Paul’s Case

In Willa Cather’s story â€Å"Paul’s Case,† the main character Paul is a troubled young man, who is seeking an escape from reality. Paul’s way of escaping his troubled life is through a day dream. For the most part Paul’s safe place is in New York City. That is until Paul’s father comes looking for him. This is when Paul’s reality then takes form in his imaginary world. If Paul uses an imaginary escape world to get away from his troubled life, then why does it include him committing suicide? I have one reason to explain his suicide. Before, Paul supposedly enters his imaginary world, the story leaves off with Paul sitting in the cellar of his house. At this point in time, Paul starts to wonder if his father heard him entering. In the darkness of the cellar, Paul fears that his father may think Paul is a burglar, and shot him. (pg. 127) The though of death and Paul’s senseless running from a troubled life collide. In result creating Paul’s suicide, when his father comes looking for him. I believe Paul’s suicide serves as an epiphany. Paul’s epiphany relates to his struggling life, and how he has more to live for than just music. As a result of Paul’s epiphany, he begins to fade back into reality. As the audience, you are lead to believe that Paul was dreaming the whole time. The last sentence in the story â€Å"Paul dropped back into the immense design of things,† confirms the audience’s beliefs. (pg.133) Therefore I find it hard to believe that Paul ever actually traveled to New York. Due impart that Paul was a middle class kid from Pittsburg. Paul absolutely resented his lower and middle class upbringing. His resentment of his upbringing leads him to believe that New York is where the upper class lived. I find it hard to believe that he actually went to New York, because most of New York is slums. I find it hardly plausible or even possible that Paul actually lived most of the story, but rather that he imagined it all. The first problem that comes to mind when believing the story is the fact that Paul was able to get away with smoking cigarettes and drinking wine publicly. Paul was but a teenager with large sums of cash. How is it that Paul was able to live such a luxurious life for as long as he did, without being questioned about anything? The story â€Å"Paul’s Case,† was all about Paul seeking freedom from his personal life. Even though Paul was able to find some peace of mind, somehow his personal problems follow him into is dream land. Throughout Paul’s dream he encounters situations very similar to the ones he’s running from in reality. Nonetheless Paul can not escape his reality.

The History of Home Schooling

Before the beginning of American public schools in the mid-19th century, home schooling was the norm. Founding father John Adams encouraged his spouse to educate their children while he was on diplomatic missions (Clark, 1994). By the 1840's instruction books for the home were becoming popular in the United States and Britain. The difficulty of traveling to the system of community schools was provoking detractors. At this time, most of the country began moving toward public schools (Clark, 1994). One of the first things early pioneers did was set aside a plot of land to build a school house and try to recruit the most educated resident to be the schoolmarm. This led to recruiting of graduates Eastern Seaboard colleges to further the education oftheir children beyond what they could do at home (Clark, 1994). As the popularity of the public school movement began to rise behind Horace Mann many states soon passed compulsory-education laws. These were designed primarily to prevent farmers, miners, and other parents form keeping their kids home to work (Clark, 1994). Ironically another factor behind public schools was the desire to use them to spread Christian morality, with its concern for the larger good over individualism (Clark, 1994). Massachusetts enacted the first such laws in 1852 requiring children ages 8-14 to be at school at least 12 weeks a year unless they were too poor. The laws proved to be effective, from 1870-1898 the number of children enrolling in the public schools outpaced the population growth. Except for certain religious sects and correspondence schools home schooling remained limited for most of the 20th century. During the 1960's the hippie counterculture exploded into the scene. This culture led a revolt against the education establishment. Thousands of young Americans began dropping out of society and going back to the land to live on communes that generated the modern home schooling movement. Twenty years ago, many states did not allow home schooling. Constitutional protection has always been uncertain. The U.S. Supreme Court has never explicitly ruled on home schooling. Although in 1972, in Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Court did restrict compulsory school requirements in a limited ruling involving the right of Amish students not to attend high school (Lines, 1996). In Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Amish parents claimed that high school attendance was destructive to their children's religious beliefs and would interfere with their pursuit of the Amish way of life (Fisher, Schimmel, and Kelley, 1995). Since this ruling there have been many court cases dealing with the issue of home schooling. All 50 states allow home schooling ad 34 states have enacted specific home schooling statutes or regulations (Clark, 1994). What drives many home-schoolers are the well-documented social troubles and the declining test scores in the public schools. In 1991, the total number of children being home schooled was between 248,500 and 353,500. Many public educators feel that children who are home schooled are missing out on key learning situations that come from the public school. For instance the sciene experiments, these would be very costly to duplicate at home. Also they argue that home school children miss out on the social aspect of school. Very often they are not around many children their age and socialization does not take place. As the home schooling movement has become more widespread, state and local officials have responded with more vigorous enforcement of their compulsory education laws. As a result of this there is more litigation and new regulations. As both parents and school official's evidence increasing inflexibility, the statues play a central role in the battle over the education of the child. A secondary role is played by the courts which, in resolving the disputes between parents and the schools, must interpret and test the statutes (Chiusano 1996). Parents who are being prosecuted for instructing their children at home are attacking compulsory school attendance statues on constitutional grounds. Although no case dealing specifically with home instruction has yet reached the Supreme Court, the increased activism of the home school movement may produce a ruling in the near future (Lines, 1996). Constitutional challenges have been based on the First or Fourteenth Amendment. In many of the home instruction cases' parents have removed their children from school for religious reasons. These parents argue that they have a highly protected First Amendment freedom to educate their children according to their religious percepts and values. The most recent court decisions provide consistent continued confirmation of the Yoder decision. In Howell v. State (1986), Texas' intermediate appellate court rejected Yoder protection for parents who argued that their religious conviction was to educate their children at home (Richardson, Zirkel, 1991). In State v. Schmidt (1987), the Ohio Supreme Court held that the state's explicit-exceptions statute, which requires that home education programs be approved by the local superintendent, did not violate the free exercise clause. Another religious issue has surfaced when parents have challenged the constitutionality of requirements concerning the qualifications of the home teacher (Richardson, 1991). A few states including Michigan require all teachers in home school to possess a teaching certificate. This requirement in Michigan was challenged in 1980, 1986, and 1991. In Hanson v. Cushman (1980), the federal district court found the statute to be reasonable because the parents had not proven that any of their fundamental rights had been violated. In the private school case of Sheridan Road Baptist v. Department of Education (1986), other Michigan parents challenged the certification requirement as a burden on the free exercise of religion. This was rejected by the Michigan Supreme Court, regarding certification as a minimal burden that was outweighed by the State's interest in providing proper education. In People v. DeJonge parents claimed the right to educate their children at home, as an exercise in religious freedom. The court upheld the state law ruling that the state's interest in educated citizens outweigh the rights claimed by the parents (Fischer, 1995). In a related Michigan case, People v. Bennett (1983), the State Supreme Court ruling involving home-school families that had been convicted of violating the compulsory education statute, was reversed from he lower courts decision. The State Supreme Court permitted religious home schooling on First Amendment grounds and curbed the power of education officials to review home schooling policies (Clark, 1994). The other constitutional attack on compulsory attendance laws is non religious, primarily on Fourteenth Amendment due process grounds that parents have the right that is, the liberty, to educate their children as they see fit (Richardson, 1991). This right argued parents is superior to the state's right to compel attendance and regulate education. In Scoma v. Chicago Board of Education (1974), Blackwelder v. Safnauer (1988), and Murphy v. State (1988), the courts specifically rejected the contention that the parents had an independent, non religious, fundamental right in educating their children. In Scoma, the parents sought an injunction and declatory judgment to prevent the Chicago Board from interfering with their decision to educate their children at home. Under the Pierce and Yoder test the Illinois federal district court said the statute is reasonable and constitutional (Richardson, 1991). Now that home schooling s allowed in all 50 states, thenext step for these parents is to incorporate their children's' home schooling with public school activities. One such instance is in Iowa that started the Home Instruction Program giving parents several choices relating to their child. For instance, the curriculum they will follow, the type of assistance they would like from teachers, and whether their child will attend the neighborhood school part time (dual enrollment). This program allows parent to work with public school officials. The public school teacher meets with the home school family every two weeks (Dahm, 1996). The most recent issue being dealt with by local school boards and state governments are the extent to which home schooled students can participate in school sports and other activities. The issues in how far public schools can open their doors to home schoolers include science labs, music classes, and extracurricular activities, but athletics get the most attention according to the Home School Legal Defense Fund (Brockett, 1995). That is because competitive sports are the one activity families can not easily duplicate as their children reach high school age. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, after three state judges ruled against home schoolers being barred from playing on public high school teams, has initiated a one year open door trial program (Brockett, 1995). A Pennsylvania federal court ruled the constitutional rights ofa 14 year old taught at home were not violated, when the Frazier school district refused to let him play sports because the district could not verify his grades and attendance. In a related situation the Governor of Florida vetoed legislation that would have opened extracurricular activities to home schoolers. He explained that no state law bans them from participating. This left standing a policy of the Florida High School Athletic Activities Association banning non students on the theory that they can not represent what they do not attend (Brockett, 1995). This negative attitude of High School Athletic Associations has led parents of home schooled athletes to take their argument to court. For example, in Massachusetts, Melissa Davis was allowed to play on Norton High School softball team even though she is home schooled (Blum, 1996). The state court judge ordered Norton to allow her to play believes she may have a chance to earn an athletic scholarship to college. To be eligible to play athletics a home schooled athlete must apply to the association for a waiver of its initial eligibility rules, submitting documents proving what they were taught at home meet N.C.A.A. standards. Under these standards a home schooled athlete who has sufficiently high standardized test scores and proof that they took at least 13 courses that meet the associations core course standards may be automatically awarded freshman eligibility (Blum, 1996). From the recent decisions handed down by the courts, public school teachers and schools are expected to cooperate with home school educators. The hostility between the two groups has began to disappear and the focus has returned to seeing that the students get the best education they can. If both sides of the spectrum continue to work together this can be achieved.

