Northanger Abbey Characters Essay

Second of which, it is also important to note that the social identity theory claims that every person enacts multiple identities that functions in every social context such as for instance, mother, professor, volunteer, that could be drivers of buying actions (p. 11). The behavioral decision theory that is under the umbrella of the social identity theory claims that choices of consumers are often made in accordance with their attribute values. Closely related to this is the attitude theory which emphasizes consumer expectancies and evaluations on a particular product belief (p.11-12). The figure below presents consumer goals in terms of their buying preferences. It could be seen that the core reason that determines why such and such consumers buy certain products is primarily due to their life theme and values. In effect of these, their life themes and values deeply influenced how they are going to deal with their life projects, current concerns and consumption intentions. Finally, the benefits sought and the feature preferences are also considered as the end goal of the being and doing hierarchy. Figure 3:   A hierarchical model of consumer goals Source: Ratneshwar, Mick and Huffman (2000, p. 14) Life themes and values are the personal ideas of being and the highest goal in a person’s framework. A terminal value is a belief that is considered as an end in itself such as freedom r wisdom. These types of values are like existential concerns that every customer has to deal with their daily lives which are rooted on their personal histories (p. 15). Themes and values in one’s life are the core conceptions of the self. These values are deeply embedded, interconnected and central in order to maintain integrity of the self-system. Corollary with this, these values are relatively stable and accessible as well and could be activated easily in almost any circumstance. As such it could be said that themes and values serve as a yardstick or standard guide to lower-order goals and actions (p. 17). Current concerns such as activities, tasks or quests are also vital in a consumer’s buying behavior. For instance, activities or life projects that a customer wants to engage into like gardening, being an animal rights advocate and the likes influences them to buy certain products that are in accordance to such goals (p.18). 2. 5 CSR and Purchasing Decisions The link between CSR and consumer purchasing decisions is something that has a direct relationship. It has been said by Varadarajan and Menon (1988) that it is very relevant for consumers to first be educated on a particular company’s level of social responsibility before they could incorporate such on their pattern of behavior. This is important so that consumer purchasing decisions could be affected by the CSR programs that a company is employing. The notion of cause related marketing which is a way for companies to support non profit organizations by allotting a certain percentage of their sales to the former is one of the most effective way of doing the aforementioned (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). Albeit, it should be noted that although CSR has been highly exercised by most companies, the biggest inhibitor of the latter’s success is lack of consumer awareness on a particular company’s CSR program. However even if this is the case, there is a growing evidence that a lot of consumers are desiring to know more about how companies conducts their businesses. The purchasing information that was given by Council on Economic Priorities in 1994 tells that consumer interest on CSR has been steadily growing (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). 2. 6 Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty Customer satisfaction is difficult to understand and it is define in different ways. Many researchers argued that there is a difference between the customer satisfaction, which is gained from tangible products and intangible services. The difference is because of the intangibility of the services and the failure to separate production and consumption. Therefore, customer satisfaction from services and goods may come from and influenced by different factors. Hence, should be considered separately and differently (Veloutsou, C. et al, 2005). Two issues should be considered when looking customer satisfaction in services whether it is conceptualized or transaction specific or cumulative (Hoest, V. and Knie-Andersen, M. , 2004). Customer satisfaction has been perceived as not the sole determining factor for a loyal customer base (Griffin and Herres, 2002, p. 2). During the 1980s and the 1990s, the notion of customer satisfaction which is weighed in terms of providing quality customer service and excellence has been perceived as providing good financial results and repeat purchase. A study conducted by Forum Corporation (Stum and Thiry, 1991, p. 34) claimed that 40% of the customers who participated in the study claimed to be satisfied with a particular product found it easy to shift brands without any hesitation. As such, it has been perceived by Griffin and Herres (2002; p.4-5) that the true measurement that should be used in repeated business is Customer Loyalty. Customer loyalty focuses more on consumer behaviour than attitude. When a particular client is loyal to a brand, such a person is more particular in conducting purchase behaviour that is relatively more non random. A client who is loyal to a brand has developed a particular justified belief on which and what to buy from whom. More importantly, the notion of loyalty implies a purchase that occurs for a particular duration, which does not occur less than twice. Also, it could be significantly noted that the decision to purchase could be made by one or two or more individuals. As such, it could be the case that the decision making to buy a particular product could be a compromise, hence explaining one of the key reasons for one’s loyalty for a particular unit. There are two important factors that are closely associated with brand loyalty and these are customer retention and total share of customer. The former describes the duration in which a particular company has the business of a client. The rate of customer share on the other hand is equivalent to the percentage of a customer’s budget that is spent with the firm. For instance, a company is said to have 100% share of a customer’s budget if the latter spends his or her entire budget with a particular firm. As such it could be said that customer retention and percentage of customer’s budget is very important; however, there might be instances wherein a customer is prevented by certain laws to purchase just from one vendor such as government accounts. Gustafsson and Johnson (2000; p.50) presented a model which would effectively measure customer satisfaction. Satisfaction in terms of the model is perceived as â€Å"customer’s overall evaluation of the purchase and consumption experience with a product, service or provider†. The model presented by Gustafsson and Johnson (2000) appears to be different from transaction-specific portrayals of customer satisfaction that normally leads to repurchase. The model focuses on the importance of Customer Lens or the perspective of a customer on a particular brand, most especially how it benefits them. The lens of the customer will allow the organization to take a view of their product as it appears on the market place and not really how their organization perceives it (Gustafsson and Johnson, 2000, p. 5). It has been argued by Gustafsson and Johnson   (2000) that customers’ decisions to repurchase a particular product are deeply influenced by their overall purchase and consumption from a particular company or brand. In addition, customer satisfaction could pave the way for an enhanced reputation and an increase of brand equity for a particular organization. Such in turn could further attract customers that could have further increase the market share of a particular brand. 2. 7 The Body Shop International, PLC Values The Body Shop International PLC has five corporate values: Against Animal Testing, Support Community Trade, Activate Self Esteem, and Protecting our Planet (The Body Shop International plc a, 2007). 2. 7. 1 Against Animal Testing The company strongly advocated for the banning of the test of cosmetics on animals. In addition, the company prides itself due to its strict compliance of the internationally recognized Humane Cosmetics Standards (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). As such it has been implementing a so-called â€Å"fixed cut-off date† to all of their ingredients. Such means, that the company does not and will never test their cosmetics on animals, hence calling it an â€Å"immovable fixed date† (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). More importantly, the company has also assured that their products could also be suitable for vegetarians. This means that the company does not use any ingredient that is perceived to cause harm to animals (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). In effect of this, the Body Shop has been awarded on 2006 as the Best Cruelty-free Cosmetics by the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals). (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). The advocate of Body Shop to ban animal testing is stretched even by the company supporting researches that could bring about alternatives against animal testing. In 2004, the Body Shop Foundation has awarded the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing at John Hopkins University ? 20 000 in order to support the university’s research in finding other ways to test cosmetics   (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). 2. 7. 2 Support Community Trade Body Shop’s support for community trade focuses on the use of natural ingredients and handcrafted products from skilled people and was brought for a reasonable prize for more than 20 years on over 24 countries and 31 suppliers (The Body Shop International plc e, 2007). In another perspective, community fair trade provides workers in marginalized countries to earn a reliable wage that could help them build their futures (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). More importantly, the community trade that Body Shop made from the aforementioned also provides the company the assurance that it has been purchasing ingredients in which they know where came from (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). As such, it could be said that the company has been spreading not only its monetary assets but also its intellectual investments as well fairly among countries most especially to the ones which needed it most (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). 2. 7. 3 Activate Self Esteem Body shop also deeply upholds basic feminist values. Their motto: â€Å"Know your mind, love your body†; communicates the individuality of all women and the disregard to false promises, hype, and jargons of cosmetics and a fixed standard of beauty (The Body Shop International plc f, 2007). More importantly, the body shop emphasizes the importance of self awareness, self-confidence, self-growth and self-acceptance. As such it deems self respect while focusing on diversity, acceptance and empowerment (The Body Shop International plc g, 2007). 2. 7. 4 Protecting our Planet Protecting the planet is the last among the five core values of Body Shop. This value is deeply connected on the advocate of the company in using natural ingredients. Body Shop believed that through the use of natural ingredients and through helping on the ban against cosmetic test on animals, they are helping to protect the environment (The Body Shop International plc h, 2007). Furthermore, Body Shop also supports the use of renewable sources through the use of Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products. I

