The Definition and Purpose of Political Institutions

The Definition and Purpose of Political Institutions Political institutions are the organizations in a government which create, enforce, and apply laws. They often mediate conflict, make (governmental) policy on the economy and social systems, and otherwise provide representation for the population. In general, democratic political regimes are divided into two types: presidential (headed by a president) and parliamentary (headed by a parliament). Legislatures built to support the regimes are unicameral (only one house) or bicameral (two houses- for example, a senate and a house of representatives or a house of commons and a house of lords). Party systems can be two-party or multiparty, the parties can be strong or weak depending on their level of internal cohesion. The political institutions are those bodies- parties, legislatures, and heads of state- which make up the whole mechanism of modern governments. Parties, Trade Unions, and Courts In addition, political institutions include political party organizations, trade unions, and the (legal) courts. The term Political Institutions may also refer to the recognized structure of rules and principles within which the above organizations operate, including such concepts as the right to vote, a responsible government, and accountability. Political Institutions, in Brief Political institutions and systems have a direct impact on the business environment and activities of a country. For example, a political system that is straightforward and evolving when it comes to political participation of the people and laser-focused on the well-being of its citizens contributes to positive economic growth in its region. Every society must have a type of political system so it may allocate resources and ongoing procedures appropriately. Along with the same concept, a political institution sets the rules in which an orderly society obeys and ultimately decides and administers the laws for those that do not obey appropriately. Types of Political Systems The political system consists of both politics and government and involves the law, economy, culture and additional social concepts. The most popular political systems that we know of around the world can be reduced to a few simple core concepts. Many additional types of political systems are similar in idea or root, but most tend to surround concepts of: Democracy: A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.Republic: A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.Monarchy:Â  A form of government in which one person reigns, typically a king or a queen. The authority, also known as a crown, is typically inherited.Communism:Â  A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy. Often, an authoritarian party holds power and state controls are imposed.Dictatorship: A form of government where one person makes the main rules and decisions with absolute power, disregarding input from others. The Function of a Political System In 1960, Almond and Coleman gathered three core functions of a political system which include:Â   To maintain the integration of society by determining norms.To adapt and change elements of social, economic, and religious systems necessary for achieving collective (political) goals.To protect the integrity of the political system from outside threats. In modern day society in the United States, for example, the main function of the two core political parties is seen as a way to represent interest groups and constituents and to create policies while minimizing choices. Overall, the idea is to make legislative processes easier for people to understand and engage with. Political Stability and Veto Players Every government seeks stability, and, without institutions, a democratic political system simply cannot work. Systems need rules to be able to select political actors (the nomination process). The leaders must have fundamental skills about how the political institutions work and there must be rules about how authoritative decisions are made. The institutions constrain political actors by punishing deviations from institutionally prescribed behaviors and rewarding appropriate behavior. Institutions can resolve collection action dilemmas- for example, all governments have a collective interest in reducing carbon emissions, but for individual actors, making a choice for the greater good makes no good sense from an economic standpoint. So, it must be up to the federal government to establish enforceable sanctions. But the main purpose of a political institution is to create and maintain stability. That purpose is made viable by what American political scientist George Tsebelis calls veto players. Tsebelis argues that the number of veto players- people who must agree on a change before it can go forward- makes a significant difference in how easily changes are made. Significant departures from the status quo are impossible when there are too many veto players, with specific ideological distances among them. Agenda setters are those veto players who can say take it or leave it, but they must make proposals to the other veto players that will be acceptable to them. Sources Almond, Gabriel Abraham, and James Smoot Coleman, eds. The Politics of the Developing Areas. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016 (1960). Print.Armingeon, Klaus. Political Institutions. Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Political Science. Eds. Keman, Hans and Jaap J. Woldendrop. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016. 234–47. Print.Beck, Thorsten, et al. New Tools in Comparative Political Economy: The Database of Political Institutions. The World Bank Economic Review 15.1 (2001): 165–76. Print.Moe, Terry M. Political Institutions: The Neglected Side of the Story. Journal of Law, Economics, Organization 6 (1990): 213–53. Print.Tsebelis, George. Veto Players: How Political Institutions Work. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002. Print.Weingast, Barry R. The Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Development. Journal of Law, Economics, Organization 11.1 (1995): 1–31. Print.

