Black on Black Crime Essay

Undeniably, stereotyping has always been rampant in our society. These stereotyping may either be through gender, age, occupation and the most popular of all, perhaps—race. Part of stereotyping is associating a certain group of people to whether good or bad demeanor. And perhaps, almost known to all is the black-on-black crime. This kind of crime is usually pushed to happen due to the prejudice of the society. As Black Americans are subjected to discrimination and injustice, black-on-black crimes are most likely to occur. Black-on-black crimes are the kind of crimes which are committed on Blacks with their fellow Blacks as the offenders. At present, the African Americans remain more segregated that any other racial group in the world. Some of them even experience â€Å"residential isolation† (Quillian, 1999). Past studies show that â€Å"white flight† or the avoidance of white is the main reason of racial discrimination. While there are only 12 percent African American living in the United States, 45 percent of the victims of murder in year 2002 also come from them; 91 percent of them are killed by their fellow Black Americans. Statistics show that homicide tops the list of the leading causes of death among Black men, while suicide in landed on the second notch on the causes of death among Black women aged 15-24 (Greaves). These figures or statistics, of course, are just a reflection of social reality. Racial discrimination, though not as rampant in the past decades still hounds out society that is a great factor contributing to the crime rate among Black Americans. â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#2 Prior Research Despite the society’s eventual tolerance on racial differences, there are still studies that show that whites do not prefer in places where there are a lot of African Americans thriving in. In a research survey conducted, most of the white Americans who were asked in the survey said they prefer living in a community where the population of African American is less than 30 percent. (Clark) Studies showing the trends of mobility actually show that neighborhoods or communities with relatively high population of Black families have the tendency to have a â€Å"collapsed† population of white families (Quillian 1999). This means that white Americans tend to move out the place if it is more dominant of the black Americans. In the long run, these neighborhoods would be dominated fully by black Americans. Perceptions on Crime Empirical studies were never really enough to back up the perception of neighborhoods and communities about crime. There are no really a significant number of studies which focus on the black-on-black crimes. But then there are two main factors that are believed to influence the perception of a neighborhood towards crime. First is the observable characteristic which is the neighborhood’s racial composition. In the United States, for example, most of the neighborhoods or communities can be categorized into either dominant of blacks or dominant of whites. Factors like economic class where an individual belong is not easy to gauge based on physical characteristic. â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#3 The second factor would be the stereotypes that relate a certain group of people with crime. An example of this would be the African-American or the Blacks who are often associated with rampant crimes known by all Americans (Devine and Elliot 1995). Studies furthered that information that are consistently seen are stereotypes are most likely to be noticed or remembered by people than those information stereotypes that are not usually used (Robert, Evans, and Fulero1979). Stereotypes may also lead to the salience of the stereotypes which are associating certain groups of people on committing crimes. Thus, media reports would most likely to focus on news reports that are guilty of stereotyping. These kinds of media reports reinforce the association of crime and race in the minds of the people, or to be specific, to the mind of the audience. Causes Divergent to the common notion that racism or discrimination is the main cause of black-on-black crime, there are actually a lot of factors causing the perpetuation of such crimes. Racism or discrimination is not the sole reason for the existence of â€Å"evil attitudes. † Among of them urging â€Å"evil attitudes† are: high rates of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births, abortions, child abuse, and broken families that continually hound the different black communities. Empirical data show that teenagers or the young adults are the ones who are usually involved in troubles, thus increasing their vulnerability to committing crimes. These data apply to Black Americans. But these figures cannot actually generalize all of the Black Americans. â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#4 In the case of Unites States, youngsters (or the Black Americans to be specific) are usually involved in peer groups some even call it â€Å"gangtas. † Majority of these kinds of groups are said to be constantly involved in riots or rumbles mostly with their fellow teenagers and Black Americans. Teenagers are groups of peers who seem to act like a â€Å"broken window† which signals crime (Maxfield 1981). This most likely applies most likely to young black men (Anderson 1990) in neighborhoods with â€Å"mixed racial† inhabitants. Combating Black-on-Black Crimes The problem on black-on-black crime cannot be instantly resolved. The way towards the solution of this social problem would really entail a lot of efforts and factors. It may take years, decades or more for us to get over or to lessen the rate of black-on-black crimes. But then, if we are really determined to combat or at least lessen the figures of the occurrence of black-on-black crime, then, we will surely be successful in our aim. This plight is not just the plight of the Black Americans. Everyone is affected when Black-on-black crimes happen—whether directly or indirectly. As follows are the probable solutions that may address the social plight on black-on-black crimes. Some may be too mundane for some, but it will contribute to the eradication of the problem. One of the main factors, perhaps, pushing the Blacks to commit crime against their fellow Blacks is their low self-esteem. We can avoid the Black on Black Crimes by giving them enough and proper education not only to the African-American children but also to the Caucasian â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#5 children. It is because, the usual educational curriculum among schools, especially in the K-12 levels, is teaching that European descendants are the superior race while the Blacks are inferior. Another is â€Å"identifying and helping potential offenders. † We should first identify who are the common groups of people are involved in black-on-black crimes. Researches show that black-on-black crimes usually happen among the youngsters. We should help them in overcoming their unpleasant behavior. Those behaviors are, in reality, brought about also by some social factors. There are certain problems within our society that need to be immediately addressed before we could completely dwell in our problem on black-on-black crimes. More so, better law enforcement could also help in eradicating the problem on black-on-black crimes. Also this will not really guarantee that crimes will never happen again, this will ensure that there is a strict monitoring of what is happening in the society. But then, there should also be also respect on the Black offenders. They may be criminals, but they should still be treated as human. If offenders are immediately identified, there will be lesser crimes as the police or the authorities are faster in terms of solving the crime. Part and parcel of this solution is also the strict implementation of available laws. If authorities are not strict in implementing their own policies pertaining to crime, offenders will not be intimidated and ashamed to commit any crimes—whether it is a black-on-black crime or not. â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#6 And last but not the least, there should be â€Å"community involvement† in fighting this social predicament. It is not just an issue of Blacks against Blacks. It is an issue concerning everyone. The Blacks should not be treated differently by the society. It is just the complexion that differs, anyway. In a study conducted by the Chicago Crime Factors and Neighborhood Decline in 1978, respondents were asked about their perception on the crimes that are happening in their community. The survey was done through a telephone survey involving 3300 household members in eight chosen community areas in Chicago. The communities were chosen in terms of their racial composition, property values, and crime rates. In each community, there were 400 household members chosen randomly. Based on the results, there is a significant association of racial composition to the respondents’ perception on the crimes in their neighborhood. As hypothesized, as a neighborhood has a higher percentage of Black American inhabitants, the respondents have higher perceived rates on the crime rates within their community. The association of Black Americans with crime rate is both applicable to Black and White Americans, who are the respondents of the study. The survey conducted in Chicago just shows how the Black Americans are perceived by White Americans and even by their fellow Black Americans. They are associated with crimes. We have to break this particular stereotype than Black Americans would mean higher crime rate. Instead of being mere observers of this social plight, we do something to break this kind of problem. â€Å"BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME† PAGE#7 Black-on-black crimes usually happen because of the treatment that the Black Americans get from the society. If we open about our racial differences, Black-on-black crimes would be lessened—at least. We would just usually smirk if we hear stories of crimes committed by Blacks on their fellow Blacks. Our mind set is that, we are not affected, anyway. Some even blame the Blacks alone for doing those â€Å"criminal acts. † We tend to forget that everything is connected to everything else. We tend also to â€Å"wash our hands† over the issue of Black-on-black crimes. We are unmindful that we have also our part on the perpetuation of these kinds of crimes. Conclusion The society is a very crucial factor towards the development of an individual. The environment is a vital determinant on what kind of individual one could be. How the society looks on a particular group of people usually reflect the demeanor of an individual within the group. For example, the case of the Black Americans is a clear manifestation of the society’s prejudice. The salient issue that Black Americans are most likely to commit crimes against their fellow Black Americans affects the psychological being of the Blacks. In a nutshell, it is the society which is the main root of Black-on-black crimes. Ironically, it is also the society which will play the most important and most crucial part towards the resolution of this social plight. A society with open mind is what we need. A society that is void of prejudices, stereotypes, and judgment. By this, black-on-black crimes will be solved. Outline I. Introduction II. Overview of Black on Black Crimes A. Prior Researches B. Statistics C. Perceptions on Crime III. Causes of Black on black crimes IV. Combating Black on Black Crimes References: Anderson, Elijah. Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. Clark, William A. V. â€Å"Residential Preferences and Neighborhood Racial Segregation: A Test of the Schelling Segregation Model. † Demography 28. 1 (1991): 1-19. Devine, P. G. and A. J. Elliot. â€Å"†Are Racial Stereotypes Really Fading? The Princeton Trilogy Revisited. â€Å"† Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 21. 11 (1995): 1139-50. Diiulio, John. â€Å"White Lies About Black Crime â€Å", 1995. Edwards, Jennifer. â€Å"Black-on-Black Crime Increasing, Reports Say † Cincy post May 12, 2001 2001 Greaves, Fielding. â€Å"Black-on-Black Crime. † The Coastal Post March 19, 1997 1997 Jones, Annie Lee. † Black Crime, Black Victims. † New York Times July 4, 1982 1982 Jones, R Jeneen. â€Å"The Truth About Black Crime. † 2003. Mason, Timothy. â€Å"On Race and the Measurement of Crime†. 2007. April 10, 2007. . Quillian, Devah Pager and Lincoln. â€Å"Black Neighbors, Higher Crime? The Role of Racial Stereotypes in Evaluations of Neighborhood Crime. † Trans. Center for Demography and Ecology. Meeting of the Population Association of America in New York City. University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1999. Sik, Melched. â€Å"Blacks on Black Crime†. 2007 A pril 10, 2007 2007. < http://www. zimbio. com/portal/RBG+Afrikan-+Centered+Cultural+Development+and+Education/blog/251>. Wickham, DeWayne. â€Å"Where’s the Outrage over Black-on-Black Killings? † USA Today January 2,2007 2007