Child Marriage: A Silent Health and Human Rights Issue Essay

Abstract Marriages in which a child under the age of 18 years is involved occur worldwide, but are mainly seen in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. A human rights violation, child marriage directly impacts girls’ education, health, psychologic well-being, and the health of their offspring. It increases the risk for depression, sexually transmitted infection, cervical cancer, malaria, obstetric fistulas, and maternal mortality. Their offspring are at an increased risk for premature birth and, subsequently, neonatal or infant death. The tradition, driven by poverty, is perpetuated to ensure girls’ financial futures and to reinforce social ties. One of the most effective methods of reducing child marriage and its health consequences is mandating that girls stay in school. Key words: Child marriage, Early marriage, Maternal mortality Child marriage, defined as marriage of a child under 18 years of age, is a silent and yet widespread practice. Today, over 60 million marriages include girls under the age of 18 years: approximately 31 million in South Asia, 14 million in sub-Saharan Africa, and 6.6 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (Figure 1). Each day, 25,000 girls are married and an anticipated 100 million girls will be married in 2012.1 Over 60% of girls are married under the age of 18 in some sub-Saharan countries and Bangladesh, and 40% to 60% of girls undergo child marriage in India (Figure 2). Figure 1 Number of women aged 20–24 who were married or in union before age 18, by region (2006). CEE/CIS, Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Reproduced with permission from United Nations Children’s Fund. Progress †¦ Figure 2 Percentage of women aged 20–24 who were married or in union before age 18 (1987–2006). Reproduced with permission from United Nations Children’s Fund. Progress for Children: A World Fit for Children Statistical Review. New York: †¦ Child marriage has been referred to as early marriage or child brides, but these terms are not optimal. Early marriage does not imply that children are involved, and the term is vague because an early marriage for one society may be considered late by another. The term child brides glorifies the tradition by portraying an image of joy and celebration. Most of these marriages are arranged by parents, and girls rarely meet their future husband before the wedding. The girls know that after the wedding they will move to their husband’s household, become the responsibility of their in-laws, and might not see their own family or friends for some time. Although child marriage includes boys, most children married under the age of 1 8 years are girls. In Mali, the ratio of married girls to boys is 72:1; in Kenya, it is 21:1; in Indonesia, it is 7.5:1; in Brazil, it is 6:1; and even in the United States, the ratio is 8:1.2–4 Go to: Human and Children’s Rights The United Nations and other international agencies have declared that child marriage violates human rights and children’s rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that individuals must enter marriage freely with full consent and must be at full age. In 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women stated that child marriage is illegal. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child defined children as persons under the age of 18 years. Many countries passed laws changing the legal age of marriage to 18 years, but enforcement of these laws, and of laws requiring marriages to be registered, is weak.5 For example, although the legal age of marriage is 18 years, in Mali 65% of girls are married at a younger age; in Mozambique, it is 57%; and in India, it is 50% (Figure 3). In some parts of Ethiopia, although the legal age of marriage is 15 years, 50% of younger girls are married, and in Mali, 39% of younger girls are married. Furthermore, in some regions, an arranged marriage occurs at birth.6 Figure 3 (A) Percentage of girls (aged 15–19 years) who are currently married. (B) Percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years married before age 18. Reproduced with permission from Mathur S, Greene M, Malhotra A. Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights, and Health †¦ Go to: Factors Driving Child Marriage Three main forces drive child marriages: poverty, the need to reinforce social ties, and the belief that it offers protection. Child marriage is predominantly seen in areas of poverty. Parents are faced with 2 economic incentives: to ensure their daughter’s financial security and to reduce the economic burden daughters place on the family. Child marriage is first and foremost a product of sheer economic need. Girls are costly to feed, clothe, and educate, and they eventually leave the household. Marriage brings a dowry to the bride’s family. The younger the girl, the higher the dowry, and the sooner the economic burden of raising the girl is lifted. By marrying their daughter to a â€Å"good† family, parents also establish social ties between tribes or clans and improve their social status. Parents also believe that marrying their daughters young protects them from rape, premarital sexual activity, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections, espe cially human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS.5 Go to: Health Consequences of Child Marriage Isolation and Depression Once married, girls are taken to their husband’s household, where they assume the role of wife, domestic worker, and, eventually, mother. These new homes can be in a different village or town. Because of the high dowry paid, husbands are usually much older than the girls (and thus have little in common with them) and their new brides are expected to reproduce. Polygamy may also be acceptable in some of these regions. As a result, the girls feel rejected, isolated, and depressed. Some girls realize that survival requires embracing their new environment and proving their fertility. They lose their childhood and miss the opportunity to play, develop friendships, and be educated. Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infection and Cervical Cancer Parents believe that marrying their daughters early protects them from HIV/AIDS. Research has shown the opposite: marriage by the age of 20 years is a risk factor for HIV infection in girls.7 In Kenya, married girls are 50% more likely than unmarried girls to become infected with HIV. In Zambia, the risk is even higher (59%). And in Uganda, the HIV prevalence rate of married girls and single girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years is 89% and 66%, respectively. Their husbands infected these girls. Because the girls try to prove their fertility, they had high-frequency, unprotected intercourse with their husbands. Their older husbands had prior sexual partners or were polygamous. In addition, the girls’ virginal status and physical immaturity increase the risk of HIV transmission secondary to hymenal, vaginal, or cervical lacerations.5 Other sexually transmitted infections, such as herpes simplex virus type 2, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, are also more frequently transmitted and enhance the girls’ vulnerability to HIV. Research demonstrates that child marriage also increases the risk of human papillomavirus transmission and cervical cancer.8 Risks During Pregnancy Pregnant girls in malaria regions were found to be at higher risk for infection. Of the 10.5 million girls and women who become infected with malaria, 50% die. Their highest risk is during their first pregnancy. Pregnancy not only increases the risk of acquiring malaria, but pregnant girls under the age of 19 have a significantly higher malaria density than pregnant women over the age of 19.9 They are also at significant risk of malaria-related complications such as severe anemia, pulmonary edema, and hypoglycemia. Rates of HIV and malaria coinfection are highest in Central African Republic, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where more than 90% of the population is exposed to malaria and more than 10% are HIV positive. Having both diseases complicates the management and treatment of each. HIV-infected patients have a higher likelihood of getting a more severe form of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. They are less likely to respond as well to antimalaria medication. Malaria increases HIV viral load and increases the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate. Data demonstrate that the combination of these diseases proves deadly to the young pregnant mother.10 Risks During Labor and Delivery Deliveries from child marriages are â€Å"too soon, too close, too many, or too late.†11 Forty-five percent of girls in Mali, 42% in Uganda, and 25% in Ethiopia have given birth by the age of 18. In Western nations, the rates are 1% in Germany, 2% in France, and 10% in the United States (Figure 4). Girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years are 5 to 7 times more likely to die in childbirth; girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years are twice as likely.12 High death rates are secondary to eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, HIV infection, malaria, and obstructed labor. Girls aged 10 to 15 years have small pelvises and are not ready for childbearing. Their risk for obstetric fistula is 88%.13 Figure 4 Percentage of women, aged 20 to 24 years, married and giving birth by age 18. Reproduced with permission from Mathur S, Greene M, Malhotra A. Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights, and Health of Young Married Girls. Washington, DC: International Center †¦ Risks for Infants Mothers under the age of 18 have a 35% to 55% higher risk of delivering a preterm or low-birthweight infant than mothers older than 19 years. The infant mortality rate is 60% higher when the mother is under the age of 18 years. Data demonstrate that even after surviving the first year, children younger than 5 years had a 28% higher mortality rate in the young mothers cohort.14 This morbidity and mortality is due to the young mothers’ poor nutrition, physical and emotional immaturity, lack of access to social and reproductive services, and higher risk for infectious diseases. Go to: Discussion Disheartening as this information may be, there is encouraging news. Data show that in countries where poverty has decreased, such as Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, the incidence of child marriage has also declined. Media attention raises awareness of the issue and can prompt change. After a highly publicized story in 2008, in which a 10-year-old Yemeni girl fled her husband 2 months after being married and successfully obtained a divorce, Yemen increased the legal age for marriage from 15 to 18 years. More importantly, numerous children, inspired by this case, have sued for divorce.15 Research has long enforced the importance of education for girls and their families. Child marriage truncates girls’ childhood, stops their education, and impacts their health and the health of their infants. Governmental and nongovernmental policies aimed at educating the community, raising awareness, engaging local and religious leaders, involving parents, and empowering girls through education and employment can help stop child marriage. Programs that have shown success are those that give families financial incentives to keep their daughters in school, those that feed children during school hours so parents do not have to bear that responsibility, and those that promise employment once girls have completed their schooling.1 Education not only delays marriage, pregnancy, and childbearing, but school-based sex education can be effective in changing the awareness, attitudes, and practices leading to risky sexual behavior in marriage. Main Points †¢Over 60 million marriages include a girl under the age of 18 years. †¢The main forces that drive child marriage are poverty, the need to reinforce social ties, and the belief that marriage at an early age protects girls from rape, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infection. †¢Marriage before the age of 18 increases the rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in girls. †¢High death rates during pregnancy are secondary to eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, HIV infections, and obstructed labor. The infant mortality rate is 60% higher when the mother is under the age of 18 years. †¢Education not only delays marriage, pregnancy, and childbearing, but school-based sex education can be effective in changing the awareness, attitudes, and practices leading to risky sexual behavior in marriage. Go to: References 1. Mathur S, Greene M, Malhotra A. Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights and Health of Young Married Girls. Washington, DC: International Center for Research on Women; 2003. pp. 1–15. 2. United Nations, authors. World Marriage Patterns. New York: United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; 2000. 3. Population Reference Bureau, authors. The World’s Youth 2006 Data Sheet. Washington, DC;: Population Reference Bureau; 2006. [Accessed February 25, 2009]. http://www.prb.org/pdf06/WorldsYouth2006DataSheet.pdf. 4. Alan Guttmacher Institute, authors. Into a New World: Young Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Lives. New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute; 1998. 5. Nour NM. Health consequences of child marriages in Africa. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:1644–1649. [PMC free article] [PubMed] 6. Bruce J, Clark S. Including Married Adolescents in Adolescent Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Policy. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003. 7. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, authors. World AIDS Campaign 2004: Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS. Strategic Overview and Background Note. [Accessed February 25, 2009]. http://www.etharc.org/aidscampaign/publications/wac2004.pdf. 8. Zhang ZF, Parkin DM, Yu SZ, et al. Risk factors for cancer of the cervix in a rural Chinese population. Int J Cancer. 1989;43:762–767. [PubMed] 9. Dzeing-Ella A, Nze Obiang PC, Tchoua R, et al. Severe falciparum malaria in Gabonese children: clinical and laboratory features. Malar J. 2005;4:1. [PMC free article] [PubMed] 10. World Health Organization, authors. Malaria and HIV Interactions and Their Implications for Public Health Policy. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004. [Accessed February 25, 2009]. http://www.who.int/malaria/mal aria_HIV/MalariaHIVinteractions_report.pdf. 11. Marriage and the family. [Accessed February 25, 2009]. Interactive Population Center Web site. http://www.unfpa.org/intercenter/cycle/marriage.htm. 12. United Nations, authors. We the Children: End-Decade Review of the Follow-Up to the World Summit for Children. Report of the Secretary-General (A/S-27/3) New York: United Nations; 2001. 13. United Nations Children’s Fund, authors. Fistula in Niamey, Niger. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund; 1998. 14. Adhikari RK. Early marriage and childbearing: risks and consequences. In: Bott S, Jejeebhoy S, Shah, Puri C, editors. Towards Adulthood: Exploring the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents in South Asia. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003. pp. 62–66. 15. Walt V. A 10-year-old divorcà ©e takes Paris. Time. 2009. Feb 3 [Accessed February 25, 2009]. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1876652,00.html.

