My Educational Experience Essay

My education began in first grade in 1974. My state didn’t mandate kindergarten, so my parents didn’t send me, even though my brothers and sister went. It wasn’t easy for me, because school was the first place I ever got to interact with other people, mainly children, as an equal. Before school started, I was pretty much kept indoors, and not allowed to have contact with other people, except for members of my own family. Being the youngest, I was looked down upon as being inferior, a lower class citizen, and basically, a big joke. During the first 5 years of my life, I figured that was all I was entitled to, and even though I hated it, I lived with it. In first grade, I had to interact with other kids for the first time, which wasn’t easy. I did eventually learn that I could be an equal to them, and soon settled down into school. The quality of education that first year wasn’t bad, I learned a lot and grew a lot during that year. I had great teachers too, who really gave me the help I needed. Second grade at that school was a different story though, I had a different teacher, who wasn’t very good, and seldom offered the help I needed. I was also treated like I was lower than the rest of the students. I don’t know what her problem with me was, but it set me back a great deal, both academically and emotionally. When I needed help, it wasn’t given and I was often ignored. She felt that it wasn’t worth it to help those students who needed it. Fortunately, my parents saw this and intervened, first trying to negotiate, then after that broke down, transferred me to another school. The new school was very different, being more structured than the first, and being a boys’ school. When I started, I was behind in many ways due to the problems of my previous school, but I had a dedicated teacher who helped me catch up the best she could in a short time. I remember having difficulties with cursive writing, which my new teacher helped me with, but giving me a crash course in it for a few weeks at recess every day. I did learn it, but never learned it well, and always got poor marks in penmanship as a result. I don’t fault her for that because she did the best she could under the circumstances. In other areas, I began to excel, often being on the honor roll, being one of the top students in the class. In fact, my teacher was very surprised at how I had started the school behind, and had caught up and excelled. It was nice to be appreciated, both at home and school because I did so well, and it really felt good to accomplish something. I stayed at that school for over 2 years, and had one day hoped to walk across the stage and graduate from there. It never happened because while I was in fourth grade, for some unexplained reason, my parents, who had always respected this school, began to despise it. Among their complaints were I was always doing homework, the school is a â€Å"playhouse,† and â€Å"they don’t do anything,† which I meant they offered few extracurricular activities, which was a true statement, but in my opinion, wasn’t a problem. On one occasion, I was even picked on about the khaki uniforms we had to wear, which had been worn by my brothers at different schools with no complaints at all from my parents. They constantly harassed me knocking everything about the school and eventually, I gave in and agreed to go to another school, the same school my sister was attending. This new school was totally different from the previous school. It was coed, the classes were larger, and seemed to put academics in lower regard than I was used to. I was also introduced to the concept of â€Å"school spirit,† the mindless blind following and support of your school regardless of what they do. I also learned that being a boy who was not athletic was a serious strike against me, since they valued football and other sports over everything else. At my other school, we had always had textbooks that were current and up to date. At this new school, the books were often old and falling apart, if we were lucky enough to get one. During the second and last year I was there, fifth grade, I was basically forced to support my sister in her school band activities, in order to show â€Å"school spirit,† something I had no interest in. I was dragged to every single football game, which I didn’t enjoy at all, and even worse, my parents often tried to make me praise her and tell her how much I enjoyed it, which I didn’t. I would rather have stayed home taking it easy, than sitting in the cold stands being blasted with wind and rain, as we sometimes had to endure. I was also dragged to parades she marched in, and often had to listen to her complain about having to do it. My view was to exercise a little free will and not worry about it, but was told, â€Å"it’s a school activity.† She made a choice to play in the band, why not live with the consequences. One other new experience I had there was being used for slave labor. Since I wasn’t an athlete, I often spent P.E. periods picking up trash on the grounds, which many times, made me miss afternoon classes. In spite of my parents’ complaints, this practice continued. Fortunately, I was taken out of that school, not because of my difficulties, but because of the poor teachers my sister was forced to endure. Sixth grade was my first and only year in Catholic school. What was really strange was we wore khaki uniforms, the same design I had worn only a year and a half before, that my mother said were â€Å"awful looking.