Newspapers and the Future of Print Journalism

Newspapers and the Future of Print Journalism For anyone interested in the news business, it’s hard to avoid the sense that newspapers are at death’s door. Every day brings more news of layoffs, bankruptcies, and closings in the print journalism industry. But why are things so dire for newspapers at the moment? Decline Begins With Radio TV Newspapers have a long and storied history that dates back hundreds of years. While their roots are in the 1600s, newspapers thrived in the U.S. well into the 20th century. But with the advent of radio and later television, newspaper circulation (the number of copies sold) began a gradual but steady decline. By the mid-20th century, people simply didn’t have to rely on newspapers as their only source of news anymore. That was especially true of breaking news, which could be conveyed much more quickly via broadcast media. And as television newscasts became more sophisticated, television became the dominant mass medium. This trend accelerated with the rise of CNN and 24-hour cable news networks. Newspapers Begin to Disappear Afternoon newspapers were the first casualties. People coming home from work increasingly turned on the TV instead of opening a newspaper, and afternoon papers in the 1950s and 1960s saw their circulations plunge and profits dry up. Television also captured more and more of the advertising revenue that newspapers had relied on. But even with Television grabbing more and more audience and ad dollars, newspapers still managed to survive. Papers couldn’t compete with television in terms of speed, but they could provide the kind of in-depth news coverage that TV news never could. Savvy editors retooled newspapers with this in mind. More stories were written with a feature-type approach that emphasized storytelling over breaking news, and papers were redesigned to be more visually appealing, with a greater emphasis on clean layouts and graphic design. Emergence of the Internet But if television represented a body blow to the newspaper industry, the World Wide Web may prove to be the nail in the coffin. With the emergence of the internet in the 1990s, vast amounts of information were suddenly free for the taking. Most newspapers, not wanting to be left behind, started websites in which they essentially gave away their most valuable commodity- their content- for free. This model continues to be the predominant one in use today. Many analysts now believe this was a fatal mistake. Once loyal newspaper readers realized that if they could conveniently access news online for free, there seemed to be little reason to pay for a newspaper subscription. Recession Worsens Prints Woes Economic hard times have only accelerated the problem. Revenue from print ads has plunged, and even online ad revenue, which publishers had hoped would make up the difference, has slowed. Websites like Craigslist have eaten away at classified ad revenue. â€Å"The online business model just won’t support newspapers at the level Wall Street demands,† says Chip Scanlan of The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank. â€Å"Craigslist has decimated newspaper classifieds.† With profits plunging, newspaper publishers have responded with layoffs and cutbacks, but Scanlan worries this will just make things worse. â€Å"They’re not helping themselves by whacking sections and laying people off,† he says. â€Å"They’re cutting the things that people look for in newspapers.† Indeed, that’s the conundrum facing newspapers and their readers. All agree that newspapers still represent an unrivaled source of in-depth news, analysis, and opinion and that if papers disappear entirely, there will be nothing to take their place. What the Future Holds Opinions abound as to what newspapers must do to survive. Many say papers must start charging for their web content to support print issues. Others say printed papers will soon go the way of the Studebaker and that newspapers are destined to become online-only entities. But what actually will happen remains anybody’s guess. When Scanlan thinks of the predicament the internet poses for newspapers today, he’s reminded of the Pony Express riders who in 1860 started what was meant to be a speedy mail delivery service, only to be rendered obsolete a year later by the telegraph. â€Å"They represented a great leap in communication delivery but it only lasted a year,† Scanlan says. â€Å"As they were whipping their horses into a lather to deliver the mail, beside them were these guys ramming in long wooden poles and connecting wires for the telegraph. It’s a reflection of what changes in technology mean.†

Memo on Earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo on Earthquake - Essay Example Option #1 is to report it as an extraordinary loss separate from operations. And Option #2 is to report the loss in a continuing operation but treat it as a separate part in the income statement. These two options would require proper disclosure in our footnotes of the event. The reporting of extraordinary items (losses) has an advantage, that is, they are not included under normal operating income which will be construed by stakeholders and creditors as items that will not happen in the foreseeable future. Hence, the event’s effects on net income are not in any way reflects the true status of the business operation since it is not a recurring event. According to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 225-20-45-2 â€Å"extraordinary items are events and transactions that are distinguished by their unusual and by infrequency of their occurrence. Thus, both of the following criteria should be met to classify an event or transaction a s an extraordinary item†. CHHS has to decide whether the earthquake meets both criteria. Per FASB ASC 225-20-55-2 â€Å"An event or transaction of a type that occurs frequently in the environment in which the entity operates cannot, by definition, be considered as extraordinary, regardless of its financial effect.† On the other hand per FASB ASC 225-20-55-1 stated that â€Å"unusual nature is not established by the fact that an event or transaction is beyond the control of management†. Statistics gathered from Northern California Earthquake Data Center (NCEDC) showed that since 1969, there were about 99 earthquakes that shook the Bay Area with magnitudes of 5 or greater but only 3 have so far been recorded more than 6.7. With these statistics, it may be difficult to validate that earthquakes are infrequent and of a kind that would not be projected to happen in the foreseeable future. Should we were to report the damage as an extraordinary item; it will appear und er continuing operations as the net-of-tax of $16.5 million. Per FASB ASC 225-20-50-3 states that â€Å"The nature and financial effects of each event or transaction that is unusual in nature or occurs infrequently, but not both, shall be disclosed on the face of the income statement or, alternatively, in notes to the financial statements.† We can use this statement as our basis â€Å"to report losses under continuing operations but as separate component† according to Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion 30 paragraph 26. Under this reporting method, stakeholders and creditors are prone to analyze that there is still a risk that an earthquake will happen again, but the chance is little. Should we report the damage under this option, we would include the full $27.5 million loss as a separate component in continuing operations. Stakeholders and creditors rely on the income statement very much, their decision is dependent on the report we will submit. I am therefore r ecommending Option #2, that is, to report the earthquake damages under continuing operations but as a separate income statement component. Our stores are conspicuously located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an earthquake-prone area, thus should not be included as extraordinary items. By reporting the earthquake damages as a separate component under continuing operations, we will be following the guidelines prescribed by FASB

Isolating the Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Isolating the Problem - Essay Example These have exposed the racist culture within the organization to the public. The major root problem has been the continuing harassment and discriminations shown towards minority workers and the negligent role played by the management towards the treatment meted out to the minority employees. The management has over the years been a mute spectator, or in other words, has encouraged the discrimination shown towards African-Americans working in the firm. The minority workers were subjected to blatant racist language and behavior by senior officials and lower salaries and even their grievance claims were completely ignored. If the management had spared time to look into this issue seriously, this public suing of the company could have been avoided. The then CEO of Texaco, Peter Bijur, had taken a wise decision of settling the lawsuit and in addition forming a task force to seriously handle the crisis within the organization, despite the difficult financial state of the company. However, what actually triggered such a behavior towards minorities and the main people who spearheaded such an unethical task remains to be resolved. In matters like this, identifying the core reason is crucial if the problem is to be rooted out completely. There is no record of such facts being analyzed both by the organization as well as the independent task force that was set up. The key players include the management and the minorities who were subjected to such humiliation. The management on its part has set up a task force to analyze the situation and provide useful solutions. Likewise the taskforce has also come out with proposals that would bring about a culture change. This includes hiring, promoting and retaining a diverse workforce. New recruiting systems were in place to increase the number of minorities including women. Scholarship and internship programs were set up for the minorities, thus helping them

