Picture of hole cards in a game of texas hold 'em
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Even though not much is known about beginnings of the game of Hold ‘Em, or poker in general, it is said that it started at around 1900s. It has spread throughout the state of Texas and was embraced by many as their prime poker game for gambling. And it has been introduced to the bright lights of Las Vegas on 1967 by a group of Texan gamblers and card players, notably Crandell Addington, Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim.
Early Years
Its magic has enthralled many, with players ranging from crack-heads to more sophisticated players. But in the 50s, only a few casinos offered the game of Hold ‘Em, and they had shabby poker rooms for it. With that, many professional players tried valiantly to find a better location for their cash games, and they finally found it in the now-defunct Dunes Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and with its prominent location, Hold ‘Em’s popularity simply took off.
In the late 60s, poker tournaments for Hold ‘Em were now being held, notably by the Gambling Fraternity Convention and it helped the game gain more recognition. The Convention was then bought by Binion’s Horseshoe Casino and has taken up Hold ‘Em as the main event due its leanings on psychology rather than pure odds. The game simply rose to the top after that, with merely eight entrants in its nascent stages to 100 in 1982 and that has doubled a decade later.
With the surging popularity in place, one of the top No Limit players, Doyle Brunson, started the advent of Poker Literature with his book, Super System, which has revolutionized how people played poker. Also, it has brought the game to a wider audience and had put it into the mainstream. It even influenced more poker books to be published, notably by David Sklansky and his Theory of Poker and Dan Harrington’s Harrington on Hold ‘Em. This made the game’s learning curve a lot shorter and made every tournament more exciting and challenging.
A pair of aces is arguably the best hand to be dealt in Texas Hold'em Poker.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Explosion in the Nineties
This has carried on until the late 90s and the first decade of the 21st century, when the popularity of the game went into another level and went worldwide. It started with the film Rounders (1998), which starred Matt Damon and gave the Hold ‘Em a romantic feel.
One also has to take into account the influence of the internet and gave everyone on what was years of experience in a short amount of time. Online poker rooms like Partypoker.com and Pacificpoker.com paved the way for that. It is said that current stars like Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen fined tuned their game in the internet.
And from there, what was only 200+ 1991 WSOP grew to 800 in 2003 and an unbelievable 5000 in 2005.
Conclusion
Texas Hold ‘Em is definitely here to stay, given that it leans more on strategy and psychology rather than strict mathematical analysis and probability, which has been the case of other games like Blackjack. Its appeal stretches to far reaches, not only in terms of regions but also of social class. It has hit popular culture, with it being considered more and more as a sport rather than gambling. It has even changed how people think of the game, with works like the The Poker MBA sitting in bookshelves. Truly, Texas Hold ‘Em has grown to a new level.
Beer is about a lot more than just a great tasting beverage. The fact that a culture has grown up around the joy of making and enjoying fine beer testifies how much beer has become part of how our culture works. The drinking of the beverage is only partially about the taste of the brew itself and very much about where you have your beer, what you drink it out of, how the beer looks in the glass and who you are drinking it with. And while you as a home made beer brewer cannot control many of those factors, you can control the quality and ambiance of the beer you make so it not only tastes great but is visually appealing as well.
Glas of German "Würzburger Hofbräu" beer, enjoy cold! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you pour a commercial beer from a bottle or a can, you may not be aware of how much those beer makers put into not just the taste but the affect of other senses have on the beer drinking experience. The way the beer pours, the aroma as you pour it, the head that wells up in your mug and how the beer looks in the glass all are just as important as the taste itself. The emphasis the big beer producers put on ascetics is so extreme that they even make the sound the can makes when you "pop a cold one" to be unique because they know that sound alone can prepare you to receive the taste of a great beer drinking experience.
The truth is none of that will change whether the beer itself is of high quality or is good to drink. But visual appeal matters. One area of visual appeal that you have some control over when making your own beer at home is clarity. Clarity simply refers to how the beer looks in the glass. If you can see through the beer and it is a consistent beige or amber color, that is visually appealing. But if things are floating around in the beer, even if they are perfectly harmless byproducts of the brewing process, that can diminish how inviting your beer is to enjoy and even diminish how enjoyable the beer is to drink even if the beer itself is of high quality.