Corporation Rules and Regulations Essay

The group had been liable for 70% of Australian asbestos consumption. However, in February 2007, ASIC had started to impose civil proceedings against James Hardie, the directors and the officers, as ASIC alleged that JHIL and both executive and non-executive had breached their statutory duty. This short research report had outlined the role of ASIC and various penalty that ASIC can impose under Corporation Act 2001. Besides that, we will also discuss the position that ASIC had held from 2004 until current date in relation to the directors of Hardie group. At last, I had provided a summary of the ASIC’s media release that had been established on 13 May 2011, and indentified the element that ASIC is hoping the High Court to uphold. The Role of ASIC: The Australian Security and Investment Commission (ASIC) is a commonwealth statutory corporation that set up by Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act, and it is a regulator which in charge of monitoring the Australia’s Corporation, products, markets and financial services (Lipton, Herzberg and Welsh 2012, p. 736). On the other hand, ASIC is also a commonwealth authority that is responsible for governing the Corporation Act. ASIC Act provided that ASIC owned such powers and function that endowed by the corporation legislation to ASIC. Thus, what exactly is the corporation legislation means? Under Section 5(1), they had interpreted the term ‘corporation legislation’ to mean the ASIC Act and the Corporation Act (Baxt, Finnane and Harris 2012). Besides that, ASIC also owned the power to initiate prosecution for criminal offences or apply for civil penalty orders if they believed that there’s a contravention of the law. ASIC is also able to ban a director from managing a company for a certain period if they contravened their general duties. For instance, in the case of ASIC v Stephen William Vizard [2005], the court held that as a director of Telstra, Mr. Vizard has contravened the Corporation Act: Section 183, the duty of director to use the information in an improper purpose, and gain advantage for himself, thus, the court order pecuniary penalties and a disqualification order against Mr. Vizard (Price Waterhouse Coopers 2012). As a result of that, ASIC actually played a significant role in relation to initiate prosecution against companies directors for misconduct in order to ensure corporation and those related parties are complied with the corporation legislation. Now, let us look at the duties of a corporation’s directors under Corporation Act and what penalty can ASIC can imposed if the directors do not comply with the Corporation Act. The duties of a company’s director: The term ‘director’ is a person who is appointed to manage control or govern the affairs of a corporation. Under Section 9 definitions, the term directors extend to a person who is not formally appointed as a director, but they act as a director or whose instruction or whishes are followed customarily (Baxt, Finnane and Harris 2012). In chapter 2D. 1 of the Corporation Act, from Section 180 until Section 184, it dedicated that the principle duties of a director. They can be listed as followed: †¢Section 180 stated that a director or other officer of a corporation must exercise their power and discharge the duties in a manner with care and diligence (Mclnnes Wilson Lawyers 2011). Section 181 declared that, a director should exercise their power and discharge their duties in good faith where it’s in the best interest of the corporation and for a proper purpose (Mclnnes Wilson Lawyers 2011). †¢Section 182 stated that, a director must not improperly use their position to obtain an advantage for themselves or other or cause lesion to the company. (Armstrong Lawyers 2007). Having understood the general duties of a company’s director, we can now look at the penalties that ASIC could impose if the directors had breach their duty or do not comply with the Corporation Act 2001. The penalties: As we mentioned before, the Australian Securities and Investment (ASIC) is a national body that’s responsible to govern the corporation legislation and securities regulation in Australia. ASIC obtained the power to investigate potential contravention of the corporation law and significant penalties can be imposed on the directors who had failed to perform their duties. The section of the Corporation Act attracting civil penalties under Section 1317J (1), ASIC can apply to the court for a: †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœDeclaration of contravention’ †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœPecuniary penalties ‘ †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœCompensation order’ (Baxt, Finnane and Harris 2012) 1)Pecuniary penalty order: The court may order a pecuniary penalty of up to $200,000 to a director who breaches his duty under Corporation Act. Once the declaration of a contravention by the person had been made (Section 1317E), and the contravention is a corporation penalty (Price Waterhouse Coopers 2012). (2)Compensation order: Under Section 1317H, the court may order a person to compensate the company where loss is suffered because the person had contravened a corporation civil penalty provision (Price Waterhouse Coopers 2012). (3)Disqualification from managing a company: The Corporation Act Section 206C conferred ASIC the power to disqualify the directors from managing a company for a certain periods of time due to the contravention of their general duties (Price Waterhouse Coopers 2012). This concept can be illustrated by the following case: ASIC v Vines [2006], it had been found that Mr. Vines had breached his duty of care and diligence by misleading and an inadequate disclosure of material information to the board of directors and failure to ensure the statement was incorrect. The board was relying on Mr. Vines to make complete disclosure to all material matters. The court held that, as the director had breach their duties of care and diligence b providing fault statement, thus, he had breach civil penalty provisions. The court decided that, Mr. Vines will have to receive a 3 years disqualification, pay a pecuniary penalty of $100,000 and 22% of the ASIC cost (Price Waterhouse Coopers 2012). ASIC’s position that held from 2004-2012: The position of ASIC held from 2004-2012 in relation to the directors of James Hardie case had not altered. Why would I say that? Below is the details of ASIC’s position in relation to the directors of James Hardie: On he 27th February 2004, the NSW government had authorized Mr. David Jackson to conduct a special commission of Inquiry into James Hardie newly founded foundation-Medical Research and Compensation Foundation (Australian Council of Trade Union 2007). At first instance, it had been found out that, the foundation was in fact had a nearly 1. 5 billion of shortfall, and a media release saying that the MRCF is ‘fully founded’ to meet all the current and future asbestos claims to the Australia Securities Exchange through the approval of the board directors during the directors meeting. Thus, ASIC had alleged that JHIL had made a misleading and deceptive statement. As a result of that, it had raised a principle issue for the board of directors of JHIL, whether or not they had knowingly voted in favor of releasing the ‘misleading’ announcement to ASX (Alcorn 2011). In addition, the sub issues that had been raised are under Section 180(1), was a general counsel can be treated as an officer? The Original Decision: In April 2009, ASIC held that all of the executive, non-executive and company officer had breached their duty of care by approving the media statement to be made in ASX. In particularly, ASIC had alleged that, the company chief executive officer and company secretary or general counsel, Mr. Macdonald and Mr. Shafron had breached the director’s duty of care and diligence under Section 180(1) as they had failed to advice the board to disclose the DOCI information to ASX (Hargovan 2009). Thus the court had imposed penalties on both of them: †¢Mr. Macdonald was disqualified from managing a company for 15 years and a pecuniary penalty of $350,000. According to the Corporation Act 2001, Section 180(1), an officer obtain the power in decision making which affected the whole or substantial part of a business, thus, Mr, Shafron had a positive obligation to advise the board of the disclosure of DOCI. In relation, he was given a disqualification order for 7 years and a pecuniary penalty of $75,000 (Baxt, Finnane and Harris 2012). †¢Mr. Morley had been banned from the management for 5 years and paid a pecuniary penalty of $35,000. †¢However, all of the seven former non-executives directors were disqualified from management for 5 years each and a pecuniary penalty of $30,000. The Appeal: In December 2010, the NSW court of Appeal overturned the finding in relation to liabilities and penalties of the non-executives directors, the CFO and secretary general counsel of James Hardie Industries Ltd as ASIC had failed to prove that the ASX media statement was approved by the board, and as the appellate court had established that some of the directors had acted honestly without any intention to gain benefit from themselves, which is under Section 1317 of the Corporation Act 2001 (Hargovan 2011). Thus, amendment had been made in relation to lessen the liabilities and penalty of the directors and officer can be found in later section (summary of media release). Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that Mr. Shafron, Mr. Morley and ASIC had filled application for special leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal. In May 2011, ASIC had issued media release that stated that they had granted a special leave to appeal the James Hardie decision. ASIC didn’t change their position in relation to the directors of James Hardie and they are still seeking to uphold the finding that the directors of James Hardie had breached their duty by approving the ASX announcement made by the company (ASIC 2011). Media Release’s Summary: This article talk about the ASIC had granted a special leave from the High Court to appeal the decision of the New South Wales Court of Appeal in the James Hardie matter in relation to the former non-executive directors and the former company secretary and general counsel of James Hardie Industries Limited. The ASIC has actually filled his application in the High Court on 14 January 2011. The purpose of ASIC to strive for a special leave is they are seeking clarification about the nature, content and scope of ASIC’s obligation, while the Court of Appeal had concluded that ASIC had breached their duty of fairness, as they failed to call the witness Mr. Rob in the trial judge of James Hardie case (ASIC 2011). The failure to call the witness, Mr.Rob had make a tremendous impact on the decision of the court, as they cannot attest the non-executive directors had voted in favor of the ASX announcement’s draft (Thomas 2011). As a result of that, ASIC is hoping the High Court to uphold the finding if the trial judge that the directors had acted in favor in regards of the ASX announcement made by the company (ASIC 2011). Decision: As a result of that, in August 2009, the NSW Supreme Court had imposed pecuniary penalties on JHIL and all the non-executive officers and executive officers, plus a disqualification order on them for an extensive period.

