Internet Addiction Essay free essay sample

Does the rhetoric address the problem it claims to address? Yes, but in my opinion Mr. Beato was a bit extreme. 2. Is the rhetoric targeted at an audience who has the power to make change? Probably, because most audience are internet users, and by seeing this it could be a red flag for them to slow down. 3. Are the appeals appropriate to the audience? Yes, and no. I felt that Mr. Beato giving the percentage of addicts was appropriate, because it was a statistic that is probably accurate. When he starting giving possible scenarios such as â€Å"Where employees who view porn at work are legally protected from termination. I felt like it was just too big of stretch in my opinion. Maybe that is because I could never see that being a reality at the work place. I also thought his view of video game violence could have been left out. We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Addiction Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4. Does the rhetor give enough information to make an informed decision? If statistics scare you then yes maybe. I can’t see Mr. Beato’s extreme scenarios scaring addicts to quit checking their status, and making tweets. Either way any addict isn’t going to quit their substance due to an article. I believe they have to really want to quit. 5. Does the rhetoric attempt to manipulate in any way (by giving incomplete/inaccurate information or abusing the audience’s emotions)? I am not sure if the statistical information Mr. Beato provided was accurate, but I think the entire last paragraph was intended to mess with the audience’s emotions. The whole dark parody from 95’ becoming a true nightmare had to be in there to try and scare the audience into changing, but I doubt it really worked on anyone. 6. What other sub-claims do you have to accept to understand the rhetor’s main claim? All of the statistics and research Mr. Beato brought up, the councilman with Farmville (that was great), the iPhone camera app that shows you the world while you can text, and walk is just ridiculous, the 18 year old who became a bum instead of quitting PC games to live at home, the South Korean parents not feeding their baby was awful especially since they were taking care of a virtual baby, the students with the 24 hour fast, and of course the kid shooting his parents for taking away his Xbox. Greg had a lot of great sub-claims to back him up on this one. 7. What possible negative effects might come from his rhetoric? Mr. Beato did stretch the thinking and logical reasoning of the audience which is positive, but I could see many negative effects from this article in fact, probably more negative than positive. All of the people or companies he refers to except maybe the researchers probably got upset to read this. So, Twitter, Facebook, app developers, victims of this addiction, and basically the entire internet. People don’t like to hear they are addicted to anything, but besides the minor exaggerated scenarios he had in the last paragraph I thought it was a great article.

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Essay Example

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Essay Example Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Paper Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Paper Essay Topic: Dunkirk Speech to the Troops at Tilbury Portrait of Elizabeth made to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588), depicted in the background. Elizabeths international power is symbolized by the hand resting on the globe. The Speech to the Troops at Tilbury was delivered on 9 August Old Style, 19 August New Style 1588 by Queen Elizabeth I of England to the land forces earlier assembled at Tilbury in Essex in preparation of repelling the expected invasion by the Spanish Armada. Prior to the speech the Armada had been driven from the Strait of Dover in the Battle of Gravelines eleven days earlier, and had by now rounded Scotland on its way home, but troops were still held at ready in case the Spanish army of Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma, might yet attempt to invade from Dunkirk; two days later they were discharged. On the day of the speech, the Queen left her bodyguard before the fort at Tilbury and went among her subjects with an escort of six men. Lord Ormonde walked ahead with the Sword of State; he was followed by a page leading the Queens charger and another bearing her silver helmet on a cushion; then came the Queen herself, in white with a silver cuirass and mounted on a grey gelding. She was flanked on horseback by her Lieutenant General the Earl of Leicester on the right, and on the left by the Earl of Essex, her Master of the Horse. Sir John Norreys brought up the rear. Content of the speech The text was found in a letter from Leonel Sharp sometime after 1624 to the duke of Buckingham. My loving people We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood even, in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people. Second Version Another version of the speech was recorded in 1612 by William Leigh. His version reads: Come on now, my companions at arms, and fellow soldiers, in the field, now for the Lord, for your Queen, and for the Kingdom. For what are these proud Philistines, that they should revile the host of the living God? I have been your Prince in peace, so will I be in war; neither will I bid you go and fight, but come and let us fight the battle of the Lord. The enemy perhaps may challenge my sex for that I am a woman, so may I likewise charge their mould for that they are but men, whose breath is in their nostrils, and if God do not charge England with the sins of England, little do I fear their force†¦ Si deus nobiscum quis contra nos? (if God is with us, who can be against us? ) Two primary sources of the Tilbury Speech in Elizabethan English are available from the Women Writers Project.