Treaty on European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Treaty on European Union - Essay Example The main objective of the European Union was to promote peace among the European states, promote economic and social progress, achieve . Furthermore, the European Union served to promote free trade among its member states without any form of trade barriers imposed. The European Union was developed after the world war two to try to bring an end to the constant wars between the neighbouring countries. The European Union was mostly formed for economical reasons. All the nations that became members of the union were expected to adhere to the rules pertaining to the operation of the trade markets among the member states. This is necessary in maintaining unity and peace among the states, which choose to trade with each other. Furthermore, the European Union was formed with the aim of bringing the people of the European nation and its borders closer and further allowing the free movement of people and gods across its member states. The Treaty of Maastricht, which is what was later developed to form the European Union, had five main objectives mainly aimed at unifying Europe (Baun 16). These included creating a security policy for nations that chose to participate, to establish financial and economical union, to improve the economic efficiency of the member states, to reinforce demographic governing of its member states and to develop the â€Å"community social dimension†. In order to ensure that all these goals were achieved, the set of policies contained in the treaty ranged from education, youth and industry. At the end of world war two and cold war period, Europe was paved by disaster and extreme poverty. The level of industrial production was very low, which saw many of the citizens unemployed and homeless. The war did not only affect Europe but other states as well. For instance, Germany had 25 per cent of its urban housing destroyed. In addition, the

ECO..Profits and morality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECO..Profits and morality - Assignment Example This is because there will no longer be a motivation to keep doing paying or else the electric supply will be cut off. However, in this case of freedom to decision-making involving consumption has led to a negative outcome reducing the wellbeing of the capitalistic electric company that is there for profit. Another example mentioned involves Ford Pinto model of car and is a quite well-documented incident regarding the defective rear engines of the car that could catch fire following collisions (Sidewinder77, 2007b). If people were given the freedom to decide about the production and buying variables of the car, most individuals would not be willing to pay a higher price for a safer car. This decision would ultimately increase the risk of being susceptible to death by a faulty car because people, if given the freedom to decide, would not always choose rationally thereby reducing overall wellbeing of the

Should English Be Our Official Language Research Paper

Should English Be Our Official Language - Research Paper Example However, such attempts, especially in the congress, have proved futile despite the fact that most of the Americans, i.e. more than 90%, use English as their main language of communication (Lehrer Productions, 2005). This paper is a critical evaluation of whether the US should adopt English as the official language of communication. Despite the fact that English is the most widely used language in the US, the constitution does not mention it or any other language for that matter as the official language of communication. However, there have been attempts from different quarters such as the Congress to enact legislation for that purpose but this has not been achieved. The US is a country, which is full of cultural diversity as its population is a mixture of different races, with some of them having their own unique languages of communication. Some of these languages include and not limited to Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Greek, and Chinese among others. This has been attributed to the ever increasing number of immigrants entering the country either to do business or to settle and also due to the presence of the descendants of immigrants, who entered the country either as slaves or as settlers during the colonial times. It may be important to note that even the English which is spoken contains different diale cts depending on the speakers, for example with those of African decency, Latinos among others (Crawford, 2000). Various reasons have been brought forward by proponents of adopting English as the country’s official language. This is for example the need to improve national unity. Linguistic diversity around the world has been noted as one of the major contributing factors to bad blood between citizens of a country, and which has the capacity to encourage tribal animosity and violence (US English Inc, 2006).  