Correctional Operations Essay Example for Free

Correctional Operations Essay Many nations and cultures have come up with official laws to protect their citizens from crimes. Over the years these laws have been in force, to help keep society from becoming anarchy. Different forms of punishments have been used to detour would be criminals. However you will find citizens still tends to break the laws. These days all countries have a justice system and a prison for locking up their threats to society. Many countries do sentence someone to death for an extreme form of punishment. The Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (Encarta, 2007) was the first legal record found in the Middle East. However, the Western nations seem to follow laws started by Ancient Rome (Encarta, 2007). Before long each city had a court and had established their own laws, to protect the citizens. Soon after the Roman Empire established the Law of Twelve Tables, to confirm their society. But most people believe that the earliest form of law can be found in the twelve centuries which is known as the Justinian Code (Encarta, 2007). For many centuries people have died or been punished for committing theft, rape, or unspeakable crimes. In 1532, the Holy Roman Empire created the Constitio Criminalis to punish criminals. But not every county followed that law, so these countries created their own legal system, where each county would deal with its criminals in their countries, when they needed to. For the most part, punishment was used to punish or deter these would be criminals. Life became more civilized with each passing century, as new punishments were created. Many people felt safer with laws that could protect them. Centuries later the Pennsylvania System was created by the Quakers, Pennsylvania became the center of prison reform worldwide. This happen when William Penn, Penn who had been confined in England for his Quaker beliefs abolished the Duke of York’s several criminal code which was in effect in other parts of British North America, where among other offenses, the penalty of death was applied for murder, denying â€Å"the true God† homosexual acts and kidnapping, severe physical punishments were used for what were  considered lesser crimes. The true root of the Quaker system was to create more humane treatment for criminals, they decided that criminals needed more constructive punishment and a place where they can be alone to repent and turn back to God rather than such cruel punishment. The Quakers believe that criminals could reformed and return to society as a change people. Prisoners were put to work in the prison so that their time could be used wisely. In the 1820s the Auburn System was in full swing, this system was different from the Quakers they believe in complete silence, smaller cells and any economic advantage over the Pennsylvania System. In the long run both of these prison system failed, then came along the Auburn System which modern corrections used their old method of old cells blocks and solitary confinement. Each county began hiring sheriffs and creating legal systems to deal out the punishments. Most people welcome the new laws and sense of safety, yet some refuse to follow them. Some criminals were lightly punished and some were killed, for the crimes they committed. The justice system grew into a major part of society; however, it was not perfect. . But not long many citizens felt that the criminals deserved what punishments they received. More jails were built and more criminals began challenging the new laws that had been established by the courts. Unfortunately, societies were being victimized by the criminals or gangs or criminals. So, many new sheriffs and detective agencies were established to help police the growing neighborhoods. Many people supported the role of the sheriffs and they volunteered to help as deputies. In the old times, criminals were tortured as a form of punishment, by the Roman Empire. Some criminals hang on crosses, killed by torture, and place in dungeons to die. For this reason many began to revolt against the Roman rule and they were punished as criminals too. Soon the Roman Empire fell and many separate societies began growing throughout the world. Before long, the Modern ages began and many prisons were built in the 19th century. Many countries were ruled by the King and Queen of Britain at the turn of the 19th century. Severely changes have happened to the justice system during that time. Which made life much easier for the citizens; criminals were locked away and punished for the crimes that they committed. Each criminal had to be found guilty by the court first, before they could be  punished. Many new laws were created, in order to help the citizen feel safe and keep the peace. However, some citizens still felt that capital punishment was to hash. By the 20th century, the British rule began to fade, as the revolution grew and many fled to the New World. Due to prison overcrowding, many courts systems were looking for ways to deal with criminals. Many courts began giving probation to petty thieves and criminals; besides locking them up. Soon young offenders were removed from the adult court system and dealt with in juvenile court. Then the court began looking for ways, to rehabilitate the juvenile offenders. Many schools and programs were created, in order to stop the troubled youth from becoming adult offenders. Also many adult programs began popping up; with the intentions to help rehabilitate small crime offenders. Some criminals were able to change and become productive part of society (National Archives, 2007). Alexander Maconochie came up with the concept of early release for hard work and good behavior, also parole which was created by Sir Walter Crofton and the Irish system, which we in the United State use today. Om the late 1800s reformatory system was established, some were given education classes, and early release and punishment was not the focus. However, some adults were unable to be rehabilitating by the programs, so eventually more prisons had to be built to house youth and adult offenders that were unable to be rehabilitated. After the justice system realized that punishments were not stopping criminals from committing crimes. Many scientist and doctors began studying the behavior of criminals, especially their childhood. Some scientist has found that many criminals have had troubled childhood, which may lead to their behavior. However, some criminals are raised in a good home; yet they still commit horrible crimes to date no one has come up with a magic pill that can stop these criminals from committing crimes. Many societies have tried to find a way to stop criminals, from creating a justice system to building prisons. However, no matter how history has tried to stop the criminals, they still seem to victimize helpless people. Maybe, with further study and a better understanding of why they commit crimes, future generations can stop them. But, at this point only prisons seem to help those, who have become habitual offenders. Hopefully, one day we can create  a magic pill or a way to stop criminals from hurting others. Until then, we must let the justice system work for us and our society The correction system in the United States have changed many times over the past years, many theories went from retaliation, physical punishment, reforming and back. The population of inmates in the United States and Federal prisons and jails has grown at an unprecedented rate in the past thirty years. Since 2000, the census of prisoners being detained in state and federal prisons has risen 13%. Since 1990, the census has grown 100% the census has grown a staggering 366%. The thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was passed by the senate on April 8th, 1864 and approved by the House on January 31st, 1865 and ratified on December 6th, 1865 abolish slavery as a legal institution. The thirteenth Amendment stated.† Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subject to their jurisdiction†. Right after the 13th Amendment was passed, the Black Code was created, the Black Code were laws in the United States after the Civil War with the effect of limiting the basic human right and civil liberties of blacks. As newly freed slaves would soon learn, freedom was not as they had anticipated. White southerners were anxious to regain power over them and used the law in order to achieve that objective, the code served as a way to control and inhibit the freedom of ex-slaves. The Code controlled almost all aspect of their lives and prohibited African Americans from the freedoms that had been won. Not only did the whites wanted to control ex-slaves but they need laborers. While things could no longer be exactly the same as in slavery, the whites found a way to guarantee that blacks would serve as their laborers. The whites encompassed some of the antebellum restrictions on free blacks, northern apprenticeship laws, they took their civil and legal rights, from marriage to the right to hold and sell property. Laws were different in each state but most embodied the same kind of restrictions. Commonly, codes compelled freedman to work. But in many states if unemployed, African American faced being arrested and charged with vagrancy. Many of those that did work had their days regulated. Codes dictated their hours of labor, duties and the behavior assigned to them as agricultural workers. Almost every aspect of their lives was regulated, including the freedom to roam; blacks were not permitted to enter towns without permission. In 1866 black codes were suspended by Federal officials who noted that the codes were too harsh and bias they decided that blacks should be subjected to the same penalties and regulations as whites. Along with the black code came the convict leasing system, this was the leasing of prisoners to private companies who would pay the state a fee for the service. Prisoners would work for these companies day after day returning to their cells each night while business profit from free prisoners labors. These black prisoners would survive less than six years; the death rate among these inmates was almost 45% for those in the south. Another way to keep free blacks in slavery was Sharecropping for those man who did not want to go to prison, sharecropping was the only way former slaves could survive . But the high prices and interest rate charged by store and land owners caused these blacks to be in constant debt. Another way blacks were kept was by chain gangs, the crimes was breach of a contract, even today there are some states that still adopt chain gangs like, Florida, Alabama and Arizona. Amnesty International one of the leading humanitarian groups said that the practice of chain gangs is inhumane, to use handcuffs, and chains etc. on prisoners is a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Today prisoners have another dilemma to deal with privatization of prisons; privatization of prison is not new it has been around for centuries, private corporations are once again owning and operating prisons for profit. A controversial issue which dates back to the days that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, private prisons owners and manage prisoners making thousands of millions of dollars from prisoner’s labor while the prisoners earn nothing. The 13th amendment allows a form of slavery to exist legally, when we look at people who are jailed for nonviolent crimes within the criminal justice system, like the Black Code, Sharecropping and Chain Gangs and then privatizing of prisons the 13th Amendment shape slavery through the penal system. President Lincoln abolished the cruel and unusual punishment, but if we look there is a small part which we may call a clause that states, â€Å"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crimes whereof the party  shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor any place subjected to their jurisdiction†. The Amendment did not specify what crimes, felony, misdemeanor or even a traffic ticket; it just said crime and all of these are crimes. Yet we see many people not convicted of crimes and they are punished, placed in prison, locked up and work for fee. The 13th Amendment has reshaped and defined slavery the moment it was placed on paper. The 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution is a guarantee of state right. The Tenth Amendment is similar to an earlier provision of the Articles of Confederation. â€Å"Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled. When the 10th Amendment was introduced in congress, James Madison explained that many states were anxious to ratify this amendment, despite critics who deemed the amendment superfluous or unnecessary. The constitution designed the federal government to be a government of limited and enumerated powers. This is saying that the federal government only has power over the things that are specifically given to it in the constitution, all other powers is given to the state. The 10th Amendment noted that â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, or by the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people†. I believe the founding fathers created this Amendment because they did not want the central government which is the federal government to become too powerful and did not want that government to tell them how they should live their lives daily. They wanted to give the local state power to control their own affairs to make laws and rules that their people can live by and not have the federal government total control of their affair. The 10th Amendment when it comes to the Florida criminal justice system and prison is this. Advocate can bring more cases under the 10th Amendment, which will have huge positive implication for freedom so long as the current constitution of the courts holds. â€Å"Federalism secures the freedom of the individual; it allows the state to respond through the enactment of posit ive law. As we see the 10th Amendment have been weakens somewhat by the by congress, you could hardly hear about the 10th Amendment in court cases in the years it was  adopted but not so today you find that a lot of cases using the 10th Amendment for their bases for filing an appeal. There were states that were protected under the 10th Amendment. Which the American Civil was noted was not workable so the 14th Amendment was created to extend the Bill of Rights and made it applicable to both state and federal government. We can see the 10th Amendment no longer holds the power that it once did, but today in Florida law makers is trying to use the 10th Amendment to privatize prisons. The 10th Amendment was written to reassure the state that they would remain largely in charge of their people; the 10th Amendment was always used to prevent federal regulation of everything including taxation. I believe the 8th should control the criminal justice system in Florida. The Amendment states that â€Å" Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. The 8th Amendment to the Constitution established in 1791, have three provisions; The cruel and unusual punishment clause, which restrict the severity of punishments that state and federal government may impose upon someone who have been convicted of a crime. The Excessive Fine Clause limits the amount that state and federal governments may fine a person for a particular crime. Then there is the Excessive Bail Clause which restricts judicial discretion in setting bail for the release of persons accused of a criminal activity during the period following their arrest but preceding their trial. Courts are given wide latitude under the Excessive Fine Clause of the 8th Amendment, fines which is imposed by ta trial court judge or magistrate will not be overturned on appeal unless the judge or magistrate abuse his or her discretion in assessing them. But the trial court judge is given less latitude under the Excessive Bail Clause. If the defendants meets bail or is able to pay the amount set by the court, the defendant is entitled to recover the pledged amount at the conclusion of the criminal proceeding, however, if the defendant fails to appear as scheduled during the prosecution, then he or she forfeits the amount pledge and still faces further criminal penalties if convicted of the offense or offenses charged. Since most of our defendants are indigent excessive fine is handling in a calm manner I believe. To me the most critical part of the 8th Amendment is the cruel and unusual punishment. In the case Furman v. Georgia the Supreme Court found that he death penalty violated the 8th Amendment the court noted  that â€Å"These death penalties are cruel and unusual punishment† today not much state use the death penalty but in our state of Florida the death penalty is still a factor. Recently the state declared a moratorium on lethal injection and a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. Finally I believe our criminal justice has come a long way but there is still work to be done especially with defendants being arrested and being treated as the olden days when slavery was in place. We still find our slavery taking place indirectly especially for black minority’s. We need our elected government leaders to stop playing politics and start working for the people who elected them into office. Judges and lawyers need to stop taking bribes and let the justice system work for the people. We as criminal justice majors must stop looking at the money we may make when we finish school and get our degree. And see how we can put what we have learned into practice to help our fellow neighbors or our community. Our justice system needs people with heart and backbones and I believe we as the leaders of tomorrow can do that. References: http://voices.yahoo.com/roots-history-punishment-512307.html?cat=37 http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/legal-punishment/#1 http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/8th+Amendment

