Essay on Police Use of Force - 1577 Words

The police forces in every community are deemed law enforcement officers and have to take necessary precautions in executing their job. Individuals that police officers encounter may at any time threaten the security of the officer or others. Police officers have to follow procedures that are necessary to maintain control of situations that can cause harm to others or property. The three topics that will be discussed in police use of force are; the explanation and background of use of force, limitations of use of force, and disputed court cases dealing with police use of force. Police use of force can be described as being the amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject.†(nij.gov, p.1) The stages†¦show more content†¦The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in Data Collection on Police Use of Force, states that the legal test of excessive force is determining whether the police officer reasonably believed that their force was necessary to reach a legitimate police goal (cops.usdoj, p.1). Courts; however, may define â€Å"reasonable† differently than a court in another jurisdiction. The understanding of improper use of force can be divided into two categories: unnecessary and excessive† (p.1). The unnecessary use of force would be the application of force where there is no justification to use it; while an excessive use of force would be the application of more force than required where use of force is reasonable. (http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=1374) (https://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/ppsyc.txt) Some psychologists have been assigned to evaluate police officers who practice excessive force. The psychologists’ services are more counseling oriented than training (ncjrs.gov p.1). In examining police psychologists’ role in managing police use of excessive force, they were surveyed to examine the types of services they provide. They were also asked how those services are used to counter police use of excessive force (p.1). The psychologists characterized the types of officers who abuse force and offered strategies that could help policeShow MoreRelatedUse Of Force And The Police Force Essay1785 Words   |  8 PagesThe Use of Police Force Police encounter different situations in their daily activities. The diverse nature of the circumstances implies that the members of the police also have to adopt different strategies of handling them. In some circumstances, the police have to use force as a way of addressing the situations. Unfortunately, when the police apply their own discretion in the use of force, the outcomes of this approach may end in fatalities or serious injuries. In recent times, diverse opinionsRead More Police Use of Force Essay1079 Words   |  5 PagesIn certain situations, the police may have to act quickly on their instincts. Sometimes, a situation is unpredictable and a decision needs to be made in a split second. The quick decision may to be to take a person down physically with the officer’s own hands, or to use deadly force, unfortunately. Anything can happen and the officer needs to be ready for every scenario. The different levels of force can be anywhere from just a police officer bein g present, to having to kill someone to prevent himRead MorePolice Officers Use Of Force2643 Words   |  11 Pages Police Officers use of force has been an big issue for many decades, But has now made its way to mainstream. From news to social media there s always a recent relevant story/ case on police officers use of force. In 2016 Baton Rouge man, Alton Sterling was killed do to Police officers use of excessive force. This sparked an outrage in the nation after Mr. Sterlings murder went viral through social media. The shooting led to protests in Baton Rouge and a request for a civil rights investigationRead MorePolice Use And Excessive Force1757 Words   |  8 PagesIn most cases the police is permitted to use any form of necessary force to suppress a suspected criminal with minimal consequences if they use excessive force (â€Å"Police Use Of Force†). According to the current law all law enforcement officers should use only the amount of force necessary to weaken an incident, make an arrest, and protect themselves and others from harm (â€Å"Police Use of Force†). Officers rece ive guidance from their individual agencies, but no universal set of rules that governs whenRead MoreUse Of Excessive Force By Police Essay2388 Words   |  10 Pages Use of excessive force by police Name Institutional affiliation Introduction This paper will discuss issues related to the use of excessive force by the police. In doing this the paper will look at the concepts such as the need for police officers to use force, the definition of excessive force and causes that contribute to the use of excessive force. The paper identifies inadequate training, adrenalin overload, accidental application and retribution as the major causesRead MoreUnderstanding Police Use Of Force1789 Words   |  8 PagesUnderstanding Police Use of Force Police Officer shoots unarmed teen to death. Police Officer shoots unarmed teen to death who is violently attacking an officer. Which one is a catchier headline? The first one may attract ratings or sell newspapers but it is not only unfair to the police, it is also unfair to the public being fed this type of information. For years, news outlets have been bad mouthing police and their tactics because it makes for good stories. This type of coverage is dangerousRead MorePolice Use of Force Essay2187 Words   |  9 PagesPolice Use of Force Introduction Police officers are authorized to use force under certain circumstances, for instance; controlling a disruptive, aggressive and disturbing demonstration, undergoing arrest of an accused person or controlling a combative individual. These officers are trained properly regarding use of force while fulfilling their duties. However, the use of force by police is a subject of hot discussion amongst public, as many times law enforcement agencies, televisions, newspapersRead MoreUse of Excessive Force by Police3642 Words   |  15 PagesUse of Excessive Force by Police Use of Excessive Force by Police Police officers are given a significant amount of discretion simply due to the nature of the job. Officers are faced with many threatening situations forcing them to react quickly, yet appropriately. They have the power to infringe upon any citizen’s rights to freedom and therefore they must use this power effectively. One major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is their power to decide when to use force orRead MorePolice Authority, Police Power and Police Use of Force Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract This paper will describe police power and police authority. I will also talk about police discretion as for as whom gets locked up and who is allowed to go free. This paper will discuss the different use of police force. In this paper I will also talk about police attitude, police misconduct, and physical abuse among police officers. Most people confuse police authority with police power. What are police authority and or police power? Souryal, (2007), stated, â€Å"That Authority is theRead MorePolice Use Of Force Too Far1191 Words   |  5 PagesNow days i feel as if the police that the use of force too far. Studies show that over 45% of police use the use of force too far. The use of Force is there for the police to make them feel safe but in anyway you could see something the is misleading and lead to use of force in the wrong way. I think that someone needs to take a stand and say something about it because its getting out of hand with police at school and just police in the public. The way the police use force is only to keep them safe

The Attachment Theory And Argument - 866 Words

from a family member. Savage (2008) alludes to the attachment theory and argument that suggests that a supportive family enhances a student’s ability to handle difficult life transitions. For first generation college students, it may be important to include parental involvement as a means of trying to mediate between the different expectancies students may experience in their home lives from parents and family members who do not relate to the college experience and the demands placed on them to assimilate to their college peer groups (Haiso, 1992). Various student outcomes that are enforced by student and faculty interaction have been identified by studies conducted by Pascarella and Terenzini, varying from subject matter competence, cognitive skill and intellectual growth, attitudes and values, educational attainment, and career and choice development (Kim Sax, 2009). Light (2004) states findings in his book that students who are the happiest and grow the most academically organized time to participate in activities with faculty members. For this reason, many programs incorporate parental involvement in the process in addition to working towards fostering relationships between students and on campus mentors (Kezar, 2000). Cuseo (2008) points out that students who lack â€Å"personal and meaningful† contact on campus can have feelings of marginalization and separation, and suggest that promotion of student faculty interaction will help students to feel a psychologicalShow MoreRelatedAttachment Theory1566 Words   |   7 PagesAttachment Theory John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst and has developed his knowledge and understanding into the theory of Attachment. Bowlby believed that children have been born programmed to form attachments which will help them survive; this is known as evolutionary attachments. Bowlby believed that all attachments are instinctive, he said that attachments are shown when the child is under conditions of feeling threatened, such as: separation, fear and insecurity. In 1969 and 1988 Bowlby suggestedRead MoreChild Development Theories That Have A Degree Of Influence Over Current Practice1316 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelopment theories that have a degree of influence over current practice. Each of which both have criticism and contrasting theories. John Bowlby (1907-1990) developed the Theory of Attachment, influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud’s 1926 theory of cupboard love, which suggested that babies form attachments with those who meet their physiological needs, for example; feeding and security. His theory has influenced practice in settings globally and has also influenced other theories and experimentsRead MoreAdult And Early Intimate Partner Violence1586 Words   |  7 Pagesbegin with a brief overview of attachment theory in adults and early intimate partner violence (IPV) research. After discussing this I will evaluate more research on different topics related to issues raised previously which include controlled studies, female violence, homosexual violence, the role of the victim and finally predictive research. These topics are the focus of this essays understanding of the different ways in which we understand IPV. Attachment theory was originally proposed by BowlbyRead MoreThe Theory And Social Control Theory1106 Words   |  5 Pagescontrol perspective on juvenile delinquency. In his groundbreaking work, Causes of Delinquency, he argued out that an explanation for delinquency can be achieved by absence of social bonds. He also stated that delinquency could be prevented by social attachments, acceptance of social norms, recognizing the moral validity of law and involvement in conventional activities. In his other work with Michael R. Gottfredson, they defined crime as fraudulent or forceful acts that are undertaken in order to achieveRead MoreThe Debate Of Nature Vs Nurture1445 Words   |  6 Pagesperspectives and theories from the behaviourist and biological approaches and the objective of this assignment is to discuss the importance of attachment in human development. To do this we can make reference to the case of Genie who suffered severe neglect as a child. Behaviourism was first intro duced by John Watson who opposed the naturists and took the view that the mind is there to be manipulated through conditioning methods and so attachments are learned. However there are theories and studies whichRead MoreAttachment Theory on Socio-Emtionals Development of Children1435 Words   |  6 PagesAttachment Theory: One of the most studied topics in today’s psychology is the attachment theory whose common references are from attachment models by Bowlby and Ainsworth. Since its introduction, the concept has developed to become one of the most significant theoretical schemes for understanding the socio-emotional development of children at an early stage. In addition, the theory is also developing into one of the most prominent models that guide parent-child relationships. Some of the keyRead MoreBowlby s Theory Of Attachment1255 Words   |  6 PagesAttachment refers to an affectional bond; a bond which is exclusive to an individual and cannot be exchanged to another. A particularly important bond is the emotional one between an infant and its primary care giver. When it comes to attachment it is often said that it is either down to nature or nurture. Nature is the belief that it is genetic based whilst nurture believes it is our environment and experiences. Bowlby focuses on the evolutionary argument for attachment. Bowlby’s theory can beRead MoreThe Theory Of Development Concepts And Applications By William Crain1076 Words   |  5 Pagesso many beautiful observations.   Our text Theories of Development Concepts and Applications by William Crain  outlines human development by many theorists.   A few of those are  John Bowlby,  Mary D.S. Ainsworth,  and  Ã‚  Erik H. Erikson.   I couldn t help but reminisce about the stages of my own children’s  growth while reading the work of Bowlby, Ainsworth and Erikson.   I remember having my  young children with me when ever it was possible, but what attachments to them might I have  missed while I  was busyRead MoreThe Core Tenets Of Social Defense Theory Essay1156 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract Despite its roots in evolutionary theory, attachment theory has long split itself into two factions: adaptive and maladaptive. For years, insecure attachment has been implicated as one of the root causes for a number of psychological concerns (Dozier, Stovall-McClough, Albus, 2008). The development of social defense theory, however, provides an entirely new interpretation of attachment – that all attachment dispositions (secure, anxious, and avoidant) have access to different cognitiveRead MorePiaget s Theory Of Cognitive Development1096 Words   |  5 Pagestake on account the individual differences between children in development. The focus of this essay is on Piaget’s theory because it is one of the most influential theories. Furthermore, this essay will evaluate whether Piaget’s theory is able to account for individual differences in cognitive development. The main focus will be the development of children. Jean Piaget developed a theory about the cognitive development in childhood. He was convinced that the development of thinking is a linear and