Agenda Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Agenda Setting - Essay Example As such, the input of the media in setting the agenda in such circumstances is vita since it helps decipher some of the prevailing political events at the time. The mass media is more likely to influence the opinions of an electorate during campaigns than the actual politician is. The structure of the media characterized with the various gatekeepers implies that decision of the mass media is informed therefore factual. The electorate therefore relies on the communications from the media. The elite are always more interested in politics that the illiterate in a society because politics of a country influences their wellbeing. Such a group considers the information they obtain from the media. The group relies on the media to initiate debates in social circles. The illiterate on the other hand believe the mass media content which often help them make their own personal decisions. The mass media gives intensified attention to specific issues in the society through repetitive coverage thus ensuring that the public discusses them at various stages. The article discusses the role of mass communication research in understanding the various effects of the mass media. The media continues to remain a vital section of the society that influences the actions, thoughts and feelings of the public. This implies that media is a vital aspect that does not only inform the public but influences the actions and thoughts of their target audience. By heightening research in the field, the scholar explains that the practitioners in the industry would discover new appropriate ways of ensuring that the media performs its functions effectively without harming the public. Mass communication research just as in any other discipline serves to develop new knowledge thereby informing the future of the profession. The book suggests specific features of the profession that requires effective research in order to uphold

Videocy findings memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Videocy findings memo - Essay Example The aforementioned can be achieved through the implementation of the following advice: The article historically contextualizes multimedia information delivery technologies. In so doing, it normalizes it. As you overview the evolution of the printing press, the rise of multimedia information channels, such as the television, and move onto interactive multimedia technologies, you normalize this media and present its evolution as a process of natural progression. This certainly allows readers to understand that the phenomenon in question is an evolution of already existing media and communication technologies, not a revolution against them. Nevertheless, the stated approach detracts from the uniqueness of multimedia as an information communication channel. It is essential that you fully acknowledge the uniqueness of this technological development. In so doing you will be expressing a sympathetic understanding of the position held by its opponents. The simple fact of the matter is that many fear multimedia technology and believe that its integration into the classroom and teaching environment will have a detrimental impact upon intellectual and cognitive development (Alliance for Childhood, n.d.). Indeed, as argued in an Alliance for Childhood article entitled `Fool’s gold,’ (n.d.), â€Å"Interactive multimedia leaves very little to the imagination †¦ multimedia narrative includes such specific representations that less and less is left to the minds eye.† This above-stated viewpoint, which as Jonnavithula and Kinshuk (2005) explain, is held by many, should have been acknowledged in the body of the article. Acknowledgement should have taken the form of an explicit concession to the uniqueness of the phenomenon in question. By conceding to uniqueness, you would have been expressing an understanding of the objections sounded against multimedia as a teaching tool. This would have

Direct & Digital Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Direct & Digital Marketing - Essay Example Gronroos (1994) has criticized the tenets of the Four Ps of marketing which according to him is a weak perspective altogether that has several negative implications on various critical aspects of marketing such as research and application, the limitations of traditional marketing approaches such as the Four Ps of marketing have also been recognized by Bitner (1991) who like Vargo & Lusch (2004) believes that conventional marketing concepts such as the Four Ps of marketing have contributed towards limiting the scope of marketing by asserting that decisions related to a product can be described in merely four dimensions. Owing to the limitations of traditional marketing concepts as identified by Gronroos (1994), Hutton (1996) presents a need to include public relations and politics in as relatively newer dimensions of the Four Ps. Several researches and literature conducted since the 1990s and even earlier, indicate that marketers must incorporate modern perspectives with traditional v iews to cater to the consumer of today. This view is greatly highlights the benefits of moving towards contemporary approaches and logics to marketing, the most important of which is the concept of relationship marketing (Gronroos, 1994; Vargo & Lusch, 2004). According to Berry (1995), relationship marketing aims to focus more on the approach of retaining existing customers rather than utilizing a majority of the organization’s resources in the pursuit of attracting new customers. The importance of customer retention is so vital to the progress of an organization that a study conducted by Reichbheld & Sasser (1990) concluded that even if an organization is able to increase its customer retention rates by 5 percent; such a move reflects enhanced customer loyalty which directly correlates to an increase in profits between 25 to 125 percent. Hennig-Thurau et al. (2002) noted that aspects such as customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and commitment are integral factors contribu ting successfully to the concept of relationship marketing. Gronross (1990) supports this view by suggesting that as a discipline marketing concerns itself with the management of relationships, a tenet which is needed more importantly in the service sector, and the commentator postulates that in a context where tangibility of products and goods is non-existent, traditional concepts of marketing cannot effectively deal with the issues related to service-related businesses. An intriguing view of modern marketing has been presented by Edgett & Parkinson (1993) who claim that traditionalist marketing approaches maybe equally effective in service sector marketing, where customer-orientation and customer relationship management is the primary focus. Krueger et al. (2003) on the contrary argue that technological advancements and the wide-spread popularity of the Internet across the globe, has contributed towards changing business dynamics an example of which is the availability of legal on line music. It is argued that with regards to the marketing of goods, an

The Need for Wireless Standards and Protocols Assignment - 1

The Need for Wireless Standards and Protocols - Assignment Example American National Standards Organization is based in the USA and is involved in creation of various standards for products, services, processes, systems and personnel in the United States. ANSI-41 that is sometimes knows as the IS-41 was developed by ANSI to support interoperability and inter-networking between GSM and ANSI-41 MAP based networks to support subscriber roaming between different networks (Russell 2006). Even though this standard supports cross-technology roaming between a GPRS networks and ANSI-41 based networks. GPRS may be coupled with a GSM network and this requires enhancement to interoperability and internetworking Function that supports multi-mode mobile station and subscriber Identity Module (SIM) that has GPRS functionalities. Despite this, there is still need for advancements in the encryption of data to increase security of data transmission. This will increase its reliability and the quality of service of this protocol (Ceruzzi 2003). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE is an international standardization organization that is involved with development of protocols and standards in various fields of electrical, electronics, communications, and computer engineering and computer science. In wireless communications, IEEE has been involved in creation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network standard (Ceruzzi 2003). Breadth of Standards IEEE developed the first IEEE 802.11 standard in 1997, which was to provide the basis of using Wi-Fi.

Proposal Identification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal Identification - Essay Example The technique becomes effective for studying and describing interactional patterns within social networks, work relationships, and in assessing peers solicited in taking drugs. The choice for sociometry is due to its appropriateness for effective study of the question. One element that the research is going to consider is exploring the question is behavior of the subjects. Already, it is crucial to seek for consent of the participants and the counselors. So, it is not easy to apply other designs like ethnography and natural observation since the two can only be appropriate in cases where consent is unnecessary. In fact, seeking for client’s consent while to applying ethnography or natural observation is enough to compromise the purpose of a research (Stone-Romeo, 2011). Case history, archival research, and content analysis are irrelevant and inapplicable to the design of the study. The research will majorly apply interviews and observations to gather and record findings. This expression is to dispute any possibility of employing case history, content analysis, and archival research. From the analysis, sociometry becomes the automatic choice since it involves interaction with participants who have knowledge of the purpose of the research (Cillessen & Mayeux, 2004). As discussed by Bordens and Abbott (2014), sociometric study has to have participants evaluate one another along certain dimensions. Sociometry fulfills the purpose and planned design of the research that will have counselors and clients under treatment or treated from conduct disorders as the participants. As initially intended, counselors will help in evaluating the conducts of the clients studied to obtain understanding of the relationships in the outcomes between individual and family models of treating conduct disorders. While using the sociometric design of nonexperimental research, the researcher will consider using stratified and random sampling techniques. Stratified sampling technique

Finding True Compassion Essay Example for Free

Finding True Compassion Essay In human society, man is surrounded by those less privileged, those in a state of desperation. In her piece â€Å"On Compassion†, Barbara Ascher describes brief scenes that capture the basis of transaction between the helpless and those in a position to give help, arguing that the only way society can achieve true compassion is by truly identifying with the suffering of others. Ascher observes the world around her as a member of society, describing encounters between those in a place of misery and those in normal walks of life. As she observes the â€Å"grinning man† on the street corner and the old man who smelled of â€Å"cigarettes and urine†, she distinguishes herself from her fellow human beings. Ascher notices these people, while others â€Å"look away† and â€Å"daydream a bit†, making her stand out as someone who can acknowledge and understand those in times of hardship. Because Ascher writes as someone who can identify with adversity, she succeeds in persuading society as a whole to embrace compassion through understanding. Ascher draws a strict line between those suffering and those privileged in her piece to specifically isolate her audience. At the very beginning of her essay, Ascher describes a group of pedestrians assembled at a street corner, intent on ignoring the haggard homeless man before them. A man â€Å"lifts and lowers the shiny toe of his right shoe, watching the light reflect† – doing anything to avoid confronting the â€Å"grinning man† in any way. Later in her piece, Ascher describes â€Å"ladies in high-heeled shoes† and how they â€Å"pick their way through poverty and madness†, hoping to escape the torment experienced by those around them. Ascher accuses these people as being the flawed majority of a compassionless society, exposing how they actively attempt to ignore and push past the living adversity that walks the streets around them. The â€Å"troublesome presence is removed from the awareness of the electorate†, but Ascher tries to persuade these people to do the exact opposite; by letting in the hardship they also grow to grasp compassion. Ascher describes scenarios in which she questions whether or not acts of â€Å"compassion† are simply facades that hide misguided motives. The woman who protects herself and her child by â€Å"bearing the dollar like a cross† obviously acts out of fear, attempting to ward off the unwanted presence of the homeless man. Ascher uses rhetorical questions to challenge the woman’s motives, inquiring â€Å"was it fear or compassion that motivated the gift? † Ascher also questions the motives of the coffee shop owner, asking if pity, care or compassion compelled her decision to feed the homeless man day after day. Ascher takes up an extremely accusatory tone, directly exposing the mayor of New York City’s misguided motives behind the â€Å"involuntary hospitalization† of the homeless in his city. Ascher questions the grounds upon which these people act to enforce her argument that humanity must learn to identify with the â€Å"rags with voices† to become truly compassionate. Ascher exposes the flaws in society’s acts of â€Å"compassion†, reminding everyday men and women that their tendency to fear and distance themselves from the helpless only proves to hinder their capacity for compassion. As people walk through the Greek tragedy that is life, the only way to truly brighten the stage is to embrace the darkness that afflicts other â€Å"players†, hoping to shed the pure light of compassion.