Dystopia in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Dystopia in Fahrenheit 451 Just by reading the first few lines of the opening paragraph of Fahrenheit 451, we get the feeling of a dystopia right away. Firemen burning books, instead of putting out fires that start in homes. Who ever heard of that? <AVOID USINING QUESTIONS, THEY WAEKEN THE PAPER.> This is crazy thinking right off the start, yet Bradbury carries us through as if we are travelers to this time and place. We are the unseen eyes that see the cataclysmic events that turn Guy Montag's life upside down. We watch him rise, then fall, then meet with outsiders like himself. We watch, how fugitives are tracked down using a mechanical dog, and how people love to watch the chase on their "off the wall" television sets. Could this be how Bradbury thinks our society is going to turn into? Maybe not as drastic, but maybe the censorship could happen, couldn't it? <I WAS UNDER THE IMPRSSION THAT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FORMAL PAPER, NOT AN OPINION PAPER.> Ray Bradbury is compared to Arthur C. Clarke as a "poetic science fiction writer" (Watt). This is so, because Bradbury takes a more elegant path to laying out his dystopia. People in his story are so into the now, and pleasure for the moment, that they forget the morals and ethics they came from, because they are clouded by smoke. <EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MWAN BY SMOKE.> Take for instance the wall-sized televisions. This became the populace's way of interacting with others without physically interacting with them. People on FURTURISTIC TELEVISION were your "family", who would keep you company and be your "friend". Still, a place where books were burned and houses were supposedly "fireproof", you have to admit this world is out of whack.<THIS SENTANCE IS SLANG AND MEANS VERY LITTLE.> If we look at Montag's wife for instance, we see how entrenched people have become AND just WANT TO BE happy,t carrying NONE for what happens to the ideas that are in books. I thin k Bradbury is trying to tell us not to rely TOO heavily on technology or it will consume us. In the future we may take books for granted, because they are the essence of free speech, and free ideologies. By HAVING the books burned, people forget, and have nothing to trace back, only leaving what is THE PRESESNT REALITY.

