Fadlan describe the Rus as filthy people with barbaric cultural practices. Backward funerary rituals and human sacrifice are among the cultural practices of the Rus people that Fadlan regarded as barbaric. These cultural practices are different from the Islamic practices known to Fadlan. He saw several men line up to have sex with one slave girl in a funeral ceremony[8]. Fadlan found this an awkward and filthy practice. Fadlan encountered the Rus on an emissary journey to the King of Bulgars of Middle Voga in 921 A.D. He was in service of the Caliph of Baghdad. The encounter can be described as positive because of the warm reception he was given by his horsts in their territory and guidance to understand th eir culture. The Portuguese people encountered the Chinese in the 13th century as trading partners. Although, their first voyages were navigational and missionary ventures for exploring new lands and spreading Christianity, the Portuguese also explored mineral resources that interested their country. The Portuguese exchanged silver with Chinese ceramics, silk, and cotton[9]. The Chinese people accorded the Portuguese visitors a warm reception and accommodation without resistance. The Portuguese took courtesy of their horsts for foolishness and cowardice. In a letter written by Canton in 1517, the writer described the Chinese as foolish and cowardly people who had never fought in a war. Canton also described them as people with high regard for themselves. He said that the Chinese people referred to foreigners as savages and their country as the kingdom of God[10]. Despite the warm reception towards the Portuguese, Canton described in the letter the ill motives of Portugal to attack a nd conquer this new foreign land. The Portuguese wanted to control Chinese trade and gain profit from the immense resources of China. They successfully besieged and took control of all trade routes in the Indian Ocean in the 15th and 16th centuries. They introduced the pass system, otherwise called the Cartaz, which required all merchants in the trade network to pay a fee to them. The commentary on foreigners from a Ming official was a negative reaction the Chinese people developed against foreigners. The Portuguese and Spaniards entered China as trade partners. However, their settlement in the Asian country caused inconveniences to the Chinese. The Portuguese infiltrated Chinese culture with western lifestyle, which the Chinese people considered backward. In this commentary, the Chinese people wished for the quick exit of all foreigners from their land[11]. This perspective differs from the first view the Portuguese had about the Chinese. The Portuguese viewed Chinese foolish and c owardly people in a rich territory for them to conquer. In the second perspective, the Chinese people discovered the ill motives of their visitors and wanted to terminate their relationship with them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on East Meets West specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In conclusion, the above description of the four perspectives showed that various people in the past reacted differently to encounters with others. Fadlan’s encounter with the Rus people was intriguing. He encountered a sharp clash of cultures and religious practices. Fadlan encountered funerary rituals that were unheard off in Baghdad. Xavier’s encounter with the Japanese people was awe striking. Xavier described the Japanese as the best people among the heathens. The Portuguese encounter with the Chinese people was very positive during the first time. However, with time, the Chinese developed hatred for foreigners because o f the clash between western culture and local Chinese culture. Bibliography Montgomery, James E. Ibn Fadlan and the Rusiyyah. Journal of Arabic and IslamicStudies 3, (2000):n.p. Print Tignor, Robert. Contact Comerce, and Colonization. 1450s-1600. In Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the Modern World from the Mongol Empire to the Present, by Robert Tignor, 511-550. New York : Norton Company, 2011. Print. Xavier, St. Francis. A Jesuit Missionary Gives His First Impression of Japan. (1549): .10-13. Print. Footnotes Montgomery, James. Ibn Fadlan and the Rusiyyah. Journal of Arabic and IslamicStudies vol. 3, 2000, par 8 Xavier, Francis. A Jesuit Missionary Gives His First Impression of Japan. (1549):10-13. Tignor, Robert. Contact Comerce, and Colonization. 1450s-1600. In Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the Modern World from the Mongol Empire to the Present, by Tignor Robert, 511-520. (New York,Norton Company, 2011), 545 Ibid., 519. Ibid., p.546 Xavier, p. 10, par 2 Ibid., 9, par 2 Montgomery, par 7 Tignor, p.519 Tignor, p. 520. Ibid., 546

Customer Involvement In The Selection Service Specifications Article

Customer Involvement In The Selection Service Specifications - Article Example Customers have expectations and those expectations can only be met if they are highly involved. High involvement allows them to specify what they really want and gives both servicer and customer the weaknesses and strengths of each specification. Providers should get customers more involved. The authors conclude that satisfaction can only be achieved if the customers get what they have specified. This can only happen if providers ask the customers what they want and do it. The main problem of this article is its language. Consider this statement: â€Å"Customers who attribute specification selection to their decisions assume responsibility for the specifications selected.† All it really says is that consumers feel responsible for the specifications they choose. Its vague wordiness defeats the purpose of publishing an article, which is to inform people. Also, the points are redundant. The authors keep restating that customers are most satisfied when they are highly involved. Then they repeat their arguments over again. The main strength is that the article provides graphs which make it easier to grasp abstract concepts. It is also helpful in summarizing their long arguments. Presenting numerous examples about customer-provider interaction was also helpful in making their points. It shows how applicable their findings are in different service situations. This article can be treated as a customer-provider interaction. Customers want to be informed but they do not want to waste time reading irrelevant or redundant data. This article can be shorted into a third of its length. Secondly, the data presented are either hypothetical or secondary which make them less predictive of actual cases. Authors should conduct their own studies in order to determine more definitely the most desirable level of customer