Use Michael Porters Diamond Model of International Competitiveness to Assignment

Use Michael Porters Diamond Model of International Competitiveness to analyse the business structures and competitiveness of Brazil - Assignment Example The government has promised sufficient security system and proper infrastructure for both events. Corruption in the government hamper the economic stability in the country and in 2013 there has been nationwide protests and roadblocks because of inadequate public services and inefficiency in the political and institutional sectors. In Brazil, contracts are usually considered secure but the justice system is corrupt as it gets influenced by political and economic power. The average tariff rate in Brazil is 7.9 percent. The country is not permitted to import used clothing and cars. In many economic sectors, the foreign investment is limited by the government. However, there is a constant diversification and growth of the banking system and capital markets. There has also been a steady growth of government’s involvement in credit market with public banks accounting for 50 percent of total loans to the private sector (Brazil, 2014). This paper sets out to analyze the business struc tures and competitiveness of Brazil in the context of Michael Porter’s ‘Diamond’ Model of International Competitiveness. According to Vision 2050 which is WBCSD’s (world business council for sustainable development) project, the goal is that the world population will lead sustainable life within the resources of this planet (Vision 2050: Overview, n.d.). Based on the eagerness and abilities of the companies, Brazil strives to hold fourth position in world economy by 2050 while being able to provide good and sustainable living conditions to its population of 260 million (Vision 2050: A new agenda for business in Brazil, n.d.). Brazil’s economy is currently going through an extremely positive phase. However, its constant growth leading to social and economic developments is also having an adverse effect on the country’s environment. The rate of

Visual Arts and Films Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visual Arts and Films Studies - Essay Example In filmmaking or film production and visual arts development, the directors and the general crew endeavor to make their work look authentic and real to their audience. Habitually, it involves a series of stages such as the original story, the idea through script writing, casting, editing, shooting and screening the finished film to an audience. The development of a film or visual art takes place around the world taking into account factors such as economic, political and social contexts, while incorporating technologies, as well as cinematic effects in the case of film. The production of some of these products can take as long as several years to complete while others take a few months, incorporating many people. The most crucial part in generating a quality product is during the commission of the idea. This is where the filmmaker ensures that the costume design, its interpretation, technical arts and special effects, set design for screen and theatre design look as authentic as poss ible. Although the cast contributes a large part to how a film or visual art performance will be received, other factors such as cinematography effects, the costumes and interpretation of the costumes as well other technologies involved, affect how the audience appreciates the authenticity of the product. Reality and real are two words that make realism a difficult word to explain as well as the intricacy of disputes in art and philosophy, where it is predominantly used. In the arts, realism is the attempt of the artist to embody their theme as truthfully as possible. This paper is going to discuss two American films, The Matrix of 1999 and 300 released in 2006. These films are different in terms of their genre and setting, where the Matrix is a science fiction action film while 300 is an action packed film, set in the medieval times. Their similarities could be attributed to the struggle of the directors in trying to make the films appear as real as possible. Both films try to bring forward a certain reality to the audience. The Matrix brings out the reality of dystopian future, antonym Utopia, in which reality is cyberspace or stimulated reality called The Matrix. Dystopia appears in works of fiction, seeking to speculate on the future, usually characterized by dehumanization, envir onmental disasters and dictatorial governments. 300, on the other hand, are set in a medieval age, where a certain king fights against the Persian god king Xerxes. The directors of both movies hard to work hard to make these setting come and appear real to the audiences in terms of costume, dialogue, cinematic effects and other technologies (BARNWELL, P. 187, 2008) Filming is divided into five parts, the Development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution. The main area of focus when the director is in the moment of bringing reality to the film is the pre-production. Pre- production encompasses all the preparations made before the actual shooting such as the cast, the film crew, selection of the film location and building of the site. More so, pre-production ensures that every step involved in creating the film is carefully planned and designed. In pre-production of The Matrix, the director, The Wachowski brothers, made sure that all crew involved in the film u nderstood the theme of the film and the requirement of the chosen actors was that they were able to explain The matrix. All the principal cast and the crew were also required to read Simulacra and Simulation, a philosophical treatise book used to conceal disks in the film. Reeves the main protagonist in the film, said reading the book enabled him to explain all the philosophical jargons involved in the film (MACKENDRICK & CRONIN, P. 123, 2005). For the fight scenes, the directors incorporated a Chinese director because of the growth and intricacy of Chinese action cinema. In preparation of these action scenes, it was required for every actor to train intensely for months. Downward flowing green font represented

Christian Church in the Middle Ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Christian Church in the Middle Ages - Essay Example The church influenced the way people think. The advent of the church began upon the fall of the Roman Empire. The Catholic Church was the only source of moral authority during the middle ages. The head of the Catholic Church at the time was, just like today, the Pope. Members of the church believed that the Pope represented Jesus spiritually on earth. Under the Pope were cardinals, archbishops, bishops and local priests who were in direct contact with the populace. The pope and the archbishops only presided in important occasions. Normal services were the obligations of the local priest under instructions from the Bishops. The major role of the church during the middle ages was to fulfill the spiritual need s of the followers. Priests gave instructions to peasants and the people living in towns in the faith. They also served important purposes in comforting the members when they are in trouble. When members of the church lost a loved one, the priests would be there to console with the families and ensure an organized send off. According to the church, everybody is a sinner, whether male or female and Christian s could escape the wrath from God by believing in Jesus. They would receive eternal life in heaven through doing good and fully participating in the sacraments. Apart from the spiritual leadership role, the church performed many secular roles. The church owned land and Christians contributed to the wealth creation of the church through tithes. Tithes were a portion of the members’ earnings that they gave to the church. Through canon laws, the church had its court to matters relating to justice. Except the monarchs, the church had authority over the secular leaders. The pope had the power to excommunicate kings and other secular rulers who attempted to challenge him. Some members of the Christian community during the middle ages dedicated their lives to serving God and they became Monks and Nuns.

The Difference between Sexual Practice and Identity Essay

The Difference between Sexual Practice and Identity - Essay Example This has forced these plants to bring international economic activities into effect. Another characteristic that helps maquiladoras enforce the globalization of economy is their main function, which is assembling key components into final products. These products are then to be exported into foreign markets. Maquiladoras also encourage globalization of economy by widely negating capital investment, production services and upper management without the exaction of duties (global economy and trade thrive most in areas where duties and tariffs are either negated or minimized). How Maquiladoras affect women around the world Corey Mattson, Marie Ayer and Daniela Mijal Gerson maintain that maquiladoras have greatly affected women globally, and unfortunately, in a negative manner. This, they do by corroborating information that MADRE, MUIXIL, Barcenas Women’s Working Committee and the Information Women’s Human Rights Clinic has provided. Mattson, Ayer and Gerson point out that maquiladoras have promoted femicide, political discrimination and violence against women, and outright violations of human rights in the maquilas. Mattson, Ayer and Gerson maintain that in Guatemala, there are hundreds of cases of femicide that have materialized over a few years. These scholars point out that while men are killed in greater numbers, what makes women’s case unique is that their killing is more deliberate, calculated, despite ICCPR’s articles 2, 3, 6, 7, 12, 16, 17, 19, 26 and 27 having proscribed such killings. Even after having passed domestic legislation to curtail the negative development, the government of Guatemala has not really been able to stop this vice (485). Mattson, Ayer and Gerson continue that femicide can be traced as far back as 36 years ago when the country slipped into internal conflict that has seen women being killed and raped as a way of destroying the enemy family structure, the community or even the whole country. They cite the Co mmission for Historical Clarification (CEH) to state that by 1994 alone, 9,411 women have been lost to gender based violence in the wake of the conflict. At the center of this conflict is the fight over state resources, including maquiladoras. That the government has a stake in the war is a matter that is clearly exemplified by the rampant impunity in Guatemala. From 2005 to 2007, only a meager 2% of 2,000 cases of femicide were prosecuted to their conclusive end. In the movie Maquilapolis, the mistreatment of women is equally bizarre within the confines of maquiladoras factories. Most employees are women who are paid less and work for long office hours. These women are for instance not allowed to visit washrooms or engage in communication, in order to keep production optimal. As a result, reports of nose bleeding and other conditions that are symptomatic of kidney problems remain popular among these female workers in maquiladoras. Q. 5. The Difference between Sexual Practice and Id entity Identity greatly affects sexual practices. This is because, cultural settings greatly molds human behavior, by the virtue of its moral power. Instead, morality has its essence seen in the prescription of behavior either being right or wrong, ethical or unethical, noble or ignoble. This therefore means that sexual and nonsexual practices are thoroughly defined as only being able to be carried within the parameters of the societal values and

How Successful was the American and Chinese Alliance in the WWII and Essay

How Successful was the American and Chinese Alliance in the WWII and Why - Essay Example China did not participate in the First World War, but Japan did. In their participation, Japan posed a great threat to western countries. Further, Japan sought dominance in the East Asian region and intervened china taking up Chinese territories (Rocky 186). It was during this war that America and China formed alliance with a view of achieving their objective. This paper gives a detailed analysis of the success attributed to the American and Chinese alliance in the World War II, and the reasons behind the success. An understanding of the prevailing conditions in China enable a clearer understanding of the situations under which the alliance between America and China started. After the First World War, Japan intruded into china’s territories. Previously, China respected all the treaties it had signed. In the international picture, China lacked a good reputation in international relations. China had internal issues, which it sought to get over first. China had the habit of not r esponding to foreign intrusions into its territories. However, after japans’ intrusion in 1930’, china responded as a nation to the imperialism. This marked China’s turning point in international interests and especially the East Asian region (Gallicchio 187). On the other hand, America was an emerging threat to all nations to take over the global economy. America participated in the First World War and realized that Japan was a potential threat to its interests. This realization prompted America to seek an alliance with the weak China. The two countries shared nothing in common in terms of relations and interests. However, America realized that strengthening China to stand up, as a unified nation against Japan would alter situations. The altered situations would be in America’s favor. Unified China would probably defeat Japan and America would no longer be under any threat. America was prepared to pay the price to unify China and enable it to stand again st Japan (Liu 71). China’s entry into an alliance with America was a pursuit for its needs to gain stability nationally, regionally and internationally. China pictured that by the end of the war, the resulting policies would enable it to compete in the international front effectively. China hoped that America would help it overcome its internal differences and stand up as unified force in East Asia. In addition, China had a quest to conquer Japan and regain its lost territories. The alliance looked promising for both nations. China belonged to the Big Four in the United Nations but at that time, it did not compete effectively (Hing 55). Therefore, Chinese leaders reasoned that the alliance and post war events would leave it in a better position. These circumstances led to leaders in Washington and Chongqing to decide to lay down a different structure in China’s international relations. The alliance was China’s best opportunity to be empowered internally and exte rnally. Their alliance came about after Japans’ Pearl Harbor attack masterminding. Shortly before the Pearl Harbor attack, Chiang, the then Chinese leader had expressed his confidence in America’s leadership and promised to that China would adopt that form of leadership after the war. He presented China as a potential center and this won the favor of Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the president of America in that era. Chiang promised America that they would serve as a market for America’