LEDC and MEDC Economic and Social Issues Free Essays

The population in the UK is forever ageing, with people living until a much older age today. One economic effect of this is that pensioners will, in time, outnumber children. This will mean that there will be a generation between certain ages that has a very low population and once this age band becomes part of the working population, there will be significantly less tax revenues for the government. We will write a custom essay sample on LEDC and MEDC Economic and Social Issues or any similar topic only for you Order Now This will indirectly affect the economy. In addition, there may be a large deficit, where the about being paid into the economy is less than the amount being paid out. Because pensioners require healthcare, disability benefits and state pensions, there may be a lot of money going out to the high number of pensioners and because there are much more older dependant people the working population cannot produce enough make sure there is stability. This could also mean there is a great burden on the health service. When people are older, they require much more healthcare, and so the health services in the UK will have more pressure as there are so many older people. There are also many social costs. One is that with more people becoming older, the death rate will be high, but the birth rate remains low as there are so many older people and very few people are young enough to give birth. This will mean the population could decrease. Additionally, when there are more elderly people, the healthcare system cannot cope, there will be a sudden need for more old people’s homes and this will put pressure on the NHS. However, there are some positive economic impacts. There will be a growing market for products such as stair lifts and wheel chairs. Also, companies like hotels will have a wider spread of profits throughout the year because pensioners. There may also be an increase in private healthcare profits because many elderly people who are rich can afford to have private healthcare. There is also an increased life expectancy and lower death rates in the country as more people are living and for a long time. Caatinga in north Brazil is a rural area that is home to mostly poor people. The people living in Caatinga are moving to much more industrialized cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to the south of Brazil. The main reasons people are leaving the rural areas are the lack of employment opportunities, the main source of income in Caatinga is farming jobs and other agricultural jobs. This is then made worse by the frequent droughts in the area and other natural disasters. Another reason people are moving is because of large families that have very little land to share amongst the sons. This is caused by a high birth rate in rural areas like Caatinga. Overgrazing of the land will lead to bad crops being produced and soil that is useless. This then leads to starvation, resulting from either too little output for the people of the area or crop failure. This has then lead to more families selling land off and moving away. The land that they sell off may be to richer farmers that have tractors and other mechanized equipment. This then causes a reduction in the number of jobs available in the area. Farming is also hard work with long hours and little pay. In LEDC’s lack of money will mean a lack of farming equipment. Caatinga also experiences many droughts and so the hard physical condition of the area will cause a loss of jobs or food in the area. Caatinga also has a lack of services like schools and hospitals; this will be hard for families to cope with because of young children. Finally, the government are more likely to invest in urban areas rather than rural areas like Caatinga. The reasons that people move to the city and urban areas are because, they seek better jobs that pay much more money, jobs in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are much better paid than in Caatinga. They are housed better and have a better quality of life, they have a better medical treatment and more services like schools and they have enough food. The UK, which is in Western Europe, is an MEDC. The average life expectancy in the UK is 77 years. Burkina Faso is in Central Africa and is an LEDC. The life expectancy there is 48 years. Firstly the infant mortality rate in Burkina Faso is 170 per 1000. This means out of every 1000 babies born, 170 of them are likely to die. This proves that there is a problem in Burkina Faso because in the UK the Infant mortality rate is only 6 per 1000. This clearly shows how the healthcare in Burkina Faso is poor and so they are more likely to die younger. Another factor is the Average calorie intake per day. In Burkina faso it is 2387 calories, whereas in the UK it is 3317 calories. Burkina Faso’s figure is lower than what is needed to live. This shows how more people are starving and dieing younger. Similarly, the amount of the population that is malnourished in Burkina Faso is 30%, whereas in the UK it is 2%. This illustrates a growing problem of food in Burkina Faso. The lack of available food will mean more people are dieing and many more young people are struggling to survive. The number of years for the UK’s population to double is 433 years, in contrast to Burkina Faso who’s population is said to double in 23 years! This will cause large problems with resources and may start off a large phase of famine and disease. This will keep the Life expectancy low. The access to healthcare in Burkina Faso is less than 50% this clearly indicates a problem in health with many people and the majority of the population not being able to have healthcare. This will keep the life expectancy low, compared to the UK which has 100% access to healthcare for everyone. With an average income of only $230 per person, Burkina faso is likely to have problems of poverty and lack of food and clean water. This means most families are likely to die young because no money will eventually be the cause of deaths, against the UK, with an average income of i18,000. These factors clearly show that Burkina faso has a very low life expectancy, many people are dieing as a result of these poor living standards. Whereas the UK has a high life expectancy because the overall quality of life is better. How to cite LEDC and MEDC Economic and Social Issues, Papers

Cask Of Amontillado (590 words) Essay Example For Students

Cask Of Amontillado (590 words) Essay Cask Of Amontilladoâ€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†The author of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Edgar Allan Poe, lets us know in the opening sentence that the character telling the story, Montresor, vows revenge. Montresor’s target of revenge is Fortunato, but Montresor never specifically says what Fortunato did to him or his family. However, Montresor’s fear of Fortunato avenging any threat of revenge leads us to believe his plan is well thought out and executed in a very matter of fact way. Seeking this revenge on Fortunato has not made Montresor feel guilty for what he has done. It seems as if revenge is just part of his nature. Throughout the story, it seems as if Montresor has every bit of his revenge on Fortunato planned out. He could not have chosen a better time or place to commit his act of revenge. He knows that during carnival season, or as we know it Mardi Gras, everyone in town will be dressed in a costume with a mask, drinking, and not paying attention to much that is going on outside of the carnival. Montresor knows that Fortunato will be at the carnival and more than likely drinking. Another part of Montresor’s plan is to use reverse psychology. The story reads, â€Å"I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house.† Montresor says this because he knows that his servants will also want to celebrate at the carnival so if they know he will not be there they will leave. Montresor used this psychology a few times on Fortunato. As Fortunato began to cough heavily, Montresor says, â€Å"We will go back; your health is precious†¦you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi-.† Montresor is not at all worried about Fortunato’s cough. Montresor chooses wine because he knows that it is something Fortunato is interested in and that he is extremely proud of his knowledge of it. During their discussion, Montresor plays to Fortunato’s arrogance by comparing his abilities to Luchresi. Montresor sounds concerned about Fortunato’s hea lth up until his final act of revenge. Montresor’s family crest is a human foot crushing a serpent. The family motto reads, â€Å"No one challenges me with impunity.† This translates into Montresor being the human foot that is crushing Fortunato. Montresor did not let Fortunato get away with whatever insult he gave to him. This is what makes revenge part of Montresor’s nature. If this were what he believes in, then of course he would not feel guilty about it. Montresor says to Fortunato, â€Å"You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as I once was.† This could lead a reader to believe that Montresor killed Fortunato because it made him feel more powerful. That may have been what made him happy. Perhaps that is why he took his precious time putting the last stone in the wall. He was enjoying what he had done. Montresor’s well-planned and executed act of revenge still sounds so matter of fact some fifty years later as he is telling his story to someone. As he is finishing the story, he points out that no one has run across the rock walled tomb where he left Fortunato. Montresor does not seem to convey any guilt as he finishes his story with, â€Å"May he rest in peace!†English Essays