Aging in the elderly

There is what people call as the art of getting old. This has probably an element of truth because getting old makes many people seriously inferior, insecure and irritable. To grow old takes wisdom; meaning the aging physical aspects are there but to be gracious about it may help us view our mortality, accept all with humility that limitations are inevitable.Many who were once strong and athletic, the reality of losing one’s vigor would seem unacceptable. It’s hard to swallow the negative realism of aging. The simple chores that once were indeed â€Å"simple† have now become impossible tasks to some individuals who were once upon a time, mighty competitors in some events in sports.Running may not be advisable anymore. Walking, the most common movement to a normal functioning individual is difficult when arthritis has already crept into his joints (Smith et al, 1997 in http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/004023.htm).Physical changes are natural occurre nces of wear and tear and are included in the order of things since time immemorial (Smith, Suzanna et al in Rantanen et al, 1997).This is one of nature’s physical laws that no matter how many technological breakthroughs have been discovered and come to the forefront of human existence, up till now, the best of these man-made intelligent inventions are not able to arrest these signs of deterioration.A senior citizen has to deal with problems such as high blood pressure, the cumulative effects of fatty deposits or cholesterol build up, some parts of the body that almost do not work anymore, and those parts that work may incur pain and a degree of discomfort (Seek wellness, 2000).Physical activity as mentioned, have some benefits to slow down degenerative disorders but are not designed to reverse the course of aging. What is more tragic at times is, whenever people realize that the symptoms of aging are already there, it’s too late for them.They are now coping with regre ts for earlier times and opportunities that had passed; these were opportunities supposed to avert and prevent the speedy physical breakdown and enjoy more quality of life in their later years.Aging people have diminished enjoyments in their twilight years because they are subjected to abuse, mistreatment and exploitations simply because they are appraised as frail and inept by the majority. The increasing isolation they are experiencing even from their own children who, oftentimes, relegate them to homes or institutions do not help diminish the perception of their capabilities (Seek wellness, 2000).Regular exercise does help. Because of the many physical changes that occur in aging, a lot of adjustments as well are in order so that the body is better able to cope with these changes.Two major parts of a person’s physique are affected in the aging process; namely, the muscles and bones. Joints and bones’ structure become rigid with age. This causes a decrease in height, a bent posture, and hence, pronounced limitations in movements. The prospect of these changes, however, need not hinder nor discourage a person to establish or maintain a regular regimen.Though it may now hurt to move and stretch one’s joints, to yield to inactivity will all the more result to deterioration and more agony (Smith, in http://nihseniorhealth.gov/exercise/benefitsofexercise/03.html, 2007).Because the tendency of less and less movement goes with aging, and because calcium (a necessary mineral for the bone) is not absorbed into the bones generously as when younger, the resulting consequence is the brittling of the bones, a common cause of skeletal or bone fracture among the elderly.When ligaments connecting bones lose flexibility, it causes pain and discomfort. Older people as compared to younger ones need more cushioned shoes as the fat between the bones of the foot is becoming thinner (______Aging: physical changes).For many of the older or aging individuals the issue about mental health is not affecting them to a significant degree. Problems that commonly beset younger generations such as alcoholism, depression and other illnesses may not necessarily afflict them and in many cases may even be reversed, for instance, dementia, as long as timely treatment is afforded to the patient.Only Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multi-infarct dementia are cases where the patient’s condition is no longer reversible (Papalia et al, 2002).ConclusionResearchers have provided us with much information on how to help and what kind of services are most likely will yield more positive results where the aging issues are concerned. Gleaning from those available informations, here are some helpful suggestions:Outreach Education (Redwood, 2003). This approach is effective. Most of the elderly are just waiting to be helped. Some of them just do not know how to avail with the resources that the government has made available for them.The least that we can do is to assist them with the help of some social workers or personal outreach just to engage them in the options that are available to them such self-maintenance, exercise regimen, diet, healthy outlook towards their aging years, and treatment or case management services (Baker et al,2000).A regular show of care to establish personal relationship in order to encourage them such as what was suggested by Ms. Banks on reading to the elderly (Griffith, 2000) or to receive preventive and treatment and or intervention options (Telford and Rogers, 2003) as well as catering with their various needs are aspects of educating the elderly.Reference:Baker, D. W., Gazmararian, J. A., Sudano, J. and Patterson, M. 2000. The association between age and health literacy among elderly persons. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B : Psychological sciences and social sciences 55B (6), S368. Retrieved on August 3, 2007, from Proquest.Griffith, R. W. 2000. Reading to the elderly. Retrieved on July 24, 2008, from http://www.healthandage.com/Home/%21gm%3D20%21gsq%3Delderly%21gid2=755. Redwood, Heinz. 2003. Patients Health and Education: How Strong Is the Link? Retrieved on July 24, 2008, from http://www.healthandage.com/Home/%21gm%3D20%21gsq%3Delderly%21gid2=2189.Seek Wellness, 2000. Fitness facts for older Americans. Retrieved on July 24, 2008, from http://www.seekwellness.com/fitness/fitness_facts.htm.Smith, Suzanna, Jennifer E. Gove in Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. (1997-2005). Aging gracefully–physical activity. Retrieved July 24, 2008.Smith, Suzanna, Jennifer E. Gove in Fall Hazard Checklist (1987). Clinical Report on Aging,   Ã‚  Ã‚   1, 5. from Physical Changes of Aging National Institute on Aging   Ã‚  Ã‚   (n.d.). Aging and Your Eyes. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/eyes/htmSmith, Suzanna, Jennifer E. Gove in Rantanen, T., Era, P. & Heikkinen, E. (1997). Physical   activity and the changes in maximal isometric strength in men and women from the age of 75 to 80 years. Journal of the American Geri atric Society, 45, 1534-1535.Smith, Suzanna, Jennifer E. Gove in National Institute on Aging (n.d.). Aging and Your Eyes. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/eyes/htm______Aging: physical changes. University of Iowa, Hospital and Clinics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed in http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/aging/agin4120.html > July 24, 2008Telford, R. and Rogers, A. (2003). What influences elderly peoples decisions about whether to accept the influenza vaccination? A qualitative study. Health Education Research 18 (6), 743. Accessed on July 24, 2008, from Proquest._____Aging : Outlline, Accessed July 24, 2008 in

Education unit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education unit - Essay Example Education has a long history. The early centres of civilization embraced education way back beyond the 14th century. Education is an English word that emanates from the Greek word e-ducere that has a meaning of â€Å"to lead out† (Yero 1). Early scholars had diverse opinions of what education entails hence coming up with different lines of thought. Socrates contributes to this debate mentioning that the sole purpose of education was to draw what was the student knew. This has a basis given that most teachers focus on trying to retrieve what their learners have acquired through examinations and regular assessments. Education is a posterity process that only ends at death. Learners are expected to grow from one degree on knowledge to another. Despite the educational systems providing this platform, the world also has a way of inculcating certain knowledge into individuals. This can happen through friends, colleagues in workplaces, family members among others. All these aspects prepare individuals to be responsible people in the society as well as enriching them with the necessary skills required for socio-economic growth. In the informal type of education, the learner can be the teacher and vice versa since there are no set rules of who should learn from whom. However, older members of the society have played a key role in imparting knowledge to the younger generation through counselling and mentorship. For effective learning, the teacher should be at a position of guiding the learner efficiently. Firstly, the teacher should be proficient in disseminating the required information to the learners. The information should be relevant and articulated in a manner that raises the learner’s curiosity. Secondly, socialization among the learners and teachers enhances learning. It is also worth noting that a good teacher keeps on evaluating their teaching strategies as well as assessing the learners to ensure they grasp the knowledge delivered to them. Among other

Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Dynamics - Essay Example On then other hand, Jung & Sosik (2002) indicate that group dynamics ahs been beneficial to the organization since it aids the management in devising problem solving skills in the workplace. Through group dynamics, the management has been able to create team work among its employees; thus, creativity and cooperation in the workplace. A group is inclusive of several people who come together with the aim of achieving a common objective. Group dynamics refers attitudinal and characteristics in behaviour of a given group (Robbins, 2007). Group dynamics are relevant to the organization in the HS engineering firm where there are several group dynamics in the Leeds firm that work together with the aim of achieving organizational objectives. The study of group dynamics within an organization will enable one understand the status of an organization (Cheringtan, 2004). However, group dynamics can only be successful if the management organizes the various aspects of groups in the workplace (Lov elace, Shapiro & Weingart, 2001). Among these attributes include the size of the groups, the characteristics of the members of these groups, their norms beliefs, and finally, the nature of tasks that they perform so as to be successful in their quest to create team work. Through categorization of these attributes in the organization gives the management an opportunity to strategies the kind of activities that ought to be performed in the workplace ands at what pace. From the HS engineering firm case study, group dynamics has not been alienated from the functioning of the organization. In the Leeds firm for instance, several aspects of group dynamics have been put in place to see to the success of the organization. Through analysis of the group dynamics of the organization, the management has been able to clearly understand what aspects to apply so as to understand the entire organization (Marcus, 1998). With the HS engineering company having other branches in other parts of the coun try, there was dire need by the company to understand the functionality of all the branches in the workplace. A closer scrutiny of the case also indicates that the company has gone through massive changes all in attempt to survive in the market. In the long run, the company has experienced massive losses in some of its branches that led to the closure of the same. This indicates that the management has dedicated a lot of efforts in understanding the operations of the company. Social identify theory states that individual group dynamics help to obtain a sense of identity and acquire self actualization. This reduces the rate of conflict within the organization. As an illustration from the HS engineering sample the major conflicts that arise due to the change taking place within the organization include; loss in manufacturing industries, there is an expectation of 30% reduction in the financial status of the company. The different group dynamics established had their own needs that lea d to the closure of some of them due to poor management. Mangold & Miles (2002) and Moritz &Watson (1998) indicate that leaders of organizations can only implement the aspects of group dynamics if the management of the organization is well conversant with the occurrences in the organization, no matter how minute they may seem. All organizations

The Civil Rights Revolutions of the 60s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Civil Rights Revolutions of the 60s - Essay Example Since then, leaders and critics have already ceaselessly demanded that people, regardless of race and gender, should be accorded the respect that Whites have so far exclusively enjoyed. However, it was only during the 1960s when black Americans collectively demanded on the street, in churches and dialogues their rights as citizens under the United States Constitution. This mass movement was sparked by several important developments such as the efforts of four Southern students who initiated the Woolworth lunch counter to protest racial discrimination. (Farber and Bailey, p. 13) Then, there was also the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 1954-1955, wherein it was found that school segregation was unconstitutional. (Sargent, p. 2) Finally, there was also the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What was originally intended as anti-racial discrimination movement, the Rights Revolution came to cover several other issues that made the movements complic ated and far-reaching, especially in the context of reforms achieved. There was the clamor for economic, political and cultural policy-reforms, effectively highlighting the manner by which the Rights movements took the cudgels for several other causes.

Is a college education worth it Pro thesis paper - 1

Is a college education worth it Pro paper - Thesis Example ses required for gaining sufficient educational background, benefits of college education beat financial difficulties that should be overcome in order to profit. College education allows making life more comfortable, successful and prosperous which is explained by directly proportional correlation of taken time/ trouble and further well-being. As a proof, comparing people who start working at once after school graduation and those ones who spend additional four years for gaining qualifications Baum, Ma and Payea investigated the following: â€Å"As workers age, earnings rise more rapidly for those with higher levels of education. For example, the gap between the earnings of full-time workers whose highest degree is bachelor’s degree and those of high school graduates grows from 54% ($15,200) for 25 - to 29-year-olds to 86% ($32,000) for 45- to 49-year-olds†(5). Entering a college, students obtain skills and abilities required to that area which is chosen for their future professions what makes them more appealing to the employers and what makes them more competitive in comparison with those who missed college education. Besides the qualification itself, students are learning to make researches, to work on improvement of those basics that they are proposed, to challenge common believes, to introduce their knowledge to real life. Even though someone may contradict that there is also such a thing like self-education that does not suppose being officially a student in some college, unfortunately, statistics can prove that self study carries to success only in exceptional cases. Making a decision on the necessity of entering the college it is not enough to be ruled by self-interest because willing to live in a better society, it is everyone’s obligation to make a contribution to that. According to the research of Baum and Payea, â€Å"in addition to increasing material standards of living, reduced poverty improves the overall well-being of the population. †¦ In