Exile, loss, and alienation in Walcotts The Schooner Flight Essay

Exile, loss, and alienation in Walcotts The Schooner Flight - Essay Example The voice is conversational and narrative, at times detached, at times emotional, but always introspective. The poem also used sound and rhythm to reflect the sounds of the Caribbean’s ocean and the texture of their conflicted lives. The paper employs an eco-critical perspective and argues that the environment, both the nation and the sea, are depicted in different images, the nation both home and alien, while the sea, also uncertain, but lovelier because it allows flight and introspection. The paper argues that the writing poems and exploring the sea are similar to the process of exploring one’s individual and national identity that cannot be easily attained because of the Caribbean’s history of colonization and slavery that leads to themes of exile, loss, and alienation. Shabine experiences loss of identity because of being exiled and alienated in a nation where he is not considered white or black. Though he had personal conflicts with his division over his wif e (and their children) and Maria Conception, the poem also touches on socio-economic and political issues of slavery and lack of freedoms and rights in the Carribean. Clearly, Shabine is a divided individual, as divided as the structure of his poem that has enjambed lines and caesuras, but as a poet and a mariner, he left a positive image of being one with his true identity. Derek Walcott’s â€Å"The Schooner Flight,† published in1986 as part of the Collected Poems 1948-1984, depicts a schooner’s life, its making and his becoming. The speaker is a mariner mulatto, Shabine, who speaks as a poet and a â€Å"red nigger.† His diction and choice of words manifest both his education as a colonized object and a subject-poet. The iambic pentameter maximizes inner rhymes that express his frustrations and ideals as a mulatto and a poet. The paper uses eco-critical perspective and argues that the environment, both the nation and the sea, are depicted in different im ages, the nation both home and alien, while the sea, also uncertain, but lovelier because it allows flight and introspection. The narrative poem compares writing poems and exploring the sea as the convoluted process of exploring one’s individual and national identity that cannot be easily attained because of the Caribbean’s history of colonization and slavery that leads to themes of exile, loss, and alienation. Walcott used a mixture of English and Caribbean language and the diction of a seaman to portray his cross-cultural identity from a colonized viewpoint that can help explain his nomadic tendencies. He selected words that showed different factors that shaped and controlled his identity. Carenage is located in Saint Barthelemy in the Caribbean. He is an islander, but he wants to be more of a mariner, which is asserted when the title of the first stanza is â€Å"Adios, Carenage† (Walcott). By saying these words immediately, Shabine expresses his original inte ntion, to leave the island that is both alien and home to him. Shabine also used the word â€Å"bohbohl,† when he said: â€Å"But they had started to poison my soul/with their big house, big car, big-time bohbohl,† (Walcott, 1.30-31). â€Å"Bohbohl† means corruption that people in the government or anyone in power is involved with. It is a local word that describes local political issues. Shabine is tired of his nation’s corruption that he has been part of too. In addition, Meerzon (2012) argued that â€Å"The Schooner Flight† uses Shabine as a conduit for Walcott’s political and artistic ideas (p.76). Shabine expressed his racial and ethnic identity directly when

Research paper on drugstore retail management Essay

Research paper on drugstore retail management - Essay Example Rational for Investigating: As the drugstores increase in numbers across the country, its important to ensure that even those that are yet to come will have a scheme for success that will have been established earlier on. Teamwork in any organization is very important and it can see the company improve drastically as in the case of Walgreens, CVs and Albertsons. The increased number of drug stores is very much intriguing, which from previous research imply that the use of teamwork is very efficient in achieving greater sales. The Procedure: The research will be conducted via the library sources from which the mushrooming of drug stores and there strategic management will be explored by getting the answers to the following questions; - what determines the growth of drugstores; is teamwork a critical factor in growth of drugstores; how is the drugstore handling ethical issues. Some of the managers from successful drugstores will also be interviewed. In An interview, the then manager and founder of Walgreen, Charles R Walgreen Himself in 1925 claimed that then success of any organization was wholly dependent on the manager’s character. The same sentiments are again echoed almost 100 years down the line. Daniel L Jorndt 75 years after later reiterates that the success of the company was due to a very long history of work, positive interaction among workers, and work ethics. The success of any organization depends entirely on the management. From such words, it becomes clear that the success of this company is due to basically the efforts of the management and the workers combined. Working as a team towards common goal is very critical. The drugstore business in the US is lead by big stores that use teamwork as a stepping stone to success; Walgreen, Albertsons and CVS. Some people oppose that management is not fundamental claiming that Its very difficult to attribute the