A lot of the "stuff" that floats around is beer comes from the yeast that is crucial to the fermentation process that makes beer beer. Some yeasts are better than others about settling out of the beer during fermentation. Another source of visible material in the beer comes from what is referred to as non-microbiological particles or NMPs which are a byproduct of the brewing process. Again, none of these visible materials are harmful to consume nor do they reduce the value of the beer. They just look bad and hurt the clarity of the beer which is one way beer is measured for quality.
Many of the NMPs are introduced during the initial creation of the wort which is phase one of any brewing operation. The wort is boiled at a high temperature for a significant enough period of time to cause the proteins in the ingredients to break down and become part of the fluidity of the wort rather than remain in a substance state or a "floc" which remains visible in the finished product. To avoid this make sure your boil sustains a temperature of 215F for 90 minutes to assure complete processing of the proteins.
Another important brewing step that you can do to reduce visible agents in your beer is to cool the wort very quickly. By bringing the temperature down rapidly, the clarity is vastly enhanced as is the flavor and overall quality of the beer. The best way to accomplish such rapid cooling is to move the wort quickly from the brewing process to a very cool environment or using a specialized wort cooler to quickly bring that temperature down and eliminate many of the flocs that might be there if the cooling goes more slowly.
Seeking beer clarity can become a major passion of yours as a home brewer and there is a whole science to using clarifying agents such as Irish Moss to enhance beer clarity without diminishing beer quality or taste. Learning good techniques for making your beer clear and appealing is just another step in your ongoing quest to become the best amateur beer making possible. And that is a quest worth pursuing.
Many social traditions and activities are very associated with drinking beer, such as playing cards, darts, or other games. The consumption of beer in isolation and excess may be associated with people drinking away their troubles, while drinking in excess with company may be associated with binge drinking.
A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Around the world
All over the world, beer is consumed. There are several breweries in the Middle East countries as well, such as Iraq and Syria. There is also breweries in African countries and other remote countries such as Mongolia as well.
Glassware serving
Getting an appropriate beer glass is considered desirable by some drinkers. There are some drinkers of beer that may sometimes drink out of the bottle or can, while others may choose to pour their beer into a glass. Drinking from a bottle picks up aromas by the nose, so if a drinker wishes to appreciate the aroma of a beer, the beer is first poured into a mug, glass, or stein.
Similar to wine, there is specialized styles of glasses for some types of beer, with some breweries producing glassware intended for their own styles of beer.
Temperature
The conditions for serving beer have a big influence on a drinker's experiences. An important factor when drinking is the temperature - as colder temperatures will start to inhibit the chemical senses of the tongue and throat, which will narrow down the flavor profile of beer, allow certain lagers to release their crispness.
The process of pouring will have an influence on the presentation of beer. The flow rate from the tap, titling of the glass, and position of the pour into the glass will all affect the outcome, such as the size and longevity of the head and the turbulence of the bar as it begins to release the carbonation.
The more heavily carbonated beers such as German pilseners will need settling time before they are served, although many of them are served with the addition of the remaining yeast at the bottom to add extra color and flavor.
Beer rating
The rating of beer is a craze that combines the enjoyment of drinking beer with the hobby of collecting it. Those that drink beer sometimes tend to record their scores and comments on various internet websites.
This is a worldwide activity, as people in the United States will swap bottles of beer with those living in New Zealand and Russia. The scores may then be tallied together to create lists of the most popular beers in each country as well as those throughout the world.
In 1907, Mary Mallon was working as a household cook when an inspector named George Soper knocked on her employer’s door. Soper explained to Mary that he represented the New York City Department of Health. He believed she was a carrier of typhoid and had caused many people to become sick; some had even died. Mallon retorted that she felt healthy. She cursed at this intrusive man, who insisted on collecting blood and urine and stool samples, and she advanced toward him with a carving knife.