Don’t blame the eater

Don't Blame the Eater, Blame the Eating Industry In terms of personal health, the borders of proper nutrition are similar to that of a jail cell. Zinczenko points outs the restrictive nature of food within modern day Am erica. A generalized point of view that can be taken from this is that the fast food industry is incredibly convenient and affordable for necessary needs to live and thrive in modern day America. Zinczenko brings in examples that involve personal experiences in his family, as well as an argument that the convenience and affordability issues a large health problem itself.While obesity can be seens as ither a personal or societal issue, Zinczenko proposes that the issue on obesity is a societal issue based on the circumstances of cheap-and-fast fast food restaurants, which is a reasonable claim based on Zinczenko's point of view. Affordable, efficient, and convenient food may help the population, however, it is a market based on unhealthy practices. The author elaborate s on the convenience in a matter of personal story, in which his choice as a fifteen-year-old would be â€Å"McDonald's, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut† (Zinczenko 391).With this personal experience, he can sympathize with a population that needs fast food ecause he witnessed it as an â€Å"the only available option for an American kid to get an affordable meal† (Zinczenko 392). Luckily enough, the author managed to reach to college and fix his eating habits. He is reaching out to a vast population that shares a similar experience or lifestyle, which encompass a large amount of people, thus creating a personal approach to the topic of obesity. Along with his noted personal experience, the raw statistics and facts about obesity back his claim on fast food being a primary catalyst for obesity in America.Driving down the block to eat healthy is a bit of a stretch when there are â€Å"more than 3,000 McDonald's restaurants† in the country (Zinczenko 392). The crippling statistics under the cases of obesity since 1994 also carry a charming state of nausea and face-melting characteristics: diabetes now had more than one cause. Childhood diabetes was generally caused by genetic disorder before 1994, with only a 5% statistic being obesity-related. Today, obesity-related diabetes â€Å"accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country' (Zinczenko 392).The calorie counts in fast-food salads can ascend to â€Å"around 1040 calories,† and it is vidently hazardous when a salad can cost you â€Å"half of the government's recommended daily calorie intake† (Zinczenko 393). Obesity, on an objective point of view, is a developing problem due to the efficient and affordable nature of fast food. The author mentions his personal experience with fast food and how it is a problem beyond personal preference, and my personal experiences lead me to fully agree. With this in mind, fast food is a ve ry efficient source of food to me.With a hectic lifestyle or even a hectic household, fast food can be one of the few places to go. I do not have all the time in the world to get a proper source of nutrition. School and work constitute my time on a daily basis, and in that case, fast food helps relieve that time in order to focus on the priorities in my life. My source of coffee in the McDonalds, other gas stations) and my quick source of mediocre nutrition. In this day and age of living, food is not a big priority to people, it is always there at convenience.There is no time to worry about what you are going to eat because there is a test or report for you to do in class, or you have to make it to work on time; ime is very limited and restrictive. I can sympathize with Zenczenko's point of view on the need for fast food in a hectic lifestyle. Not only does the author mention the social stigmas that surround fast food and obesity, but also the crude facts that are the nutritional va lues of fast food and its impact on obesity.Although I do carry a hectic lifestyle, in which my go-to source of food would be a fast food place, it carries significant stress and impact on my life. Over the past school year, with work and school, my usual breakfast would include a Monster energy drink and a McChicken from McDonalds. Though this did not affect my weight, it affected my productivity. No physical withdrawals were the side effect but I was absent-minded to my convenience food intake that let me make it throughout the day.The author points out physical consequences of convenient food; however, I faced psychological and mental consequences when eating convenient food. Zunczenko proposes a very thoughtful understanding to the nature of obesity. The author constitutes the matter of obesity as a societal issue because of convenient food rather than a personal stigma. Our society hosts more than 13,000 McDonalds n its land, and since we continue to trade our money for their i nstant sustenance, I do agree that obesity is a societal issue.Expedient food helps shape the busy and it is good for the quick knick of hunger, but it is not good for the healthy nutrients our society actually needs. The convenience and affordability of â€Å"food† from the fast food industry is the convicted criminal that is building bad health habits and furthering obesity in todays society. Works Cited Zinczenko, David. â€Å"Don't Blame the Eater. † They Say, I Say. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. New York: W. W. Norton ; Company, Inc. , 2012. 391-394. Don’t Blame the Eater David Zincked up to the point that we have to take ‘personal responsibility for our rise in obesity, I cannot agree that he targets his opinion on that fast food restaurants are to blame. In my opinion the personal responsibility is on the parents in how they choose to teach, guide or show by example on how to make healthy choices. Temptations are everywhere, our parents tell us not to eat dirt, so we don't so why is the choice of something healthy over Junk so difficult.Let us take for instance when our kids go off to school, majority of parents pack their kids' inches, usually consisting of a drink, sandwich, vegetable or fruit, and a small treat. It is when our kids are at home that parents tend to forget the healthy choice and choose the cardboard box processed foods, or the, pop in the microwave dinners, that are contributing to the obesity in their children.Convenience is not the healthy choice. Our school systems have also recognized the need for more healthy alternative s within their cafeterias offering the breakfast and hot lunch program making the overstretched, over committed parent comfortable with knowing that at least at school our kids are eating healthy. Vending machines have been thrown out, leaving little to no temptation. So should parents not do the same within their homes?So should we sue our parents for our obesity or the McDonald's down the street who is only trying to build their sales like any other department store? You don't need to count calories to know If something Is healthy. You should Just know that a hamburger and fries Is not the better choice compared to a salad and fruit drink. I say â€Å"teach your children that If they don't know what they are eating, don't eat It' ‘ Make the healthy choice and get outside!

How Dreams and Dreaming Affect Individual Characters

Explore how dreams and dreaming affect individual characters in the novel. Remember to consider how the American Dream is represented in your answer. In the novel most of the characters have a dream. Each of the characters seem to have a sense of loneliness in each of their lives and their dreams are the things that keep them hoping for something better than their lives on the ranch. Lennie’s dream for one is based on his childlike personality, he wants to be with George and ‘tend to the rabbits’.At every point in the novel where he believes his dream will be compromised you see him fill with rage and throw a tantrum like a child would. When something goes wrong his brain comes back to the rabbits and how he can’t bear to loose his dream, this drives him to try and cover up or runaway from his wrongful acts. Lennie’s dream is tied to George’s and without George his dream is very unlikely to happen. Moving onto George, at first it seems his dre am is based on leaving Lennie to live his life as he chooses but as the novel progresses it becomes clear that he shares a dream with Lennie.This would be to ‘have a little house’ and ‘live off the fatta the lan’ and in this dream Lennie gets to ‘tend to the rabbits’. Compared to Lennie’s very childlike outlook on their dream George is very practical in his way of thinking for example his dream includes having ‘a cow and some pigs’ and ‘have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens’ so that they can ‘live off the fatta the lan’. A lot of the men in the novel that move from place to place often dream of having their own place, something that can belong to them and being their own boss.George is possibly the only person that gets close to his dream being achieved with a little help from Candy. Another character with a dream is Curley’s wife, who wants to be ‘in the moviesâ₠¬â„¢. Her dream is based upon naivety and how she is very easily led to believe things. On two occasions she has been fooled into this way of thinking once when she ‘was a kid’ and a show came to town and ‘one of the actors. He says I could go with the show’ but her mother wouldn’t allow it. On the second occasion she ‘met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers’ and was told ‘he was gunna put me in the movies.Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gunna write to me about it. ’ She never received a letter and blames it on her mother once again, the way she talks about it is though she knows that it wasn’t going to happen but can’t bear admitting it so she makes her mother the scapegoat. Also she talks about her dream as though it’s in the past and wont progress any further than that. Candy and Crooks both dream of not being alone and a better life away from the ranch which is ul timately the true ‘American Dream’.Most of the conflicts that happen in the novel can be blamed upon the so called ‘American Dream’ when the dream world and reality collide. The American Dream contradicts itself by claiming it will do thing, for example equality when in reality Curley’s wife and Crooks are shown to have next to no presence on the ranch just because she is a woman and he is black. By the end of the novel it become clear to George that bitter Crooks is correct, his dream will never be achieved. Overall the novel highlights the impossibility of the ‘American Dream’ ever being achieved. In the end not one person has achieved their dream.