Cancer Vaccination Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cancer Vaccination - Case Study Example Vaccinations for Cervical Cancer should be given to young girls ranging from 12 years old and above. More likely, parents might have doubts and preemptions that this would only encourage their children to become sexually exposed at such an early age. However, the fact that it is a necessary step to having healthier status in the future, such allegations must be set aside and instead teach the children of the morl-basics they should know about sexuality. This could prevent the immoral act more than what the non-vaccination option could do. (Sakda, 6). This is the reason why vaccination to avoid this situation should be strongly implemented by social workers and in turn should also be widely accepted by the society. Of course, with an aim to preserve health, cooperation between people in the society is vital concept to consider (Del Rosario, 2,3). These two major findings mainly show the importance of the vaccination provided usually by the government to be able to take assurance of the health of the people in the community. The researchers were able to meet this certain conclusion based from "sample population" studies, which they referred to as the core "source of the study". Through the researches performed it had been cleared that vaccination activities are indeed helpful in lowering the rates of women having cervical cancer in their mid-30's. The fact that there is a certain importance placed upon the vitality of the vaccination, it should also be clear that even the governments have the responsibilities in providing their people with such services. This is in connection with their aim to continuously help their people develop healthy lives. On the other hand, the social preemption that young girls would be prone to sexual activities once they would be provided by the vaccination have been proven true, yet it could be solved through open and often parent- daughter counseling regarding matters connected with sexual activities. Indeed, there is also a vital role for parents when it comes to the effectiveness of the implementation of the vaccination matter. There are many advantages brought about by this vaccinating provisions. As Martin's study points out that "Vaccination of young girls aged 12 against the virus which causes cervical cancer cuts deaths from such diseases up to 75 percent. In this way, the lessened death rates help women to be able to enjoy their lives longer and be even more productive as well. OF ALL the diseases that afflict