Typhoid Mary in a 1909 was a famous case of a subclinical infection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the infectious agent of typhoid fever
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Soper fled the scene, but the epidemiologist soon pursued Mallon again with the aid of an assistant. The two men followed her to a friend’s tenement house. Again enraged, she frightened the men away. Their next strategy of sending a female doctor was also met with resistance. In the end, the doctor reappeared with police officers, more assistants, and an ambulance. Mallon lunged at her visitors with a kitchen fork and ran away, only to be discovered hours later when her dress poked through a closet door. The resistant Mary Mallon was carted off to a hospital with one aid sitting on her chest!
At the hospital, suspicions of Mallon’s typhoid carrier status was confirmed. To avoid contaminating other people, health officials banished her to a cottage on a hospital island in New York’s East River. (The property had been designed years ago to quarantine smallpox patients.)
Had Mallon known that she was infecting people with typhoid? During her employment as a cook on Long Island that summer, eleven people in her household came down with typhoid fever. An investigator researching her employment history found that typhoid outbreaks coincided with most of her previous jobs. Between 1900 and 1907, she had taken seven jobs and apparently infected 22 people. Sufferers endured about a month of high fever, upset stomach, headache, and rash. One girl died of fever shortly after Mallon came to work her family.
Still, Mallon claimed to believe she was unfairly accused. She said she didn’t understand how she could be related to all the sickness surrounding her when she herself seemed healthy. In 1909 – after spending two years on the island -- she sued the health department, saying that stool samples she’d sent to a private lab tested negative. However, the judge ruled in favor of the government, who countered her claim with a series of mostly positive tests. Mallon was returned to the quarantine island with only a dog for companionship.
Better news came for Mary Mallon in 1910 when a new health commissioner reached a different decision: Mallon would be set free, provided that she did not work as a cook and promised to always take hygienic precautions. Mallon agreed and next found employment laundering clothing. The terms of her release required her reporting to health officials every three months.
Mary Mallon (foreground) in a hospital bed during her first quarantine
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For some reason, however, Mallon did not report to authorities as instructed. She eventually went back to working as a cook! Perhaps she could not survive on lower wages. Maybe she didn’t believe that a healthy person could really infect people, or maybe she had malicious intentions all along.
In any case, five years after her release from the island, New York's Sloane Hospital for Women suffered a typhoid fever outbreak that resulted in two deaths. Co-workers joked that Typhoid Mary worked among them, but nobody suspected this was truly the case. Investigators turned to a newly-hired cook who called herself Mrs. Brown. Sure enough – Mrs. Brown was the infamous Mary Mallon!
Mallon was sent once again to the North Brother Island cottage. There she lived for twenty-three more years. She did not live in total isolation; she helped around the hospital and by 1925 was assisting in the hospital’s lab. She was even allowed to visit friends off of the island. In 1932 she suffered a paralyzing stroke. Mallon was then transferred to a ward of the hospital and there remained until her death six years later.
Despite adamant claims to the contrary, racism continues to plague many peoples around the world. The first step toward resolving issues of racial intolerance and prejudice is to develop an understanding of the underlying concepts and their labels.
This (rather long) article touches on the following topics:
•Stereotypes, Race, and Racism
•Culture and Cultural Imperialism
•Nationalism and National Imaginary
I hope you find this article helpful.
Stereotypes
According to Stroebe and Insko (1989), the term 'stereoptype' originated in 1798 to describe a printing process that involved casts of pages of type. The term was first used in relation to the social and political arena in 1922 by Walter Lippman, referring to our perception of different groups.
Since then, the meaning of the term has been vigorously debated. Stereotyping was considered by some as the oversimplified, biased cognitive representations of "undesirable rigidity, permanence, and lack of variability from application to application" (ibid, 1989, p.4). Others, such as Brown (1965), considered it a natural fact of life like any other generalisation; "many generalisations acquired by heresay are true and useful" (cited in Stroebe & Insko, 1989, p.5).
Stroebe and Insko (1989) settle on a simple definition which sits somewhere in between these two schools of thought. They define a stereotype as the “set of beliefs about the personal attributes of a group of people" (p.5). They obviously accept that stereotypes are not necessarily rigid, permanent, or invariable, but they do still distinguish between stereotypes and other categories, claiming that stereotypes are characterised by a bias towards the ingroup and away from the outgroup (p.5).