Persepolis Essay Example

Persepolis Paper Effects of Violence on Marli Although violence is intended to harm someone, there can be positive effects in certain situations. In MarJane Satrapis personal memoir, Persepolis, it is shown that Marli is exposed toa large amount of violence in her life, and in turn, it has affected her in many ways. The negative effect on her life include the emotional scarring that entails deaths from violence and also her increased violent tendencies. A positive effect of violence on MarJis adolescence is that she becomes more mature and is able to stand up for herself. MarJis exposure to the difficult times around her define ho she is as an individual, how she behaves, and how she matures. As a child is growing up, the people around them affect them greatly, and the violence around Marli and her life is emotionally scarring to her. Her Uncle Anoosh was executed for being a Russian spy, and she cared for him greatly. After she receives the news, she is visited by her image of God, and during this brief appearance she shouts at him, saying, Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! (Satrapi 70). We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Persepolis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This quote is quite strong for MarJi; it is shouted in a iolent manner that is fairly unusual for her. She is very torn up about the situation that is at hand, which in itself is aggressive, and she is trying to cope. Usually this God is a comforting friend, a figment of her imagination that she created to try to understand the world around her. In this case, she feels that it is his fault that her uncle was executed. She tells him to leave because she doesnt trust him, especially since she is in a unstable, mourning condition. In the image Marli is standing on her bed, pointing to guide God to leave her. God looks sad or disappointed, but almost ike he expected it, and is accepting of his banishment, which could translate to him feeling guilty about the situation. The blackened background gives the impression that the main idea is her and God and also that she is starting to feel lost in her sadness and the enormity of the fact at hand. The way she is standing on the bed gives her power when she is possibly weak, making her seem taller and steadier. Another more graphic case of violence in MarJis life was the bombing near her house. Her neighbors house was bombed, and it is inferred that they were killed. After seeing what she believes is a hand, she explains, No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger (Satrapi 142). She was friends with her neighbor and is very difficult to have such a harsh visual in front of her. It was especially traumatizing for Marli because it was so close to her home and she must have thought of the possibility of that being her family. The panel for this phrase is just darkness, which expresses MarJis grief and her emotions clouding her thinking. She cant think of anything other than mute blackness because of the shock she feels. In both of these situations, someone close to Marli has been brutally killed, whether it be by assassination or bombing. Marli has been through a lot in her life, but deaths like this will stay with her forever and affect the weight of her memories. Prolonged exposure to certain behaviors can lead to slight mirroring of these habits which applies to Marli and her violent tendencies. She is susceptible to the of being fierce, threatening, and occasionally rude. For example, when Marli is very young, she hears that her friend Ramins father killed thousands of people, and creates a plan to punish him. She explains that her idea was to put nails between our fingers like American brass knuckles and to attack Ramin (Satrapi 45). Marli clarifies that she got the idea from hearing about American brass knuckles, something that should not be conveyed to young children. She came to the conclusion that Ramin should be punished very easily, only discovering it from word of mouth. According to Ramin, his father only killed evil communists. Based on this information, it can be inferred that Marli acted severely and irrationally, and effect of her exposure to the issues around her. In the image, Marli and a few of her friends re stomping through the streets, looking for Ramin, who is hiding behind a tree, looking very scared. The expression MarJis face and her stance is very similar to the panels that show protests and demonstrations. The tree that Ramin is hiding behind has only a single leaf on its otherwise bare branches, which could show the lack of protection Ramin has. Marli is very strong willed and opinionated and this is shown through her actions, such as when she is influenced by violence and destruction around her. After she learns that Iraqi bombs were dropped on Tehran, she reacts uickly, exclaiming, The Iraqis have always been our enemies. They want to invade us We have to bomb Baghdad! (Satrapi 81-2). Marli has been exposed to the bombings around her and she immediately wants to respond in a negative way, by fighting fire with fire. For an adolescent, these are strong topics to be dealing with and her voice on the matter is very aggressive. She is very adamant about the decisions she makes, even if she doesnt know all the information. Marli has a habit of being determined about a subject to show confidence and it also works to cover he fact that she might not know all the information. In both these images, Marli is angry and she seems to look like she believes that these behaviors are the obvious answers. She is very strong in her posture and she is defying her father in the first image, showing that she believes she is right and needs to show him that. In the second image, she is saying it in a matter of fact tone, and she has her feet on the table, a symbol of rebellion and confidence. She thinks that she knows they answer and wants to be strong willed about it. Although violence has a negative connotation, it does have the positive effect of ausing Marli to mature and act older than her true age. Ever since she was young, Marli has been fairly independent and opinionated. In her school life, she has talked back to her teachers multiple times. For example, when she wears her bracelet after a warning from the principal, she exclaims, With all the Jewelry you steal from us, you must be making a pile of money (Satrapi 143). This response is followed by Marli hitting the principal and being expelled. This may seem like a bad thing for MarJi, and it is, but it also shows her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. She showed that she is confident and doesnt want to listen to authority figures with whom she doesnt agree. She is an independent young women and her ability to stand up for herself will be useful as she grows up. I think MarJis expression in this panel is key. She looks angry, surprised, and almost disgusted. She knows what she believes is right and she doesnt want anyone to tell her otherwise. The principal is which almost Justifies MarJis action to hit her. Afterward, she apologizes to the principal, because of her natural instinct to try to lessen the severity of a situation. I hink she acts irrationally in this instance because she has learned that in dangerous or violent situations, she needs to act in a way that exerts her confidence and dominance. I believe that the formation of these behaviors is due to Marli toughening her personality to deal with the brutality surrounding her. Another example of MarJis maturing behavior is the cigarette she smokes. As she tried her first one, she said With this first cigarette, I kissed my childhood goodbye (Satrapi 117). She was using the cigarette as an act of rebellion against her moms dictatorship, but this is eflected with the executions of the regimes oppositions and the violence around her in general. Marli feels the need to rebel because she sees her mother as the dictator of the household and rebelling against her is correlated with rebelling against the revolution. It is well know that cigarettes are incredibly destructive to your health and they represent the violence to which Marli is exposed. She sees this act as her development into a grown-up. Being mature in her society is necessary because otherwise it is difficult to support yourself. As it turns out, Marli had to move away rom her family so her independence and growth will help her in her new life. In the final panel, where she dismisses her childhood, Marli looks confident and sure of herself and her decisions. The black background shows that this is an intense situation and all the attention should be focused on Marli and her actions. In the panel before, Marli was crying due to the cigarette but also due to the ideas entailed with smoking a cigarette and the loss of her childhood. She stopped crying for the last panel to show that she isnt afraid and she is ready for what adulthood could try o throw at her. In conclusion, violence has both negative and positive effects on MarJi. There is expected emotional scarring from the visual violence around her and as an individual, she develops a few violent behaviors. On the other hand, Marli has become more independent and grown-up, almost forcefully, from her exposure to the violence around her. Marli was living in a life surrounded by turmoil and destruction and she had nearly no choice but to endure the difficulties around her and work through them, leading to her growth into a stronger individual.

Free Essays on Hip Hop Video Analyization

. The beginning of this great relationship between the music video and rap artist dates back to as early as the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight. The hit single which by no means was the first rap song ever produced, was the first rap single to hit the top 40 charts and consequently its wide release made HipHop instantly international. Its commercial success paved the way for rap into the 80’s and some argue, gave rap an identity. It is obvious that HipHop as an art form has changed immensely; however there are certain attributes that have remained constant over the years. 1.) HipHop is a counter-hegemonic tool that can be used and even exploited by those individuals, in particular the youthful African American community and other disenfranchised communities, who, with HipHop as its voice would have no voice at all. 2.) Consists of more than just lyrics and beats but embodies an entire culture. And 3.) It is ours, it is amazing and it is here to stay. Another thing that has not changed is the use of braggadocio and flaunting of material wealth as a counter hegemonic tool. In essence claiming, â€Å"We got money like you, we party like you can, we should now be considered as equals, if not better than those who oppress us.† In Rapper’s Delight its exclaimed: â€Å"ya see i got more clothes than muhammad ali and i dress so viciously i got bodyguards, i got two big cars that definitely aint the wack i got a lincoln continental and a sunroof Cadillac†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ everybody go, hotel motel holiday inn say if your girl starts actin up, then you take her friend† Fast forward sixteen years to The Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie’s hit single One More Chance. Like Rappers Delight this song was a huge hit, arguably B.I.G’s biggest. However... Free Essays on Hip Hop Video Analyization Free Essays on Hip Hop Video Analyization Since its’ inception, HipHop music videos have served as exclamation points for the art form itself, adding life, and a visual construct to the already emotionally powerful words. The beginning of this great relationship between the music video and rap artist dates back to as early as the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight. The hit single which by no means was the first rap song ever produced, was the first rap single to hit the top 40 charts and consequently its wide release made HipHop instantly international. Its commercial success paved the way for rap into the 80’s and some argue, gave rap an identity. It is obvious that HipHop as an art form has changed immensely; however there are certain attributes that have remained constant over the years. 1.) HipHop is a counter-hegemonic tool that can be used and even exploited by those individuals, in particular the youthful African American community and other disenfranchised communities, who, with HipHop as its voice would have no voice at all. 2.) Consists of more than just lyrics and beats but embodies an entire culture. And 3.) It is ours, it is amazing and it is here to stay. Another thing that has not changed is the use of braggadocio and flaunting of material wealth as a counter hegemonic tool. In essence claiming, â€Å"We got money like you, we party like you can, we should now be considered as equals, if not better than those who oppress us.† In Rapper’s Delight its exclaimed: â€Å"ya see i got more clothes than muhammad ali and i dress so viciously i got bodyguards, i got two big cars that definitely aint the wack i got a lincoln continental and a sunroof Cadillac†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ everybody go, hotel motel holiday inn say if your girl starts actin up, then you take her friend† Fast forward sixteen years to The Notorious B.I.G. a.k.a. Biggie’s hit single One More Chance. Like Rappers Delight this song was a huge hit, arguably B.I.G’s biggest. However...