NAB Connect And Online Business Banking Information Technology Essay

NAB Connect And Online Business Banking Information Technology Essay This case study is about NAB Connect which is a service given by National Australia Bank to the business owners. It is like a retail banking process which gives sub services to the owners that can be used anytime anywhere. In this case study I have placed many changes and their benefits which were occurred in 2 years in my presence. The case study covers the topics of leadership and change management. We were distributed in 2 teams one was in Jaipur Genpact and another was in Melbourne (Australia) who could directly contact to the respective organizations bankers. Changes were implemented in the process and our lean ideas upgraded our process. Our customers and team leaders were very happy with our work. The applications which were used to be processed manually now only because of OA we can now process even the complex application accurately. Without the support of my team members this will not be at all possible as team work is required to achieve a particular goal. Now the current situation of our process is that the team members can work on any application and my team members are now very participative in the process. Leadership Definition Leadership  is the process of  social esteem  in which one person can influences others to attain an objective and directs the organization with a group of people to achieve a common goal through change. Leader: An individual who has granted authority, usually based on hierarchal position, in an organization. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills make it more cohesive and coherent. Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. My process (NAB Connect) leader was my manager. Earlier was Anurag Singh and now he is replaced with Rahul Swami as Anurag was promoted to senior manager in another process in NAB. In my Team there were 16 members. Each one had individual skills and talents. My Manager Anurag Singh who leaded us for 1 year 10 months was a fan ominous and flexible leader. He used to take a daily huddle for 20-30 minutes. And in this huddle he used to encourage each one of us. He also delivered new ideas and knowledge to how to handle a team or a group of people and work. He used to tell us his experiences as he had an experience of 7-8 years in NAB. My Australian leaders were Lidia Pipiekez, Sandra Pekez and team. Sandra and Lidia also visited to Genpact Jaipur site once when our pilot batch was started to teach us about our process. They have conducted a formal training to make us learn about the process NAB Connect. It was great experience with NAB Connect team in Genpact. I can relate this assignment to the leadership theory of Situational and Participative as our leaders chose the best course of action based upon the situational variables and our team members had taken the input of others into account. The leaders encouraged participation and contributions from group members. Change Management Definition Change management  is a structured advent to developing  individuals,  teams, and  organizations  from a current status to a desired future status. It is aimed at empowering the employees to secure and changes of the grip in their current business environment within the organizational process. In Change management, project changes are formally introduced and approved. Every individual has a right to speak and dine their views for the companys profits and up gradation during a change. Organizational Change: Examples Strategic changes- mean changing in the content of firms strategy as explained by competitive advantages, scope and synergies. Structural changes- when the company changes its functions or operations to achieve a common goal. Technological changes- as the name indicates the change in the technology or invention of a technology, the continuous process of improving a technology in an organization. Changing attitudes and behaviors of personnel- changes in the behavior of the employees or an employee start taking interest in achieving the goals of an organization. According to this case below changes can be related to the theory of organizational change i.e. behaviors of personnel and changing the attitudes as most of my team members including me had given ideas to make process easy and less time consuming. We helped each other in complex applications. Solved the problems of the customers and we were also awarded the recognitions. NAB Connect (Case Study) NAB Connect helps you streamline your business banking online, in spite of the size of the business or how you currently handle your banking process. NAB Connect Actions Moving from National Online Current company uses national online to manage their own business banking however the companys owners travel frequently, evenly overseas, in order to monitor their finances faster while on the road they are appearing to upgrade to an internet banking platform. But they have issues about the internet security and how the time consuming it will be for the owners in transferring the data to NAB Connect. NAB Connects raised features can give owners repose knowing that their financial information is protected, by the use of their security tokens, the owners and authorized staff can access the platform and authorize payments, even while travelling. Moving from NABs Internet Banking NAB Internet Banking has been used by the families to handle their own personal and business finances for years. Example Hard Earth Removals Pty Ltd is small, but fast-expanding family business. With NAB Connect, Hard Earth Removals would have greater control over their business banking.   The family could assign account viewing rights and  service access for every user, and for better management they also can apply for daily payment limits to their cash flows.   Moving from Branch and Telephone Banking Christopher used as a lawyer to run his business in a traditional way. All of his accounts in log books are still filed and his banking is done within a branch or over the phone With NAB Connect, Christopher can save time and administration costs. Instead of arranging through endless paperwork, he can simply log on to NAB Connect service. There he can view his transaction history and easily settle cheques, he has written and deposits by viewing images of his accounts.   WHAT and WHY CHANGES implemented I worked with NAB Connect in Genpact for 2 years. It was started on 21st July 2008. It was like a retail banking process. We had 2 teams one was our team which work in Jaipur Genpact and another was in Australia in National Australia Bank who were our clients. I used to check the form of the business owners which was filled by them to make the transaction through NAB Connect. The queries or incomplete information filled by the business owners bankers were sent to Australian team and then they contact to the bankers of respective organizations to update the incomplete or incorrect information in the form. The following are the changes and reasons occurred while I was working: December 2008 Data File Download service Gives you the capability to download the below files: Account Information File (BAI2 format) Locked Box Reports BPAY Reports Direct Entry Return Reports July 2009 Earlier authorizing users were not allowed to authorize payments not more than 10 but now the authorizing users can save a cogent amount of time by authorizing up to 20 payments simultaneously using their own security token.   Account preferred names can now be modified by Security Officers. October 2009 My team members given many lean ideas for the change in process or to make process easier. Following are the lean ideas: The site ID of the customer to be written in the tracker so that during the preparation of the day end report it will be pulled out in the excel sheet and can be filtered to the respective organization. Earlier the applications of the customers were onboarded by our team manually which used to take much time as the applications were used to be long as well. However now because of the lean idea given by one of my team members, the applications are now can be run on a tool called Onboarding Accelerator (OA) which onboard the client automatically with accuracy. These changes can be related to the attitudes and behavioral change in the process as the team members were taking interest in improving the process and also helping other members in the team. It can also be related to the technological theory of change management. By giving three lean ideas my team members were awarded Lean Recognition Certificate and they were offered Lean Six Sigma training as well. March 2010 Now all the tools on which we used to work with different passwords on nab site were difficult to remember upgraded to different site in which all the tools are now accessed without password however the initial password is still required due to data privacy. This can be related to the structural change as earlier the structure of opening a website on which we used to work was typical to remember the passwords of every tool and now the website structure was totally changed that now we no need to remember many passwords. May 2010 The default access services which are given to Security Officers were not updated on OA so they were used to be added manually to the users profile however now these services are updated on OA and they are automatically added to the respective Security Officers in the organization. The long forms are now upgraded to Delegated Authority Form (DAF) which contains a company name and the account number on the form. With the account number customer number of the organization is identified and sends back to Australian team. Then the Australian team asks the customer to fill in all the details which is then onboarded via OA. This change can be related to the technological change as by the use of updated OA the applications were taking less time in onboarding. July 2010 Earlier we used to send the application back to Australian team for Signature verification of the customer, warning indicator T or Z on an account as the account cant be added with these indicators to the profile and then Australian clients contact with respective organization banker for the resolution which was time consuming. However now we send the queries direct to the banker with a readymade template which reduced time and cycle. This lean idea was submitted by me. Customers can now be able to create periodic payments. Periodic payments endorse you to manage payments to be made on a monthly, fortnightly, weekly or quarterly basis for all payment types, excluding International Transfers or payments. The above changes can relate to the strategic change as the strategy of sending the application to the Melbourne and then to respective bankers was very time consuming, by these changes the turnaround time was reduced and simultaneously the strategy process also changed. Conclusion It was my great experience while working with NAB Connect in Genpact. We have reduced the business dependence and also increased job opportunities as nab Connect applications were gradually increasing. With all these above changes made our work very easy and convenient. Now we enjoy onboarding the complex application via OA. We increased from 16 to 20 in numbers. Because of OA we are now able to onboard the client easily and accurately. Our customers were very happy with the accuracy of our work. The Australian customers should use NAB Connect as a tool for their business as the owners can access to NAB Connect anywhere, anytime. We increased from 1000 to 35000 customers in 2 years and planning to increase the customers to 60000 by next year. The thing we need to focus on is accuracy although we are provided the best training. The team needs to be also focused upon turnaround time and SLA of the applications and amendments. As I mentioned above that we are now sending the queries direct to the bankers by this we can reduce the time and multiple follow ups of may be deducted.