Yzerbyt, et al (1997) attempt to explain the existence of stereotypes, suggesting that stereotypes provide not only a set of (often unjustified) attributes to describe a group, but also a rationale for maintaining that set of attributes. This allows people to “integrate incoming information according to their specific views” (p.21).
Race
When used in everyday speech in relation to multiculturalism, the term ‘race’ has come to mean any of the following:
•nationality (geographically determined) - e.g. the Italian race
•ethnicity (culturally determined, sometimes in combination with geography) - e.g. the Italian race
•skin colour - e.g. the white race
The common usage of ‘race’ is problematic because it is esoteric, and because it implies what Bell (1986) calls “biological certainty” (p.29). When we talk about race, there is always a common understanding that we are also talking about common genetic characteristics that are passed from generation to generation. The concept of nationality is generally not so heavily tarred with the genetics brush. Likewise, ethnicity allows for, and gives equal weight to, causes other than genetics; race does not. Skin colour is just a description of physical appearance; race is not. The concept of race may masquerade as a mere substitution for these terms, but in actual fact, it is a reconstruction.
Further, there is the question of degree. Are you black if you had a black grandmother? Are you black if you grew up in a black neighbourhood? Are you black sometimes, but not others? Who makes these decisions?
Racism
Having established the problems associated with the term ‘race’, we can now discuss how these problems contribute to issues of racism.
Jakubowicz et al (1994) define racism as “the set of values and behaviours associated with groups of people in conflict over physical appearances, genealogy, or cultural differences. It contains an intellectual/ideological framework of explanation, a negative orientation towards ‘the Other’, and a commitment to a set of actions that put these values into practice.” (p.27)
What this definition fails to address is the framework of explanation. Perhaps it should say “…framework of explanation based on various notions of race and racial stereotypes…”. This would bring us back to our discussion of the concept of race.
Because race is almost impossible to define, racial stereotypes are even more inappropriate than other kinds of stereotypes. Racism is an infuriating phenomenon because, irrespective of this, behaviour is still explained, and actions are still performed, based on these racial categorisations.
Culture
“Culture” is a term we’re all familiar with, but what does it mean? Does it reflect your nationality? Does it reflect your race? Does it reflect your colour, your accent, your social group?
Kress (1988) defines culture as “the domain of meaningful human activity and of its effects and resultant objects” (p.2). This definition is very broad, and not particularly meaningful unless analysed in context. Lull (1995) talks of culture as “a complex and dynamic ecology of people, things, world views, activities, and settings that fundamentally endures but is also changed in routine communication and social interaction. Culture is context.” (p.66)
As with other categorisation techniques, however, cultural labels are inherently innaccurate when applied at the individual level. No society is comprised of a single culture only. There are multitudes of sub-cultures which form due to different living conditions, places of birth, upbringing, etc. The concept of culture is useful because it differentiates between different groups of people on the basis of learned characteristics rather than genetic characteristics. It “implies that no culture is inherently superior to any other and that cultural richness by no means derives from economic standing” (Lull, 1995, p.66).
This last may be one reason behind the so-called “intellectual aversion to the idea of culture” (Carey, 1989, p.19) that has been encounted in America (probably the West in general, and, I would say, definitely in Australia). Other reasons suggested are individualism, Puratinism, and the isolation of science from culture.
Cultural Imperialism
In 1971, Johan Galtung published a landmark paper called “A Structural Theory of Imperialism”. Galtung conceptualises the world as a system of centres and peripheries in which the centres exploit the peripheries by extracting raw materials, processing these materials, and selling the processed products back to the peripheries. Because the processed goods are bought at a far greater cost than the raw materials, the periphery finds it extremely difficult to find enough capital to develop the infrastructure necessary to process its own raw materials. Therefore, it is always running at a loss.
Galtung’s model is not limited to the trade of raw materials such as coal, metals, oil, etc. To the contrary, it is designed to incorporate the transformation of any raw value (such as natural disasters, violence, death, cultural difference) into a valuable processed product (such as a news story, or a tourism industry).