† I was also a hard year partially because of the previous summer, which was spent not doing things I liked, but having to go into the swimming pool everyday on my sister and mother’s command. That summer was so humiliating that I often couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, because I felt like a puppet, dancing on my mothers’ and my sisters’ strings. That year was difficult because many of the students didn’t accept me, because I was a transfer student, and I often felt like less of a person because of the humiliating summer I spent before. I also had a hard time going to my parents, since the previous summer had showed me they didn’t’ really care about how I felt or if I had a problem, but instead about forced conformity. It also seemed like my parents had something to prove to this school, which I don’t understand. In one instance, I had to write about what I had done that day, and my mother was determined I would put no TV on that piece, because she wanted to show I didn’t watch TV, which wasn’t true. She does often lie to get what she wants and even when caught sees no problem with it, but will not tolerate anyone else lying to get their way. At the end of the school year, my mother asked me if I wanted to have a swimming party for my class, to which I responded no. She went to my teacher and set one up anyway, which showed me how little my feelings meant to her. I didn’t know how to swim, and had no interest in it, yet she would do anything to force me to swim, enjoy it, and even devote my entire life to it. I honestly believe her goal was to eliminate everything from my life excluding school and swimming, a life I couldn’t have survived. Seventh grade was another school I was sent to because of my sister, she was going there so I had to go there. I did not at all fit in, mainly because most of the students in my class had been expelled from other schools, and I hadn’t. I also had incompetent teachers, many of whom were employed there solely, by the principal’s own admission, worked cheap. I was very unhappy there, not only for these reasons, but because I was discriminated against not only at school, but at home as well. At school, our class was banned from many events, because of a few problem students. That didn’t bother me much, but I also got discrimination at home. My sister would often brag to people about how I spent my summers as her slave because I had to drop anything I wanted to do when she wanted to swim, and often had other students call me â€Å"Igor† after the hunchback assistant in the old horror movies. If I ever said anything derogatory to or about my sister, I would be punished, yet she did all of these things to me, and even admitted to our parents she had done it, but was never punished. In fact, they often said that it was impossible for a girl to be bad, that only boys are bad. The school seemed to preach the same thing, in fact, she was once in a fight and there were no consequences, I was and was punished at school and at home. She should have been punished too but instead she was able to brag to my parents and everyone else about fighting, with no consequences. Another incident of discrimination was with my sister’s English class and my Math class. We both had to deal with incompetent teachers, who were neither certified nor held degrees. The classes were impossible and we learned little. What our parents did was to go down to the school and arrange for her to get special treatment, meaning the principal would teach her personally, while I got nothing. I felt if she got out, why shouldn’t I? When I said this, I got no answer, no discussion, other than â€Å"That’s just the way it is.† Fortunately, I only stayed one year at this school, which was more than enough. However, I wasn’t out of the woods, I had to spend another summer of forced swimming with my sister, which again, made my life miserable. Eighth grade was my first and only year in public school. My mother made numerous promises to me about how it would be better than anything else, but it wasn’t. I was basically harassed again, for being a transfer student, and because my voice had changed before everyone else’s. A lot of the students constantly grunted at me to make fun of my voice, and nobody would do anything about it. My parents said it had nothing to do with my voice, but instead, was because I â€Å"act goofy,† yet would never explain to me what I did that was so bad. I was very miserable, I didn’t know what to do, and suffered day in and day out, and many times, wanted to end my life. What finally brought down my life there was I didn’t participate in an optional project for the science class, and as a result, my science teacher, the only teacher out of six, wouldn’t recommend me for a gifted program, something my parents took very hard. Ever since, even now 18 years la ter, they call me uncooperative. I was also punished for the entire summer, being barred from TV, music, reading, and any other activity I found pleasurable, being allowed nothing but swimming when my sister wanted me to because â€Å"getting in that pool everyday will build you up until you are a human being again.