Drug Testing or Personal Freedom essays

Drug Testing or Personal Freedom essays Drug Testing or Personal Freedom? Should school officials be allowed to perform random searches, urine testing and other tactics to prevent drug use in our schools? The answer is no because these policies invade personal freedom. The fourth amendment of the Bill of Rights protects United States Citizens from such warrant-less searches without reasonable suspicion. My junior year in high school, I had my first encounter with Mrs. Sherry H. Mrs. H. taught American History, which focused a lot on civil rights and laws. It was only an hour class and every minute was worth listening. Class discussions were very political, but that was her way of getting us ready for the real world. Seeing things with open eyes was one of her favorite sayings. She strongly encouraged us to stand up for what we believed in, whether it was constitutional or unconstitutional. In 1996, a random school search took place at W. F. High. Marijuana was found on school property. Though the shocking news traveled fast, nobody knew details of what was found or where it was found. Four years prior Savannah -Chatham County Board Of Education adopted a Safe School Plan, better known as zero tolerance for drugs, alcohol, and weapons. The board also followed up with a specific Drug Free Workplace (DFWP) for its employees. Its purpose is to deter user and abusers of alcohol, drugs and other controlled substances. Mrs. H.s car was searched and marijuana was found. Mrs. H. was instructed to take a drug test within two hours of the notice. We all knew how much Mrs. H. was against drug tests and random searches. Just by the way she watch the police like a hawk, making sure we were not violate of our right. Nobody knew this was the last time we would see Mrs. H. at W. F High. She was fired after refusing to take the drug test. The school board said it was an act of insubordination refusing to take the d...

Honoring Architect I.M. Pei and the Glass Pyramid

Honoring Architect I.M. Pei and the Glass Pyramid Architect Ieoh Ming Pei (born April 26, 1917 in Canton, China) is known for using large, abstract forms and sharp, geometric designs. His glass-clad structures seem to spring from the high-tech modernist movement. In the U.S. Pei is popularly known for designing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio. Winner of the 1983 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Pei is more concerned with function than theory - his writings are few. His works often incorporate traditional Chinese symbols and building traditions. In Chinese, Ieoh Ming means to inscribe brightly. The name Peis parents gave him proved prophetic. Over a decades long career, Ieoh Ming Pei has designed more than fifty buildings around the world, ranging from industrial skyscrapers and important museums to low income housing. Fast Facts: I.M. Pei Occupation: ArchitectAlso Known As: Ieoh Ming PeiBorn: April 26, 1917 in Canton, now Guangzhou, ChinaParents: Lien Kwun and Tsuyee Pei, banker and financier at the Bank of ChinaEducation: B.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1940), M.Arch.  Harvard Graduate School of Design (1946)Key Accomplishments: 1983 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Designer of Modern Architecture such as the Louvre Pyramid (1989) in Paris and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1995) in OhioSpouse: Eileen LooChildren: Three sons, T’ing Chung (T’ing), Chien Chung (Didi), and Li Chung (Sandi), and one daughter, LianeFun Fact: Pei overstayed his student visa after graduating from MIT but became an American citizen in 1954 Early Years Marriage Pei grew up in privilege - his father was a prominent banker - and graduated from prestigious Anglican schools in Shanghai. With a student visa in hand, the young Pei arrived at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, California on August 28, 1935. His plan was to study at the University of Pennsylvania, but he found a better fit at the schools near Boston, Massachusetts. In 1940 he earned a B.Arch. in architecture and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the middle of his studies at MIT, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident occurred in China. Unrest in the Pacific and with China at war with Japan, the young graduate was unable to return to his homeland. From 1940 to 1942 Pei took advantage of a MIT Traveling Fellowship. At a nearby womens college Pei met his future wife, the Chinese-born Eileen Loo (1920–2014), who graduated from Wellesley College in 1942. They married and both attended Harvard Graduate School of Design, he earning a M.Arch. degree in 1946 and she studying landscape architecture. At Harvard, I.M.Pei studied under Bauhaus modernist architect Walter Gropius. During the World War II years, Pei worked at the National Defense Research Committee in Princeton, New Jersey from 1942 to 1944. Back at Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1945 to 1948 Pei was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design. The couple traveled again in 1951 on Harvards Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship. Between 1944 and 1960, the couple had three sons and one daughter. In 1954 Pei became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Professional Years In 1948 Pei was recruited by New York City developer William Zeckendorf to work for his company, becoming Director of Architecture at Webb Knapp, Inc. for over a decade. Peis urban renewal buildings during this time established his personal business beginning in 1955, from I. M. Pei Associates to I. M. Pei Partners and the better known Pei Cobb Freed Partners. Eason Leonard and Henry N. Cobb had worked with Pei since 1955, but became founding partners of Pei Cobb Freed Partners. James Ingo Freed was partner until his death in 2005. Since 1992, Pei Partnership Architects has been a business with his sons, Chien Chung Pei and Li Chung Pei. In 1976 I.M. Pei Partners had a business nightmare when a new skyscraper in Boston, Massachusetts started losing its reflective glass facade panels. Pei hadnt designed the mirrored John Hancock Tower near Trinity Church, but his name was on the architecture firm. Henry Cobb was the design architect of the Hancock Tower, but the Pei organization took the hit in publicity. Pei spent a good part of the rest of his career designing glass structures to show the world he knew how to build with framed glass. In 1983 Pei was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. With the prize money, Pei established a scholarship for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States provided they return to China to practice architecture. Important Buildings Considered one of the first skyscrapers in Denver, Colorado, the 23-story Mile High Center was one of Peis early glass clad high-rises. Built in 1956, the Center is now the Tower as it was completely renovated by someone else who knows a thing or two about glass - Philip Johnsons architectural firm of Johnson/Burgee Architects. Peis 1970 Terminal 6 at JFK International Airport in New York City was not so lucky to be renovated - it was demolished in 2011. Visit the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado to experience Peis modernity without an emphasis on glass. This 1967 design is more similar to the 1968 Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York and the 1973 Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. - designed as asymmetrical sculptures. More mature museum projects include the 2006 Musà ©e dArt Moderne in Kirchberg, Luxembourg and the 2008 Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. The glass pyramids used as skylights complemented Peis sculpture-like design of the National Gallery of Art, East Building in Washington, D.C. Its 1978 opening brought Pei national and international renown. National Gallery East Wing, Washington, D.C. Charles Rotkin/VCG via Getty Images (cropped) Major American cities often called on Peis expertise to bring exciting but restrained modernism to their urban areas. In Boston, Massachusetts Pei was asked to design the 1979 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and its extension in 1991, and the 1981 Museum of Fine Arts West Wing and Renovation. In Dallas, Texas Pei took on Dallas City Hall (1977) and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center (1989). Pei has designed a number of buildings in Asia, including the 1976 Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Centre and the 1986 Raffles City complex in Singapore; the 1997 Miho Museum in Shiga, Japan; the 2006 Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, China; the 1982 Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing, China; and perhaps most importantly, the 1989 Bank of China Tower, his fathers bank in Hong Kong. I.M. Peis international reputation was cemented, however, with the controversial and highly successful new entryway into the very old Louvre Museum in Paris. The 1989 Louvre Pyramid created a skylit underground entrance that managed the crowds of visitors away from and into the aged museum. Louvres Pyramid Entrance, 1989, Architect I.M. Pei. Bernard Bisson/Sygma via Getty Images (cropped) The same year I.M. Pei was finishing the 1993 Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, he was also finishing another phase of the Louvre project - La Pyramide Inversà ©e or The Inverted Pyramid, an upside-down glass pyramid skylight built into an underground shopping mall near the Louvre. he Inverted Pyramid of the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images (cropped) Quote I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity. - I.M. Pei, Acceptance of the 1983 Pritzker Architecture Award. Legacy Repurposing Designs It turns out that the venerable Chinese-born Pei was not only a Pritzker-winning architect, but also an astute businessman. Its been said that Peis controversial Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, France evolved from an early design for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Massachusetts, eventually completed in 1979 with an extension in 1991. Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy chose Pei to honor her late husband, and Pei accepted the commission in December 1964. Peis initial design for the Library included a truncated glass pyramid symbolizing President Kennedys abruptly cut-off life, declares the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, a design that re-emerged 25 years later in I.M. Peis design for the expansion of the Louvre Museum in Paris. And in 1995 he did it again in Cleveland, Ohio with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - a glass pyramid. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio. George Rose/Getty Images The inventive Mr. Pei is an elder statesman of modernism and a living connection to the age of le Corbusier, Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe. We should have figured that he was also a master at repurposing. The ingenuity of architect Ieoh Ming Pei is typical of successful architects - if at first one design is rejected, use it somewhere else. Sources I.M. Pei, Architect. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.https://www.jfklibrary.org/about-us/about-the-jfk-library/history/im-pei-architectNahm, Rosemarie. I.M. Pei’s Angel Island Beginnings. Immigrant Voices. Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. https://www.immigrant-voices.aiisf.org/stories-by-author/i-m-peis-angel-island-beginnings-2/