Food, Inc. Essay Example for Free

Food, Inc. Essay Food, Inc. broadens the consumers prospective on the production of foods such as chicken and cattle. The documentary was convincing in regards to showing the consumer what manufacturers are afraid to show us, consumers. Nowadays, there are approximately 47 thousand products in a grocery store. That of which four producers have 70% of the market. Food, Inc. had many facts and statistics telling the viewers of todays farmers and other large corporations in the food industry. It used to be that it took three months to produce a chicken from when it hatched to the time it was ready to slaughter, now, it takes only 48 days. Farmers average a borrowing of $500,000 in which they only make $18,000 profit. Large producers are keeping farmers in debt. Rather than letting the plants and animals take the time they need to produce naturally companies are always thinking faster, faster, bigger, bigger. Candy, chips, pop, and hamburgers from McDonalds are all examples of cheaper food than compared to vegetables or fruit. Although they are higher subsidized, they are low in cost. Food, Inc. could have overlooked the value some Americans have on these cheaper meals. A Hispanic family was shown on the documentary. This family was faced with having to choose between buying medication for their diabetic father or getting groceries. Him, as well as one and a half million other Mexican farmers lost their jobs due to larger corporations and with all the debt that is due, they dont have a lot of money for the quality of food they may want. Food, Inc. however did overemphasize all the negative larger companies were doing to farmers, as well as animals. Some interesting facts are as follow: at a slaughter house located in Tar Heel, 32,000 pigs are slaughter a day; thats 2,000 per hour. If a plant is always failing the USDA testing, they are said to be shut down. However, the law never took affect, instead, the plants took USDA to court. In 2008, 90% of soybeans did not have the original seed. Although documentaries are usually biased, there were many times throughout the film where a large corporations were asked to talk, however, they declined. Large corporations could have helped their side of view by taking time to conduct an interview with the Food, Inc. crew. Food, Inc.was very intriguing, although it could have furthered explained through a corporations prospective overall the documentary was successful. The harsh facts with the jaw dropping graphics were just a bonus on the heart touching stories all of the farmers told. The graphics of reality was most bothering. The fact that companies could get away with employing illegal immigrants than do nothing when they were arrested was annoying, as well as knowing that a company could sue anybody for anything even if they knew they would lose. Something that was realized as result from watching this piece, is that to eat well in this country you need money. Questions that could be asked are how can companies like Monsanto have all of one farmers bank accounts and check written from the last 10 years. How can this company sue farmers (and win) for the farmers crops being contaminated against their knowledge. Why did patenting a seed ever become acceptable when the seed needs to be grown and consumed by millions. And why can the FDA sell food without a GMO label.

Ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide

Ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide Should we be allowed to take our own lives? In many cultures ancient and not so ancient suicide has been seen as the best option in certain circumstances.   Cato the Younger committed suicide rather than live under Caesar.   For the Stoics there was nothing necessarily immoral in suicide, which could be rational and the best option (Long 1986, 206).   Conversely, in the Christian tradition, suicide has largely been seen as immoral, defying the will of God, being socially harmful and opposed to nature (Edwards 2000).   This view, to follow Hume, ignores the fact that by dint suicide being possible it is not against nature or God (Hume 1986).   Nevertheless, the idea of being allowed to take our own lives impinges on the ethics of public policy in a variety of ways.   Here we will briefly examine the case of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) where an individual’s wish to die may be aided by the action of another. Hume considered suicide to be ‘free from every imputation of guilt or blame’ (Hume 1986, 20) and indeed suicide has not been a crime in the UK since 1961 (Martin 1997, 451).   Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a suicide is however a special statutory crime, although few prosecutions are brought.   Recently the issue of PAS has brought the debate about ‘whether and under what conditions individuals should be able to determine the time and manner of their deaths, and whether they should be able to enlist the help of physicians’ (Steinbock 2005, 235).   The British Medical Association opposes euthanasia (mercy killing) but accepts both legally and ethically that patients can refuse life-prolonging treatment – this that they can commit suicide (BMA 1998).   Failing to prevent suicide does not constitute abetting (Martin 1997, 451) although PAS ‘is no different in law to any other person helping another to commit suicide’ (BMA 1998).   In Oregon, however, PAS, restricted to competent individuals who request it, has been legalised (Steinbock 2005, 235, 238).   A distinction should be maintained between suicide and (mercy) killing, acts in which the agents differ, though of course exactly where the line should be drawn is part of the problem. The ethical arguments in support of PAS involve suffering and autonomy (Steinbock 2005, 235-6).   The first assertion is that is cruel to prolong the life of a patient who is in pain that cannot be medically controlled; the second, in the words of Dr Linda Ganzini based on her study in Oregon, involves the idea that ‘being in control and not dependent on other people is the most important thing for them in their dying days’ (quoted in Steinbock 2005, 235).   The logical outcome of these arguments is that, if PAS can be justified on the grounds of suffering or autonomy, why should it be restricted to competent individuals or the terminally ill?   Indeed the judge in Compassion in dying v State of Washington (1995) stated that ‘if at the heart of the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment is this uncurtailable ability to believe and act on one’s deepest beliefs about life, the right to suicide and the right to assistance in suicide are the preroga tive of at least every sane adult.   The attempt to restrict such rights to the terminally ill is illusory’ (Steinbock 2005, 236). As noted above, religious disapproval of suicide has become less relevant an as arbiter of ethics and policy.   In democratic societies that might best be described as secular with a Christian heritage, the views of religious groups should not restrict the liberty of individuals in society (Steinbock 2005, 236).   Others argue that the role of the physician is to heal and help and not to harm, though supporters of PAS would say that death is not always harmful and assisted suicide is a help.   Indeed, in a country where PAS is not legal people who wish to die without criminalizing those who assist in their suicide may be driven abroad, as in the case of Reginald Crew who was dying of motor neurone disease and travelled to Switzerland for AS, dying in January 2002 (English et al. 2003, 119).   This may cause more harm through the stresses of dislocation and worry than allowing the PAS to take place.   The two most serious concerns are that PAS would be abused and would lead to negative changes in society.   This could happen in many ways through vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly etc, being pressured into choosing PAS (Steinbock 2005, 237).   The BMA emphasises a concern for the message that would be given to society about the value of certain groups of people (BMA 1998).   This is part of a wider concern also expressed in a Canadian Senate enquiry of 1995 (BMA 1998) which points to a policy of suicide prevention amongst some vulnerable groups that would be rendered anomalous by seeking to ease suicide amongst the disabled.   However, the presentation is slightly disingenuous, since there is a difference in the reason for potential suicide that must be investigated. For example, seeking to prevent suicide amongst the youth may involve programmes of social inclusion or increasing life prospects, and this style of solution is not applicable in the case of those who may seek PAS.   In Oregon at least, it seems that fears about PAS have not materialised, and one doctor suspects that the relatively low use of PAS is indicative of it being too restrictive (Steinbock 2005, 238).   Users of PAS, rather than being the poor and socially vulnerable as predicted, tended to be middle class and educated, with younger patients more likely to choose it than the elderly, and most were enrolled in hospice care.   Issues about PAS and euthanasia need to be clarified and argued separately.   In the context of this issue at least, the question of whether suicide should be allowed is the wrong one to ask.   A starting point is to ask how competent individuals can be allowed to fulfil their wishes as to life and death issues without endangering other people, whether doctors or loved ones and whether all embracing legislation is feasible. Bibliography BMA. 1998. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide: Do the moral arguments differ? London: BMA. Edwards, P. 2000. ‘Ethics of suicide’, in The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge, 870-71. English, V. Romano-Critchley, G., Sheather J. and Sommerville, A. 2003. ‘Ethics Briefings’, Journal of Medical Ethics 29: 118-119 Hume, D. 1986. ‘Of Suicide’, in Singer, P. (ed.) 1986. Applied Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 19-27. Martin, E.A. (ed.) 1997. A Dictionary of Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Steinbock, B. 2005. ‘The case for physician assisted suicide: not (yet) proven’, Journal of Medical Ethics 31: 235-41.