Coastal Restoration in Louisiana Essay -- Environmental Management

Geologically speaking, Louisiana is a very young state. Environmentally speaking, Louisiana is a very fragile state. Louisiana has always been dependent upon the nutrient rich deposits from the Mississippi River to build up the land. Centuries ago the Mississippi River periodically changed its course, building up Louisiana one delta at a time. The erosional forces of the Gulf of Mexico and annual hurricanes depleted Louisiana’s coastline, but the mighty Mississippi River would replenish the land losses. Such is the relationship that forces of nature have with one another. Place mankind in the mix, and the relationship becomes stressed and dysfunctional. The present day Louisiana coastline is a mere shadow of its former self. Let’s look at how Louisiana came to its current demise and what is being done to rectify the situation. Historical Data As sea level rose and fell over Louisiana in previous centuries, the Mississippi River carried large loads of sediment to the Gulf Coastal area from the core of the North American continent and deposited it on the rim of the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the twentieth century, 5 million acres of land were compliments of the large influxes of mud from the river’s mammoth basin, extending from Montana to New York State. Organic matter from highly productive marine waters has been deeply buried under the whole state and far offshore, turning into petroleum. During other dry periods, large beds of salt were laid down through evaporation. Human engineering has temporarily tamed the river, most of the time, preventing it from dumping its valuable land building sediment all over the place. As a result, coastal Louisiana is sinking out of sight, starved of fresh material. The Mississippi Delta was... ... University of New Orleans. "That's not even possible. The goal is to restore healthy natural processes, then live with what you get." (Bourne) Sounds like a good attitude to this happy Cajun. Works Cited Alden, Andrew. About.com Guide. 4 December 2010 . Bourne, Joel K. National Geographic Society -Environment-The Big Uneasy. 4 December 2010 . State of LA, Gov. Bobby Jindal. Coastal Protection and Restoration. 4 December 2010 . Tibbetts, John. "Environmental Health Perspectives." January 2006. Louisiana-A lesson in Nature Appreciation Vol. 114, Number 1. 4 December 2010 .