Galtung’s approach is inherently problematic, however, because it superimposes a centre-periphery relationship onto a world where no such relationship actually physically exists. In other words, it is a model which attempts to make sense of the intricate relationships between cultures, but by the very fact that it is a model, it is limiting. Admittedly, all theories are necessarily models, or constructions, of reality, but Galtung’s is potentially harmful because:
a)it positions underdeveloped countries and their cultures in the periphery. In order for such countries/cultures to try to change their position, they must first acknowledge their position as peripheral; and
b)it implies that the world will always contain imperialistic centre-periphery relationships; “A Centre country may slip into the Periphery, and vice versa” (Galtung &Vincent, 1992, p.49), but no allowance is made for the possibility of a world without imperialism. Therefore, if a country/culture wishes to change its position it must become an imperialistic centre.
In recent times, the term ‘Cultural Imperialism’ has come to mean the cultural effects of Galtung’s imperialism, rather than the process of imperialism as he sees it. For example, Mowlana (1997) argues that cultural imperialism occurs when “the dominant center overwhelms the underdeveloped peripheries, stimulating rapid and unorganized cultural and social change (Westernization), which is arguably detrimental” (p.142).
The issue of language decline due to imbalances in media structures and flow is often claimed to be the result of cultural imperialism. Browne (1996) theorises that
“the rapid rise of the electronic media during the twentieth century, along with their dominance by the majority culture, have posed a tremendous challenge to the continuing integrity, and even the very existence, of indigenous minority languages… (p.60)”
He suggests that indiginous languages decline because:
•new indigenous terminology takes longer to be devised, and may be more difficult to use, thus ‘majority’ terminology tends to be used;
•media monopolies have historically determined acceptable language usage;
•schools have historically promoted the use of the ‘majority’ language;
•indigenous populations around the world tend to rely quite heavily on electronic media because they have greater literacy problems. As a result, they are more heavily influenced by the ‘majority’ language than they realise;
•the electronic media are inappropriate for communication in many indigenous languages because many such languages employ pauses as signs, and the electronic media remove pauses because they are regarded as “time wasted and as an indication of lack of professionalism” (Browne, p.61); and
•television reinforces majority culture visual conventions, such as direct eye contact.
Similarly, Wardhaugh (1987) discusses how the majority of medical and scientific articles are published in English. “While English does not completely monopolize the scientific literature, it is difficult to understand how a scientist who cannot read English can hope to keep up with current scientific activity.” (p.136) More books are published in English than any other language, and
“much of higher education in the world is carried out in English or requires some knowledge of English, and the educational systems of many countries acknowledge that students should be given some instruction in English if they are to be adequately prepared to meet the needs of the late twentieth century.”
(Wardhaugh, 1987, p.137)
There are definitely uncounted instances of one culture suffering at the hands of another, but there are still problems with explaining this in terms of Cultural Imperialism. In addition to those outlined above with relation to Galtung, there are a number of other problems. The Cultural Imperialism approach:
•does not allow for the appropriation or select cultural values by the ‘minority’ culture in order to empower, or in some other way, benefit, that culture;
•presupposes some degree of natural change, it does not discuss where the line between natural change and imperialism can be drawn. (When is the change a necessary part of the compromise of living in a multicultural society?); and
•overlooks the changes to ‘dominant’ cultures which necessarily occur as it learns about the ‘subordinate’ culture.
Atal (1997) asserts that “[f]orces of change, impinging from the outside, have not succeeded in transforming the [non-West] cultures into look-alike societies. Cultures have shown their resilience and have survived the onslaught of technological changes.” (p.24) Robertson (1994) talks of Glocalisation, with the local being seen as an aspect of the global, not as its opposite. For example, we can see “the construction of increasingly differentiated consumers… To put it very simply, diversity sells” (p.37). It is his contention that “we should not equate the communicative and interactive connecting of… cultures with the notion of homogenisation of all cultures” (p.39).
This article does not suggest that we should be complacent about the effects cultures may have on each other. Rather, it suggests Cultural Imperialism is somewhat flawed as a tool for cultural and social criticism and change. Instead, each problem should be identified as an individual problem, not as a part of an overall phenomenon called cultural imperialism.