Laurent Clerc Pioneer Teacher Essays -- Essays Papers

Laurent Clerc Pioneer Teacher 1785-1869 Laurent Clerc was born in LaBalme, France, on Dec. 26 1785. His father was Mayor of the town and the family could boast of a long line of magistrates in the Clerc lineage. At the age of one, the infant fell from a kitchen chair by accident into a nearby fireplace. He was burned on one side of his face and a fever left him totally deaf. He had uncle also named Laurent Clerc, who heard about the school for the deaf in Paris. When he was twelve years old, his uncle brought him to Paris and took him in the Royal Institution for the Deaf. In 1816, his eight year as a teacher, an event happened which changed the course of his life. He met a young idealist from America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, who had gone to Paris to learn the best method of educating the deaf. Gallaudet could spend three months at the Royal Institution. He realized that Clerc had the expertise and "deaf experience" to help him fulfill his mission of found the first school for the deaf in America. Clerc became the assistant. Clerc and Gallaudet rode on the ship. Gallaudet taught Clerc the English language and Clerc taught Gallaudet sign language. They arrived in New York on Aug.9th. Gallaudet was Clerc's interpreter and Clerc gave many speeches. They spent the next seven months traveling throughout the east, from Boston to Philadephia. They also interviewed parents of deaf children. The first school was established at Hartford. It opened on April 15, 1817. Gall...

DVD Vs. VCR :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTIONThis report will strive to clearly discern the differences between the average home Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) and the recently developed Digital Video Disc (DVD) system. These two home entertainment components have very clear differences. It is important for consumers to carefully consider each of these concerns before deciding on the home entertainment component that is right for them.When considering the purchase of a home VCR or DVD system, consumers should carefully examine the varying costs of the two components. If cost is a concern, consumers should pay special attention to the purchase price of both systems, as well as the cost of movies and maintenance. A second consideration of consumers when choosing between VCR and DVD should be the video and audio quality. Various technical factors can alter the quality of both picture and sound in both of these systems, making picture and audio quality a major consideration when shopping for home entertainment components .A final consideration that consumers should give special attention is the accessibility of the systems. In today’s growing entertainment market, the difficulty in accessing video and DVD movies can play a large part in the decision of which component is right for the consumer.METHODSThe beginning of any research project is in the decision of a topic to research. I chose to research the differences between the VCR and DVD home entertainment systems because the intricacies of the systems and the ways in which they work greatly interest me. I began my work using ordinary encyclopedias, found in the Rosewood High School branch of the Wayne County Public Library. Due to the technical nature of my topics, there was very little information in the encyclopedias dealing with these topics. While I did receive some information on the background of home entertainment systems, especially the VCR, most of my research had to be found from other sources.I continued my research into the diff erences between these two systems, using the Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia. Through this source, I discovered a great deal of information on how the VCR works. However, little information was to be found on the DVD home entertainment system. For this information, I was forced to search the Internet, where a wealth of information exists. After a general search for DVD, I found several web sights discussing the pros and cons of DVD, as well as the intricacies of how it operates.After making notes of all of the information I had gathered, I proceeded to sort the notes into separate groups dealing with the VCR and DVD.

Educating Rita Essay -- Educating Rita Literature Essays

Educating Rita 1. When we are first introduced to Rita she is a hairdresser. How would you define her in terms of her social class? Support your ideas with examples from the film and elsewhere e.g. the most recent classification system used to define social class. (P2) I would define her in terms of her social class as a snobby person. She fits in a working class D, the way she speaks (language) is different the type of clothes she wears is different, she wears mini skirts. The environment Rita lives in is run down and dirty there is no front garden and no green space. 2. In details discuss how physical, social and economic factors have combined to affect Rita’s personal development and self-concept and that of others? (M1) Physically Rita has been smoking and she has been on the pill and other wise she is in good health. Rita works long hours and she is in a lot of stress. Rita marriage is going nowhere; she is deceiving her husband by not telling him that she is on the pill. Socially Rita is not very out going but she is a hairdresser she does meet different people. Rita feels left out at the university because she feels that she does not fit in and the other students won’t accept her. 3. Using the information you have gathered about Rita consider the ways in which her life has changed since she began her degree course. Evaluate the effects of social and economic factors on Rita’s growth and development and that of others. Support your ideas with examples from the film and from other sources? (D1) The way Rita’s life has changed is that she is more confident and she knows what she wants. Rita appreciates the environment out side her experience and starts to go to ... ... her normal colour and looked very smartly dressed. Her tutor was shocked to see her different. Frank had his own problems he found out that his girl friend was having an affair with some one else. He was very depressed and had lack of confidence in him self. Most people find it difficult to cope with out a partner. Their self-asteam falls dramatically, they become stressed and they don’t feel good about them selves. Many people try to commit suicide when they don’t find any solutions for there problems. May people can pretend that they are strong and can cope with divorce and loss of family members. Rita was strong and she became what she wanted to be. Rita had a lot of stress when her husband was not supporting. When Rita divorced Denny she felt lonely and went away and found her self a flat and from there on she fought her way through her problems.