Law Enforcement, Prison, and Race Essay

The facts are indisputable and have been widely published for years. People of color in the United States are extremely over-represented in the prison population as well as in the number of arrests. While the facts are not in question, what is under debate is the reason why these numbers exist. Just as in a legal case, both sides of the issue have their own experts who provide testimony to support their viewpoint. On one side – which is by far the most publicized – is the belief that the reason why more minorities (especially African Americans) are arrested and imprisoned is a result of racial prejudice. However, the opposing viewpoint states that there is a very logical reason why more African Americans are involved with the judicial system – they simply commit more crimes than whites. Both sides provide mounds of data and studies to support their argument. Although it is not scientific, I believe where there is smoke there is probably fire. More than likely, there is some form of prejudice involved. Thinking the sides of this issue are divided strictly by color lines would be a mistake. Walter Williams (who is black) used the following figures in The Washington Times to prove his point that police are not prejudice, â€Å"†¦ 63 percent of the 65,624 drug arrests were minorities (50 percent blacks and 13 percent Hispanics). Since blacks are only 13 percent of the total population, it means law enforcement officials can assign a higher probability that a drug trafficker is a black more so than other racial groups† (Williams). Indeed, Mr. Williams – as well as many others – believe that such statistics show that police are simply doing their jobs by stopping black motorists more often than whites, since more of them are probably drug dealers. But does such reasoning hold up in the light of other statistics that are just as telling? For example, studies by Human Rights Watch have shown that most drug offenders are white and that five times as many whites use drugs as blacks. However, blacks comprise the great majority of drug offenders sent to prison (â€Å"Racial Disparitiesâ€Å"). So, which set of numbers do you accept? The answer is, you do not have to choose since both can be used – and should be – to find the truth. Considering that whites make up some 75% of the population, while blacks comprise 13%, the fact that five times as many whites use drugs as blacks seems logical. If that is the case, then how can the excessive number of blacks arrested on drug charges be anything other than racially prejudiced? The very terminology used by some to describe the theories used by each side seems to sound judgmental. For instance, according to D’Alessio, Stewart, and Stolzenberg, the term ‘conflict theory’ is used to describe the belief that the elevated arrest rate for black citizens is the consequence of discrimination by police (1381). However, they use the term ‘normative theory’ to describe the belief that those numbers are simply the result of social issues that affect blacks more than whites. Whatever name it is given, the idea that blacks are more likely to commit crimes due to experiencing more difficult social conditions is becoming more widely popular. Writing for Social Forces, a University of North Carolina publication, D’Alessio, Stewart, and Stolzenberg asserted regarding their study of racial bias, â€Å"The results of this study suggest that the disproportionately high arrest rate for black citizens is most likely ascribable to differential criminal participation in reported crime rather than to racially biased law enforcement practicesâ€Å" (1381). Once again – just as with the study involving drug arrests cited earlier – blacks are arrested more because they commit more crimes. Their findings were based on data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System of 1999. Studies such as these invariably cast a large portion of blame on the media for perpetrating what they believe to be the ’myth’ of racial prejudice in law enforcement. Certainly it is true that a higher percentage of blacks suffer from the poor social conditions that often lead to delinquent behavior, such as unemployment, crowded housing conditions, poor health care, and less access to preventative social services. But, while that is true it does not explain other disparities in the criminal justice system that cannot be explained away so easily. Based on the results of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Report of 1999, a black youthful offender is six times more likely to be jailed than a youthful offender who is white, even if they commit the same crimes and have the same criminal backgrounds, according to a nationwide study (â€Å"Study Revealsâ€Å"). The following comment is typical of the response to the report. â€Å"We find that this report leaves no doubt that we are faced with a very serious national civil rights issue, virtually making our system juvenile injustice,† said Hugh B. Price, President and CEO of the National Urban League (Crowley). No matter what set of statistics are used, the reality is that minorities are treated differently at every level in the justice system. Beginning as juveniles, with their first contact with police, minorities can be sent down one of two paths. They can be sent into some type of counseling, or they can be processed into the system. According to a report in The Cincinnati Enquirer, institutional bias regarding who will be referred to private treatment (i. e. ; counseling services) instead of being formally processed also disfavors minorities. Even when other variables are accounted for, minority young males – particularly African Americans – are significantly more likely to be detained than white youths (Crowley). Such reports continue to beg the question: even if we accept that the reason more blacks are originally arrested is simply because they commit more crimes and not due to any police bias, how do we explain the irregularities in the sentencing process? Whether it is blatant prejudice or some other reason, it is clear that something is happening in the courts that cannot easily be explained away. Another issue that needs to be addressed is regarding the purpose for certain laws being passed in the first place. In The New American Apartheid, it is asserted, â€Å"Many sentencing structures have a built-in class and racial bias. This is especially the case with drug laws, which have always targeted mainly the drugs used by minorities and the poor throughout history† (Sheldon and Brown). If the police are simply doing their jobs by enforcing drug laws, and innocently arrest mostly blacks, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that some laws have been passed that target blacks. The evidence of discrimination even extends to the ultimate punishment – the death penalty. It has been widely assumed by the general public that the rationale for pursuing the death penalty in cases – and an execution being ordered – is based primarily on the brutality of the crime or number of victims. If that were true, the death penalty would seem far less arbitrary. However, there is no consistent pattern that can be found in any state or federal court to make that case. Instead, it is just as likely – in fact more so – that a poor black man will be executed for the murder of one white person than a white man receiving the death penalty for serial murders. A perfect example is Gary Leon Ridgeway (who is white), known as the ’Green River Killer’. Although he has acknowledged killing over 48 people, he pleaded guilty to escape the death penalty. Contrast that with the case of Gerald Lee Mitchell (who was black), executed in 2001 for a murder he committed when he was 17 years old. The attorney for Mitchell argued that at the time of the murder Mitchell had an IQ of 75 and had been diagnosed as functioning on the borderline level of retardation. He was put to death in spite of calls for clemency from numerous countries, world leaders, and even the president of the American Bar Association. (â€Å"Execution of Child Offenderâ€Å") One of the few exceptions to this trend was Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the terrorist bombing in Oklahoma City. However, I believe he is the exception that proves the rule. While much data that has been collected is hardly productive, there are places where meaningful progress has been made against racial prejudice. This is generally areas where comprehensive data collection and reporting has occurred. Without data, every complaint of discrimination inevitably boils down to one person’s word against a police officer’s. This is the reason that civil rights advocates are demanding that police be required to keep racial and ethnic data on who is stopped and searched as a basis for eliminating the biased police behavior. Unfortunately, a person can still choose to see his or her own side of the issue despite evidence to the contrary. Prejudice comes in many forms. While it is hard to imagine many judges consciously weighing a decision of whether to have someone executed or not based solely on race, the fact remains that such decisions have been, and are being made. Bias or prejudice can also be a subtle, even subconscious motivation that a person may not even aware of. A judicial system can be only as just and dependable as the people who design and administer it. People are prone to error, dishonesty, and prejudice. Although the blatantly racist cops that used to be around many years ago are no doubt few and far between today, there still is something at work in the legal system that seems to be detrimental to blacks. From laws that target ethnic neighborhoods and individuals, to how decisions are made regarding arrests and prosecutions, a racially biased trail of evidence does emerge. From who gets sentenced to probation to who gets sent to prison, blacks are unfairly being targeted. From length of sentences to who lives or dies, it cannot be denied that prejudice exists in the legal system of this country. Despite arguments to the contrary, and no matter what type of research or studies the supporters of ‘normative theory’ conduct, the facts speak for themselves. Clearly, it has been shown that people of color in the United States are extremely over-represented in the prison population as well as in the number of arrests due, in large part, to biased or prejudicial attitudes and perceptions of many people in law enforcement and the judicial system. Such practices have no place in a country that promises justice for all people – regardless of color. Efforts should continue at every level of government to change this pervasive mindset, until race has absolutely no bearing on how an individual is treated in America. Works Cited D’Alessio, S. J. and Stolzenberg, L. â€Å"Race and the Probability of Arrest† Social Forces. Vol. 81 Issue 4, p1381 June 2001 Crowley, Patrick . â€Å"Study reveals ‘juvenile injustice’, Minorities are jailed more often†. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 26 April 2000 â€Å"Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs† Human Rights Watch. Online. 9 Nov. 2005 Shelden, R. and Brown, W. B. â€Å"The New American Apartheid Part I†. 22 June 2004 Williams, Walter. â€Å"Racial Profiling Puzzle†. The Washington Times. Creators Syndicate, Inc. 14 March 1999