Dominant Theological Issue at Stake in the Resolution of the Nicene Essay

Dominant Theological Issue at Stake in the Resolution of the Nicene Creed - Essay Example ext that they formed. In order to truly be able to understand the Nicene Creed, as well as the matters that are significant in relation to it, such as the fact of what was the dominant theological issue at stake and who was represented in regards to the Nicene Creed, then you need to first understand the history of the Nicene Creed itself, where it came from, why it was brought about, and the importance that it plays in the world today. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Basically the Nicene Creed goes as follows: "And in one Jesus Christ, the only-begotten son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remissions of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen." (Creeds, 1997). The Nicene Creed was written by the early Church and adopted in a slightly different version by the Church Council at Nicaea in AD 325 and appears in its present form by the Council at Chalcedon in AD 451. It is has remained in use since that time, and it is truly an essential part of the doctrine and liturgy of the Lutheran Church. As well, the Lutheran Church gives the option of the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed, suggesting the Nicene Creed as the more festive or solemn of the two. It is incredibly important to recognize the fact that the New Testament and the Nicene Creed are deeply entangled with each other, and the wording and the actual concepts in the Nicene Creed, for example, actually come from the New Testament, and in fact, one of the most important debates at the Council of Nicea concerned the matter of whether or not it is proper to include a word in the Nicene Creed that does not occur in the New Testament. "On the other hand, at the time that the Church issued the official canon of the New Testament, it customarily compared writings to the Nicene Creed to determine if they were orthodox. So you are correct if you say that the Nicene Creed proceeds from the New Testament, and you are correct if you say that the New Testament is certified by the Nicene Creed." (Collins, 2006). The interrelation between the Nicene Creed and the Trinity is one of great importance, and it is a matter of which discussion is essential in order to be able to get a better grasp on the matter of the Nicene Creed in general; basically, the Nicene Council truly did not invent the Trinity in the

Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admissions Essay Example for Free

Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admissions Essay Are colleges giving students a good value for their investment? What are individuals gaining from higher education? (179) These are some of the questions that authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, college professors, posed in an excerpt from their book, Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids-and What We Can Do About It. Unfortunately, their findings are grim. They feel that colleges have lost track of their basic mission to challenge the minds of young people. The authors make nine proposals that colleges may want to consider, beginning corrective action on delivering a better valued education. The proposal , make students use their minds, resonated with me the most. Hacker and Dreifus felt that students should become more thoughtful and interesting people while attending college. They go on to outline in this proposal that colleges should persuade students to choose impractical studies as a way to receive a better return on their investment. That Liberal Arts programs produce more thoughtful and interesting people is a point well taken; but that it equates education with better value has not been substantiated. The value of anything is solely determined by the recipient. Redirecting students away from, and downgrading Vocational Programs does not ensure a good education. Most students would agree that the reason they are attending college is to prepare for a career. The statistic Hacker and Dreifus cite, that 64 percent of undergraduates are enrolled in vocational majors (180), supports this reasoning. It is without question that impractical studies will challenge the mind, and foster creativity in students. However, to charge colleges with the mission to persuade students that the path to a valuable education is through impractical studies is presumptuous when it comes to value. Vocational studies do have value and should be treated with the same respect as Liberal studies. If the authors’ research had gone beyond assumption and interviewed recent graduates of the two programs in  question and then presented those results, more stock could be taken in swaying students towards impractical studies. By the time students have reached the end of their undergraduate studies, they know that repaying the accumulated debt is priority. Aligning ones studies, whether impractical or vocational, with a career would result in a favorable disposition regarding value of the education one has received. This value motivates students to go in the first place. Hacker and Dreifus say that students should become more thoughtful and interesting people while at college (180). For most, these two traits are innate. Only requiring development by parents during primary stages of life. The quest to become an interesting person is not learned in the classroom. If ones primary goal in college is to become more interesting, they are wasting their money. Hacker and Dreifus ask what should happen to students at college. Simple, they should be gaining knowledge to help them become self-supported adults, productive members of society. According to Hacker and Dreifus, the undergraduate years are an interlude that will never come again (180). However, there is not an optimal time to attain a college education. The best education is received by the person who wants it; age is irrelevant. While Hacker and Dreifus claim that the offspring of professional parents are the only ones seizing the opportunity of a valuable education, blue collar workers and the working poor will repudiate the idea that they are not rearing college bound students ready to answer the call of higher education. There are many examples where the children of non-professional parents have succeeded in college. Being classified as poor or lower class is the very element that propels them to college to do better than their own parents. The upshot of all this is that the value of a college education is truly determined by the person who has acquired it, not by the amount of debts incurred to attain it, nor by what they chose to study.