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Ten

There were two messages on my PDA after dinner that evening. The first was from Gretchen. â€Å"That Magdy character tracked me down and asked me out on a date,† it read. â€Å"I guess he likes girls who mock the crap out of him. I told him okay. Because he is kind of cute. Don't wait up.† This made me smile. The second was from Enzo, who had somehow managed to get my PDA's address; I suspect Gretchen might have had something to do with that. It was titled â€Å"A Poem to the Girl I Just Met, Specifically a Haiku, the Title of Which Is Now Substantially Longer Than the Poem Itself, Oh, the Irony,† and it read: Her name is Zoe Smile like a summer breeze Please don't have me cubed. I laughed out loud at that one. Babar looked up at me and thumped his tail hopefully; I think he was thinking all this happiness would result in more food for him. I gave him a slice of leftover bacon. So I guess he was right about that. Smart dog, Babar. After the Magellan departed from Phoenix Station, the colony leaders found out about the near-rumble in the common area, because I told them about it over dinner. John and Jane sort of looked at each other significantly and then changed the subject to something else. I guessed the problem of integrating ten completely different sets of people with ten completely different cultures had already come up in their discussions, and now they were getting the underage version of it as well. I figured that they would find a way to deal with it, but I really wasn't prepared for their solution. â€Å"Dodgeball,† I said to Dad, over breakfast. â€Å"You're going to have all us kids play dodgeball.† â€Å"Not all of you,† Dad said. â€Å"Just the ones of you who would otherwise be picking stupid and pointless fights out of boredom.† He was nibbling on some coffee cake; Babar was standing by on crumb patrol. Jane and Savitri were out taking care of business; they were the brains of this particular setup. â€Å"You don't like dodgeball?† he asked. â€Å"I like it just fine,† I said. â€Å"I'm just not sure why you think it's an answer to this problem.† Dad set down his coffee cake, brushed off his hands, and started ticking off points with his fingers. â€Å"One, we have the equipment and it fits the space. We can't very well play football or cricket on the Magellan. Two, it's a team sport, so we can get big groups of kids involved. Three, it's not complicated, so we don't have to spend much time laying out the ground rules to everyone. Four, it's athletic and will give you guys a way to burn off some of your energy. Five, it's just violent enough to appeal to those idiot boys you were talking about yesterday, but not so violent that someone's actually going to get hurt.† â€Å"Any more points?† I asked. â€Å"No,† Dad said. â€Å"I've run out of fingers.† He picked up his coffee cake again. â€Å"It's just going to be that the boys are going to make teams with their friends,† I said. â€Å"So you'll still have the problem of kids from one world staying with their own.† â€Å"I would agree with this, if not for the fact that I'm not a complete idiot,† Dad said, â€Å"and neither is Jane. We have a plan for this.† The plan: Everyone who signed up to play was assigned to a team, rather than allowed to pick their own team. And I don't think the teams were entirely randomly assigned; when Gretchen and I looked over the team lists, Gretchen noted that almost none of the teams had more than one player from the same world; even Enzo and Magdy were put on different teams. The only kids who were on the same â€Å"team† were the Kyotoans; as Colonial Mennonites they avoided playing in competitive sports, so they asked to be the referees instead. Gretchen and I didn't sign up for any teams; we appointed ourselves league managers and no one called us on it; apparently word of the intense mockery we laid on a wild pack of teenage boys had gotten around and we were feared and awed equally. â€Å"That makes me feel pretty,† Gretchen said, once such a thing was told to her by one of her friends from Erie. We were watching the first game of the series, with the Leopards playing against the Mighty Red Balls, presumably named after the game equipment. I don't think I approved of the team name, myself. â€Å"Speaking of which, how was your date last night?† I asked. â€Å"It was a little grabby,† Gretchen said. â€Å"You want me to have Hickory and Dickory talk to him?† I asked. â€Å"No, it was manageable,† Gretchen said. â€Å"And besides which, your alien friends creep me out. No offense.† â€Å"None taken,† I said. â€Å"They really are nice.† â€Å"They're your bodyguards,† Gretchen said. â€Å"They're not supposed to be nice. They're supposed to scare the pee out of people. And they do. I'm just glad they don't follow you around all the time. No one would ever come talk to us.† In fact, I hadn't seen either Hickory or Dickory since the day before and our conversation about touring the Obin planets. I wondered if I had managed to hurt their feelings. I was going to have to check in on them to see how they were. â€Å"Hey, your boyfriend just picked off one of the Leopards,† Gretchen said. She pointed at Enzo, who was playing in the game. â€Å"He's not my boyfriend, any more than Magdy is yours,† I said. â€Å"Is he as grabby as Magdy is?† Gretchen asked. â€Å"What a question,† I said. â€Å"How dare you ask. I'm madly offended.† â€Å"That's a yes, then,† Gretchen said. â€Å"No, it's not,† I said. â€Å"He's been perfectly nice. He even sent me a poem.† â€Å"He did not,† Gretchen said. I showed it to her on my PDA. She handed it back. â€Å"You get the poetry writer. I get the grabber. It's really not fair. You want to trade?† â€Å"Not a chance,† I said. â€Å"But he not's my boyfriend.† Gretchen nodded out to Enzo. â€Å"Have you asked him about that?† I looked over to Enzo, who sure enough was sneaking looks my way while moving around the dodgeball field. He saw I was looking his way, smiled over at me and nodded, and as he was doing that he got nailed righteously hard in the ear by the dodgeball and went down with a thump. I burst out laughing. â€Å"Oh, nice,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Laughing at your boyfriend's pain.† â€Å"I know! I'm so bad!† I said, and just about toppled over. â€Å"You don't deserve him,† Gretchen said, sourly. â€Å"You don't deserve his poem. Give them both to me.† â€Å"Not a chance,† I said, and then looked up and saw Enzo there in front of me. I reflexively put my hand over my mouth. â€Å"Too late,† he said. Which of course made me laugh even more. â€Å"She's mocking your pain,† Gretchen said, to Enzo. â€Å"Mocking it, you hear me.† â€Å"Oh, God, I'm so sorry,† I said, between laughs, and before I thought about what I was doing gave Enzo a hug. â€Å"She's trying to distract you from her evil,† Gretchen warned. â€Å"It's working,† Enzo said. â€Å"Oh, fine,† Gretchen said. â€Å"See if I warn you about her evil ways after this.† She very dramatically focused back on the game, only occasionally glancing over and grinning at me. I unhugged from Enzo. â€Å"I'm not actually evil,† I said. â€Å"No, just amused at the pain of others,† Enzo said. â€Å"You walked off the court,† I said. â€Å"It can't have hurt that much.† â€Å"There's pain you can't see,† Enzo said. â€Å"Existential pain.† â€Å"Oh, boy,† I said. â€Å"If you're having existential pain from dodgeball, you're really just doing it wrong.† â€Å"I don't think you appreciate the philosophical subtleties of the sport,† Enzo said. I started giggling again. â€Å"Stop it,† Enzo said mildly. â€Å"I'm being serious here.† â€Å"I so hope you're not,† I said, and giggled some more. â€Å"You want to get lunch?† â€Å"Love to,† Enzo said. â€Å"Just give me a minute to extract this dodgeball from my Eustachian tube.† It was the first time I had ever heard anyone use the phrase â€Å"Eustachian tube† in common conversation. I think I may have fallen a little bit in love with him right there. â€Å"I haven't seen the two of you around much today,† I said to Hickory and Dickory, in their quarters. â€Å"We are aware that we make many of your fellow colonists uncomfortable,† Hickory said. It and Dickory sat on stools that were designed to accommodate their body shape; otherwise their quarters were bare. The Obin may have gained consciousness and even recently tried their hand at storytelling, but the mysteries of interior decoration still clearly eluded them. â€Å"It was decided it would be best for us to stay out of the way.† â€Å"Decided by whom?† I asked. â€Å"By Major Perry,† Hickory said, and then, before I could open my mouth, â€Å"and we agree.† â€Å"You two are going to be living with us,† I said. â€Å"With all of us. People need to get used to you.† â€Å"We agree, and they will have time,† Hickory said. â€Å"But for now we think it's better to give your people time to get used to each other.† I opened my mouth to respond, but then Hickory said, â€Å"Do you not benefit from our absence at the moment?† I remembered Gretchen's comment earlier in the day about how the other teens would never come up to us if Hickory and Dickory were always hanging around, and felt a little bit ashamed. â€Å"I don't want you to think I don't want you around,† I said. â€Å"We do not believe that,† Hickory said. â€Å"Please do not think that. When we are on Roanoke we will resume our roles. People will be more accepting of us because they will have had time to know you.† â€Å"I still don't want you to think you have to stay in here because of me,† I said. â€Å"It would drive me crazy to be cooped up in here for a week.† â€Å"It is not difficult for us,† Hickory said. â€Å"We disconnect our consciousnesses until we need them again. Time flies by that way.† â€Å"That was very close to a joke,† I said. â€Å"If you say so,† Hickory said. I smiled. â€Å"Still, if that's the only reason you stay in here – â€Å" â€Å"I did not say it was the only reason,† Hickory said, interrupting me, which it almost never did. â€Å"We are also spending this time preparing.† â€Å"For life on Roanoke?† I asked. â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. â€Å"And how we will be of best service to you when we are there.† â€Å"I think by just doing what you do,† I said. â€Å"Possibly,† Hickory said. â€Å"We think you might be underestimating how much different Roanoke will be from your life before, and what our responsibilities will be to you.† â€Å"I know it's going to be different,† I said. â€Å"I know it's going to be harder in a lot of ways.† â€Å"We are glad to hear that,† Hickory said. â€Å"It will be.† â€Å"Enough so that you're spending all this time planning?† I asked. â€Å"Yes,† Hickory said. I waited a second to hear if anything else was coming after that, but there wasn't. â€Å"Is there anything you want me to do?† I asked Hickory. â€Å"To help you?† Hickory took a second to respond. I watched it to see what I could sense from it; after this many years, I was pretty good at reading its moods. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. It was just Hickory. â€Å"No,† Hickory said, finally. â€Å"We would have you do what you are doing. Meeting new people. Becoming friends with them. Enjoying your time now. When we arrive at Roanoke we do not expect you will have as much time for enjoyment.† â€Å"But you're missing out on all my fun,† I said. â€Å"You're usually there to record it.† â€Å"This one time you can get along without us,† Hickory said. Another near joke. I smiled again and gave them both a hug just as my PDA vibrated to life. It was Gretchen. â€Å"Your boyfriend really sucks at dodgeball,† she said. â€Å"He just took a hit square on his nose. He says to tell you the pain isn't nearly as enjoyable if you're not around to laugh at it. So come on down and ease the poor boy's pain. Or add to it. Either works.†