Module 5 case assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Module 5 case - Assignment Example The new strategies aim at eliminating promotion of products and focuses on selling the recognized brands. The promotion based pricing strategy was initially adopted by the company but latter the company undertook mark-up pricing strategy which made room for promotional discounts. However, the new everyday pricing strategy helped the company to set prices at a lower range and eliminated the need for higher sales price. There are several changes in the pricing structure of the company as the prices no longer ended in decimal number such as $9.99 etc rather whole figures are used for the products. The price tags of the products employed only one price and did not print the retailing price of the manufacturers. This trend of printing the retailing price in the product provided greater comparison pertaining to the amount of product that should be sold. The retailer has made important changes in assorting merchandise (Hess, 2011). The company focused on its mini-stores within larger ones and evaluated that the mini-stores are selling higher than the larger one. The new pricing strategy never gained any attention and thus it is unsuccessful in making any change to the situation. The consumers are not happy with the pricing strategies and the sales of the company declined steadily as time passed. The company encountered a loss of $3.3 billion in the first year of sales of Johnson plan. The amount increased as it approached the second year. The annual revenue of the company in 2011 declined 25% a sharp decline after 1987 (Henricks, 2010). As a result of the decline the CEO announced that the company will not use the everyday pricing strategy anymore and would return to the previous coupons and discounts and would focus on advertised sales (Henricks, 2010; Hill, 2010). 1) Everyday pricing is not correctly executed by the company as it sells many products and does not concentrate on a unique one. Everyday pricing is

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis of Southwest airlines Term Paper

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis of Southwest airlines - Term Paper Example Southwest Airline started its operation in 1971 in the United States of America, and their aims have been focused on being different from the other airlines and to provide better services at a lower cost. Southwest airline is a healthier and a more composed airline company in the United States which has gained a large amount of revenues even in the hard times of recession. The weaknesses include the absence of Southwest airline in the international market and the unavailability of the business class seat arrangements. The strengths of the company overpowers its weaknesses therefore, the company is far ahead of its competitors in the competition race. It is recommended to the Board of Directors and the CEO that Southwest Airline has the leading market share in the competition but it cannot solely compete on the basis of low cost but it has to develop some further core competencies in order to compete in the market. The airline firm must always make their employees productive and fuel hedging should be avoided. Introduction: Southwest Airline began its operation in 1971 in the United States of America, and their aims have been focused on being different from the other airlines and to provide better services at a lower cost (Southwest Airline, 2012). This report is a proposal to the Board of Directors and CEO of the Southwest Airline which focuses on the internal analysis of the Southwest Airline. The paper would accomplish the task of analyzing the performance of the company and synthesizing the int ernal analysis with the external analysis of the Southwest Airline. Finally, the paper provides the results and findings about the company’s overall SWOT analysis and provides recommendations to the responsible authorities about Southwest Airlines performance. Strengths Rating Southwest airline is the low-cost carrier operating in the United States 5 The company remains higher ranked airline in terms of customer satisfaction 4 The airline hires the best people, best people for the best job 4 It was the first airline to introduce online ticket 5 Southwest has over 550 Boeing aircrafts which reduces training cost 4 Fuel hedge contract helps in managing the fuel cost effectively 4 Total 26 Weaknesses Rating The absence of Southwest airline in the international market 5 The seating arrangements are not classified for the business class 3 The aircrafts could not carry a large amount of freight 3 The airline tickets are directly available through the internet without intermediary 3 The flexibility in the fare is limited 3 Total 17 Results and Analysis: Southwest airline is a healthier and a more composed airline company in the United States which has gained a large amount of revenues even in the hard times of recession. The airline has innovated many processes as online ticketing and airfreight delivery and has been operating domestically in 42 states but however the company has not achieved its greater heights because of showing resistance in expanding the business internationally. Apart from that, the Southwest airline is considered to be the leading airline in terms of revenues and customer satisfaction (Lauer, 2010). Resource-based view framework: This is a management technique which is used to determine the competitive advantage of a company. In order to achieve success, a company must have operations and resources which should be distinctive from its competitors. In the first step, resources of Southwest airline should be identified in order to understa nd the core competencies of the company (Gittell, 2003). Tangible Resources: Southwest airline consists of 550 Boeing aircrafts which are operated in 97 destinations domestically. The company has a large amount of expert managers and technicians which are considered to be their assets. The company has a total assets worth of $18 Billion (Southwest Airlin

Module 4 Student-Centered Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 4 Student-Centered Assessment - Essay Example 2-3). Currently, students have standardized method or structured tutoring and only depend on incidental peer tutoring. With incidental tutoring, it is not possible to identify and fix potential student’s learning needs and it is crucial to implement structured peer tutoring to track and assess learning needs and resolve those needs by making students active learners through transformative learning. The school performance evaluation revealed three main factors as responsible for the situation (Lannen, 2013, p. 8). First, teachers are not familiar with grouping techniques. Consequently, they have not applied any mixed capability grouping in their classrooms. Secondly, teachers do not inspire peer tutoring, hence do not prepare tutors or perform any decent groundwork of tutoring structure whether in terms of time or material. Finally, teachers do not appoint an informal and precise way of tutoring hence lack appropriate guidance to the incidental tutors. First, incidental peer tutoring has to be replaced with structured form. This will mean that the teacher works together with the peer tutors in identifying mixed ability groupings within classroom settings, preparing them in advance, issuing appropriate guidance, and supervising them as they tutor (Lannen, 2013, p. 10). This way, tutors will serve as role models, encourage and inspire students’ learning, and assist teachers and students. To the students, the peer tutor becomes an extra-teacher offering more one-on-one attention; assists them to learn by identifying learning difficulties and explaining things differently; encourages good rapport since they are age mates; and inspires them to become teachers. The study will also seek to identify the effect of structured peer tutoring on teachers and teaching. The focus will be on teacher identification of student needs, ability