Evil Disney, Research Response to Henry Giroux Essay Example for Free

Evil Disney, Research Response to Henry Giroux Essay There are plenty of hotbed issues on how the Disney corporation’s sociological and socio political ideologies are embedded into their products and how they affect children, but very few ask why Disney would place hidden ideologies in their movies/shows. What reasons would Disney have to program children with outdated morals while trying desperately to uphold a model image of innocence? What practices has the disney corporation practiced that some would consider immoral or even illegal? To answer these questions the following issues must be explored in more depth: The history and actions of Disney from its inceptions to the present,Walt’s strict â€Å"moral† code along with the legacy he left behind, the policies of Disneyland along with the corporation’s political, judicial and economical power, Walt’s ties to the FBI and organized crime syndicates, and the revolving door politics in our government. Disney’s powers have allowed them unprecedented freedoms associated with a private company and the pandora’s box that is Evil Mickey. First,what is the Disney corporation and how did it come to be? It was created almost single handedly by Walter Elias Walt Disney. He was born on December 5, 1901, one of five children. Walt had a love for drawing cartoons early on and even made money as a child by selling some of them to family and friends. When he was 16 he joined the Red Cross as an ambulance driver for WW1 after being denied service in the army for his young age. This patriotic fervor that would later shape his cartoons. When he returned home from the war he made a few failed attempts at working in different animation companies until he and his brother, Roy, started the Disney Brothers Studio in 1923 after moving to California. The two of them prospered despite two major setbacks becoming one of the most powerful media conglomerates today. Their first setback happened In the late 1920’s. Disney learned that Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz, had basically stolen their entire enterprise when they stole the rights to Oswald, an early character for his laugh-o-grams. Along with all but one former employee, Iwerks, who refused to leave Disney, hopefully winning him employee of the year. (biography. com) Charles was unsatisfied with the production costs for earlier creations. When Oswald became highly successful, Mintz hired all of the former employees thereby giving the rights to the later formed Universal picture’s first creation. According to his biography, during this time Walt’s wife was pregnant with their first child and Walt went into a deep depression claiming it on â€Å"financial stress†. (sito, ch5) There is a lot of speculation about this time in Walt’s life. Some say that the Mishpucka and the organized mob had an influence into this(babbit); the mob, who at the time were powerful in the freezone of Hollywood, controlling unions, local law, real estate, film sets, etc. Time Magazine, Nov. 1, 1943, wrote, In the witness chair in Manhattan’s Federal Court sat bland, Wily Willie Bioft (pronounced Buy-off), blackmailer, panderer, labor leader, and now star witness against eight ex-pals, who are charged with shaking down $1 million from the movie industry Question: Was it true that Bioft once had a five-year plan for taking over 20% of Hollywood’s profits-and eventually 50% interest In the studios themselves? Bioff (wistfully): If we’d lasted that long, we would have. Question: Did you ever say you were boss of Hollywood and could make producers do whatever you wanted? Bioff: Yes-and I could make them dance to my tune. Although Bioff rolled over on his pals and ended up getting car bombed later there is no proof that Walt ever worked with them or against them. The only link between Walt and the Mishpucka/Mafia is Mafia associate, Henry Cohn. After the first setback with Mintz Walt was heavily in debt and needed some way to bounce back his business after losing nearly everything but his mind. Henry offered to give Walt a loan. The thought of the mafia looming over his head is one of the reasons stated for his severe depression (RasmussenSito) The theft of Oswald, was a blessing in disguise that lead to the creation of Mickey Mouse and later to create the worlds first full length animated movie in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which won 8 Oscars and made 1. 5 million despite being in the midst of an economic meltdown. (biography. com) Opening up Disney to a whole new realm of marketing and showing Walt the popularity and power of his studios. The second setback was the strike of 1941. Which was instigated by the firing of former head of the Federation of Screen Cartoonists and later leader of the Screen Cartoonists Guild, Art Babbitt on May 28, which caused 200 animators to go on strike almost immediately. (Sitobabbit) Walt early on had discovered that propaganda and public image were key to selling media, which is why he was so studious about keeping the interior of the workplace â€Å"Christian†. Walt had created the Federation of Screen artists to better control his workers, which was a union that regularly met with him on issues such as wage increases, better hours, less footage quotas, and better work environments. Since Walt was notorious for being a bit cruel and demanding in the office. (rasmussen) Though as soon as Art learned this he created the Screen Cartoonists Guild whose recruiting patterns were not the nicest methods possible but it did get them all to join â€Å"There were these tough union guys who said we couldn’t enter the door unless we joined, so we did. Under protest I joined. Because of the new job classification my salary doubled overnight. So i can’t complain about the union. † (sito) This was a time when union laws were strong under Teddy Roosevelt, more often than not the law would favor the people over the corporation. This was also a time when many Mob bosses were often also Union bosses so it was a give and take situation. Unions were now viewed as less as a helpful barrier between workers and the corporations to something evil, something, Communist. With the Red scare well under way and people were mixing socialist ideologies with communism. Though at this time the idea of communism was quite popular the way patsies were during the prohibition age. It was doing quite well in the underground of society. Even within Disney there was communism, Walt even thought communist agitators were the culprit to the 1941 strike. sito) This all of course is the end result of years of oppressive rule under Walt along with strengthening unions demanding better pay and working conditions. Walt hated those whose ideas drifted more towards the left wing which would fit the image of the highly conservative man he was. In the office an employee could be fired on the spot for any kind of social infraction. If an employee cursed or made any sort of rude engagements with a woman they would be forced to leave and of course there was no drinking allowed in his office. Disney employees under Walt had to get a hall pass to go to the restroom or get up at all† Of course walt was known for his rages, often times screaming at artists who had not met his quotas of 30 to sometimes 60 feet of film in one day. He was also known to be a heavy drinker in his officeâ€Å"You could smell the gin on his breath everyday after lunch† (Sito) Walt testified about the strike in the hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities about this and much more calling them â€Å"Communist agitators†, among other less decent things. sito) This of course started the well documented relationship between Walt and the FBI from 1940 till his death. He was promoted to full Special Agent in Charge Contact, which meant he had people under him finding communists and saboteurs, Ronald Reagan being one of his fellow operatives under T-10. He and Reagan Blacklisted many writers, actors and artists for having a differing political belief as that of the reigning government. The FBI also gained access to Disneyland to use as a platform for whatever they want. There is talk online on blogs that the FBI still use Disneyland to monitor foreign nationals entering the park since the threat of communism no longer applies. (HerbertSitoBabbitRasmussen) The relationship Walt had with the FBI and the ability to blacklist anybody he wanted may subscribe to Disney’s amazing rise during this time as a media powerhouse(but thats only speculation) This cozy relationship between Disney and the government has continued through the wonderful world of the revolving door politics. A sad modern relationship that is so commonly seen between politics and private companies. Many who are in executives in Disney will enter into politics and gain high levels positions starting as lobbyists and squeezing their way into actual positions of power in the government. Marsha Macbride for example, worked as an FCC chief of staff to chairman powell for years before sometime in the late 1990’s she started to lobby for Disney and was a major advisor in the clinton administration as well as during the merger of time warner and AOL, which Disney ended up winning and gaining rights along with cash settlements in 2003. The next year she is working as the Executive Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Broadcasters and still is. (gov relations 1-3) Another is Lisa Caputo who served citigroup, disney vp of communications and as a bill clinton staffer (gov relations 5)or Susan Fox who worked as an fcc advisor before going to work for disney as an advisor between the government on their divisions such as the Disney Interactive Media Group, Disney Channel, the Disney ABC Cable Networks, ABC and ESPN. (gov relations 4) Others include George mitchell who worked in on Board of Directors as well as a US senator. Eileen Oconnor was a news producer for ABC but is now working in a US embassy. Dennis Hightower a former Sr. executive officer transferred to Dep Secretary of commerce. (gov relations 35)There is even a department of Disney called â€Å"Disney government relations† that has a direct link to another department within the FCC. After calling a few times and getting different information I got this â€Å"we work with our partners in government such as the AFA or the FCC to get better standards of broadcasting for the Disney corporation. Basically legally bribing politicians to lower their standards and to take Disney’s side in lawsuits and corporate takeovers. Now a days after Walt’s death Disney has expanded to epic proportions in the media industry. The public face of cuddly animals, children’s fairy tales and building theme parks â€Å"It also owns six motion picture studios, ABC television network and its 226 affiliated stations, multiple cable television networks, 227 radio stations, four music companies, three cruise lines, theatrical production companies, publishing houses, multiple educational shorts, 15 magazine titles and five video game development studios. (gabler)It became the cultural pervader of a perfect world with everything that it put its name on. But there is a darker side to Disney that is up for debate. The side of Disney that is bigoted, American exceptionalist, sexist, racist, and a purveyor of pain and suffering. The propaganda machine that is Disney today. Propaganda has always been an important part in any government, from mummers playing the latest military conquest to Disney’s subliminal messages of obedience in children’s movies. Producers construct fantasy societies that seem to run in perfect harmony where each worker and is happy to work their menial jobs and never aspire to try to raise themselves above their born level. This is seen in the workers of Antz, Sleeping Beauty and Oz. Always with an all powerful â€Å"just ruler†. These stories lead children into blindly following their leaders down the yellow brick road to the great and powerful Oz. â€Å"Workers are quite happy to serve the rich and privileged, never questioning their subordinate position. (giroux pg 102). Another example is the Chicken little movie in 1938, where the people are the chickens, the farmer the government and the fox being intellectuals (with his psychology book) Programming americans, along with all of the other(now banned) wartime disney movies that seep out Walts own personal bigoted morals. Another example is the â€Å"Thrifty Pigs† which is trying to get people to buy war bonds to stop â€Å"the big bad wol f†, or â€Å"Home Defense† which makes fun of the French soldiers as being incompetent. All of these and countless others that were formed to get the people to fight in a war that we had no part in until Pearl Harbor. Or the worst one, â€Å"The spirit of the 43† â€Å"taxes to fight the axis† â€Å"Dont spend your money on things you dont need, give it to the government. † Nothing like big brother Disney. But this side of Disney stops, at least blatantly, after Walts death in 1966 when it became a modern heartless bureaucratic corporation. Yet hidden messages are still within modern movies, though with less obvious programming. â€Å"vciolinguistic construction of social dominance and inferiority in which characters who use mainstream American English tend to be associated with strongly positive actions and motivations† [pg 102 of Giroux] While the antagonist is often of another nationality such as the British voiced Scar or any voice that isn’t middle class Suburbia speech, as seen in Ursula’s louisiana swamp accent. This push es children to view those of the lower social class, dark skinned people or foreigners to be â€Å"evil† and become xenophobic and racist towards anything different than themselves. Disney goes a step further and makes a culture of consumerism, â€Å"without tenements or poverty or urban class conflict Its a native white Protestant dream of a world without blacks or immigrants. , image of small towns characterized by cheerful commerce, with barbershop quartets and ice cream sundaes and glorious parades. (giroux pg 96) Everything media wise that Disney produces ends up becoming a cog in the Disney corporate machine with imaginers spewing out product after product to sell to children and increase profits. Children see a movie and want to emulate the role models perceived, then a commercial comes on after Mickey mouse club house for the newest enchanted Princess gown or Woody’s costume and the kids ask their parents to get it. Children have not just copied the looks of the protagonists in Disney stories but have come to expect those fantasies to play out in real life, when the real world isn’t such a happy place and has no room for such fantasy. People end up growing up focusing on material items and their personal lives instead of focusing on the fixable issues, calling it the American dream. This ideology of apathy is a big problem now with revolving door politics, politicians who promise the same things over and over and never fix them and blame the other side, failing infrastructure, falling public school standards and debt through the roof. Not saying that its all Disney’s fault, of course not. Though almost every American child has seen at least one disney movie, its almost impossible not to be sucked into Disney’s sway since they even show them often in public schools as educational videos never delving deeper. As a social manipulator Disney has taken the fight out of us. Programing us to follow American exceptionalism since the American was the hero is portrayed morally just whilst his/her enemy spoke in an exotic accent along with generating xenophobism of other cultures. Reinforcing children to follow the status quo and not to learn about the rest of the worlds culture outside their own narrow sphere of friends and family, enclosing ourselves in a media shell while proliferating American’s culture and moral values to other nations, who view disney as the true america. Disneyland it is the real country, all of real America† -Jean Baudril ­lard [pg 95 of giroux. ] To be fair, countless other â€Å"childrens shows† show â€Å"non moral/family friendly broadcasting, especially now. Watching Spongebob as a child or the modern shows such as Adventure Time or the Regular Show and then seeing them as an adult. Explaining why my mother would laugh at certain parts of the shows that I didn’t laugh at. I notice now the abundance of sexual jokes I missed as a kid and the references to drugs, crimes, war, and all the other stuff thats messed up with the world. So this kind of hidden messages has been deeply imbedded into all sorts media, they are adults working on childrens shows after all, so i doubt they’d be â€Å"mature†. What is evil about Disney is the corporation and those leading it, not the movies that they put their name on. This culture of consumerism that the corporation has exacerbated has evolved into a new network with companies working together to sell a common goal.