The differences between macroeconomics and microeconomics Essay

The differences between macroeconomics and microeconomics - Essay Example For example, the objective of study microeconomic theory is to understand the factors related to the optimal allocation of resources whereas, the objective of macroeconomics is to study the factors related to employment and development of scare resources in the economy. Although microeconomics objective is to focus on individual units in the economy and macroeconomics objective to focus on entire economy, both of these fields are contributing to the study of economy and individual behaviours in the economy. The difference between microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory is that microeconomics focuses on the economic behaviours of individuals including business firms, consumers and resources owners whereas, macroeconomics focuses on economy as a whole and deals with aggregate levels of output, economy, national income and prices (Salvatore, 2006, pp.8). According to Professor G. Thimmaya (cited in Jain & Khanna, 2010) the core difference between the two fields is that price is th e major determinant of problems in microeconomics whereas, income is the major determinant of problems in macroeconomics. In other words, the decisions taken in microeconomics are primarily based on price such as factors of production whereas, the decisions made in macroeconomics are based on income such as total consumption and total investments. Wessels (2006, pp.101) argues that in macroeconomics, the economy is studied as a whole whereas in microeconomics, the economic actions of people including individual firms and the individual households are studied. Wessels explains the difference between the two branches of economics. He argues that if in microeconomics the function of... This essay presents a modern theoretic analysis of the differences and similarities between microeconomics and macroeconomics. Various differences between macroeconomics and microeconomics are identified in the essay however; the primary difference is related to aggregation and objective of the two fields. Both these fields are strong interrelated and concepts and theories of microeconomics are necessary to study concepts in macroeconomics. Economics is the examination of mankind in the normal business of life; it analyses the actions of individuals and society which are closely associated with the achievement and utilisation of needs of well-being. The two branches of economics are microeconomics and macroeconomics. These two fields differ in their scope and objective. The core difference between the two fields is that price is the major determinant of problems in microeconomics whereas, income is the major determinant of problems in macroeconomics. Both subjects have different objectives. The objective of study microeconomic theory is to understand the factors related to the optimal allocation of resources whereas, the objective of macroeconomics is to study the factors related to employment and development of scare resources in the economy. Microeconomics and macroeconomics are substantially related with each other. Major chunk of modern macroeconomics theory involves the applications of microeconomics because the aggregate outcomes in macroeconomics are usually rooted from the decision making theories of consumers and firms

Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership - Essay Example Students need to be motivated to acquire knowledge through the use of scholarly material and develop appropriate skills of critical thinking to synthesize information to optimize learning experience. The role of education leaders therefore becomes hugely important for creating a facilitating environment of learning within and outside academia for students. Significance of Information literacy Turusheva (2009) has broadly defined information literacy as the ability of individual to locate information and critically evaluate it for using it efficiently to improve learning experience. Scholarly material is important for advancing knowledge and technology greatly helps to access myriad information at the shortest possible time. Google has become major platform for accessing information on internet, both by students and people at large. The teachers become key facilitators for imparting skills and promoting effective mechanisms of locating pertinent information in academia. Indeed, the le adership initiatives of educators have increasing become critical paradigm that shapes the mindset of young scholars and encourage them for information literacy that can exploit their ability to think critically. Indeed, it has been acknowledged as important educational goal that promotes critical thinking and effective decision making for solving problems based on informed choice (Li & Lester, 2009). Information literacy has therefore emerged as vital tool for developing skills and capabilities for mastering the academic content and applying the same in learning processes as well as in their lives. The purpose is to enhance scholarship through practice and inculcate skills for life long learning. Information literacy is intrinsic part of education that should be fostered from the early education so that later on, students are better equip to synthesize information from various sources for maximising their academic achievements (Badke, 2009). This is a very pertinent issue because u nless the habit of information literacy is inculcated within students from their early years, they would not be able to discern the importance of credible information and apply it successfully within their education or use it in their lives. Russell (2009) has also corroborated that many students lack information competencies when they go for higher education. The gap makes it difficult for them to maintain their grades. Thus, it needs to be part of curricula as it broadens perspective of education and offers students with more opportunities to differentiate the important issue from the irrelevant ones. Technology has considerably contributed to information literacy. The Google search engine is the most popular tool to locate academic and no-academic source of information. But internet needs to be used judiciously for optimizing learning. While it has made it easy for students to seek information, it has also reduced one’s power of concentration and reshaped intellectual capa bilities. Carr (2002) says that internet surfers have increasingly developed the habit of skimming the text. This adversely impacts their learning processes as lack of focus and concentration also leads to lack of in-depth knowledge about important issues. Scholars’ concern on the validity of the same is therefore genuine when they question the accuracy or credibility of the information and critical evaluation of the same (Badke, 2009;

Issues in homeland security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issues in homeland security - Essay Example The main reason why the evaluation exercise should have a broader social utility is that social and psychological factors play a major role in the organization’s scope duty. The society’s confidence in the security management is for instance essential to how people may respond to threats and even cooperate in mitigating involved risks from occurrence of a calamity. As a result, the leader evaluation should identify qualities that can psychologically influence confidence in the institution’s ability to undertake its mandate. Developing such confidence, even in the absence of a calamity, has the potential to promote management in events of risks occurrence (Lemyre, 2007). Evaluation of homeland security leader should also include a broader social utility because this establishes a sense of ownership of the homeland security’s mandate by the society, a fact that promotes cooperation. Identified and developed awareness of social utility factors among the agenc y’s leadership will therefore facilitate achievement of homeland security’s objectives (Sui, 2008). Lemyre, L. (2007). Psychosocial risk assessment and management for CBRN terrorism: A orime tool. Human Security Bulletin. Retrieved from:

The Incest of the prime minister in China Essay Example for Free

The Incest of the prime minister in China Essay Cecilia Leung, 30, the lawyer who has won the case about The Incest of the prime minister in China. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband, Jerry, who is a policeman and their four-year old son Brandon. I dont like mornings ; I think that I even hate them, so I need to wake up by Jerry every single morning otherwise, I will sleep late until 1 oclock. Once I felt that I got to wake up, I will go to the bathroom, turn on the television inside it and have a nice bath. I usually stay in the toilet until the morning news has finished. Then I will go to prepared breakfast, I think that it is very important to have a good breakfast as it is the start of the day so I always try to do my best. However, my best do not satisfied my family as most of the time; Jerry will just have toast or milk while Brandon will ask for McDonald if they know that I have cook breakfast for them. So most of the time, I will just stay away from the kitchen. And leave it for my housekeeper to do it. I usually wake Brandon up when breakfast is ready. I find that being a mum is not an easy job especially when Brandon is about two months old, he cry all day and night, I cant imagine what I would do if my mum did not help me look after Brandon for the first two year after he is born, as Jerry and me have never look after a baby before that. Luckily, as time go on, things are getting better. Now I and jerry both enjoy watching our baby son growing up. After breakfast, I usually sit down on the table, planning what to do for the whole day. After that, it is time for Jerry to go to work. Me and Brandon will walk to the car park with Jerry, walk back to our house when he has left. I then leave Brandon with my housekeeper, telling her what to do for the rest of the day while I am working and set off to work. My job is like a non- stop clock as I am busy all the time. I am working in a big office with 40 people in it. I enjoy being a lawyer as I think that it is a shame to see people going into jail if they havent do things wrong as it may simply be just a mistake and my job can help to sort these silly mistakes. Thats why I love this job as it is like a challenge every time when I get a new case and my aim for the challenge each time is to win. However, I find out things dont always happen as what I wish as I have seen so many client who havent did any thing wrong but still end up in the jail or even death which make me get really crossed but I always try to do my best to help them and find out about the truth. Rumour which is created by the magazine is something that really makes me get on my nerve. Since I got famous with the incest case, I start to appear in the magazine! I get really happy when I first knew that I was on a magazine article. As soon as I read it, I screamed! They said I refused to do certain jobs because they didnt pay me enough money. Although it is true that I refuse to do a few jobs but it is because those clients who I refused to work for have all commit that they had did something wrong but they just want to use money to make them escape from the punishment. I find that absolutely ridiculous so I refused the job. The imagination of the journalist is so good that they can create those funny stories. So how do I cope with my stress? When I feel really stressful from my work I play with Brandon when I get back home or do Tai Ji. Through the movement, it helps me to stretch out my stress. Before I do this, one thing I must do is to check if the balcony door is lock properly otherwise Brandon will come and join me and I will never be able to continue. Jerry is generally back to home by 8 then we will drive to my parent house to have supper or sometimes I will be tempted to cook for them but Jerry will usually stop disaster from happening. I enjoy being with my family as it makes me feel good when I am with them as I am a person who believe that family is the most important part for my life I start to put Brandon into bed at about 10 oclock; I always read stories to him to help him go to sleep. Then it is the time for me and Jerry, we sit in the balcony, admire the view from the window and talk about our day or sometimes we will watch television together. Before I go to sleep, I try to finish off doing my work then I have my eight hour sleep which is the best part of my day.