How Ethical Issues Can Affect Each Component

How Ethical Issues Can Affect Each Component This report aims to describe, how ethical issues can affect each component of the marketing mix. The report starts of by introduction to the ethics in an organisation and the importance of business ethics in the society. The report also examines the various factors which have a impact on the ethical nature of the marketing decisions. Two well-known companies have been taken into account for better understanding and demonstration of the discussion. INTRODUCTION A rose à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. By any other name would smell as sweet. SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet There is an inevitable and universal cycle between consumers and marketers. The main aim of any marketer is to satisfy customer needs and wants. Marketing provides the exchange link between customers and marketers which would eventually help in increasing return on investment for shareholders. (Smith 1995; Dunfee, Smith, and Ross 1999) Both marketers and the consumers have different mind set while selling or purchasing the products. The sole main of companies is to maximise their profit and consumers is to have a value for money product and services. This difference in thinking leads to conflicts on the basis of ethics. (Smith 1995, 1993) The basic ethical issues like, justice, rights, fairness and equality can be perceived in a different manner by consumer and the companies. (Dunfee, Smith, and Ross 1999) In some instances both consumers and the companies may believe on the same ethical grounds for e.g. in principle, providing a unique, value for money product and services. Whereas, research has shown that there is a wide gap between the ethical philosophies of both consumers as well as marketers, (Singhapakdi et al. 1999) which results in unethical behaviour by consumers including boycotts and protests. (Smith and Cooper-Martin 1997) IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS A CONTINGENCY APPROACH- The ethics era began around early 1980s, when researchers and businesses started giving more attention to the ethical side of the business. (Macchiette and Roy 1994; Smith 1995) Many theories have been proposed since then in order to draw promote consumers rights and moral values. Including- social contracts theory, moral decision-making theory (Laczniak and Murphy 1991), general theory of marketing ethics (Hunt and Vitell 1986) and social contracts theory (Dunfee, Smith and Ross 1999). These theories are basic and are developed over from the old, classical theories including Kantian ethics and perspectives of rights, duties, and justice. The main aim of all these marketing ethics theories and even business ethics in modern world is to increase consumers confidence and develop trust for the companies and thus having customer loyalty. The business ethics also helps companies to gain competitive advantage in the market for instance- Anita Rodick- Body Shop and Richard Bransons Virgin group. REFERENCE NEEDED ETHICAL ISSUES IN MARKETING Marketing in any companies starts with the basic step of marketing research which is then followed by segmentation and targeting the market. Thought marketing research is followed to gain knowledge about the market and the competitors but some how- knowingly or un-knowingly, companies tend to invade the privacy of the consumers by following un-ethical method of gathering information. Even while conducting the research, researchers tend to stereotype among people in order to get the desired result which in turn results in wrong information about customer needs and demands. While s In terms of targeting the market, companies also aim at the young children, who do not have the right knowledge, thus they choose the market audience of their choice knowing they will benefit the maximum. For instance- a chocolate ad will show a kid playing and eating melted chocolate but it never says, brush your teeth after having it. Now, to be more specific, we will look at the ethical issues related to the marketing mix- 4Ps. PRODUCT PRODUCT MIX There are four major issues with products: deceptive packaging, product safety, brand divisive and planned obsolescence Product safety Safety is first. A major impact is being made to make the product safe and secure for the consumers to use. Almost all the products in the market use some or the other form of technology which may or may be harmful for the consumers. It is the duty of the marketers to ensure the safety of the product before placing it in the market. For instance, according to BBC news, 2007, the biggest toy making company in China Mattel had recalled 9 million products due to danger from magnet and lead paint. This violates the consumers right to safety. BBC news, 2007 Planned obsolescence Nothing lasts forever but the question is who and how is to decide the time frame for deciding when is the replacement required. Cars rust, clothes fade or go out of fashion. If companies make efforts to increase the quality of the products, there are many customers who would love to keep their cars for a longer period of time than they can. However, for the producers its a wear-out is positive as it results in increase in demand of their other goods and services/ repeat purchase. Some people argue that if the product has been planned to be obsolete form the market, it violates customers right to choose. The car manufacturers like Ford have recently come up with their latest cars having their body shells much more resistant to rust proving a 3 years minimum guarantee. Ford, 2010 Deceptive packaging This is a very common practice, also known as slack packaging followed by many companies as they show the product to be over sized by packaging effects giving customers an idea of buying more for the same price than the competitor. Product such as- cereals, crisps or even soap powders are such examples. Packaging sometimes also includes misleading labelling. In terms of missing information on package about various ingredients or even a sentence which could be useful in consumers decision making process leads to violation of consumers right to information. Brands Divisive Branding is something that is used by companies to differentiate their product than that of the competitors. The well known sports brand NIKE is supposed to be sport-wear of high quality, durability and is also proposed to be in the top segment in the market. Some people argue that Nike is a brand rather than a product, much similar to the Apple ipod from Apple. Nike does not produce anything of its own. The entire production is outsourced to less developed countries like India and Indonesia. The retail price of a Nike today may be  £100 on an average but according to a report from 2001, the full time wages for an employee were around the legal minimum of 17,000 Rupiahs ( £1.22/) per day. The problem with branding is that big brands like Nike, Apple have all the power, even though they get their products made in poor countries, wealth is still in few hands only. Working is Nike leads to a disproportion of profits and power on a global level due to which poor countries are left with low margin production units. PRICE Price is something of value charged by the producers in exchange of his products or services. The various un-ethical pricing practices are: Price fixing: It is a situation where the competitors agree to charge a fixed, raise or maintain price, in simpler terms manipulate price. Price fixing can be done for different reasons- to discriminate against small firms, remove competition by fixing price in specific areas and enjoying monopolistic market. Thus in 1980, the Sherman Act was introduced to ensure fair pricing between both consumers and businesses. http://bizcovering.com/business-and-society/price-fixing/ Bid rigging This is a situation or fraud where the commercial contracts are promised to only one party even if there are other bidders present. Price rigging is a form of price fixing itself and is illegal in many countries. Usually occurs in big tenders for governments or private companies for construction. The ill-effects of price rigging fall on the local consumers [tax payers] as well as the agencies who seek to bid and thus effects the overall economy. Price discrimination It is often referred to as price differentiation due to the fact that different price are being charged by companies for the same product or service to different customers depending on the market segment and rules set prior to the service, for instance in the travel industry a flight may charge $160 from destination A to B and the same flight may charge $200 to the same destination due travelling on a weekend. Another example can be if u book British Airways from A to B for next day travelling you might end up paying almost double, what you could have paid if you would have booked in 2-3 months in advance. Price skimming Many companies follow price skimming strategies in order to gain more revenues before competitors enter the market. Apple iPhone could be the best example to explain the skimming of prices. iPhone was launched with the buzz marketing and unique technology. They made sure that their target market will jump on the products whenever they launch. Having a high introductory price for one year, Apple gain the all the money and confidence of consumer of a superior product and later slashed the price to gain more markets. Price skimming is a temporary form of price discrimination allowing companies to recover their sunk cost. Dumping: Dumping or selling lower than the fair value is a situation/act where companies charge less in the foreign markets compared to that from the home markets for the same products. Dumping according to WTO is condemned but not prohibited PROMOTION Promotion plays a very important role in welfare of the company and thus sometimes companies do anything possible to promote their offered product and services even by unscrupulous means. Advertisements tell the consumers what they would want to hear about the product. No company would ever promote or say negative aspects of their products. The Ads thus, lack in honesty and the complete truth about the features of the product. Some times while promoting certain products, companies need to make sure, they do their homework by knowing about the culture of the country in order to telecast any ad on the television as no person in Saudi Arabia would like to see women advertising about suits and fairness creams. Or no person would like to see promotion of beef burgers by McDonald in India. Competitive ads sometimes can be misleading and create controversy. Ads also have a Some Taste and controversy Negative advertising False and misleading advertising Creating demand for vice or unwholesome products Tobacco? Alcohol? Fattening foods? Pornography or sexually explicit material? Intrusive promotions PLACE Slotting allowances: The fee charged to have their products placed on the shelves by the retailers to produce companies or manufacturers is called a slotting fee, slotting allowance, pay-to-stay, or fixed trade. It depends on factors such as the product, market conditions and the manufacturer of products and so varies greatly. For instance while the initial slotting allowance in a regional group of stores for a new product can be approximately $25,000 per item in high demand markets it can go as high as $250,000. Promotional, stocking and advertising fees are amongst the other fees that can be charged by the retailer. This practise, according to an FTC study, is widespread in the supermarket industry. Many grocers even earn more profit from agreeing to carry a manufacturers product than they do from actually selling the product to retail consumers. Buyback / stock lift / lift-out Gray market merchandise: Generally, it is a single importer a manufacturer would work in a particular area to sell and support their products. The importer further has local dealers and distributors to whom he resells the imported products; this results in a distribution channel. Gray Market, on the other hand, refers to use of methods other than these normal channels to sell and import merchandise. Items thus sold may not be meeting mandatory safety and certification codes, and so are not supported by the authorized importer and are not designed to be sold in a particular market. It also follows that as there is not a particular market for these items they may not function properly, or the authorized importer may not be equipped to provide service, support or software. OR the unofficial trading of securities that have not yet been formally issued Diverted merchandise Exclusive geographic territories Exclusive dealing agreements Tying contracts Refusal to deal Ethics and the supply chain A claim to be an ethical firm would be hypocritical , if a firm turns a blind eye to the unethical practices of suppliers in a supply chain. In particular: The use of child labour and forced labour Production in sweatshops Violation of the basic rights of workers Ignoring of health, safety and environmental standards An ethical producer has to be concerned with what is practiced by all firms (upstream and downstream) in the supply chain. CASE STUDY On July 4, 1977, a boycott was launched in United States against the Swiss based Nestle corporation over the companys marketing of its infant formula (breast milk substitute) particularly in less economically developed countries. Protesters claimed that the infant formula caused unnecessary death of suffering of babies, largely among the poor. The movement quickly spread throughout United States and expanded into Europe as well in the early 1980s. Professor Derek Jelliffe and his wife Patrice, who had contributed to establish the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), were particularly instrumental in helping to coordinate the boycott and giving it ample visibility throughout the world. Did you know that the most efficient step in fighting infant deaths is breast milk? Breast milk works as natural vaccinations against many diseases. If all mothers in poor countries would breast feed their children for the first 6 months, and partially the next 6 months, millions of children would survive. They would develop a natural resistance against deadly diseases. Baby bottle disease, according to the finding by WHO, kills more than 1.5 million children every year. The cause of this is that the substitute for breast milk is made with unclean water and in an unhealthy environment. Even mothers with HIV would be better of breast feeding their children. In these countries breast milk substitute is lethal! They are poisoning their own children to death! This is murder! This is child murder! So why do these poor mothers give their children breast milk substitute? Nestle told them to Nestle tells them their own breast milk is unhealthy Gives away free samples Buy their way into hospitals to push their product Against the law uses direct advertise to mothers. Because companies like Nestlà © uses unethical methods to get mothers hooked on their products, World Health Assembly (WHA) made a resolution called the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes which Nestle and other manufacturers have signed. Still Nestle do not follow this code, and is reported every single year for violations. Primark tops list of unethical clothes shops in poll that shames high-street brands by Jennifer Whitehead, 08-Dec-05, 15:00 LONDON Low-price fashion success Primark has been named the least ethical clothes brand in the UK, with Marks Spencer also scoring poorly, by a new survey highly critical of the way high street brands source their wares. The survey, which has been conducted by Ethical Consumer magazine, found that only five high street brands scored 10 or over out of 20 assessing their ethical standards. Primark was the worst offender, according to the survey, with a score of 2.5. It is followed by Mk One, at 3 points, with Marks Spencer, Debenhams and Gap filling out the bottom five. http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/532319/Primark-tops-list-unethical-clothes-shops-poll-shames-high-street-brands/ Child labour On 23 June 2008, Panaroma, a BBC show, broadcasted a programme that showed unethical manufacturing practices in Primarks supply chain. Child labour practise was exposed by undercover reporters in three of Indias garment factories sub-contracted by Primark. The BBC alerted Primark to their findings, to which Primark replied: Under no circumstances would Primark ever knowingly permit such activities. Primark has since halted business with the mentioned suppliers, but this action by the company was criticised by child protection groups as being irresponsible and likely to cause additional hardship to the labourers. They argued ensuring better working conditions would have been a better solution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primark#Criticism CONCLUSION All in all, it can be seen that in developing countries ethical issues in are highly sensitive to cultural, social and ethnical issues. Thus it is not just an issue of the orient versus the occident. The onus lies on the marketers themselves to not indulge in unethical practices and to respect local values and morals, in order to be a good ethical citizen in the marketing fraternity. Counterfeiting: imitation, faking, pre-emption, prior registration. Consumer ethics: warranty deception, mis-redemption of vouchers, returns of merchandise, recording of music and videos, software copying, false insurance claims RECOMMENDATIONS With public attention focused on ethics, there is a need for stricter controls in business practices, right from framing marketing strategies to finally delivering a product to the consumers.

Analysis of Angelas Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Essay -- Angelas

Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Angela's Ashes: A Memoir is Frank McCourt's acclaimed memoir. It charts the author's childhood from his infant years in Brooklyn, through his impoverished adolescence in Limerick, Ireland, to his return to America at the age of nineteen. First published in 1996, McCourt's memoir won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in the category of best Biography/Autobiography, and has gone on to become a worldwide bestseller. McCourt, who for many years taught writing in a New York public high school, waited for over forty years to write about his troubled youth. Arguably, waiting for years before writing his autobiography allowed Frank McCourt to talk about his childhood in the most objective way possible. McCourt treats the subject of his own difficult life with even-handedness and objectivity. McCourt never downplays the fact that he suffered from acute hunger and deprivation in his youth. He once described this autobiography as "an epic of woe." Nothing about the author's boyhood was easy. But Frank's world is not one of self-pity. Although the protagonist endures a troubled upbringing, it is one that instills in him strong moral values and a healthy sense of humor. McCourt's prose style is ambitious in its scope, yet detailed in his focus; it is prosaic in order to capture everyday life, but poetic in order to evoke a homeland. McCourt wrote a sequel to Angela's Ashes entitled 'Tis, which describes his experiences as a young man in America. A film version of Angela's Ashes was made in 1999. Summary The narrator, Frank McCourt, describes how his parents meet in Brooklyn, New York. After his mother, Angela becomes pregnant with Frank, she marries Malachy, the father of her child. The family grows, and Angela struggles to feed her growing family of sons while Malachy spends his wages on drink. Frank's much-loved baby sister Margaret dies, and Angela becomes depressed. The McCourts decide to return to Ireland. In Ireland, more troubles plague the McCourts. Angela has a miscarriage, Frank's two younger brothers die, and Malachy constantly drinks away the dole money. McCourt's childhood is characterized not only as a time of great deprivation, but as a time of good humor and adventure. When the first floor of the house floods during the winter, Angela and Malachy announce that the family will leave the cold dam... ..., priests, family members, and people in positions of authority. Even Frank's father may be seen as an antagonist, since his alcoholism aggravates his family's poverty. However, Frank's true antagonist is not one individual, but the general discrimination he faces because of his poverty Setting (time) - Late 1930's and 1940's Setting (place) - Brooklyn, New York (briefly) and Limerick, Ireland Point of View - First person Falling Action - Frank earns enough money to leave for America, and says an emotional farewell to Ireland Tense - Present tense or immediate past; the author writes as though he is experiencing events for the first time, in the present moment Foreshadowing - The death of baby Margaret seems to anticipate Frank's near-continual state of bereavement in Limerick, as he struggles to cope with the demise of two of his brothers, Theresa, and many other friends and relations Tone - Humorous, self-effacing, matter-of-fact. McCourt matches his tone to the age of the narrator, becoming more serious and worldly as the narrative progresses Themes - Guilt, class distinction, hunger Motifs - Anti-English sentiment, stories and folktales Symbols - River Shannon, eggs Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Essay -- Angela's Analysis of Angela's Ashes Narrated by Frank McCourt Angela's Ashes: A Memoir is Frank McCourt's acclaimed memoir. It charts the author's childhood from his infant years in Brooklyn, through his impoverished adolescence in Limerick, Ireland, to his return to America at the age of nineteen. First published in 1996, McCourt's memoir won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in the category of best Biography/Autobiography, and has gone on to become a worldwide bestseller. McCourt, who for many years taught writing in a New York public high school, waited for over forty years to write about his troubled youth. Arguably, waiting for years before writing his autobiography allowed Frank McCourt to talk about his childhood in the most objective way possible. McCourt treats the subject of his own difficult life with even-handedness and objectivity. McCourt never downplays the fact that he suffered from acute hunger and deprivation in his youth. He once described this autobiography as "an epic of woe." Nothing about the author's boyhood was easy. But Frank's world is not one of self-pity. Although the protagonist endures a troubled upbringing, it is one that instills in him strong moral values and a healthy sense of humor. McCourt's prose style is ambitious in its scope, yet detailed in his focus; it is prosaic in order to capture everyday life, but poetic in order to evoke a homeland. McCourt wrote a sequel to Angela's Ashes entitled 'Tis, which describes his experiences as a young man in America. A film version of Angela's Ashes was made in 1999. Summary The narrator, Frank McCourt, describes how his parents meet in Brooklyn, New York. After his mother, Angela becomes pregnant with Frank, she marries Malachy, the father of her child. The family grows, and Angela struggles to feed her growing family of sons while Malachy spends his wages on drink. Frank's much-loved baby sister Margaret dies, and Angela becomes depressed. The McCourts decide to return to Ireland. In Ireland, more troubles plague the McCourts. Angela has a miscarriage, Frank's two younger brothers die, and Malachy constantly drinks away the dole money. McCourt's childhood is characterized not only as a time of great deprivation, but as a time of good humor and adventure. When the first floor of the house floods during the winter, Angela and Malachy announce that the family will leave the cold dam... ..., priests, family members, and people in positions of authority. Even Frank's father may be seen as an antagonist, since his alcoholism aggravates his family's poverty. However, Frank's true antagonist is not one individual, but the general discrimination he faces because of his poverty Setting (time) - Late 1930's and 1940's Setting (place) - Brooklyn, New York (briefly) and Limerick, Ireland Point of View - First person Falling Action - Frank earns enough money to leave for America, and says an emotional farewell to Ireland Tense - Present tense or immediate past; the author writes as though he is experiencing events for the first time, in the present moment Foreshadowing - The death of baby Margaret seems to anticipate Frank's near-continual state of bereavement in Limerick, as he struggles to cope with the demise of two of his brothers, Theresa, and many other friends and relations Tone - Humorous, self-effacing, matter-of-fact. McCourt matches his tone to the age of the narrator, becoming more serious and worldly as the narrative progresses Themes - Guilt, class distinction, hunger Motifs - Anti-English sentiment, stories and folktales Symbols - River Shannon, eggs

Describe the Factors to Take Into Account When Planning Healthy and Safe Indoor and Out Door Environments and Services

Support Children And Young People’s Health And Safety 1. 1 The Factors To Take Into Account When Planning Healthy And Safe Indoor And Outdoor Environments And Services There are a number of factors that must be taken into account when planning for health and safety. *The individual needs of the child – These must be considered along with the age and ability so when planning for the children make sure the resources used are age and stage appropriate and they carry the safety marks. There must be specialist equipment for children with specific needs Specific risks – For a child who has a hearing impairment you would need to provide visual aids for them or sign language so they are aware of the health and safety for example if the child was running indoors you could show them a visual aid of a picture where it’s made clear that you walk not run. Placing pictures of hands being washed near the toilets also teaches them to wash their hands when they have been t o the toilet. Make sure you are always within sight of the child whist also allowing them to enjoy their environment. Parent and carers – You need to take into account the needs of parents and carers so give them information on health and safety or if they can’t read, hold meetings. For those where English is not their first language give out information written in their home language. *Function and purpose of the environment – When planning an activity make sure it’s the right environment for the activity. If you were using bikes and scooters you would ensure they were used in the correctly and with plenty of space so in my setting we would not use them indoors as there is not enough space, they would only be used outside. When using the environment its important the children have the space that is required for the planned activity. When using outdoor environments make sure the plants and garden furniture do not pose a threat. Also make sure there is no dog or cat mess in the garden and that rubbish is removed on a daily basis. A varied environment supports children learning and development, it gives them confidence to explore and learn in safe and secure yet challenging indoor or outdoor space. Duty of care – The children’s health and welfare is always paramount when doing any planning and we have a legal obligation to ensure they are safe at all times. Risk assessments should be carried out for all activities and regular checks should be carried out around the setting daily. The toilet area should also be checked to make sure it is clean and has toilet paper and soap available for the children to wash their hands. Support Children And Young People’s Health And Safety 1. 1 The Fac tors To Take Into Account When Planning Healthy And Safe Indoor And Outdoor Environments And Services Outcomes for children and young people – It is important that the activities we provide have clear aims and objectives and that whilst the children and young people enjoy the activity they also feel safe and secure and that no unnecessary risks have been taken. *Lines of responsibility and accountability – Everyone working in a setting should be aware of the health and safety policies and that they have a responsibility for the safety of the children and staff. Risk assessment must be carried out and the risks assessed and introduce measures to manage the risks. Any equipment must be removed if it’s broken or has sharp edges. All staff must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others when undertaking their work, they should check all areas are safe, check equipment and ensure safe working procedures are followed. *Comfort of the children – Make sure you have enough space for the children to carry out activities safely. The temperature of the setting needs to be comfortable and sufficient lighting and air, there must always be fresh drinking water.

Biography of William Boss Tweed, American Politician

Biography of William 'Boss' Tweed, American Politician William M. â€Å"Boss† Tweed (April 3, 1823–April 12, 1878) was an American politician who, as the leader of the political organization Tammany Hall, controlled New York City politics in the years following the Civil War. Tweed leveraged his power as a landowner and corporate board member to extend his influence throughout the city. Along with other members of the â€Å"Tweed Ring,† he was suspected of siphoning untold millions from the city’s coffers before public outrage turned against him and he was finally prosecuted. Fast Facts: William M. 'Boss' Tweed Known For: Tweed commanded Tammany Hall, the 19th-century New York City political machine.Born: April 3, 1823 in New York CityDied: April 12, 1878 in New York CitySpouse: Jane Skaden (m. 1844) Early Life William M. Tweed was born on Cherry Street in lower Manhattan on April 3, 1823. There is a dispute about his middle name, which was often mistakenly given as Marcy, but which was actually Magear- his mothers maiden name. In newspaper accounts and official documents during his lifetime, his name is usually printed simply as William M. Tweed. As a boy, Tweed went to a local school and received a typical education for the time, and then apprenticed as a chair maker. During his teens, he developed a reputation for street fighting. Like many youths in the area, Tweed became attached to a local volunteer fire company. In that era, neighborhood fire companies were closely aligned with local politics. Fire companies had illustrious names, and Tweed became associated with Engine Company 33, whose nickname was â€Å"Black Joke.† The company had a reputation for brawling with other companies that would try to outrace them to fires. When Engine Company 33 disbanded, Tweed, then in his mid-20s, was one of the organizers of the new Americus Engine Company, which became known as Big Six. Tweed was credited with making the company’s mascot a roaring tiger, which was painted on the side of its engine. When Big Six would respond to a fire in the late 1840s, its members pulling the engine through the streets, Tweed could usually be seen running ahead, shouting commands through a brass trumpet. A fire company of the type led by young Boss Tweed. Library of Congress Early Political Career With his local fame as the foreman of Big Six and his gregarious personality, Tweed seemed a natural candidate for a political career. In 1852 he was elected the alderman of the Seventh Ward, an area in lower Manhattan. Tweed then ran for Congress and won, beginning his term in March 1853. However, he did not enjoy life in Washington, D.C., or his work in the House of Representatives. Though great national events were being debated on Capitol Hill, including the  Kansas-Nebraska Act, Tweed’s interests were back in New York. After his one term in Congress, he returned to New York City, though he did visit Washington for one event. In March 1857 the Big Six fire company marched in the inaugural parade for  President James Buchanan, led by former congressman Tweed in his fireman’s gear. Tammany Hall Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast as a bag of money. Getty Images Picking up again in New York City politics, Tweed was elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 1857. It was not a highly noticeable position, though Tweed was perfectly positioned to begin corrupting the government. He would remain on the Board of Supervisors throughout the 1860s. Tweed eventually rose to the pinnacle of Tammany Hall, the New York political machine, and was elected the â€Å"Grand Sachem† of the organization. He was known to work closely with two particularly unscrupulous businessmen, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk. Tweed was also elected as a state senator, and his name would occasionally appear in newspaper reports about mundane civic matters. When the funeral procession for Abraham Lincoln marched up Broadway in April 1865, Tweed was mentioned as one of many local dignitaries who followed the hearse. By the late 1860s, the finances of the city were essentially being overseen by Tweed, with a percentage of nearly every transaction being kicked back to him and his ring. Though he was never elected mayor, the public generally regarded him as the true leader of the city. Downfall By 1870, the newspapers were referring to Tweed as Boss Tweed, and his power over the city’s political apparatus was nearly absolute. Tweed, partly due to his personality and his penchant for charity, was very popular with the common people. Legal problems began to appear, however. Financial improprieties in city accounts came to the attention of newspapers, and on July 18, 1871, an accountant who worked for Tweeds ring delivered a ledger listing suspicious transactions to The New York Times. Within days, the details of Tweeds thievery appeared on the front page of the newspaper. A reform movement consisting of Tweeds political enemies, concerned businessmen, journalists, and the noted political cartoonist Thomas Nast began to  attack the Tweed ring. After complicated legal battles and a celebrated trial, Tweed was convicted and sentenced to jail in 1873. He managed to escape in 1876, fleeing first to Florida, then Cuba, and finally Spain. The Spanish authorities arrested him and turned him over to the Americans, who returned him to prison in New York City. Death Tweed died in prison, in lower Manhattan, on April 12, 1878. He was buried in an elegant family plot at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Legacy Tweed pioneered a certain system of politics that came to be known as bossism. Though seeming to exist at the outer fringe of New York City politics, Tweed actually wielded more political clout than anyone in the city. For years he managed to keep a low public profile, working behind the scenes to orchestrate victories for his political and business allies- those who were part of the Tammany Hall machine. During this time, Tweed was mentioned only in passing in the press as a fairly obscure political appointee. However, the highest officials in New York City, all the way up to the mayor, generally did what Tweed and The Ring directed. Sources Golway, Terry. Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics. Liveright, 2015.Sante, Luc. Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