railroads essays

railroads essays The post-civil war age was one of great industrialization, urbanization and growth in our country. None of this could be possible, however, without the amazing progress in the system of railroads throughout the continent. Before the end of the 19th century, more than 190,000 miles of track spanned across our country, making the west available to the wave of urbanization that swept the nation at this time. Before the 1865, the west was sparsely populated and contained few significant towns with which to entice the population. With the creation of the western railroads, however, it seemed that everybody was eager to get out and see the west. New towns sprung up and old towns were modernized to keep up with continual flow of people. Luxuries on the trains such as the Pullman sleeping car were devised to make the journey comfortable, and it seemed that the progress in technology and industrialization could not be stopped. As expected, there were many faults with the system, but most of them were human and had nothing to do with the actual efficiency of the railroads. For example, towns that were lucky enough to host a station became booming cities, while those that were bypassed withered away. This often led to severe competition in the system, and many a railroad promoter was made rich by the monetary gifts made to them by towns that wanted to be along the rails. Also useful in supplem enting small town business were the railroad workers themselves. After a long day of working on the rails, they would flock to nearby towns and indulge in alcohol and prostitutes. These towns were appropriately named hells on wheels, and catered to as many as 10,000 workers at a time. But human shortcomings related to the railroads were a small price to pay for the expansion that resulted in the western portion of our nation. Sacramento became a relative metropolis because of its location on the end of the rail line, and several ot...