Effects of Air Pollution and Proposed Solutions

Effects of Air Pollution and Proposed Solutions With the rapid development and urbanization in Hong Kong, the air quality deteriorated due to a great amount of air pollutants released into the atmosphere, and contributing to the greenhouse effect as well as worsening global warming. This essay is divided into two parts, the first part is briefly talk about the negative effects caused by serious air pollution in terms of sustainable development, and the second part is a detailed discussion of the suggested solutions. The effects caused by air pollution can be discussed in terms of sustainable development with three aspects which are inter-related, inter-dependence and equally balanced, and these aspects are environmental, social and economic aspects. In terms of the environmental aspect, the worsening air quality will fasten the greenhouse effect with a rise in temperature and contributing to global warming. In terms of the social aspect, â€Å"the World Health Organization estimates that every year, 2.4 million people die from causes associated with air pollution† (Sierra-Vargas Teran,2012, p.1031). It shows how air pollution causing health impacts on human. The worsening air quality increases the risk of having â€Å"respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, or cancers† (Deguen et al. 2012), and according to Sierra-Vargas and Teran (2012), people who are active outdoors, people with diseases and elderly are at higher health risk. These pollution-related illnesses are affecting the quality of life because these illnesses not only shortened the life expectancy and caused the psychological stress, but also increased the expenditure on health care. Therefore, serious air pollution causing pollution-related health impacts in the social aspect and increasing the expenditure on health care in the economic aspect. Apart from the social aspect, the poor air quality with low visibility and high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also produce negative impacts in the economic aspect. Deteriorating air quality affects local tourism industry and the foreign investment. According to Law and Cheung (2007), the tourism industry in Hong Kong has recently threatened by the deteriorating air quality, regarding to the huge economic contribution from the tourism industry, poor air quality may reduce the willingness of tourists to travel in Hong Kong. Besides, some foreign investments are retreated and some professionals refuse to work in Hong Kong because of the poor working environment with worsening air quality. All these economic impacts will weaken the competitiveness of Hong Kong and resulting in unexpected economic losses which in turns suffered by the whole society. From the examples mentioned above on the impacts in three specific categories, we can notice that air pollution caused adverse impacts at both individual and social levels. Therefore, â€Å"[i]n order to protect the air quality from deteriorating further, more efforts should be made by the government, as well as by society to make Hong Kong a clean and safe place to travel and to live† (Law and Cheung, 2007, p.398). Both the HKSAR government and the public should be responsible for the improvement works on air pollution, such as a strong pertinence policy together with active public participation. The most important and effective long-term air improvement policy should be the adoption of sustainable development approach with an equal balance between the environmental conservation and the economic development. Hong Kong is a well-known financial-based metropolis around the world. Therefore, the government mainly puts emphasis on the economic development, but neglected the importance of environmental conservation, in other words, the government weighted the economic development over the environmental conservation, and thus resulting in environmental destructions during the process of economic development in Hong Kong. However, it is hard to make equal balance between the economic development and the environmental conservation, and the co-existence of both aspects may be in a low possibility, because one aspect has to make scarification when the other one exists. For examples, lands for economic development propose generate a great amount of dust particulates during construction and resulting in poor air quality with low visibility. Simultaneously, the air quality improvement policies for environmental conservation purpose spend a huge amount of government expenditure. But, regarding to the serious problem of air pollution in Hong Kong and the related distinct negative outcomes caused, environmental conservation should be given the first priority and economic development should come the second. The second possible solution is urban greening. Vegetation plays an important role in air purification because plants can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis. In order to improve the air quality, the government should carry out urban greening to increase the green areas through proper city planning in the urban areas, especially in the inner cities and heavy traffic areas, such as MongKok, Wan chai, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. However, limited spaces with densely distributed pattern of skyscrapers in the urban areas create hurdles on urban greening and the use of the valuable lands for growing vegetation in urban areas may trigger voices of disapproval. But, there are two possible ways of urban greening, the first solution, according to Sierra-Vargas Teran (2012), is making good use of rooftops for growing plants, the government can give economic incentives to the property owners for the encouragement of planting vegetation on rooftops. The second one is re-planning the existing parks with an enlarged percentage on the area of vegetation. These two solutions can make the best use of the available space resources that do not require extra space on the ground floor. Sources of pollutants in Hong Kong are mainly from power plants and vehicles, so strong pertinence policies on these two sources are needed. The first solution, according to Sierra-Vargas and Teran (2012), promoting the use of the landfill gases as one of the energy sources is a possible way to improve air quality with a fall in the amount of pollutants. Mexico is one of the successful places that converts â€Å"landfill gas into electricity and powers the light rail transit system and city street lighting at night† (Sierra-Vargas and Teran, 2012, p.1036). The Hong Kong government should study from the cases of Mexico and conduct a suitable plan based on the ideas observed. The alteration of landfill gases into useable energy can reduce the greenhouse gases being released into the air. Another solution is promoting the extensive use of renewable power instead of non-renewable power so as to change to a cleaner way for power generation, such solar power and wind power. However, there are two difficulties in using landfill gases and adoption of renewable power resources. The first hurdle is a great amount of government expenditure is required for the construction or installation of the specific power plants, like the regular maintenance of the power plants. Besides, the opposition from environmental protection groups may also rise because this power generation method is not classified as renewable power. If the opposition raise, it is better to take the second solution instead of both solutions in order to avoid social conflicts based on the problem mentioned. In terms of the vehicles, the government should work together with two bus companies to carry out the discussion about the expansion of the service area and increase the service provided to the public. The HKSAR government can use economic incentives or make investments to increase the operating capital of two bus companies. With better bus services provided, the willingness of people to take public transportation to school or to work will be increased and thus less energy is used and less pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere. Apart from the policies mentioned above, the active public participation on the reduction of air pollutants is very important and it should be made by every citizen, such as the using of public transportation instead of private cars and reduce the use of energy means less air pollutants are released by burning non-renewable power resources, such as coal. Also, citizen should actively participate in the consultation of the government policies launched for improving the air quality. Air pollution is a serious problem which created many negative impacts, and an effective comprehensive solution with a lengthy period for thorough and careful planning is needed for improving air quality. It is beneficial when better air quality can be found in Hong Kong. Although the problems of air pollution cannot be totally eliminated, the more efforts we pay resulting in a higher chance for us to make changes and improve the air quality. References Sierra-Vargas, M. P. Teran, L. M. (2012). Air pollution: Impact and prevention. Respirology, 17 1031-1038. Law, R. Cheung, C. (2007). Air quality in Hong Kong: A study of the perception of international visitors. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15 (4), 390-401. Deguen, S., Sà ©gala, C., Pà ©drono, G. Mesbah, M. (2012). A new air quality perception scale for global assessment of air pollution health effects. Risk Analysis, 32 (12), 2043-2054.

Our Moment In History :: essays research papers

Our moment in history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My moment in history would have to be my first rave I ever went to. It was in an old abandoned warehouse and my friends and I had never been to a rave. We thought it would be a good idea to get there early so we wouldn’t stand in line to long. But as it turned out there was no line and we appeared to be the first ones there. My friend mustered up the courage to go talk to the guy at the front of the building. There was just one problem he was missing his ticket.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not understanding that he needed a ticket to get, and that the building didn’t open for another hour, he sat there and argued with the man about how he should be let in right now. Well the man eventually calmed my friend down. But sent him to a checkpoint, which is a way, to detour people that the doormen feel should not be in the rave. Any way I was volunteered next to go up to the man after my friend drove off.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"So,† I said, â€Å"here’s my ticket when can I get in?† He explained that this building would not open for an hour and that we best drive around for an hour or so. I went back to car and told about how we were too early. They agreed that we should drive around for a while. As we drove around I saw my friend driving around. He pulled us over and started to talk to us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Are you guys going though the check points too?† He said, but we were thinking to our selves what is he talking about? So he went on to say how he had been going to check points that take him to the rave. He asked us why we had a confused look on our face, and I said, â€Å" No reason†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Well from there we left him and went get something to eat, he would be searching all night for the remaining check points. He would be searching all night for a good reason most of them didn’t exist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So we went do the gas station, the only thing open past nine in Florida, and got some snacks and drove around some more. We got on the Florida turnpike and got stuck on there for about an hour and a half.

Greenspan - The Case For The Defence :: essays research papers

My fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today's society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the works of Edward Greenspan.This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and important events in Greenspan's life allowed myself, the reader, to learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer's consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise and clear to the point, Greenspan's book is a diary of controversial and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book, I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his profession.The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look at Greenspan's life which impressed this reviewer the most.It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in general. Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader with the author's proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer's consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling a client. This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel). Greenspan - The Case For The Defence :: essays research papers My fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today's society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the works of Edward Greenspan.This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and important events in Greenspan's life allowed myself, the reader, to learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer's consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise and clear to the point, Greenspan's book is a diary of controversial and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book, I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his profession.The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look at Greenspan's life which impressed this reviewer the most.It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in general. Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader with the author's proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer's consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling a client. This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel).

How Japan Committed Crimes Against Humanity in Pursuit of Self-Interest

Japan was one of the major powers of Axis Powers during the World War II. From 1937 to 1945, Japan started a series of wars, and resulted in millions of casualties along the way. Japanese battlefield consists of three parts: China, Pacific and Southeastern Asia. Japanese started these wars because they wanted to gain resources and war advantages for their own country. Japan committed crimes against humanity during their wars, which means they neglected human dignity and degraded human value by humiliation. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Pearl Harbor Attack and wars in Southeastern Asia, Japan, in pursuit of self-interest, violated human rights and committed crimes against humanity. Japan's attacking China in 1937 is a crime against humanity. On July 7, 1937, Japan attacked Beijing using a missing soldier as an excuse, without no official declaration to war against China. On December 13, 1937, Japan started a series of massacre in Nanking, which resulted in a casualty of 300,000. During the three-month-long massacre, Japanese army kill for pure fun, and their crime include brutal rape of innocent women, beheading civilians as competition, and murder newborn babies. Unit 731 of Japanese army used Chinese people as human test subjects to develop chemical weapon to win the war. They performed amputation and poison gas test on innocent Chinese civilians. When the war reached stalemate, and Japanese troops suffered from hunger, they kill war prisoners and eat the bodies. Japanese officers forced Chinese women to be "comfort lady" for the troops. While the name sounded great, reality was that these "comfort ladies" ended up raped by Japanese soldiers over and ov er again until death. (Yoshimi 146) These were all crime against h... ...self-interest contradicts humanity and one fails to protect the latter, then it is the unforgivable crime against humanity, and should be punished. Works Cited "Unmasking Horror" Nicholas D. Kristof (March 17, 1995) New York Times. A special report.; Japan Confronting Gruesome War Atrocity Keenan, Joseph Berry and Brown, Brendan Francis, Crimes against International Law, Public Affairs Press, Washington, 1950. Secondary sources: Yoshiaki Yoshimi, 2001–02, Comfort Women: Sexual Slavery in the Japanese Military during World War II. Columbia University Press. Lord Russell of Liverpool (Edward Russell), The Knights of Bushido, a short history of Japanese War Crimes, Greenhill books, 2002 Willmott, Hedley P., and Michael Barrett. "World War II (Causes)." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 18 May 2014.

Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple Essay

Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple has been controversial. Explore the opinions of the two critics printed below and explain your own view of the way Walker presents men in The Colour Purple. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker’s depiction of men has been seen by some as controversial. Walker seems to be attacking black men because of their mistreatment of black women. Although, there is another force at work in this powerful, and emotional, book. That force is the unwitting testimony which Walker cannot control, because it was not deliberately written to be part of her story. Between the lines of her story is the strong message of personal rage: rage which cannot be hidden. The rage can be seen throughout the novel in numerous forms; the words used by Walker, that are strong and emotive; the portrayal of the characters, from innocent, like Celie, to evil, like Mr. Alphonso and the realism in which the characters are brought to life, because of the real anger used to describe them. Therefore, in considering the opinions of the two opposing critics, this circumstance must be borne in mind. The first critic, Tony Brown, wrote an article about The Color Purple for the Carolina Peacemaker. He has many views on the book, and expresses those views confidently. Brown admits in his article that some men have raped their daughters, â€Å"†¦ some black men have raped their daughters,† However, immediately afterwards, he is stating his defence of black men. He defends himself instantly, saying that the majority of black men have not. He then speaks of the problem that black men have when it comes to loving, saying the love has â€Å"†¦ been drained out by the brutality of a society panic-stricken over black masculinity. † Brown then goes on to tackle the issue of lesbian affairs in the book, and that they give women â€Å"†¦ emotional and sexual salvation†¦ † He defends his position saying that this is not the case in the real world, even though many frustrated black women seem to want to believe. Brown then admits that some black men are like Walker’s characters, he says they are but, â€Å"†¦ sad examples†¦ † He also says the book focuses only on the failings of black men, and that black men are being abused by a white mans movie. He is blaming everyone else. Famous black men are mentioned by Brown in his argument, and the fact that they were non-incestuous and non-brutalizing and had healthy relationships with women. He states that, â€Å"Their women never needed a ‘Shug’. † Brown fails to support his argument about famous black males though, he merely mentions their names briefly. Brown blames the publishers in the final part of the extract. He says that white men and women only publish books by black women, or homosexual black men, and then label them as being the ‘black experience’. Brown is constantly blaming others throughout his extract, he never accepts responsibility for the actions of black men; he merely shirks the blame to other people. The second critic writes as a response to Brown’s article, their name is not given. Their argument defends The Color Purple, and retorts to Brown’s scathing attack of Walker’s depiction of men in the book. The critic opens their response with the line that states the book is, â€Å"†¦ strictly fiction†¦ † They stress though, that Walker has written about real suffering, and the ideas were not conjured up by the imagination of Walker. The critic then speaks of the books content, and speaks of Walker’s characterisation. The critic gives Celie as an example of a woman who grew from her own strength, â€Å"†¦ a self-assured, strong woman†¦ † even if it was at the ‘expense’ of a few male egos. After stating the facts in the book and showing the main character development, the critic then launches a scathing attack upon black men, saying that, â€Å"†¦ the shoe is such a good fit that it becomes downright uncomfortable†¦ † Meaning that, the black men are offended, because the book is too truthful for their liking. The critic then emphasises that Walker’s message is that of oppression, and that it is, â€Å"†¦ ugly no matter what colour it is. † They state that oppression is wrong, and that the message given by the book mustn’t be forgotten, or else the ugliness will live on, and continue to breed. In the closing lines of the critic’s argument, the critic states that the book is a story about black women; not a book that is against black men. Brown is then contradicted by the anonymous critic, as they write that Walker’s is a feminist book, and that it is not specifically against black men, even though black men are on the defensive because of it, â€Å"†¦ black men protesting and licking their wounded egos. † Both critics focused on actual events in the book; relationships in the book; the powerful difference between men and women; the differences between sex and the raw influence in sexual matters. In spite of this, both critics overlooked the power in the book, that being of Alice Walker’s real message which encompasses so much of bitterness and grief experienced by black people in the USA. In my opinion, the men in The Color Purple presented during anger, Walker’s anger when writing. Therefore, the presentation of men is biased. Personally speaking, I think the depiction of men in the novel is true; that is, all aspects of the male personality are represented by Walker’s characters, from kindness in Reverend Mr (Samuel) to brutal cruelty, seen in Albert. The way in which Walker writes, with such conviction and passion about her characters makes the depiction true, it cannot be fained. The slightly biased view on the male characters in the novel is so because Walker only shows two good black, male characters; Samuel and Harpo. Harpo cares deeply for his family, and loves them sincerely, but his sensitivity causes him to be dominated over by his wife. Samuel does so much to help Nettie; he takes her in after Albert’s assault on her. He educates her, shows her new and exciting places abroad. The marriage between Samuel and Corrine also knows no cruelty, no violence or sexual abuse. This example is compared to several other male characters that are portrayed as raging, unprincipled creatures. An example of a raging, unprincipled creature, as shown by Walker, would be Mr. Alphonso, he rapes his own step-daughter, on more than one occasion, and then when Celie gave birth to two children, he gave them away. This was not the act of a decent human being.

Discuss the Importance of Dreams Essay

‘Death of a Salesman’ was a play written by Arthur Miller in 1949. It is a story of an ordinary man and his family’s struggle for success in America, the ‘land of opportunity’. The American Dream is the concept that one can begin in life with nothing and through hard work and confidence gain power, wealth and status. There are constant references to this in the play, but it is not portrayed as a perfect system by any means. Other types of dreams too are prominent in ‘Death of a Salesman’ – the protagonist’s (Willy Loman’s) disillusion and dissatisfaction with his lifestyle lead him to indulge in unrealistic fantasies and altered memories of the past. His hopes and ambitions are almost identical to the ideals of the American Dream, as are his struggles typical of those associated with it. In this way, Willy Loman is symbolic of the common American man and this is shown through the pun on ‘Loman’ (low man). Dreams are important in the play because they are the play’s most important structuring device, and also go some way towards explaining why the characters behave in the way that they do. Flashbacks steadily reveal the reason behind Willy and Biff’s animosity, the secret that only Biff knows, and Happy’s need to prove himself. Their other effect is to make the play’s structure non-linear and more like Willy Loman’s continuous stream of consciousness in his last days of life. The other type of dreams – fantasies, hopes and ambitions allow the audience to empathise with the characters. In the play, the only dreams which we do not see are those that happen while sleeping. Willy’s dreams infiltrate his life, becoming more and more frequent. They are almost hallucinations, and later on in the play he becomes less able to discern between reality and fantasy. For example, whilst he is in a restaurant with Biff and Happy, he becomes confused between the door of the restaurant’s washroom and the door of the hotel room in which he committed adultery – â€Å"the washroom †¦ the door †¦ where’s the door? â€Å". The effect of this line on the play is to blur the line between past and present a little, letting the audience feel some of Willy’ confusion. It also creates a sense of danger as to whether his secret will be exposed. Biff and Happy do not experience the same degree of intensity in their dreams, but Happy shares the tendency to exaggerate with his father, for example when he is in the restaurant with Stanley, he tells a girl that Biff is â€Å"one of the greatest football players in the country†. The importance of dreams to the play is emphasised by stage directions and staging, and the non-linear nature of the play. The Lomans’ house has no solid walls, and the apartment buildings can be seen through the back of the house. The apartment buildings symbolise the deterioration of the quality of life that came with increasing urbanisation, and Willy complains about them close to the beginning with ‘the way they boxed us in here. Bricks and windows, windows and bricks’. The lighting around the Lomans’ house is described as an ‘angry glow of orange’ and gives it ‘an air of the dream’. I think that Miller is attempting here to make the set seem menacing and surreal, like a nightmare which steadily worsens. To further this impression, the imaginary wall lines serve as a vehicle for the characters’ (namely Willy) dreams. When the characters are in the present, they enter through the ‘doors’, but during flashbacks they step through the walls, letting the audience know that this is unreal. Other devices used to signal a flashback are the gradual fading in of voices from the past, and in the memories of happier times, the flute. The flute is an instrument symbolic of nostalgia and originates from Willy’s rural, happier childhood. As the time period of the play jumps from past to present with memories and fantasies, it gives the effect of a stream of consciousness rather than a narrative play. Consequently, ‘Death of a Salesman’ could be interpreted as Willy’s train of thoughts leading up to his death. In real time – all the parts of the play which are not dreams – the play is the last twenty four hours of Willy’s life. The flashbacks are cut against real time and the effect of them is firstly to delineate the play’s structure, and secondly to concentrate the audience’s attention on both what will happen to the characters and what did happen in the past to shape them into the way they are now. Willy is only truly happy in his memories or when, as Happy says, ‘he’s looking forward to something’, but this is only his false hope showing through. He spends so much time absorbed in his memories because in the present he is a failure – it isn’t satisfactory. Additionally, we cannot even be sure that the past happened like that as what we are seeing is Willy’s memory, which may well be distorted to fit with his perfect image of the past. This is likely, because even in his memories Willy lies to Linda about his income – â€Å"Well, I – I did – about a hundred and eighty gross in Providence. Well, no – it came to – roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip† Linda knows he exaggerates, and later on she even reveals she knows that he borrows money from Charley so it looks like his salary, but she never questions him because she believes it would insult him. The effect of this maintained secrecy is firstly to show how fragile Willy’s mental state is, and secondly the plight of Linda, who also suffers silently, we find later on, with the knowledge of Willy’s suicide plans. She is keeping up the facade for the sake of her family and perhaps she thinks she can fool herself into believing everything is all right. Although unspoken for much of the play, this is Linda’s way of creating a fantasy as opposed to her unsatisfactory life. The importance of the American Dream in ‘Death of a Salesman’ is very significant. The Lomans are each affected in their own way by the pressures placed upon them by the society they live in. Willy is not ruthless enough to be able to really make it in the business world, but distorts reality to convince himself that all is well. Biff is pressured by Willy’s high expectations of him and his insistence that Biff has ‘greatness’, yet he says himself that â€Å"I don’t fit in business† and all he really wants to do is work in the country ‘with your shirt off’. It is ironic that, in the ‘land of opportunity’, citizens are restricted from attaining their true ambitions (Biff’s idyllic dream) by the pressures placed on them to become wealthy, successful and popular. Happy has a relatively steady job unlike his father and brother, but it lacks status. He is one of two assistants to the assistant buyer, and so feels the need to lie and exaggerate about business, women, his family and so on. Linda is not directly pressured by the American Dream, but suffers because her family are all affected, particularly Willy who she remains loyal to throughout. Biff is the only character who ever questions the American Dream and rejects Willy’s ambition. He is at first deluded by Willy’s insistence that â€Å"Biff, you’ve got greatness in you† but comes to realise that he is nothing special. At Willy’s funeral, he condemns Willy’s ambition with â€Å"he had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong†. Exasperatingly, Happy still hasn’t given up, and vows to achieve the success Willy couldn’t – â€Å"He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him†. This shows the vicious circle of disappointment and frustration – and a parallel between this and recurring nightmares – that can be created by the ‘dark side’ of capitalism and of the American Dream. Capitalism and consumerism are massive parts of the American Dream. The capitalist system of business means that when people are no longer useful they are fired, which is exactly what happens to Willy. Howard, his boss, symbolises the ruthless businessman who does well in capitalism. He is similar to Ben, Willy’s successful brother who will step over anyone to get what he wants. Ben’s ruthless nature is shown when he trips Biff in a play fight – â€Å"suddenly comes in, trips BIFF, and stands over him, the point of his umbrella poised over BIFF’S eye†. The prominence of consumerism is shown in the goods that Willy buys, only to have break down shortly afterwards, and in the importance of advertising to Willy – ‘Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator? Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it’s broken! I’m always in a race with the junkyard! I just finished paying for the car and it’s on its last legs! The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddam maniac. They time those things. They time them so when you finally pay for them, they’re used up. † Willy here expresses his dissatisfaction with capitalist culture – connected with the American Dream – and how products are designed (in his view) to bleed as much money from the consumer as possible. The complaint has an air of unfamiliarity with the culture – Willy is idealistic and has a running fantasy that people are far less ruthless than they really are, and that they should make an exception for him due to his ‘popularity’ and his well-connected father.