Singapores Aging Workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Singapores Aging Workforce - Essay Example Also, in Singapore, the government and employers need to focus on grouping the elderly and their talents before throwing choices at them. It has been believed that Asian countries, with their industrial boom, are busy facing the challenges of financial burdens and over population, where the aging population has a sizable share. In response to this the government and the employers alike have been weighing their possibilities for making use of this as a strength besides offering this segment of people a chance to explore various avenues and gain stability where finances and health care are concerned. The basic trend in Singapore's policy for its aging workforce is a progressive one. The policy implications for this attitude are the society at large as well as employer choices in the basic organizational framework. According to the recent trends, the government has made announcements in its latest budget that it will scale down the contribution rates of workers above 50 years of age so as to accommodate a higher rate of employability of older and low wage workers with a phasing scheme of the contributions to the CPF. Now, the worker earning $50 a month and aged 35 years or older will only pay the full new contribution rate of 13% at a monthly wage of $1,500. (Singapore Budget, 2007) Economic Implications In Singapore, the older low-wage workers are the ones who are affected the most by the changes in the economy owing to the fact that they invariably find it more difficult that most others to learn new skills and upgrade themselves. Apart from this, there is a serious dearth of ways to get re-employed if they lose their jobs where their families do not manage to effectively make ends meet. This has prompted the government to introduce Workfare in the latest budget in order to supplement the wages and savings of older low-wage workers. According to the 2007 Budget, this will also lead to various modifications in the CPF system in order to cater for those options that will complement the Workfare scheme. In this context, it must be pointed out that Singapore is yet to experience the phenomenon called wage supplements despite the fact this concept has been met with ample success in various other countries. For example, the US has developed the Earned Income Tax Credit which negates the level of income tax for low-wage workers. Instead, this act supplements the income actually earned by these people thus giving them more benefits and an impetus to pay taxes or contribute to the Provident Fund. Along the similar lines, the UK has a Working Tax Credit. The schemes provided under this plan have been useful as far as reduction of poverty is concerned, apart from encouraging people to work to show them that they can reach out to the government and the government will certainly reach back to them. For the Singapore government, the implications of these comparisons are many. On the planning boards, the problems in formulating and implementing such plans are clear. To start