Cigarette Smoking essays

Cigarette Smoking essays I. People dying everyday and not by something that they can control, they are dying because they choose to smoke. a. Tobacco use remains the number One preventable cause of death in the United States. i. Every day approximately 3,000young kids light up a cigarette and in most cases choosing their death by becoming a regular smokers. ii. Each year more people die from smoking than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and even fires combined. iii. More than 5 million children will die prematurely because of their decisions as young ones to smoke. b. There are a couple of reason people start to smoke and do not quit. i. Nicotine is addictive and most kids who started to smoke are addicted to nicotine. ii. For some people nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. It usually takes a person more than 2 times to quit. iii. Cigarette advertisements are designed to make smoking look cool and make it seem like everybody does it. This may not fool everybody, but it fools enough people to get them to start smoking and once they start they cannot stop. iv. Some People think that if they quite smoking, especially women, that they will gain wait and use that as an excuse not to quit. c. What can be done to stop people from smoking? II. Many thing can and have been done to try to prevent people especially kids from smoking. a. Groups are already preaching that it is bad and not to smoke because it will eventually kill the smoker. b. Strict rules have been passed for the suppliers and the retailers, therefore trying to stop the supply and the illegal possession of the cigarettes by minors. c. Police crack down on stories not I.D. kids buying cigarettes. Giving stories fines and sometimes the clerk gets arrested too. III. What else can be done to try to stop the start of smokers? a. Easy, raise the age for people to buy cigarettes, making it harder for younger immature kids to buy and g ...

Legal regulatory , and etical issues Research Paper

Legal regulatory , and etical issues - Research Paper Example One of the infamous instances I had witnessed was the discrimination of black employees by the MacDonald Incorporation. Despite the claim that McDonald is a discrimination-free organization, its franchisee Michael Simon of West Virginia was taken to court for discriminating against its employees purely on their racial background (Loevy, 2011). It was alleged that the company had indiscriminately fired 10 black employees who had earlier been exposed to discriminatory practices such as perpetual insults and sexual harassment. Rather than hurling abusing words like ‘bitch,’ ‘hot Mexican’ and ‘ghetto’ to these blacks, they were improperly touched and compelled to have sexual affairs with their white supervisors (Burstein, 2005). This was an act of discrimination that directly violated Equal Employment Opportunity Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which outlaws workplace discrimination and advocate for equal treatment of employees. In my capacity as a leader, I would like to recommend that such unfortunate incidents can be eliminated by providing legal education to all the departmental heads and informing them on the angers of such violations (Branch, 2008). Besides, as a leader, I would act as a role model by creating a discrimination-free working environment for everyone else to

Compare and Contrast between Islamic and Conventional Banking Term Paper

Compare and Contrast between Islamic and Conventional Banking - Term Paper Example Yet, riba or interest is not precisely defined in the Quran at the time of its prohibition. The prohibition of interest is generally understood to refer to any increment over and above the principal. It represents the return on transactions involving exchange of money for money, or an addition, because of delay in payment, to the agreed price on sale debts/debts. From an Islamic point of view under some concept of fairness, there are two dimensions: the supplier of capital possesses a right to reward, but this reward should be commensurate with the risk and effort involved and should be determined by the return realized on the individual project for which funds are supplied (Abdi, 2010, p 80). One of the primary rationales espoused by Muslim scholars is that the existence of riba (interest) in the economy is a form of economic exploitation, which violates the core Islamic teaching of social justice. Therefore, the elimination of interest from the economic system would be more â€Å" fair† and ethically and morally more appropriate economic behavior. The prohibition of interest (riba) and permission of trade drive the financial activities in an economy towards asset-backed businesses and transactions. This implies that all financial transactions must be representative of real transactions for the sale of goods, services or benefits (Abdi, 2010, p 81). Interest-free loans (alternative for usury) Islamic financial institutions must not only focusing on maximizing profit, but they should also play a vital role in addressing socio-economic issues such as poverty reduction and improvements in important aspects of human welfare (like education, illiteracy, reducing child mortality, youth insecurity and...Generally, equity financing under non-Islamic finance, savers would provide funds to enterprises in return for a share in its prospective net returns as well as a share in its management. However, in contrast, profit sharing funding of projects under Islamic fin ance is not for the whole life of the financed enterprise, but for a shorter period, as in the case of providing working capital. Profit sharing finance may be provided with and without sharing in management, Linked with profit sharing is the notion of risk sharing. This is based on the principle of liability, which states that profit is justified based on one’s obligation to take a loss. This legal maxim is said to be derived from a saying of the Prophet Mohammed that â€Å"profit comes with liability† implying that Shari’a distinguishes lawful profit from all other forms of gain. One becomes entitled to profit only after one bears the liability, or risk, of loss. Tax in Islamic banking (Zakat) Zakat- This is the requirement to benefit society through the collection of alms, which is known as Zakat Benefits Zakat For society, fractional reserve system allows banks to act as intermediaries that facilitate the movement of funds from savers to investors in a society. There are also significant economies-of-scale in banks making investment and lending decisions, as they have access to knowledge and expertise which individual investors or lenders generally do not.