Nationalism
In his discussion of culture and identity, Singer (1987) argues that nationalism is a relatively modern phenomenon which started with the French and American revolutions. Singer asserts that “[a]s the number and importance of identity groups that individuals share rise, the more likely they are to have a higher degree of group identity” (p.43). Using this premise, he suggests that nationalism is a very powerful identity because it combines a host of other identities, such as “language, ethnicity, religion, and long-shared historic memory as one people attached to a particular piece of land” (p.51).
It’s not surprising then, that Microsoft’s Encarta Online (1998) defines nationalism as a “movement in which the nation-state is regarded as the most important force for the realization of social, economic, and cultural aspirations of a people.”
National “imaginary”
Anne Hamilton (1990) defines national imaginary as
“the means by which contemporary social orders are able to produce not merely images of themselves but images of themselves against others. An image of the self implies at once an image of another, against which it can be distinguished (p.16)”
She argues that it can be conceptualised as looking in a mirror and thinking we see someone else. By this, she means that a social order transplants its own (particularly bad) traits onto another social group. In this way, the social order can view itself in a positive way, serving to “unite the collectivity and maintain its sense of cohesion against outsiders” (Hamilton, 1990, p.16).
It seems, however, that the process can also work in the reverse direction. Hamilton suggests that in the case of Australia, there is a lack of images of the self. She asserts that the social order has appropriated aspects of Aboriginal culture as a result. In terms of the mirror analogy, this would be the self looking at another and thinking it sees itself.
References
Atal, Y., (1997) “One World, Multiple Centres” in Media & politics in transition: cultural identity in the age of globalization, ED. Servaes, J., & Lie, R., (pp.19-28), Belgium: Uitgeverij Acco.
Bell, P., (1986) “Race, Ethnicity: Meanings and Media”, in Multicultural Societies, ED. Bell, R., (pp.26-36).
Browne, D.R., (1996) Electronic Media and Indigenous Peoples, Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Galtung, J., (1971) “A Structural Theory of Imperialism” in Journal of Peace Research (8:2, pp.81-117).
Galtung, J., & Vincent, R.C. (1992) Global Glasnost, Hamptom Press, USA.
Hamilton, A., (1990) “Fear and Desire: Aborigines, Asians and the National Imaginary” in Australian Perceptions of Asia (No.9, pp.14-35).
Jakubowicz, A., Goodall, H., Martin, J., Mitchell, T., Randall, L., & Seneviratne, K. (1994) Racism, Ethnicity and the Media, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.
Kress, G., (1989) Communication and Culture: An Introduction, New South Wales University Press, Australia.
Lull, J., (1995) Media, Communication, Culture: A Global Approach. Polity Press.
Mowlana, H., (1997) Global Information and World Communication: New Frontiers in International Relations, Sage Publications Ltd.
Robertson, R., (1994) “Glocalisation” in The Journal of International Communication, 1,1, (pp.32-52).
Singer, M.R., (1987) Intercultural Communication: A Perceptual Approach, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Stroebe, W., & Insko, C..A., (1989) “Stereotype, Prejudice, and Discrimination: Changing Conceptions in Theory and Research” in Stereotyping and Prejudice: Changing Conceptions, ED. Bar-Tal, D., Graumann, C.F., Kruglanski, A.W., Stroebe, W., (pp.3-34), Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Wardhaugh, R., (1987), Languages in Competition: Dominance, Diversity, and Decline, Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford, UK.
Yzerbyt, V., Rocher, S., & Schadron, G., (1997) “Stereotypes as Explanations: A Subjective Essentialistic View of Group Perception” in The Social Psychology of Stereotyping and Group Life, ED. Spears, R., Oakes, P.J., Ellemers, N., & Haslam, S.A., (pp.20-50), Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Picture of a burglar alarm detection point. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The world today is very much different from it was many years ago. People are already divided into several classes, depending on their way of life and how much money they are making. And this is one main reason why there are many crimes spreading in any part of the world.
Robbery, burglaries, you name it and it's all over the newspapers. No one is exempted from these crimes, and the least possible thing that many people can do is to protect themselves, their families. This is probably the time for you to have a home security system; and the burglar alarm is the most common device for this job.