Police Brutality: An introduction

Police Brutality: An introduction Police Brutality To serve and protect, is a common phrase that is used among police officers that defines their primary duty as a cop. What once was a powerful notion, has lost its meaning through time. Instead, its reputation is now riddled with cases involving what is known as police brutality along with memorable names such as Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Timothy Thomas, and Abner Louima just to name a few. The use of excessive force by the police is nothing new, and with so many cases out there, it is clear that to serve and protect does not exactly apply to all of law enforcement as it should. Through displays of racial profiling, over assertiveness of power, and overall bad attitude, some individual law enforcement officials have lost the trust and respect of society, making some people question how police brutality can be reduced. Police brutality is defined as a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force by using an amount of force with regard s to a civilian that is more than necessary (Police Brutality, 2008, para. 1). Although someone might argue that it is something that is over exaggerated, there has been proof through audio and videotape footages as well as eye witness accounts that such acts do exist. Take for instance, the infamous Rodney King beating, where George Holliday, a plumbing manager videotaped the scene of law enforcement officials kicking and beating King with metal batons from his bedroom apartment (Linder, 2001). Another example is the incident that occurred in Philadelphia, where a news helicopter videotaped four police officers beating three black men (Barker, 2008). Many will claim that police brutality doesnt exist because it is rarely caught on videotape or documented. But if its not a real problem, then why are there cases and studies done on police brutality? According to Carl Dix, a writer for Black Scholar, between January 1994 and August 1996, at least 100 people died at the hands of the NY PD (1997) . Also, in Chicago alone, there were over 37,000 police brutality complaints from 1984 to 1994 (Dix, 1997). In addition, according to Associated Press, a study done by the Justice Departments Bureau of Justice Statistics found that over 2,000 criminal suspects died in police custody over a three year period (2007, para. 1). After taking a look at the studies and cases reported on police brutality, one might ask, why do law enforcement officials commit acts of brutality? Are police officers overreacting when their authority is challenged such as the case involving Rodney King? Or could it be that in some of these cases they are just having a bad day and they are unable to separate their personal problems with their job? Although both of these answers might be true, a number of cases of police brutality have shown that racial profiling is also a reason why police brutality exists. Well known names such as Rodney King, Abner Louima, Timothy Thomas, Amadou Diallo, and Sean Bel l are a couple of examples where minorities were disrespected due to their race. Brutalities On August 9, 1997, Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant was beaten and sodomized by Brooklyn cops (Roane, 2001). Abner Louima was arrested for interfering with law enforcement officials as they tried breaking up a feud between two women (Hinojosa, 1997). After Louima was put into the patrol car, the police officers began calling him racial names and beating him before taking him to the 70th precinct (Hinojosa, 1997). It was there at the station, that the horrific event took place. Louima was taken to the bathroom where police officers made him strip down and sodomized him with a plunger (Hinojosa, 1997). Amadou Diallo, an immigrant from Guinea, was a 22 year old man who made a living on the sidewalks of lower Manhattan selling random merchandise from a cart to people (Fritsch, 2000). On the night of February 4, 1999, Mr. Diallo was shot 19 times out of 41 bullets by four law enforcement officials as he stood unarmed on the stoop of his apartment building in which he shared with a frien d and his two cousins (Fritsch, 2000). Officer Carroll, one of the four police officers said that the reason they all shot at Mr. Diallo was because he was behaving suspiciously and that he fit the description of a serial rapist (Fritsch, 2000). Officer Carroll also mentioned under cross-examination that he could not see Mr. Diallo to determine his race (Fritsch, 2000). So inIn conclusion, in the dark of the night, Officer Carroll is not able to recognize Amadou Diallos race, but instead claims that he fit the description of a serial rapist. (Fritsch, 2000) Timothy Thomas was 19 years old when he was shot in an alley. On April 7, 2001, Officer Stephen Roach chased down Timothy Thomas for having 14 warrants on him (Larson, 2004). Officer Roach claimed that he shot Thomas because he thought he was reaching for a gun. (Larson, 2004). No gun was ever found on the body of Timothy Thomas (Larson, 2004). After the death of Timothy Thomas, information was found that revealed that his death was just another case of racial profiling. Prior to his death, Timothy Thomas was pulled over 11 times in no more than two months (Larson, 2004). He was cited 21 times, mostly for driving without a seat belt and for driving without a license (Larson, 2004). Although Timothy Thomas consistently broke the law, the question if racial profiling existed here was that why was Thomas being pulled over for not having a license (Larson, 2004)? How can a law enforcement official assume that someone is driving without a license? It was reasonable for Thomas to be pulled over for not wearing a seat belt because a police officer is able to notice that if they are looking closely, but it is impossible to detect if someone is driving without a license. (Larson, 2004) Sean Bell is another minority that was involved in a police brutality case where the color of his skin was a factor. On November 25, 2006, Sean Bell was killed outside of a Queens nightclub just hours before his wedding (Bells fiancà ©e, 2008). The Queens nightclub was at the time under investigation due to complaints of weapons, drugs, and prostitution (Bells fiancà ©e, 2008). The tragedy happened when Bell and his friends were leaving the nightclub. Believing that one of Sean Bells friends was going to grab a gun out of the car because an argument broke out, the detectives called for backup as Bell panicked and began to drive off (Bells fiancà ©e, 2008). 50 bullets were then shot at Bells car in what the NYPD called an act of self defense (Barker, 2008). In the end, no gun was ever found (Bells fiancà ©e, 2008). Michael Warren and Evelyn Warrens incident is no different from any other case involving racial profiling. Michael Warren and his wife Evelyn were beaten and arrested by law enforcement officials as they tried to stop the police officers from viciously assaulting a young black male (Arinde, 2007). Michael and his wife were charged with obstruction, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest (Arinde, 2007). Not all cases involving police brutality has to do with racial profiling, but it is considered as the main reason why it exists though. Sometimes police officers will over assert their power due to their authoritative figure. It can be argued though that law enforcement officials will sometimes have to use excessive force just to protect themselves and their surroundings. The line is crossed though when the use of excessive force is used when no danger is present. Take for example the case of Audra Harmon, a 38 year old mom mother who was driving her kids children home from wrestling practice (Celizic, 2009). According to Mike Celizic, a contributor of TODAYShow.com, Audra Harmon was resting her hand on her cheek as she was driving (Celizic, 2009). Deputy Sean Andrews, who is now under internal investigations, pulled Harmon over thinking she was talking on her cell phone (Celizic, 2009). After Harmon tried proving to Andrews that she was not talking on her cell phone by letti ng him check her purse, Andrews cited her for speeding instead (Celizic, 2009). Audra Harmon was then put under arrest for getting out of her car because she wanted proof that she was speeding (Celizic, 2009). Deputy Sean Andrews then crossed the line when he dragged Harmon out of her vehicle and aswhile she was trying to talk to him,him; Andrews pulled out his Tasertaser and fired tasered Ms. Harmon in front of her children (Celizic, 2009). For every action, there is a reaction. As police brutality cases begin piling up, peoples views of law enforcement officials begin to change negatively. Police brutality can and has affected society in a number of different ways. It can reveal injustice in law enforcement. For every case that arises in which the police are found guilty of acting out what is deemed as brutality through the unnecessary use of excessive force, people begin to question if the law is really on their side when it comes to their rights. With so many cases where rights have been violated, is there really justice being executed behind the badge? In Audra Harmons case, where Deputy Sean Andrews yanked her out of her car and then shocked Harmon to her knees by a Tasertaser, a number of rights were violated (Celizic, 2009). Audra Harmon would then later file a civil suit against Deputy Sean Andrews for violating her Fourth and 14th Amendment rights which included unreasonable search and unauthorized use of excessive force (Celizic, 2009). In addition, this suit would also include emotional distress, false arrest, assault and battery and malicious prosecution (Celizic, 2009, para. 26). Police brutality can reveal societys racism. Each and every time a case becomes exposed to the public and race is undeniably a contributing factor, it further reminds society that we as a country still harbor a dirty little secret that has not been, and perhaps never will be completely erased . Timothy Thomas and Amadou Diallo were both two out of many cases where race p layed a vital role in police actions. Timothy Thomas prior to his death was being pulled over consistently for not driving without a license. How were law enforcement officials aware of Thomas not driving without a license? After receiving 14 warrants, Timothy Thomas would later be chased down and killed for supposedly pulling out a weapon Victims Amadou Diallo was shot at by 41 bullets and hit 19 times because he was behaving suspiciously and that he fit the description of a serial rapist (Fritsch, 2000). On the stoop of Mr. Diallos apartment building, in the dark of the night, Officer Carroll would later testify that he was not able to recognize Mr. Diallos race; only that he fit the description of a serial rapist (Fritsch, 2000). After the shooting of Amadou Diallo, over 300 people gathered to protest around the building where Mr. Diallo was shot at. Fourteen people were arrested there, while another fifteen protesters were arrested in Albany (Fritsch, 2000). Police brutality can lead to a loss of trust and respect for law enforcement officials while making society feel less safe. People begin to fear those who are supposed to protect us, while others protest in anger. Within 24 hours after Timothy Thomas was shot by Officer Roach, the African-American community exploded on the streets (Larson, 2004). Police officers ran th rough the streets, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to try to stop the riot (Larson, 2004). The shooting touched off three nights of unrest in which dozens of people were injured and more than 800 were arrested (Ohio Officer, 2001, para. 7). After the shooting of Amadou Diallo, over 300 people gathered to protest around the building where Mr. Diallo was shot at (Fritsch, 2000). Fourteen people were arrested there, while another fifteen protesters were arrested in Albany (Fritsch, 2000). Continuing their tradition sinceSince October 22, 1996, thousands of protesters have marched every year for the National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation. From all across the United States, in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, and Seattle, the coalition aim to fight against police brutality by marching in cities protesting (National day of protest, 2007). Henry David Thoreau once said, There are a thousa nd hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root (as cited in Herman, 2007, para. 1). The same principle can be applied to what Thoreau once said for how police brutality can be reduced. Many people have filed claims and lawsuits, but for some reason, this solution has not worked effectively in the past. On the other hand, some reports have not been filed due to a scare in retaliation (Police brutality facts, 2006). In New York, critics say that complaints against police brutality were down because people have given up (Lacayo Benson, 1997). And despite more than 16,000 complaints against New York cops since 1993, only 180 officers have been disciplined, most of them with just a lecture or the loss of a vacation day (Lacayo Benson, 1997, para. 2). So byBy what effective means is there to resolve police brutality? Some options are to police the police, where the local community should be able to have some oversight of the police. In addition, the local communit y as well as law enforcement officials must lose the us vs. them mentality. We should be working together to fight crime, not against each other. And if the local community isnt able to have some oversight of the police where they are able to monitor them; a higher authority must be set in place to be able to oversee the operations of law enforcement officials. A suggestion has also been made to hire more ethnic minorities (Policing the police, 1997). Whatever the remedy is, something has to give where it is written in stone that police brutality will not be tolerated. (Policing the police, 1997) Since the 1990s, several police departments that have had a reputation of having bad apples working in their department, have begun to show improvement (Lacayo Benson, 1997). Their solution to reduce the amount of police brutality cases was by providing effective police training, installing a higher authority, and developing better relations with the local community (Lacayo Benson, 1997). Not only has their solution eliminated the us vs. them mentality, but it also sent out a clear message that police brutality would not be tolerated. (Lacayo Benson, 1997) The Los Angeles Police Department has also shown effective progress in reducing police brutality by hiring more ethnic minorities (Lacayo Benson, 1997). Its percentage of white officers has decreased from 61.3% in March 91 to 50% in July 97, producing a rank and file less likely to see a minority community as a hostile planet (Lacayo Benson, 1997, para. 4). In addition, they have hired more female police officers with an increase of about 4% (Lacayo Benson, 1997). Studies have shown that female law enforcement officials are less prone to abusive behavior (Lacayo Benson, 1997). To top it all off, the city also swore in an African-American veteran of the police department as their new police chief (Lacayo Benson, 1997). Another solution to resolve the issue of police brutality was by taking a look at the civil ian Civilian review Review boardBoard. In short, a civilian review board allows civilians to have the power and the opportunity in reviewing investigations of complaints against law enforcement officials. Civilian review boards thus hold police officers accountable for police misconduct. The problem is when a civilian review board is made up of a majority of former members of law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and lawyers such as the one in New York (Lacayo Benson, 1997). The only way to resolve this issue would be to take out those who may be biased to the complaints. (Lacayo Benson, 1997) Law enforcement officials need to be held accountable for their actions just like ordinary citizens who break the law. They can only be held accountable by having public officials denouncing police brutality related incidents. It must not be covered up;. Putting putting a blanket over a problem will not make it the problem go away. Law enforcement officials have been known to cover up thei r tracks making it hard to document cases of police brutality. This is also known as the blue wall of silence. The blue wall of silence is defined as the secrecy of police officers who lie or look the other way to protect other police officers (Blue wall of silence, 2009, para. 1). The blue wall of silence enables cops to murder without being punished (Tatum, 2000). The blue wall of silence therefore not only prevents victims from getting justice, but it also destroys the image of law enforcement officials. The only way to break this blue wall of silence would be to appoint a higher authority to oversee the bad apples in the department. By covering up another law enforcements tracks, and looking the other way, police officers begin to lose the trust and respect of society. (Tatum, 2000) It has been made clear that there are many proposed solutions to stop police brutality. The answer then is to not just rely on only one remedy, but a combination of solutions to effectively reduce po lice brutality. All in all, police brutality must not be tolerated. Its reasonable to argue that in certain situations, cops will need to exercise the use of force to not only protect them, but to also protect their surroundings. However, it becomes a real problem that begs a real solution when they go beyond the badge and execute their authority in rogue manner, putting them above the law. Police brutality is a problem that still exists and will exist until an effective solution is implemented and the police are strictly held accountable for their actions. Until then, more and more people will continue to lose their trust and respect for the men in blue while many others will continue to be victimized.