Insanity Defense Essay

Imagine for a moment, soul has just inexplicably murdered a start emerge or child. Imagine the cult, tearing you apart, physically making you shake or be unfit. At the same condemnation this rage is entangled and roughlywhat sm early(a)ed by the crushing grief soundlying up indoors of you. A thought flashes into your head, I go away land the person responsible for this save our sanity stops that biteion. A persons aberration renders you to know that to actually carry out a murder is illogical, immoral, and illegal. You know that your actions volition land you a spot in hell next to all the a nonher(prenominal) Murders. That thought process is exactly what separates you from a killer. Although with the right lawyer, the person who attached this tragic annoyance whitethorn someday be able to be dispatch. This manslayer may be able to push much(prenominal) anguish onto a nonher family because they were let free on thousand of maverick madness. The derangement d isaffirmation should be wiped out across the country unless certain tests of psychogenic madness argon met and a patient has a muniment of a genial illness. The delirium disproof is a lamentable justification that is employ when the defendants case states that the offensive activity occurred because the defendant had a severe mental unsoundness or defect and was unavailing(p) to apprehend the wrongfulness of his or her acts.When soul claims monomania, they be non held responsible for their twist actions. thither are two pieces of license the number 1 existence the accused was unable to tell right from wrong and the sulphur that the accused did non intend to act the way he or she did and/or could non control their behavior. The aberration denial should not be a argueed excuse to free illegals. hallucination is a legal term, not a mental one, and experts disagree whether it has valid psychological meaning. Critics of not unrighteous by campaign of madness wear claimed that too party in their right minds(predicate) defendants use the derangement justification to efflux justice that the state of psychological fellowship encourages expensive dueling expert contests that juries are improbable to at a lower placestand that, in practice, the self-abnegation below the belt excludes some defendants. Research on not inculpative by reason of insanity fails to support about of these claims exclusively some serious problems may exist with this.The insanity demurrer goes back to 1843 when a man by the name of Daniel McNaughtan attempted to assassinate Edward Drummond, Secretary to theBritish Prime curate Robert Peel. McNaughtan was under the impression that he was being censured, so he reacted with murder. Daniel McNaughtan killed Robert Peels secretary. He was open not unlawful by reason of insanity. Following his trial, he spent the next twenty age in a mental establishment until his death. in short after this cas e, the English fireside of Lords set standards for the insanity defense which they called McNaugtans Rule Every man is to be presumed to be lucid, andthat to establish a defense on the ground of insanity, it must be clearly prove that, at the meter of the committing of the act, the party accused was laboring under such a defect of reason, from disease of mind, as not to know the reputation and quality of the act he was doing or if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong. (Encyclopedia Of Everyday Law) Soon after this rule became legal, the United States criminal justice system adopted this precedent. In 1981, after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, the insanity defense reliable a lot of harsh put under criticism. John Hickley was frame not conscience-smitten by reason of insanity.Various the great unwashed competed that Hinckley was guilty because the premeditation of the plague committed proved him to be sane, in th at respectfore the insanity defense should not withstand proved him not guilty. Hickley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and remain in psyciatic care. This allows the mentally ill defendant to be found liable of his or her crime, but requires them to seek psychiatric interference or be placed in a mental hospital. When the defendants are well enough, they are moved to a prison house to serve their sendences. Because of cases like this, the insanity defense still undergoes a lot of prevalent criticism immediately. Although, during a much late(a) trial of Jeffrey Dahmer, who mutilated and consumed his young victims, the defendant tried to use the insanity defense, but the jurors found the criminal both sane and guilty.This case showed that the insanity defense does not work for all criminals and supported the domains criticism of the insanity defense. In other famous case, the Unabomber case, defendant Kaczynski refused to allow his attorney to present an insanity de fense, and or else pled guilty and was sentenced to a life sentence in prison. Had he let his attorney go through with the short-lived insanity apology, there is a good chance that Kaczynski would be a free man today and could potentially kill again. The insanity defense does not eliminate the responsibility of a criminal act from theperson committing the crime instead, it is a defense mechanism for criminals who argue that at the clock of the crime the defendant did not have departful invention due to a severe mental defect or disease. As stated before, numerous people are argue to the insanity defense. They are against the insanity defense because they see it as a gist where the defendant can vacate the consequences of his or her actions. People fear violent crimes and will be more apt to prosecute a criminal versus allowing the criminal another chance. The public, as they should be, is shocked when a criminal is thriving in imploring insanity, is sent to a mental co nstitution, and wherefore is released in one case deemed cured by a group of physicians. The public does not see this as punishment, because it is not. A short stint in a mental institution is goose egg compared to serving hard time. Some studies suggest that prison time is ineffectual, that may be but isolating violent criminals is a public safety matter. If left to their testify devices, there is a very accepted possibility that they may strike again.The temporary insanity plea is al constrictively eer used in cases of extreme mutilation, murder, and other horrific crimes, yet after undergoing a physiological evaluation some of the near vile people earth are allowed to walk free. Incomprehensibly, the very people who or so deserve to be locked up for life are the ones who most often produce off by claiming temporary insanity. referable to the violent nature of there crimes it is not a stretch to claim that they were insane. The bulky majority of violent criminals are reprise offenders, and that affects every taskpayer in the United States, because it be tens of thousands of dollars just to run a criminal through the justice system, not to mean the cost of providing care for them afterward. Once a person has proven they have the talent to commit such an offence, they have proven that they are not fit to delight in the freedoms that we as Americans are entitled. The insanity defense is an excuse for criminals to break the law and have no bearing on punishments. In most criminal cases the insanity plea is just a defense strategy aimed at delivering guilty defendants from serving time in prison or acquiring the death penalty. Most defendants that are found guilty by reason of insanity are released from the mental hospital years if not decades earlier than they would have been if they served their steadfast prison sentence. The insanity defense allows criminals to avoid the punishments they should be receiving for the crime they committed.Wh ensomeone is found not guilty by reason of insanity, jurisdictions require that the person spend at least some time in a psychiatric facility if not automatically, many states require commitment to a psychiatric facility on grounds of mental illness, dangerousness, or both most states do not have a limit on the amount of time that someone can be institutionalized insane. How long they spend in an institution also varies by state, but on add up most stay one-third and a half years in New Jersey 35% of the ideal were still in institutions 8 years later in Michigan it was 9 1/2 months in Illinois it was 17 1/2 months, however, in this exemplification over 70% had been found unwieldy prior to trial and had spent an average of 38.4 months in institutions. (Washington Post)= In the early 1990s involving eight different states a record was conducted. They found that less than one pct of criminal defendants used the insanity defense. scarce a quarter of these resulted in successful acquittals. Today a number of states have replaced the option of pleading not guilty by reason of insanity with pleading guilty but mentally ill. Currently, Idaho, Montana, and Utah banned insanity defenses, along with the supreme courts ruling. Along with this, between cardinal and seventy percent of cases in which the insanity plea is invoked are for crimes other then murder. In actuality, it is used approximately 0.9% of the time. There are 51 different types of insanity defenses in the United States, one for for each one set of state laws, and one for federal law when dealing with someone pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. With astronomical operating costs of a psychiatric facility that increase the value burden on every tax payer in the nation, especially the supreme security facilities that this caliber of criminal is housed at, the temporary insanity precedent set away over a century agone should be phased out. Unfortunately, murder and violent crime has and wi ll continue to happen as long as there are world beings living in close proximity, it is and ugly and regrettable reality of human society. There is no real ancestor to this horrible truth, but the closest and most logical option to preventing the deaths of more exculpatory people is for temporary insanity regulations to fashion much more strict. This will ineluctably save lives, for if just one murderer has a second opportunity to kill another person that is one more person that is needlessly killed because the killer was minded(p) a second chance and not put in prison the first time they proved they have the mental object to take a life.Works Cited monomania disaffirmation. The Lectric Law Librarys Lexicon. 2 February, 2009. 12 February, 2009.http//www.lectlaw.com/def/d029.htmlMartin, John P. The Insanity Defense A closer formula. Washington Post. 27 February, 1998. WP. 24 February, 2009. http//www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/ topical anaesthetic/longterm/aron/qa227.htmlOther U.S. discussion AMA Opposes Insanity Plea. Facts On File ball News turn out 23 Dec. 1983. humankind News Digest. Facts On File News Services. 23 Feb. 2009. imperious Court Arizona Insanity Defense Law Upheld. Facts On File World News Digest 29 June 2006. World News Digest. Facts On File News Services. 23 Feb. 2009.