Moral Simplification in Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Disney’s Portrayal of Women and Simplification of Morals For most people, the first image that comes to mind when the subject of Walt Disney’s animated movies comes up is the studio’s popular princesses. Ever since Snow White made her debut in 1937, Disney has cornered the market on princesses. One primary topic that critics have discussed in Disney’s films is the way princesses are portrayed. The roles of the female characters are especially drawing the interest of academic critics.Jack Zipes, author of Breaking the Disney Spell, believes that the Disney princesses have regressed. On the other hand, Libe Zarranz, author of Diswomen Strike Back? The Evolution of Disney’s Femmes in the 1990s, and Rebecca Do Rozario, author of The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, The Function of the Disney Princess, believe that the Disney princess has progressed. Another aspect of Disney’s movies that catches the eyes of critics is the moral s implification in the films.They believe that the morals from the original fairy tales are being manipulated and simplified in the Disney films. A. Waller Hastings, author of Moral Simplification in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Finn Mortensen, author of The Little Mermaid: Icon and Disneyfication, both agree that Disney’s simplification of morals is giving viewers the wrong depiction of life. Disney’s portrayal of women and simplification of morals are giving viewers the wrong impression of life and women. Many critics call the process of simplification in Disney movies, â€Å"Disneyfication. Disneyfication is especially shown in The Little Mermaid. In Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid, Disney retains elements of Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale. A. Waller Hastings notes, â€Å"In the Disney adaptation, the elements of the fairy tale remain recognizable, but superimposed are typical elements of Disneyfication and a happy endi ng that contravenes the moral intention of the original tale† (85). The resistance towards Disneyfication is an agreement between academic writers.Zarranz also notes, â€Å"The dramatic transformation of literary fairy tales, nonetheless, has been problematic, since Disney’s animated fairy-tale adaptations have systematically undergone a process involving sanitization and Americanizaion, two distinctive features to compound the so-called ‘Disneyfication’ of folklore and popular culture† (55). Many critics believe that Disneyfication takes out the sting and variety of the real world. In the Disney world, everything is the same, everything is happy, and everything is full of everlasting hope.Zipes states that, â€Å"The great ‘magic’ of the Disney spell is that he animated the fairy tale only to transfix audiences and divert their potential utopian dreams and hopes through the false promises of the images he cast upon the screen† (2 3). The process known as Disneyfication seems to be giving viewers the wrong depiction of life. Original morals that are shown throughout the original fairy tales are left out when they become â€Å"Disneyfied. † The conclusion that Disney’s â€Å"watering down† of morals of the original fairy tales is an overwhelming agreement among academic writers.Most people applaud Walt Disney and his predecessors for their creations, however many critics have found a particular flaw of moral simplification in Disney films. Mortensen notes, â€Å"The message of the fairytale is conveyed in terms suitable for a modern public but is integrated into a product that cheats its intended public of small children†¦ † (449). Because the morals in the original fairytale’s are seemingly left out of Disney productions, critics view the Disney films as nothing more than simplistic reproductions that give viewers wrong impressions of life.Hastings writes, â€Å"While generally praising Walt Disney’s technical contributions to animated film, critics have been troubled by the studio’s treatment of classic children’s literature and fairy tales† (83). The producers at Disney are giving children an unreal sense of false hope. Disney films are simplified to an extreme that give viewers the wrong depiction of life. The simplistic portrayal of female characters is a specific by-product of Disneyfication. The roles of female characters in Disney movies have regressed compared to Walt Disney’s first films that featured female characters.In Disney’s earliest movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White takes on a maternal image. She instructs the dwarves in small, everyday routines such as manners and hygiene, and serves as a mother to the dwarves. The role of Snow White is very simple compared to the princesses of late, and much more realistic. In more recent Disney movies, female characters are shown as prin cesses. While the female characters, such as Snow White, used to be a bit submissive and worldly, over time some critics believe the female character has progressed. Zarranz notes,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ven though it is still a long time before we can speak about successful feminist representations in a commercial icon like Disney, recent films incorporate complex females that are worth taking into consideration† (63). Some female characters are even seen as courageous women admired for their brave deeds in their films. Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Belle from Beauty and The Beast are the start of the more modern Disney princess. Do Rozario writes, â€Å"The Disney kingdom still may seem a man’s world, but it is a man’s world dependent on a princess† (57).While Rozario and Zarranz believe the Disney princess has progressed, Zipes strongly suggests that the princess of late has regressed. Zipes writes, â€Å"The young women are helpless ornaments in need of pr otection, and when it comes to the action of the film, they are omitted† (37). Rozario and Zarranz believe that the female character has progressed because of the role that has been given to the characters. However, they seem to overlook the fact that the princess role is very unrealistic.They also seem to overlook the fact that in almost every princess movie, the female character is relying on a male character. In The Little Mermaid, Ariel gives up her entire life to be with a man. Belle, too, lets go of her former life to be with the Beast. So as Rozario and Zarranz may believe that the more recent female characters are much more strong and courageous than those of earlier Disney films, they seem to have overlooked the flaws in the Disney princess. While Walt Disney and his studios are usually praised, multiple researchers have found flaws in in their creations.The inability to portray women in a more realistic way, and the simplification of morals that Disney produces in th eir films, are giving viewers the wrong impression of life and women in the real world. While Disney probably won’t take the critic’s suggestions into consideration, the critics do propose some very interesting arguments concerning the image of female characters and the simplification of morals. Works Cited Do Rozario, Rebecca-Anne C. â€Å"The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, The Function Of The Disney Princess. † Women's Studies in Communication 27. 1 (2004): 34-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 012. Hastings, A. Waller. â€Å"Moral Simplification in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. † The Lion and the Unicorn 17. 1 (1993): 83-92. Print. Mortensen, Finn Hauberg. â€Å"The Little Mermaid: Icon And Disneyfication. † Scandinavian Studies 80. 4 (2008): 437-454. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Zarranz, Libe Garcia. â€Å"Diswomen Strike Back? The Evolution of Disney’s Femmes in the 1990s. † 2 7. 2 (2007): 55-65. Print. Zipes, Jack. â€Å"Breaking the Disney Spell. † From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture. Ed. Elizabeth Bell, Linda Haas and Laura Sells. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP 1995. 21-43.