You may have second thoughts about getting a home security system; well you don’t need to think twice. The time to act is now, especially with all the crimes going about in almost any community. You don’t want to put your family's life at stake.
A very good way to protect your homes and your families is through a home security system. Once you have this alarm, burglars and/or robbers will hesitate to enter your homes.
Compared to burglar alarms a few years back, home security systems nowadays are highly advanced and more sophisticated. These gadgets are especially designed to protect your homes from any harm or threats.
Ever wondered how burglar alarms work? Well, it usually has control units and interconnected sensors. That is why it can detect burglary, fire, or any intrusion in your home's premises. Oftentimes, alarm systems range from the noisemakers to the more complex ones. Once the system detects intrusion, the home security system will send a signal either to the local police or to the monitoring company. In case of fire, the system will signal the home occupants and the fire department.
Security should never be compromised, and that is the central concept for which these home security systems evolve. Sometimes, chains, padlocks, or even fences just aren't enough, because even burglars nowadays use sophisticated gadgets to break into your homes.
Your home will be completely safe from any untoward incidents because it is monitored by the company. So make sure that you get a home security system that will effectively protect your home and family anytime of the day, whether you're at home or not.
Burglar alarms and home security systems are very useful, and it comes with a cost. However, the cost is nothing compared to the protection it can give to you and your family, as well as your home.
Burglars and robbers love the dark night. And if your alarm works effectively, these burglars and robbers will be scared even to set foot on your yard unless they want to be caught red handed.
If you installed a burglar alarm and you have a dependable home security system, there is nothing to worry about and you can sleep comfortably. The would-be burglars or robbers will just pass by your house and will look for other places to commit their crimes.
Some crimes go unpunished, and you don’t want to fall victim to these burglars or robbers. Protect your home and family through burglar alarms and home security system. It is a necessity, and not a luxury. Fight crime, you must be aware of your options in protecting your family.
Comic books are important because they represent a segment of the population that like to fantasize that they can escape the hardship of everyday life. In comic books they can be the hero, the nemesis, or a third party that may or may not become pivotal in the end.
Cover scan of a comic book. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A person may identify with a certain character because the personality the superhero or villain embodies what the person visualizes, or identifies with. Comic books are important because the scenarios that the people face exhibit situations where confrontation isn't necessarily the only answer. The quandaries faced enable a person to see a situation and how it is dealt with. Comic books allow people to create their own versions and see how different scenarios are played out, which can result in new ways of defusing stressful situations. It may permit a person to see situations in life differently and hence; think outside the box when warranted.
Comic books are important because the venue in which they are supplied is an alternative to regular book reading. They are shorter in length so a person who is more visual will get additional enjoyment out of a forty-eight page comic book versus a short story or a novel. It would be less time consuming and allow the reader to engage in other activities. Time management and comic books are synonymous in the vein of everyday life. People seem to have little time to read. The busy lifestyle, the children's needs, all those requirements play a role in time constraints. Comic books offer a solution to the active person. The reader is limited in time so he or she must be enthralled immediately to gain full attention. Once the reader immerses himself or herself, the ambiance changes. He or she is thrust into an unknown situation that demands total attention. The plot thickens and the hero is cast in circumstances that demand a resolution. The confrontation ensues and against seemingly impossible odds, the hero finds an answer in an unlikely place or person. Once the comic book is finished being read, very little time had elapsed.
Yet the reading of the comic book doesn't end there. The reader now has time to dwell on what transpired, what could have been done, what should have been done and a myriad of other possible outcomes. That can be done while daydreaming or at a quiet time when you're alone.
The significance of contemplating the different endings of a comic book induces thought. The what if landscape could produce an unexpected epiphany. It might help with a problem that had eluded you and the answer to your dilemma was spelled out. You might have to apply it differently than the comic book did, but the answer could have been contained within the story.
Comic books are important because people need them for an outlet. It channels our thoughts to construct a better picture of how we need heroes to behave, and what limits we set upon them to handle crisis that inevitably happens.
You could argue that delving into the importance of comic books is inane. But looking at the bigger picture and what comic books represent, I would argue the reciprocal.