Cost to Taxpayers for Use of Government-Owned Airplanes

Cost to Taxpayers for Use of Government-Owned Airplanes The President of the United States and the Vice President are not the only non-military U.S. government officials who regularly fly on aircraft (Air Force One and Two) owned and operated by the U.S. government at the cost of taxpayers. The U.S. Attorney General and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) not only fly - for business and pleasure on aircraft owned and operated by the Department of Justice; they are required to do so by executive branch policy. Background: The Justice Department Air Force According to a recent report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Justice (DOJ) owns, leases and operates a fleet of airplanes and helicopters used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). While many of the DOJs aircraft, including a growing number of unmanned drones, are used for counterterrorism and criminal surveillance, drug smuggling interdiction, and transporting prisoners, other aircraft are used to transport certain executives of the various DOJ agencies for official and personal travel. According to the GAO, the U.S. Marshals Service currently operates 12 aircraft primarily for air surveillance and prisoner transportThe FBI primarily uses its aircraft for mission operations but also operates a small fleet of large-cabin, long-range business jets, including two Gulfstream Vs, for both mission and nonmission travel. These aircraft possess long-range capabilities that enable FBI to conduct long-distance domestic and international flights without the need to stop for refueling. According to the FBI, the DOJ rarely authorizes the use of the Gulfstream Vs for nonmission travel, except for travel by the Attorney General and FBI Director. Who Flies and Why? Travel aboard the DOJs aircraft can be for mission-required purposes or for nonmission purposes - personal travel.Requirements for the use of government aircraft by the federal agencies for travel are established and enforced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA). Under these requirements, most agency personnel who make personal, nonmission, flights on government aircraft must reimburse the government for the use of the aircraft. But Two Executives Can Always Use Government Aircraft According to the GAO, two DOJ executives, the U.S. Attorney General and the FBI Director, are designated by the President of the United States as required use travelers, meaning they are authorized to travel aboard DOJ or other government aircraft regardless of their trip purpose, including personal travel.Why? Even when they travel for personal reasons, the Attorney General seventh in the line of presidential succession and the FBI Director are required to have special protective services and secure communications while in flight. The presence of top-level government executives and their security details on regular commercial aircraft would be disruptive and increase the potential risk to other passengers.However, DOJ officials told the GAO that until 2011, the FBI Director, unlike the Attorney General, was allowed the discretion to use commercial air service for his personal travel.The Attorney General and the FBI Director are required to reimburse the government for any travel m ade aboard government aircraft for personal or political reasons. Other agencies are allowed to designate required use travelers on a trip-by-trip basis. How Much Does It Cost Taxpayers? The GAOs investigation found that from fiscal years 2007 through 2011, three U.S. Attorneys General Alberto Gonzales, Michael Mukasey and Eric Holder - and FBI Director Robert Mueller made 95% (659 out of 697 flights) of all Department of Justice nonmission-related flights aboard government aircraft at a total cost of $11.4 million.Specifically, notes the GAO, the AG and FBI Director collectively took 74 percent (490 out of 659) of all of their flights for business purposes, such as conferences, meetings, and field office visits; 24 percent (158 out of 659) for personal reasons; and 2 percent (11 out of 659) for a combination of business and personal reasons.According to the DOJ and FBI data reviewed by the GAO, the Attorneys General and the FBI Director fully reimbursed the government for flights made on government aircraft for personal reasons.Of the $11.4 million spent from 2007 through 2011, for flights taken by the Attorneys General and FBI Director, $1.5 million was spent to r elocate the aircraft they used from a secret location to Ronald Reagan National Airport and back. The FBI also uses the unmarked, covert airport to initiate sensitive operations.Except for travel by the Attorney General and the FBI Director, GSA regulations provide that taxpayers should pay no more than necessary for transportation and that travel on government aircraft may be authorized only when a government aircraft is the most cost effective mode of travel, noted the GAO. In general, the agencies are required to book air travel on more cost-effective commercial airlines whenever possible.In addition, the federal agencies are not allowed to consider personal preference or convenience when considering alternative modes of travel. The regulations allow the agencies to use government aircraft for non-mission purposes only when no commercial airline can fulfill the agencys scheduling demands, or when the actual cost of using a government aircraft is the same as or less than the cost of flying on a commercial airline. How Many Airplanes do the Federal Agencies Own? In July 2016, the Government Accountability Office reported that 11 non-military executive branch federal agencies owned 924 aircraft, excluding those that are loaned, leased, or otherwise provided to other entities. The inventory of aircraft included: 495 fixed-wing airplanes,414 helicopters,14 unmanned aircraft systems (drones), and1 glider. The Department of State owned the most aircraft (248), making it the federal government’s largest non-military aviation fleet. The combined 11 agencies reported spending approximately $661 million to use and maintain their owned aircraft in fiscal year 2015. Besides basic transportation, the aircraft are used for a variety of purposes, including law enforcement, scientific research, and firefighting.

Conservation of Energy Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conservation of Energy - Lab Report Example From the graph presented; angle versus time, it is evident that when the angle of displacement is increased, the periodic interval is reduced for a constant length if the string. This proportionality is directly varying. In general, the swinging pendulum portrays a consistency in the changes involving kinetic, potential and gravitational potential energies. This can be summed serially as potential energy to kinetic energy then back to kinetic energy. This is when the pendulum is released from a height above the reference point level. At the instance the bob (mass) is released, it has an initial energy potential in nature. This is followed by gradual changes in the kinetic energies when at the minimum of the reference point; a maximum kinetic energy is attained. At this point, the swinging mass has its maximum velocity v, which is the converse for the point of zero (0) potential energy for the system in question. There are two maxima heights in respect of the reference position for the system. At these points, the system depicts its maxima potential energies which can as well be stated as minimum kinetic energy for the system. A graph of kinetic energy versus time is a sinusoidal curve. This is the same for the case of potential energy. However the two curves are completely out of phase. This is due to the corresponding changes between kinetic to potential energy. This is evident in the total energy curve as a function of time; whose curve is straight. This is a true confirmation of the law of conservation of energy which can also be stated as â€Å"energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but rather conserved.† For the pendulum, the reference level point to measure the y-coordinate location is at the mid-point between the two maxima levels of displacement of the pendulum. At equilibrium, the pendulum is at rest when it is at this point. If the reference level is changed to where the rotary motion is, it would mean the length L is

Relationship between Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism and Essay

Relationship between Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism and Impressionism - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that Neoclassicism was a revival of the classic art that was prevalent during the time of the Ancient Greek and Rome. It developed as a response to the heavily decorative style of Rococo and thus favored simple lines and order. The curvy style of Rococo was replaced by simple clean lines. Neoclassicism, since it was also inspired by the Renaissance art, laid emphasis on rationality and logic. Romanticism, on the other hand, was an intellectual movement that sprang up during the late 18th century. It developed as a response to the Industrial Revolution and thus was against the scientific rationalization and in general contradicted with the Age of Enlightenment. Emotion, rather than logic, was stressed in this particular style with emphasis on emotions such as terror, awe and horror. Artists from the era of Romanticism were against the forms developed by the neoclassic artists. They were not inspired by the beauty of the perfect subjects that th e neoclassic artists painted. Rather they criticized the neoclassicism art for being unreal and without any real emotions. Since Neoclassicism was inspired by the Ancient Greeks and Roman whose main subjects were Gods, it was obvious that the subjects of neoclassic artists were God like human beings with little or no emotion in their eyes or body language. In their use of colors, the Romantic art was quite contrary with that of the neoclassic art. Romantic artists used vibrant colors, inspired from the Middle East artists while their earlier peers depended on muted colors. Romanticism can be defined as a dynamic art form with its vibrant use of colors and emotions. Neoclassicism, on the other hand, is a passive art form that uses muted colors and shows no emotion. Emotion and rationality are two ends of a spectrum and the relationship between Romanticism and Neoclassicism can be understood by the fact that Romanticism represented emotion while Neoclassicism relied on logic. If Neocl assicism was God centric, Romanticism was human centric. Relationship between Realism and Impressionism Realism is a French art movement that began in the 1850s in the aftermath of the 1848 revolution. Realism was an art form that was developed as a reaction towards the Romantic art form. Realism arts denied the use of excessive emotion in their art and aimed to develop objective reality in their art forms. Depicting the painting in its real and true form was the aim of realist artists. This was a time when photography was gaining popularity and photography provided support to realism with its natural and true depiction of the subject. Impressionism, on the other hand, was a 19th century movement that was developed by Paris artists who defied the norms by using free brush strokes to create realism. They explored different perspectives of the scene and inculcated movement in art. These artists were first not taken seriously but with time, they art style spread to other parts of the a rt world. It is believed that it was the great artist, Manet who created the transition between Realism and Impressionism. Manet went away with the use of painting layers in his painting so that he could create his painting in one sitting with the model present. This meant that he could not make any mistake with the use of the colors, thus the art form was a fast art form that did not receive a favorable reception in the beginning. Realism art was an art that tried to tune in to the norms of the art society. Impressionist art form, however, created a revolution in the art society as it redefined the term art. Impressionist artists demanded solo shows while French artists vehemently opposed them. However, with time people realized that Impressionism had brought a fresh perspective in art and they accepted the art form. One