Lizards :: essays research papers

Lizards Lizards belong to the class Reptilian, Scientists have said that Reptiles have been on earth for about 200 million years. Lizards make up the largest group of reptiles with more than 4,300 species around the world varying in different shapes and sizes. Lizards look very similar to salamanders but they differ from each other in many ways such as their dry scaly skin and have clawed feet and external ear opening. The majority of lizard are quite small have 4 legs and have a fragile tail that can regenerate when part of it is taken off. Lizards are cold-blooded or ectoderms, which means that they depend on sources outside their bodies like the sun, to raise and maintain there body temperatures. Eating habits vary for lizards and depend upon the species. Some lizards feed only on insects such as the Iguana. On the other hand some eat rodents that roam deserts and eat eggs and small rodents and some feed on both rodents and insects. For protection many lizards use their teeth to scare pre dators off. Lizards are found in tropical and subtropical regions within the world. Few species of lizards are found in temperate regions and none are located in arctic areas. Some lizards are terrestrial, arboreal, or semi-aquatic. Very few lizards are poisonous and use their venom as a defense. Several other species of lizards don’t have a good defensive strategy and rely on camouflage such as the chameleon that is able to change its color according to its surroundings. Females of most lizard species lay eggs then are usually left to hatch on their own. How ever an insignificant amount give birth to living young such as the slowworm. Some female reptiles, mostly green iguanas, do not need a male of their species to begin their reproductive cycle while others do need the presence of one or more males, and need to stimulate the hormone and other changes that lead to egg maturation and laying. To confuse matters more, some female reptiles, especially chelonians, can retain sperm for many years before finally laying a fertilized egg. Most lizards are harmless and benefit humans by keeping the insect populations stable and halt over population. Some species are a source of food; some are killed for their ski ns, but is not illegal in many countries. A vast number of lizards are threatened by violations on their habitat.

Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace Essay -- Literary

Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace Margaret Atwood was born on November 18, 1939 in Ottawa, Ontario, and since then she has lived in various places such as Boston, London, France, Italy, Germany, and Alabama. She currently resides in Toronto. Atwood has written numerous poems, novels, short stories, children’s books, magazine articles, and works of nonfiction. She has also written three television scripts, and she has edited anthologies. Some of her well-known novels include The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, and Alias Grace ("Atwood"). Alias Grace is a fictional work based on the true story of Grace Marks, a servant who was accused of murdering her employer and his mistress in Canada in 1843. Grace was a servant in the home of Thomas Kinnear, whose housekeeper and mistress was Nancy Montgomery. When Thomas and Nancy were found murdered, Grace and James McDermott, another servant, were arrested for the crime, and James was hanged. Grace was imprisoned for several years during which people who believed her to be innocent petitioned for her release, which finally occurred in 1872. Atwood’s novel is a blend of fact and fiction in which writers who wrote about Grace during her life are quoted. The story revolves around repressed memories, a common theme in Atwood’s novels. Grace is the only living witness to the murders of Thomas and Nancy, but she claims that she does not remember exactly what happened. Whether she was involved in the murders or the helpless victim of James McDermott is a mystery. Most of the action in the novel occurs during Grace’s imprisonment. She tells her life story to Simon Jordan, a doctor who visits her with the goal of restoring her memory and learning what really happened. In additi... ...possessed by the spirit of her friend Mary Whitney. As in much of twentieth century literature, no definite answers are given, and the reader is left to draw her own conclusions. Atwood’s ambiguity is similar to that of James Joyce’s in "The Dead" and Franz Kafka’s in "The Metamorphosis." In these and other twentieth century works, there are more questions raised than answers given. There is no known solution to the real mystery of Grace Marks, and Atwood leaves the solution to her character’s mystery to the reader’s interpretation. Clues are scattered throughout the novel, and any answer is possible. One can accept the spiritual answer that arises during the hypnotism or choose a more realistic interpretation. It is up to the reader to decide. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Margaret Atwood Information Web Site. 21 Apr. 1999. .

Legitimating rationale Essay

Explain how and why the Functional Perspective is the legitimating rationale (explanation or justification) for a Capitalist economy, and give examples of this justification through race, religion, class, gender, and educational level. Then, critique the Functionalist ideology from the Conflict Perspective and describe how the stratification system produces deviants (not criminals, but rather those who fall outside the expectations in actions, thoughts, appearance, credit-score, etc) and the result of this labeling in terms of preserving the status quo. Without a judicial system, regardless how flawed it is, in a Capitalist economy it would be bedlam without it. As a human race, we need to abide by restrictions and laws. It is an unfortunate statistic that the majority of inmates are lower class, less educated than the norm. The penal system shows no favoritism on gender nor religion. In our society if the law is not obeyed, then you will have to pay the ultimate price. Earlier social conflict theorists argue that money is the mechanism which creates social disorder. The theory further states that society is created from ongoing social conflict between various groups. The gap between the haves, and have not, have certainly widened in the past five years. Families who were considered middle class five years ago have seen their credit score plummet. Ones that found themselves buying at higher retail stores are now at discounted houses. Having their homes foreclosed, and living week to week, has become the norm in the middle of this society. There is much resentment for the middle class as the higher class seems to go unscathed, and the lower class seems to be getting more and more government services. I believe the word status quo is a thing of the past. Part B Choose 1 legitimating rationale and show how the 5 basic social institutions (economy, family, religion, education and government) work together and support one another both structurally and ideologically to foster this rationale. Then discuss Marx’s claim that the interests and goals of the economic system define  the goals and objectives of all other institutions. (50 pts) â€Å"Women are subordinate to men,† and the way that they all support it. Economy (women get paid less than men: glass ceiling), family (men expect women to play the housewife), religion (the bible talks about women as the â€Å"sinners† and that men are superior/women can’t be priests in the Catholic church), education (we are taught sexist rationales in school like boys are macho and girls play with Barbie’s and don’t fight), government (the U.  S. Constitution says â€Å"all men are created equal† not all â€Å"people† or â€Å"all women†)Beacuse the economy is controlled by a strong male presence (wall street, congress, etc) they continue to re-emphasize the male agenda because they want to keep control (keep higher salaries, make the laws, etc) So the male controlled economy defines the goals and objectives of everything so they stay in power.