And We Walked Right Through the Door Essay

â€Å"Anything I can help you find? † inquired the chubby female clerk wearing a cheesy red uniform vest complete with â€Å"Hi! My name is Amy, How can I assist you? † BS name-tag. Right away I recognize this this to be the limited dialog that clerks are required to resort to when they feel certain shoppers are suspicious, to remind them they’re being watched I suppose. I replied smiling, â€Å"No, my buddy’s in the bathroom, just looking around thanks. † the act starting to make me a bit queasy. â€Å"Alright then† she creaked, an undertone of distrust. From there I’m left to my own devices, or so they would like me to think. However I know otherwise as I’m using the very same tools that insurance managers and loss prevention employ – namely strategically placed fisheye thief catching mirrors – to keep an eye on the store walker who, after that terse conversation, started following me. Interacting with people who have an inkling that I’m up to no good while cradling nearly $150 worth of stolen goods in my coat, (just under the federal limit mind you) brought on strong feelings of sickness mixed with a rush of adrenaline†¦ maybe I was getting too old for this shit. After skirting my tail, I head for the back entrance which has posted up what looked to be a normal run of the mill alarm system. However having worked this place over several times before, I knew that this was simply cosmetic and no longer functioned properly. My best guess is the store was too broke to repair it, in part due to klepto jack-asses like me and my crew. Most likely they allowed this skeleton of a system to stay standing in hopes that it would deter those that didn’t know any better. In fact most of the security equipment in this place was for show. From the dozens of shaded domes mounted in the ceilings where maybe one quarter of them actually held security cameras, to the magnetic tags – or bugs as we coded them – that had no activated strips in which to trip the alarm systems that did work. Their security measures were as false as my attitude towards clerk Amy, only I felt I was better at hiding the fact. ?This was my hobby. I started at a very young age, six, maybe seven years old and only because I hated being told that I couldn’t have candy or toys that seemed to me within reason. The usual excuse always came back a whining â€Å"Because we don’t have the money, Craig† despite the fact we always seemed to have enough for coffee, cigarettes and booze. It was at that young age where it seemed straight forward enough to me take the item of my simple fancy, slip it in my pocket, and – most importantly – try not to be seen doing this. It wasn’t until a few years into my â€Å"hobby† that I was finally discovered in the act by, of all people, my little sister, Melissa. We were on our way to school when I suggested a stop at a small grocery mart, where she made a bee line for the freshly made donuts. While she was busy ogling the poignant sweets, I went to work finding fruit roll-ups to procure. As I started stuffing the box of snacks into my brothers’ oversized, hand-me-down, blue-green Dolphins starter coat, my sister caught up, discovering me in mid-theft. She asked â€Å"Why are you taking that? † wide eyed and confused. Hushing at her â€Å"Because I wanna share some with my friends, and you know how Mom and Dad are about money! † I pleaded quietly, the cashier’s too busy dealing with the morning flood of coffee and newspaper sales to notice. This line of reasoning seemed well enough for her and she agreed not to tell anyone, the deal sealed by sharing some of the spoils. I thought that would be the end of it†¦ turns out I was wrong. Over the next few weeks she wasn’t just stealing shit left and right, but bragging to me about it! It was no surprise to me when later that month my parents had to pick her up from the local mall security center, having been caught shoplifting Barbie accessories. Even worse, she dragged a friend of hers along for the ride and, after being caught red handed, tried to frame the poor girl she brought along as the evil master mind behind it all. Though I felt raw about leading my little sister into my bad habit, I still thought to myself â€Å"better her than me†. At the time, we had just moved into a newly built Habitat for Humanity home in a strange sort of raffle for low-income families. Though it was nice to live in a new house, one of the downsides was that one could hear everything that was happening in every other room, which left the feeling of having little to no privacy. It was excruciating to hear punishments that either of my siblings might receive, like say in the case of my little sister getting caught shoplifting. From down in the living room, my mother and I attempted to focus on The Andy Griffith Show though I couldn’t help overhear the post punishment conversation between my father and sister. â€Å"What were you thinking!? How many times have we told you that taking things is wrong!? † he yelled, my sister still sobbing from the hot ass-whopping she’d just received. He continued the inquisition â€Å"What made you think you could even get away with something like this, huh?!? † she answered near yelping â€Å"Because I saw Craig take something from the store! I slammed my eyelids together hard hoping it would make me invisible, though I could feel the scorching glare from my mother who was eaves-dropping on the conversation as well. After my own hot ass-whopping, I was ordered to gather up all things I’d stolen. Though I didn’t give them everything, what I did pile up was still a pretty impressive haul, namely cheap toys like yo-yos and Gak; I’d be damned if I was going to give up my Sega games, it was no picnic acquiring those gems. It didn’t take long before I felt safe enough to get back in the saddle, my only lesson being a stricter discretion toward my parents finding out. Oh yeah, the crew I mentioned earlier. While there were always a few lame duck part-timers that came and went the main trio consisted of Dustin B. , code name â€Å"D†, Walter R. aka â€Å"Strangler† the muscle, and me whom they had dubbed â€Å"Slyde†, or â€Å"Sly† for short. This was actually based on some form on confusion as Slyde was what I had named my â€Å"customized† coat for all intents and purposes. The customization of the coat was simple: cut holes out at the bottom of the pockets enabling me to hide cargo all the way round the back with the insulation fluff, some of which I had removed to avoid looking too lumpy as I added new items. D was the first to join my group and a sort of protege. He’d say things like â€Å"You never know when you’ll be in a position to have to steal stuff, like if the government falls! † and considered my rabble rousing to be more of a hidden art form. We’d play games of risk with one another, upping the stakes to hone our skills. Strangler wasn’t really a thief, more of a muscle guy. He wasn’t into games of risk, but he’d happily beat the living shit out of anyone who might get in our way. A perfect crew for what we were doing. ?We had codes for everything, bugs and spiders for mag-tags and stickers, hawks and Tony’s for cameras and walkers. We even had codes to let each other know what was to be bought (purchased) and what was to be stolen (buy) while still speaking in laymen’s terms. In my home state of Michigan, thankfully, one could wear a coat for nearly eight to nine months out of the year, and no one would consider it suspect. Though when dealing in the art of theft, you’ll need more than a custom coat to get by. I had put together a base set of five rules through my tenure, which I regularly preached to my fledgling group: 1) Never go on a run alone. Sometimes you might need the muscle to help you out of a bind; this was Strangler’s territory. In one particular incident, a well-built bald white guy came from, what seemed to me nowhere, placing his hand on my shoulder, â€Å"Sir, I’d like to talk to you about the items in your coat†. The next sounds heard were a shopping cart being revved up to ramping speed, Strangler behind the bar. The large man having no time to react, literally went head over heels into the cart, and off into the sunset. His ride was only cut short by a parked van he crashed into mid lot, where he and the cart crumpled over in a sad heap. We had a good laugh about it as we jaunted away. ) If you frequent a place, at least buy something to make it look a bit less shady. There’s nothing more obvious than your ugly mug walking into a place and never buying anything. After the third or fourth occurrence, they’ll stop to search you on principle alone (This is Detroit). 3) If you’re going to steal something, act like you’ve been there before. There’s nothing more hideously obvious than someone who looks around to see if they’re being watched. Also, the occasional outburst by local crazies or crotchety old men – any form of sudden distraction really – was a quick and easy pass to get the hell out of dodge while the gettin’s good. ) Get off the grounds as soon as possible! Store walkers are legally obligated to stay on company property, which led to another obvious conclusion: don’t hit a place up if it already has actually law enforcement on the premises, na mely because real pigs don’t have such limited jurisdictions, and probably because they’re already there for some other fool who’s been caught. 5) Lastly and to the point, don’t steal more than the federal limit. It’s not like it was difficult or unthinkable, just more risk than what it’s worth to my thinking. This was shoplifting 101 and I was the head instructor. It was a few years into our chaotic campaign when all my concerns were to be quantified; when new-bird Marty R. hit the scene. Though we’d known Marty for years (due to the fact that I was dating his younger sister), we were apprehensive to have him join our little club because of his garish nature. He was a tall sum bitch, at least a full nine inches taller than me, and I was six foot myself at the time. Big knarley knuckles, rail thin from a ridiculously high metabolism mixed with malnutrition, and bright Irish red hair earned him the code name, â€Å"Red†. There’s a saying that red heads are either drop dead gorgeous, or butt ass ugly, Red here was the latter. Aside from being really tall, he had a pension for the dramatic which meant he always spoke loudly, attracting attention. If that weren’t enough, he also tried to sport a mo-hawk that was supposed to be dyed atomic red, but came out neon pink. He had done well enough on his first few excursions, though as I tended to do with all newbies, first timers got the benefit of being surrounded by us young punks ready to throw down as they got the chance to exercise their sticky fingers. Not to mention, first timer’s targets happened to be large places where we had little issue with security, and where there were several other casual shoppers to take focus away from us. This was particularly effective on busy shopping days like Black Friday, one of my personal favorites. ?Red and I had stopped in a larger chain for nothing more than a two liter of soda for the troops back at one of our crash sites. Now not every visit to a store is made to pilfer items, because as the saying goes, ‘it’s not a party if it happens every night’. Red being the new guy wasn’t really hip to this idea yet, and was still very anxious to take what he could, as if there were no tomorrow. As I sleepily moved to the cold drinks at the back of the store, and not from the wall of tepid soda they displayed for chumps and out-of-towners up front, Red informed me that he was going to use the rest room, where vagabonds like us would normally go to clean up a bit. It may have been the way he said it, but I instantly got a bad feeling. Realizing that I had just woken up to take on this small task for the group, I shook off the vibe and told him to meet me outside in our usual spot when he was done. Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right. Red took it upon himself to yank a few items without me knowing, a wallet, a crappy ten dollar watch, and a fake gold necklace/locket combo for some girl he was crushing on. From this, he might as well have broken rule number one in not letting me know his intentions. As I stood waiting in the check-out line cold pop in hand, I noticed Red making his way out trying to look as though he hadn’t taken anything, a sure distinction to my eye. I had the mind to drop the pop and run over to him: not so much to help him, but rather to chew him out for being such a chud. However it was too late, the horrible scene I’d sought to rally against unfolded before me, as if I was given a front row seat. After the fact, I could only guess that this store had some idea about our group and its past debauchery, since they used three Tony’s to surround and take Red away. I wasn’t ready, we weren’t here on a mission, we were here for fucking soda! I felt like screaming at him, the mix of helplessness and anger at his dishonesty keeping me anchored to the floor as I looked on, holding the building express line up. As he was ushered past, he looked at me with those sad sorry eyes, where all I could do was look back, mouth agape. This moment also felt like a strong message for yours truly, the Tony’s eyes staring at me, warning â€Å"You’re next hot shot†. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Red’s first offense and he was later sentenced 2 years for what amounted to less than $30 worth of merchandise. Now Marty wasn’t much of a fighter, and considering his height coupled with the fact that his hair had mistakenly come out neon pink, brought a whole other hellish dimension towards the thought of time in jail for him. Yes, this was a sad day for our company indeed, but an affirmation of the rules I had laid down to begin with. I scorned the others with the story, probably because I wasn’t able to yell at Red, or more likely out of shame that I wasn’t able to do something about it myself. ?Some time has passed and I’ve all but stopped stealing. I might yoink a pack of batteries here and there, or occasionally walk out on a check if the server makes me wait too long, but these trifles are rare. Recently, I landed a position in loss prevention for a small chain of stores; the irony of this never fails to cheer me up. I even tried to stay in decent shape for the job by making it a point to run/jog in, or maybe old habits of being ready for a chase die hard. I was assigned a new store where they were going through the normal jargon, giving us the cue codes for theft in progress, blind spots to patrol, and all the other dirty little secrets I would have killed for back in the day. As I was being briefed by my new manager, I realized just how much of a royal prick he was, just from how he thought so much lesser of people that resorted to stealing. The more he talked, the more I indulged a day dream of feeding his pretentious ass to Strangler and how that would pan out. My first shift was painfully uneventful, right until the last hour as I started to get in the mindset of what to do once I was free again. It was at that time when Mr. douche-bag manager busted in to the surveillance room, like he was hopped up on too many energy drinks. â€Å"Look alive ladies, we got some kids in the liquor isle, and I’m damn sure they’re gonna grab something. They’ve been casing it for a while, looking all sorts of suspicious, so let’s get out there and NAB ‘EM! trying to be all team player, as if we were all supposed to put our hands in or something. To be honest, this was the part of my job I hated most, seeing new jacks like this give my former hobby a go in the worst way. Ducking their heads about, apprehensive yet obvious about whether or not they’re going to put an item in their jacket. Sure enough, scoping out these scrubby teens through a large fish eye mirror, I saw firsthand one of them squirrel a fifth of whiskey into his windbreaker, and make his way for the exit. Panic was written all over his face as he wrangled up the other two snots with him, simply disgraceful. The worst of it was when they neared the exit. We didn’t even have time to start in on our usual spiel before it suddenly turned into a free for all, the three of them sprinting off in unison. The two â€Å"friends† that the holder came in with, bolted in the exact opposite direction, leaving the actual target on his own. I’m not sure if they did this thinking they’d fool us with misdirection, or if they just ran out of fear; my guess was they got scared and bailed. At this point, I’m not the only one giving chase; two other Tony’s and the dick-head manager were also trailing. The manager was the first to go down, no surprise, tripping on his own stupid shoe-laces not even 20 feet from the entrance, biting off a piece of his own tongue as his chin smashed against the asphalt. One of the Tony’s was a fat guy and gave in shortly thereafter, claiming â€Å"I’m gonna see if the manager’s O. K. , you guys keep going! † pathetic. Two down, two to go, and we’re gaining on him. This kid must not have known the perimeter rule, because he cut around heading for the back of the store, towards the receiving docks. Since e insisted on staying on the grounds, as far as I was concerned it was still game on. Thanks to my daily regimen, I felt as though I could run like this forever! Primal instincts kicked in, I felt as though I were a lethal cheetah closing in on its prey. It was about the time we were rounding the docks that the defeatist thumping footsteps of the other Tony sounded, signaling his dropping out of the chase no more than 70 generous yards from the door. Never mind all that, I was about to end it, he was going down, this kid was mine! I reached out grabbing at his shoulder, my hand getting a taste of slick fabric from his blue wind-breaker, when something clicked. I stopped chasing and let him go. I didn’t even bother to gloat out loud that I could have caught him if I wanted, it didn’t even seem important anymore. I stood there watching him continue to run for his life as I caught my breath. I contemplated the awesome story that the kid would have to tell all his friends – the ones he presumably stole the fifth for – and to call out his two accomplices for bitching out the way they did. Thought flooded me near the point of tears as I recanted my own misguided youth, and the thrill of getting away from a near miss as he had just encountered. If I had brought him back, I would have had no say in his punishment, and I’m sure they would’ve done to him the same as they did to Red. I no longer wanted to be responsible for the incarceration of others this way. I strolled back acting more tired than I actually was giving the staff some bullshit excuse as to how the kid eluded me; I mean, what the hell did they know, right?