Internet Banking Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Internet Banking - Coursework Example Modern day customers demand more from the banking services, as they want new levels of flexibility and convenience than what traditional banks offer. In spite of the fact that Internet Banking is the need of the time, there is immediate necessity to solve some of the key problems, which is necessary to make it widely acceptable. This research proposal discusses the main factors that affect the adoption of Internet Banking, by applying the theories relevant to the concept and relying on the findings of the Survey, which is done by the customers of HSBC Uxbridge Branch. E-commerce has revolutionised the way the businesses are conducted nowadays. New business models are replacing the outdated ones and the organizations are restructuring their business processes according to the needs of the customers. Just like any other sector, new customer relationship strategies are being formulated in the banks as this industry has also accepted the new technology - Internet Banking. According to Hickman, 85% of the largest banks in United States of America offer Internet Banking services in its basic forms, like, statements, access to accounts, stop payments, transfers, along with clear items. Most of these banks are also beginning their complete Internet banking services, comprising services on online loans, bill payment and brokerage. Research supports the fact that both banks and customers can benefit from Internet banking. However, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration, the bank's perceptions of Internet banking and the cust omers' perceptions of internet banking being the principal ones. Along with benefitting the customers and the banks, internet banking or E banking is beneficial for the small and medium businesses as well. (Nath R., Schrick P. and Parzinger M., 2001, A) Benefits of Online Banking to its Customers Customers are benefitted in a number of ways from internet banking. The first and foremost benefit is convenience. The customers can operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. (Benefits for Customers, n.d.) Cost Savings - Cyberspace is relatively cheaper to operate than the bricks and mortar structure and this benefit is often passed to the customers. Internet banking offers customers cost savings and financial benefits for online transaction of services. It also reduces the transfer fees of transaction is dome through e-banking. Access to

Victimization At School Essay Example for Free

Victimization At School Essay One type of victimization that can happen at school is school shootings. We have seen too many times where students and teachers have been victimized by other students who bring guns to school and take innocent lives, due to many personal reasons. There is a huge need for stricter gun control laws to make certain that students are safer in their educational institutions. Too many deaths occur where school students are victimized when individuals decide they want to bring weapons to school and use them against innocent victims. Hugh LaFollette explains to us that (LaFollette, 2000) â€Å"The literature of gun advocates supports my contention that guns are inherently dangerous. They advocate the private ownership of guns to prevent crime and to arm the militia. Guns can serve these purposes only because they are effective means of inflicting and threatening harm. † It is fair to say that guns still cause innocent victims to lose their lives and shouldn’t be available for easy access to dangerous individuals. The recent massacre at Virginia Tech and other needless shootings proved that guns can end up in the wrong hands and cause innocent victims to lose their lives. Maggie Rodriguez from The Early Show on CBS tells us that (Rodriguez, 2007) â€Å"Its been eight years since Columbine, Helmke said via satellite from Washington, D. C. Weve done nothing as a country. Its been six months since the Amish school shootings. Weve done nothing as a country. We need to be asking out elected officials what they can do to prevent people from getting these kinds of high-powered weapons. Weapons have been easily accessible and have ultimately reached the hands of the wrong people who have taken the life of many innocent people in our schools. We have seen too many times how guns have been the weapons utilized by deranged individuals, used to cause too many senseless injuries and fatalities, at schools. We also have the argument from those in the pro-gun camp who will easily say that if people are permitted to carry concealed weapons to protect themselves, they can prevent these kinds of fatalities from taking place in our school settings. By allowing everyone to carry guns, we would be placing too many other’s lives in danger. Although, there would be instances such as the killings that took place at Virginia Tech, where guns could have possibly stopped the shooter, there would be more instances where lives would be taken because of this easy access to guns. By keeping guns away from the general public, we would make it more complicated for people like the gunman at Virginia Tech to get their hands on guns to kill innocent victims. Many gun rights groups, that are led by the National Rifle Association will argue that proposals that ask for stricter gun laws breach on the constitutional rights of every law-abiding citizen. They assume that these bans on the sale of specific types of weapons haven’t proved effective in decreasing crime, and that proposals for stricter background checks at all gun shows are formed to eliminate gun shows, themselves. Many gun manufacturers have easily volunteered the support for safety locks, but the NRA has criticized these safety locks for placing a huge burden on gun manufacturers, without benefiting to the public. Georgeann Rooney who is a specialist at a Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center explained a 2002 federal study where 37 school shootings and attacks were looked at from 1974 to 2000. Rooney explains that (Rooney, 2007) â€Å"While the study said there is no accurate profile of students who engage in targeted violence at schools, it noted that many said they felt bullied, persecuted or injured by others before the attacks oIn the Santana High incident, Charles Andy Williams complained about being bullied before he went on a shooting rampage at the Santee campus, leaving two dead and 13 wounded. † The same study showed that â€Å"Most attackers had access to and had used weapons before the attack and prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attackers plans. We learn that â€Å"Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures and many had considered or attempted suicide. † We see very often that most attackers who take innocent lives on school property have serious mental disturbances. We learn from The National Center of Vital Statistics that (NCVS, 1999) â€Å"The risk of death at school based on 93 incidents that occurred in the nations 119,000 schools over a ten-year period, the annual probability of a school experiencing a student-perpetrated homicide is about 1 in 11,520. † The biggest concern is that there are many people who should be allowed to collect and carry guns, because they pose no threat to society but far too many times student, teachers and other school staff members suffer at the hands of disturbed individuals. Not everyone should be considered dangerous individuals because they carry guns, but by allowing guns to remain in their hands, we are making it too easy for tragic shootings to take place at our schools, when these when these weapons end up in the wrong hands. We learn from News Batch that (News Batch, 2005) â€Å"Gun control was not a major issue in the 2004 Presidential campaign. The percentage of Americans who consider gun control as an important issue has declined from 3% to 1%. Fewer Americans are supportive of gun control in general and handgun control in particular. † By not making gun control issues an important issue, we are ignoring a dangerous situation, where young students suffer to needless killings at school. Even with background checks, it is far too risky to allow individuals to have easy access to guns. The shooter at Virginia Tech was able to purchase guns because he had a background check that was clean because all shooters have criminal records. Gun control activists still believe that it is far to easy for criminals to obtain guns and that an alarming proportion of the population remains armed. Their concern has been fueled by an unprecedented recent rash of school shootings and fatalities. Many experts are blaming this phenomena on violent video games and poor parenting but in each case the youths involved had easy access to the weapons that they used. Gun control advocates support measures which would require locks on all guns, which would apply the provisions of the Brady bill to gun shows. These gun control advocate groups also advocate a federal law allowing only one handgun purchase per month and raising the age for gun ownership from 18 to 21. By increasing the age limit for buying guns to 21, we may decrease the number of shootings that take place but we aren’t eliminating the possibilities for dangerous individuals to get their hands on guns that kill. John W. Mashek (Mashek, 2007) tells us that â€Å"The tragedy at Virginia Tech should open our minds to a problem our nation refuses to confront. The easy access to guns and lethal weapons is a national disgrace. In Virginia alone, gun owners are limited to one purchase a month. I can hear the response from the NRA already: People kill people. Yes, but they do it with guns and too frequently with those easily accessible weapons. † He goes on to say that â€Å"The condolences from the NRA are of little comfort to the mourners of those slaughtered in Blacksburg. The NRA, to put it bluntly, has too many willing friends in Congress from both political parties. Campaign cash flows to them in hefty amounts. Members of both parties should be ashamed. † Without easy access to guns, criminals are less likely to kill. There are many individuals who will argue that â€Å"People kill, not guns. † Yes, this may be true, but without guns, they have less opportunity to kill. When killing is on the mind of a deranged individual, they usually look for guns to commit murders and by not making guns easy to buy, we are decreasing the threat that is upon society. Michael Daily, a daily news columnists asks, (Daily, 2007) â€Å"Still love those guns, Virginia? It is clear that many people are fed up with guns being so available to the general public. There must be serious restrictions placed on buying weapons. These restrictions should make it impossible for the entire general public to purchase guns. It is a fact that guns do kill and we must remove this threat that is causing so many needless shootings at our schools across the United States. Guns can be accessed much too easily and it is up to all Americans to stand up and say that we are tired of worrying about ourselves and our loved ones being taken out by individuals who have problems dealing with society. It is unfair for innocent victims to lose their lives because someone is having a bad day and can easily walk to the gun store and purchase a gun, in a rather small period of time. We must vote for strict gun control laws and make it far less possible for guns to reach the hands of the wrong people who kill and victimize students too often! Reference Page LaFollette, Hugh. (2000). â€Å"Gun Control†. Ethics. Vol. 1. P. 263-81. News Batch. (2005). â€Å"Gun Control Policy Issues†. www. newsbatch. com/guncontrol. htm. Mashek, John W. (2007). â€Å"Guns Kill People. Period. †. A Capital View. US News and World Report. Rodriguez, Maggie. (2007). â€Å"Shootings at VA Tech Spark Gun Debate†. The Early Show. CBS. Rooney, Georgeann. (2007). Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center. The National Center for Vital Statistics. (1999). â€Å"Serious Violent Crimes in Schools†. www. youthviolence. ed.