Computer Manufacturing Industry Analysis

1. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS a. Definition of the Industry The following study presents a brief analysis of the Computer and Electronic Manufacturing Industry in the USA (NAICS 334 – North American Industry Classification System) with special focus on the Personal Computer’s sub-sector. I made the decision to focus on just one of the sub-sectors due to the large scope of the general industry. Industries in the Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing subsector group establishments that manufacture computers, computer peripherals, communications equipment, and similar electronic products, and establishments that manufacture components for such products. † (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Given the previous description of the general Industry, I can now go further in the definition of the real point of study for this paper, which is the Computer Manufacturing, clustered in laptops, PC’s and servers. â€Å"This industry manufactures and/or assembles personal co mputers (PCs), laptops and servers.Operators typically purchase computer components (e. g. motherboards and graphics cards) from dedicated manufacturers in other industries† (IBIS World report 33441a, Semiconductor and Circuit Manufacturing). â€Å"This industry does not include tablet computers, nor does it include manufacturers of computer monitors, mice, keyboards and printers† (IBIS World report 33411b, Computer Peripheral Manufacturing). When covering the whole industry, â€Å"The US computer manufacturing industry includes about 1,200 companies with combined annual revenue of about $75 billion.Major companies include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. † (Hoovers 2012) The computer manufacturing industry’s revenue is divided and measured according to each of the sub sectors that conform it. â€Å"Personal computers account for about 40 percent of industry revenue; mainframes and servers, 13 percent; and storage devices, about 10 percent. † (HOOVER S) While respecting to the sub-industry in which this paper is focused (PC’s, laptops and servers), and considering just the United States, it is conformed by 355 businesses generating annual revenue up to US$37 billion.Being the leading companies Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Apple. The total amount of units sold for the industry must be taken in consideration from the quantity of units shipped in the last year: Preliminary United States PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q11 (Units) Company 4Q11 Shipments 4Q11 Market Share (%) 4Q10 Shipments 4Q10 Market Share (%) 4Q11-4Q10 Growth (%) HP 4,137,833 23. 1 5,598,619 29. 4 -26. 1 Dell 4,020,549 22. 4 4,210,000 22. 1 -4. 5 Apple 2,074,800 11. 6 1,718,400 9. 0 20. 7 Toshiba 1,925,100 10. 7 1,968,091 10. 3 -2. 2 Acer Group 1,756,838 . 8 1,982,477 10. 4 -11. 4 Others 4,014,644 22. 4 3,583,418 18. 8 12. 0 Total 17,929,764 100. 0 19,061,005 100. 0 -5. 9 Note: Data includes desk-based PCs, mobile PCs, including mini-notebooks but not m edia tablets such as the iPad.? Source: Gartner (January 2012) Comparing the studied sub-industry results with previous years, profit and revenue have been constantly decreasing and the annual growth in the last 5 years have been negative for the industry in about 5. 1%. Analysts from IBIS project that this will continue falling for the future 5 more years.Nonetheless, â€Å"The industry is capital-intensive: annual revenue per employee is about $460,000† (HOOVERS), while the whole Computer Manufacturing Industry in the US counts with approximately (in thousands) 1,099. 9 employees. b. Internal and External Analysis OPORTUNITIES -There is a growing consumer demand for PCs and tablets. -â€Å"Their rapid growth (of the market) suggests that they will become even more important to the economies of all three North American countries in the future† (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012) -â€Å"The proliferation of cloud computing will prompt companies to increase their server investments† (IBIS 2012)THREATS -â€Å"Industry profit will continue to fall because of intense price competition† (IBIS World 2012) -â€Å"The  Computer Manufacturing industry  is being rapidly supplanted by imports, particularly from China. † (PR Web 2012) -Imports are a threat for local manufacturing revenue. â€Å"While import penetration in this industry stood at 50. 7% in 2007, imports are expected to satisfy an estimated 68. 6% of domestic demand in 2012,†Ã‚   (IBIS World 2012) -â€Å"While the emergence of new products and services will boost industry performance, US manufacturers are not expected to produce the required hardware (locally). (PR Web 2012) -â€Å"(†¦) Tablets will cut into industry revenue since they are manufactured abroad and are a competing force to domestic computer manufacturing. † (PR Web 2012) -â€Å"Computer and peripheral equipment prices fell from 2007 to 2012, and as a result, personal computer (PC) sales are estimated to generate razor-thin margins of 1. 0% in 2012. † (PR Web 2012) STRENGTHS -â€Å"The Computer Manufacturing industry operates in a highly globalized market, bringing together components that are manufactured worldwide for assembly in a single location.The concentration of computer manufacturing facilities near major ports comes as no surprise. With the widespread use of lean-manufacturing protocols, computer manufacturers heavily favor locations that minimize delays in getting products to market, not to mention shipping expenses. † (IBIS World 2012) -â€Å"Fortunately, PCs are not the only products in this industry, and industry profit, which includes computers and more profitable products, is expected to account for 3. 8% of revenue in 2012. † (PR Web 2012) WEAKNESSES The profitability of individual computer companies depends on purchasing and production efficiencies, and on technological expertise. (HOOVERS 2012) -â€Å"Computer manufacturing a nd design also require highly-educated employees† (IBIS World 2012), these are very hard to find, especially in the same area of the business offices. -â€Å"As a result of offshoring by US-based companies and increased competition from international firms, domestic manufacturing activity has declined†. (PR Web 2012) -The demand for the Computer Industry is tied to consumer and business income, so it’s very sensitive and variable. . Customer Analysis The total domestic (US) annual demand for the industry by the end of 2011 was US$62. 2 billion. â€Å"The industry's woes cannot be blamed on a lack of demand. In fact, the share of US households that owns at least one computer increased by 7. 5 percentage points from 2007 to 2012. While demand has grown, fierce competition and widespread product homogeneity (the result of computers being assembled from standardized components) have led to falling prices and profit margins† (PR Web 2012)The identified target m arkets/segments for the Computer Manufacturing Industry are the following: 1. Large corporate customers (B2B) – Big companies 2. Small and medium size businesses (B2B) – Who represent about 20% of U. S. sales 3. Individual Customers and Consumers (B2C) – Who represent about 10% of U. S. sales 4. Public sector (government and educational) customers. 3. Competitors Analysis The computer manufacturing industry is highly concentrated within its most revenue-significant businesses due to the top 50 companies are responsible of about 90 percent of the total industry’s revenue. Competition from abroad has tightened profit margins and prices on mass-market computer systems. Consequently, most of the industry's largest players operate in several related industries to diversify their revenue sources, with a particular emphasis on the highly profitable enterprise segment and Information Technology (IT) services. † Currently, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell are t he largest US-based computer manufacturers, followed by Apple. The total revenue and market share of personal computers for the last year, regarding the top 3 companies in the industry is: . Hewlett Packard PC Market Share: 23. 1% Total Company Revenue (Jul 2011-Jul2012): $122. 52B 2. Dell PC Market Share: 22. 4% Total Company Revenue (Aug 2011-Aug 2012): $60. 30B 3. Apple PC Market Share: 11. 6% Total Company Revenue (Jun 2011-Jun2012): $148. 81B Brands Description: Hewlett Packard Hewlett-Packard Company and its subsidiaries provide products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as to the government, health, and education sectors worldwide.It divides in several segments according to their offerings: Personal Systems Group segment (commercial personal computers, software and services for the commercial and consumer markets), Services segment (consulting and outsourcing to businesses), Imaging and Printing Group segment (consumer and commercial), Enterprise Servers, Storage, and Networking segment (industry standard and business servers), Software segment (IT software and solutions), Financial Services segment (leasing, financing and utility programs for enterprise customers, SMBs, and other entities) and Business Intelligence Solutions.The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. They serve more than 1 billion customers in more than 170 countries and have approximately 349,600 employees worldwide. HP defines its function in society like this: â€Å"We explore how technology and services can help people and companies address their problems and challenges, and realize their possibilities, aspirations and dreams. We apply new thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with technology, continuously improving the way our customers live and work. † Hewlett-Packard HP Key Positioning: You + HP make it matt er. At HP we don’t just believe in the power of technology. We believe in the power of people when technology works for them. To help you create. To make the digital tangible. To harness the power of human information. At HP we work to make what you do matter even more. † (Hewlett-Packard) Dell Dell Inc. provides integrated technology solutions in the information technology (IT) industry worldwide. It designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports mobility and desktop products, including notebooks, workstations, tablets, smartphones, and desktop PCs, as well as servers and networking products.The company also offers several technology solutions, systems, software and specialized services. The company sells its products and services directly through its sales representatives, telephone-based sales, and online sales; and through retailers, third-party solution providers, system integrators, and third-party resellers. It serves corporate businesses, law enfo rcement agencies, small and medium businesses, consumers, and public institutions that include government, education, and healthcare organizations. Dell Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.Dell describes its function in society like this: â€Å"In all we do, we’re focused on delivering solutions to enable smarter decisions and more effective outcomes so our customers can overcome obstacles, achieve their ideas and pursue their dreams. Above all, we are committed to the superior long-term value they need to grow and thrive. Dell Key Positioning: â€Å"Simple and affordable information technology for everyone† â€Å"They are focused on making information technology affordable for millions of customers around the world. As a result of direct relationships with customers.They are best positioned to simplify how customers implement and maintain information technology and deliver hardware, services, and software solutions tailored for their b usinesses and homes. † (MBA Knowledge Base 2012) Apple Apple Inc. , together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players; and sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide.The company sells its products and services to consumers, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, and government customers through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. As of September 24, 2011, the company had 357 retail stores, including 245 stores in the United States and 112 stores internationally. Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California. Apple defines its function in society like this: Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. †Ã‚  (Apple) Apple Key Positioning: Innovation leaders Competitive Advantage and Strategy of each: Apple’s â€Å"Post PC Strategy†: â€Å"They want to be the dominant operating system through your life – at home and on the move. That sounds a little geeky but it means that they want you to be so delighted with your experience on the iPhone’s operating system that you want that same experience on your tablet.After you are satisfied with that experience, you start to wonder why you are still using a PC versus a Mac or MacBook Air as your â€Å"desktop computer. †Ã‚   And then that will extend to your television. † (Forbes 2012) â€Å"Apple wants to own a generation of post-PC world users and block out their competitors until such time as they can present a higher-quality user experien ce than Apple. That might be a long time. † (Forbes 2012) â€Å"The accelerating popularity of mobile computing devices such as Apple Inc's iPad  has been eroding PC sales for years.To combat the erosion in sales to consumers, as well as dwindling margins as companies compete on price, Dell and HP have been gradually focusing more on sales to large enterprises. † (Reuters 2012) Dell’s Strategy: â€Å"Dell has been diversifying its revenue base in the face of weakened consumer demand, giving up low-margin sales to consumers and moving into higher-margin areas, such as catering to the technology needs of small and medium businesses in the public sector and the healthcare industry.The company now finds itself lagging larger rivals like HP and IBM in the race to become one-stop shops for corporate IT needs. † (Reuters 2012) HP’s Strategy: â€Å"HP today announced that it has completed its evaluation of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG) and has decided the unit will remain part of the company. (†¦) PSG is a key component of HP’s strategy to deliver higher value, lasting relationships with consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and enterprise customers.The HP board of directors is confident that PSG can drive profitable growth as part of the larger entity and accelerate solutions from other parts of HP’s business. † 4. Executive Summary After this industry analysis, we can see that the computer manufacturing industry in the US is constantly loosing revenue and market share in the world. Almost every business in this Industry (top ranked) are loosing revenue and decreasing profitability. The only company that has increased revenue and has actually grown in the last five years is Apple.For this, I would recommend Apple’s executives to maintain their actual â€Å"Post-PC† strategy because it is known that demand for PC’s is decreasing while demand for oth er similar electronics such tablets is increasing and will continue doing so in the future. I would recommend Apple, as well, to focus a little bit also in extending their portfolio of offerings by including special services and solutions in order to attend the B2B market and gain some of their competitors share in this segment too. SOURCES 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www. bls. gov/iag/tgs/iag334. htm#about) 2.NAICS CODES (http://naicscode. com/search/MoreNAICSDetail. asp? N=33411) 3. IBIS World (http://www. ibisworld. com/industry/default. aspx? indid=740) 4. Hoovers (http://www. hoovers. com/industry-facts. computer-manufacturing. 1843. html#megamenu_0. html) 5. Gartner – Newsroom (http://www. gartner. com/it/page. jsp? id=1893523) 6. PR Web – Article: â€Å"Computer Manufacturing in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld†. August 14, 2012 (http://www. prweb. com/releases/2012/8/prweb9797684. htm) 7. Research and Markets (http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reportinfo. asp? eport_id=451844=e) 8. Fox Business (http://www. foxbusiness. com/technology/2012/01/12/apple-remains-in-third-place-with-116-us-computer-market/) 9. Yahoo Finance – HP (http://finance. yahoo. com/q/ks? s=HPQ) 10. Yahoo Finance – Dell (http://finance. yahoo. com/q/pr? s=dell) 11. Yahoo Finance – Apple (http://finance. yahoo. com/q/pr? s=aapl) 12. The Wall Street Journal (http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10000872396390443862604578030391796799174. html) 13. HP Official Web Page (www. hp. com) 14. Dell Official Web Page (www. dell. com) 15. Apple Official Web Page (www. apple. com) 16. Reuters

