Hispanic Gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hispanic Gangs - Essay Example During a time of recession, this information sheds more light on the impact crime has on our society. Combined with the very real struggle law enforcement agencies face to retain employees and maintain budgets, the report signals a very serious factor degrading our communities." (US Crime Affects Economy, 13 March 2009). "There are about 500 Sureo Hispanic gangs in Los Angeles County representing over 50% of the gang memberbership. They are more geographically distributed throughout the region and are found in significant numbers in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, the Beach communities, Long Beach, Compton and South Los Angeles." (Hispanic Gangs in Los Angeles, 13 March 2009). The 18th street gang is very popular when it comes to Hispanic gangs in LA. The number of members of this gang range between 8000-15000 gang members. It is believed that this gang originated from the Clanton 14 street gang, the gang is further subdivided into 5 parts in order to ensure a better functioning of the gang. Most of the members belonging to this gang are of the Mexican origin and it was initially decided that only Mexican citizens would be allowed to join this gang, this was however altered later on. The gang does not have a central leader and it is fair to say that it is loosely structured. There is no leader to lead the gang and to take care of the smooth functioning of this gang. The members of this gang function individually; they however join hands when a rival gang attacks their gang. The members of this gang are easily identified by the tattoos on their body. Every gang member has the tattoo of no 18 on their body in order to make the identification process easier. "Some estimates of the 18th are as low as 8,000 members. The notoriety of the gang is based on four distinct barrios, three near downtown Los Angeles west of the Staple's Center and the 110 Freeway, and one in the West Adams area." (18th Street Gang in Los Angeles County, 13 March 2009). The no 18 is displayed with the help of a tattoo and it is usually in roman numbers. There is another tattoo that is mutually exclusive to this gang. Most of the members have the tattoo of BEST on some part of their body or the other. The word indicates that their gang is the best in the vicinity or may be the best in the world. The gang members have to follow strict rules in order to be gang members, they are restricted from making use of any hard drug like crack cocaine. If the gang members violate the rules of the gang, they are usually beaten up for 18 seconds for minor offences and executed for serious breach of the rules. The 18th street gang recruits young children and this practice is really bad in short term as well as long term. Thus this gang is often called Children's Army because of their practice of recruiting young children. The gang members expertise in drug trafficking, making illegal documents, exchange of arms and other serious criminal activities. US lead in terms of the financial loss incurred by a country because of criminal activities. There are so many gangs in the US which operate depending on the area

Matriarchy versus Patriarchy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Matriarchy versus Patriarchy - Research Paper Example Such a society implies male privilege and rule, and entails women's subordination (Asadi 4). Most patriarchal societies are as well patrilineal, indicating that only males inherit the title and property. Women, in a patriarchal society are matriarchal. On the other hand, matriarchy is a social system in which women or older females are the headers of their families. In such societies, women determine relationships and descent and they play major roles in the government. Currently, many religions believe that males should be the leaders in their families and society and both children and women must obey to their authorities (Asadi 72). The main purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast how women are presented, treated and importance in different religious. The content of this paper compares and contrasts women treatment in Islamic and Christian religions. Women treatment in Christianity and Islam Religions Throughout the religious history, men believe that they are more superio r to women in most diverse religions (Eller 121). Is this belief true in Islam or Christianity religions? In Christianity view, a woman's role is different from other religions since their roles are equal to those of males. In Galatians chapter 3 verse 28, Apostle Paul writers, â€Å"in Christ there is neither female nor male in Christ, Greek or Jew†¦Ã¢â‚¬  all human beings are equal before Christ. However, the two religions have expressively denied accepting the significant roles that women can influence in the society. Despite the advent of civilization, the prevalence of male chauvinism has served to suffice the importance of women in the society. Majority of the people professing the two religions hold that women are subjects to their husbands and they can never be equal. Similarities In both religions of Islamic women and Christian women, worship is a vital part of their responsibilities although the reasons behind this worshiping differ. Women from Islamic religion wors hip by adhering to a schedule of prayer and fasting, therefore, after their death, their good actions and ability to keep the Islamic laws, will enable the women enter â€Å"paradise† (Kanra 111). While Islamic men in â€Å"Paradise† are assured the company of various virgins for their pleasures, Koran does not offer much information for those women who afford their way in. It is evident that Islamic men derive the assurance that they will dominate the women in paradise since it is the case on earth while still the women are knowledgeable of passing into paradise as virgins to become subjects to their men. On the other hand, Christian women love God because He initially showed love to them. God offered is only beloved son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the sinners since they were unable to earn any of the heavenly grace. Similarly, Christian women worship God through praying and fasting, but this is practiced in response to God’s commandments, and not fo r earning God’s favor (Kanra 42). A Christian woman is always aware of the awesome ease of acquiring God’s favor. As Jesus Christ said in John chapter 3 verse 16, â€Å"whoever believes in me shall not perish, but have everlasting life†. Christian women worship and praise the Lord to enable them to enter the Kingdom of heaven after death. Further, Christian women abide by Biblical teachings in order to draw God’s favor and become certain of the resurrection after death and acquisition of eternal life in paradise. In both religions, women play a major role of taking care of their husbands and children. They have the role of preparing and serving meals for their husbands and children. Women are only supposed to concentrate with home duties such as