Black America Essay

I. Introduction A. One significant problem faced among the judicial system is the injustice involving African Americans with sentencing and racial profiling. Not only will the individual and society response be discussed but the expert’s theories and alternative solutions will be included. II. African Americans facing injustice within the judicial system. A. Sentencing for crimes committed compared to other races. 1. Marissa Alexander, a black mother, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after shooting a warning shot to scare her abusive husband. No one was injured in her choice to shoot the warning shoot but Amber Cummings, a 32 year old mother, did not face any jail time for killing her husband who was said to be a white supremacists. 2. Judge Jean Boyd sentenced a young white male, Ethan Couch, after killing 4 individuals while driving drunk, to 10 years of probation and sentence a 14 year old black male to 10 years of prison after punching and killing a man. Ethan Couch prior to the incidents, stole from a store and alcohol level was three times the limit. Neither young men where mentally ill or had justification on the crimes they committed but sentencing was harsher for the young black male. 3. John McNeil, a black father of two, was sentenced to seven years in prison and 13 years of probation in 2005 for murdering a white male that threaten to stab his sons after trespassing on their property while Joe Horn, an elderly white male shot and killed two men that was breaking and entering into his neighbor’s home one night. Horn took it upon himself, even after the 911 operator repeatedly informed him not to interfere in the situation because the cops were on the way, to murder the two men. 2 B. Racial Profiling of African American individuals. 1 Trayvon Martin was a young black teen walking through a neighborhood with a black hoodie and was murdered by George Zimmerman because he believe the young teen was going to commit a crime. George Zimmerman did not serve any jail-time for the murder. 4. African Americans have a higher chance of being stop by police officers when driving and frisking than a White American. Research has found that â€Å"in investigatory stops, a black man age twenty-five or younger has a 28 percent chance of being stopped for an investigatory reason over the course of an year; a similar young white man has 12. 5 percent chance and a similar young white woman has only a 7 percent chance†. (Epp & Maynard, 2014, p. 15) 5. African Americans also has a higher chance of being stalked or watched closely in department stores. For example: Barneys, a high-in department store is now under fire for its practices when facing minorities. Two young African Americans have come forward with their issues faced when shopping in Barneys. One young man, Trayon Christian was put in handcuffs after an employee of Barneys called the police to report a fraudulent credit card used by the African American male and later found out the credit card was real. Kayla Philips purchased a 2300. 00 pursed and was later stop by the police upon leaving the store. (Harris, 2013, p. 1) III. Expert’s Opinion on the problem. A. Both David Harris and Randall Kennedy have research and exam research on the topic of racial profiling. 1 David Harris is a law professor at University of Pittsburg School of Law and has found that in 2003, many of the traffic vehicle stops resulted in illegal substances and goods being found by police officers. When Harris calculated the traffic vehicle stops he came across that White Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 2 of 8 3 Americans contributed to most of the stops and that â€Å"that racial profiling is a counterproductive law enforcement strategy as well as a controversial one. † (Collica, 2012, chp. 4. 3). 2 Randall Kennedy wrote an article in 2011 title, â€Å"†Race and the Administration of Criminal Justice in the United States†. In 2006 he research racial profiling in New York City and found that â€Å"55% of African Americans were stopped by the police and that number is twice the representation of Blacks in the local population. † (Collica, 2012, chp. 4. 3) IV. Society response on the problem. A. Citizens are coming together to form rallies for Justice. 1. Ferguson, Missouri citizens have rallied and protest since the death of Michael Brown, a young African American male who was gunned down by a police officer. 2. Many cities, states and countries rallied after the disappointing verdict of the Trayvon Martin case. V. The public policies in place to rectify the problem. A. In May of 2013, Congress put into play the End Racial Profiling Act. 1. This act was set in place to end racial profiling among law enforcement agencies by: Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 3 of 8 4 a. â€Å"Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. † (â€Å"End of Racial Profiling,† 2013). b. â€Å"Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. † (â€Å"End of Racial Profiling,† 2013) VI. Alternative solutions that can assist with the issue. A. Every police office should have a camera inside of their vehicles or a camera on their bodies at all times. If the rules cannot be followed then the police officer should face disciplinary actions. 1. If the police force use the camera in the car and on themselves at all times this will help minimize police brutality. Police Officers will make sure to use proper force in every situation and will not overuse their power as authority figures. B. If a citizen decides to use deadly force against an individual and that individual is killed, that citizen should face jail time, unless that individual posed a threat to their life or others. 1. Citizens find that they can shoot anyone for anything. Unless this person is trying to cause physical harm to them, citizens should not have the authority to use deadly force against anyone. 2. If someone is in a domestic violence situation and the police is called the individual causing harm should automatically be arrested and charges should be placed on that individual. No more allowing the victim the ability to agree or disagree to these charges. Not only will this allow the abuse to get out of the situation, this will also help with future violence†¦including murder. Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 4 of 8 5 C. Police Officers should always use a stun gun or pepper spray whenever they come across an irate individual. 1. Police officers should always use their pepper spray or stun guns when taking down or taking in an unarm individual. Especially if there is more than one officer at the scene of the crime. If someone is resisting arrest use the stun gun or pepper spray to subdue the individual. Let’s stop violence with using more force than necessary. VII. Conclusion A. It has slightly change throughout the years with African American men and women having the right to vote and sit peacefully in a restaurant without being bothered or called names but in all fairness, African American people will always have it hard. Yes, we have an African American president but that does not stop the high numbers of frisking or being stop by the police after purchasing a high dollar amount item because someone believes you could possibly be a thief. Yes, the statistics throughout the years to come might dwindled down but the Black race will be looked down upon and will called criminals because of a few bad apples. The Black race will still continue to be murdered in the streets, unarmed or surrendering with no proper justice because, like the saying, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 5 of 8 6 References Collica, K. & Furst, G. (2012). Crime and Society. San Diego CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. It explains criminology and how society responds to crime. It breaks down crime through age, gender, race, education and living conditions. It shows statistics of crime and types of crime and explains how the statistics are measured. Epp, C. , & Maynard-Moody, S. (2014). Driving While Black. Washington Monthly, 46(1/2), 14- 16. Retrieved from http://eds. a. ebscohost. com. proxy- library. ashford. edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=212adf44-d029-44a2-9c35- b2a2e0dc1f07%40sessionmgr4002&vid=6&hid=4203. This article discussed the statistics involving driving and frisking among all races. It breaks down the measurements through race, age, sex, education and living conditions. It discuss how the African American race will always be prejudice upon. Gabbidon, S. L. , Jordan, K. L. , Penn, E. B. , & Higgins, G. E. (2014). Black Supporters of the No-Discrimination Thesis in Criminal Justice: A Portrait of an Understudied Segment of the Black Community. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 25(5), 637. Retrieved from http://cjp. sagepub. com. proxy-library. ashford. edu/content/25/5/637. full. pdf+html This article explains the different methods used to measure the African American response to the criminal justice system. Six hundred African American individuals were surveyed and only 26% believes that the criminal justice system is not prejudice against one race. The measurements are broken down into age, education and living conditions. The older generation of African Americans made up most of the 26 percentage. Harris, D. (2013). Shopping While Black. World News with Diane Sawyer, 1. Retrieved from Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 6 of 8 7 http://eds. b. ebscohost. com. proxy-library. ashford. edu/eds/detail/detail? vid=1&sid=e32d3682- cdb2-48b8-8a38- a2f84927e979%40sessionmgr198&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU. %3d#db=bwh&AN=91694591 This article not only discussed certain African American individuals views and experience with the high in department store Barney’s but also questions a high profile celebrity on his involvement with the company. They question his beliefs and how he feels about the controversy surrounding the company. Rosich, K. J. (2007). Race, Ethnicity, and the Criminal Justice System. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. Retrieved from http://www. asanet. org/images/press/docs/pdf/ASARaceCrime. pdf This article explains the many statistics and research data performed on racism and race relations issues. Statistics are measured through, race, gender, age, education, employment, living conditions and other factors. S-1038 – End Racial Profiling Act of 2013. (2013). Retrieved October 26, 2014, from https://www. congress. gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1038? q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B %22end+racial+profiling+act+2014%22%5D%7D This article discuss and explains what the End Racial Profiling Act of 2013 is. This act was introduced in May of 2013 with every action that has taken place with voting, amendments and other act created based off it is documented. Black America vs. the Criminal Justice SystemPage 7 of 8.