† My sister in the mean time attended public school, and also refused to activities she didn’t want to do. She was downgraded by her English teacher for not doing some optional projects as well but was she punished, or course not. Our parents simply went to the school board, and got her grades changed, from C to A, and was given me as a swimming slave for the summer. I didn’t understand this, she gets a reward for her behavior, and I get punished. I guess my parents don’t believe in punishing girls, I don’t know. My sister went to college, but I ended up in another so-called Christian school. During my first year, I refused to be put through â€Å"Freshman Hell Week,† in which senior students are allowed to humiliate freshman for a whole week. To me, that sort of behavior had no business in school, and was far from the strict environment my parents told me it would be. What added insult to injury that year was when my parents saw the yearbook and pictures of Hell Week, my mother actually said â€Å"You should have gotten together with them and acted goofy.† First I’m accused for allegedly â€Å"acting goofy,† and them I’m criticized for not â€Å"acting goofy.† This makes absolutely no sense. My high school years weren’t very happy. My grades were ok, but I didn’t like it at all. I was often picked on because I didn’t do extracurricular activities, I didn’t date, and basically thought there was a world beyond football, proms, and cheerleaders. The worst came my junior year, I was turned down for the honor society, and my parents at first, thought it was politics, then turned against me condemning me for having no personality, not being nice enough, participating in no activities, and not being â€Å"glib,† which has been an obsession of theirs ever since. They often condemned me for believing that school grades are based on work, instead of personality, something I never understood, since I was nice and didn’t make any trouble for anyone. My senior year was uneventful, thank goodness, and I was glad to be out of that place. Many people complain about the ineptness of our public schools and want vouchers and other initiatives to privatize education. My experiences tell me this will not work. Many of the private schools I went to were no better and even worse than public schools. The public school I attended had textbooks for each student; I can’t say that about a few of the private schools I was associated with. In addition, the excellent school I went to between second and forth grade is now closed, due to lack of enrollment, while the football school continues to stay in operation. My school years were very painful for me, not only for what I went through at school, for what I went through at home, where it was often preached, â€Å"nothing matters but school and swimming.† If I made poor grades, I was punished, but if my sister did the same thing, it was the school’s fault. One day, I know I will completely heal of it all, but now, I’m just working towards that day. The answer is out there; I just have to find it. Amen.

Pornography is not harmful to American Society Essay

This essay will argue that pornography is not harmful to American society. However, there are some important reservations to be made: the acceptable form of pornography is legal adults engage in this activity with full consent. Obviously, there are some forms of exploitation that are harmful and dangerous, such as forcing subjects to take part in pornography production or involving minors in this process. However, this essay will not discuss these activities that are already illegal and prosecuted to relevant authorities. Instead, it will argue that pornography is a legitimate form of self-expression. Furthermore, it will dispel many myths that are used by anti-pornography lobby (such as pornography leading to rape or being addictive) to appeal to public sentiment with a view of enacting a more restrictive regime regulating the field. At the first glance, banning of pornography pursues a plausible aim: protecting American citizens from the temptation of watching it. Giving this issue a second thought, it becomes evident that everything can go terribly wrong if such prohibition is instituted. Not only will it fail to achieve its goals, it will also harm the economy and society in the most dramatic fashion conceivable. In a debate on pornography, ‘liberals defended the freedom of consenting adults to publish and consume pornography in private from moral and religious conservatives who wanted pornography banned for its obscenity, its corrupting impact on consumers and its corrosive effect on traditional family and religious values’ (West, 2004, para. 3). Weighting such an intangible and relative thing as decline in social morale against a far more serious development of restriction on freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by our Constitution, it is necessary to admit that human rights are more important for the functioning of society than morale. Moral codes vary among different religious, ethnic and age groups; therefore, it would be unreasonable to base a federal policy on moral considerations only. In every debate on civil liberties, the discussion is often narrowed down to the traditional dilemma of decriminalization and control v. prohibition and black market. This argument is hard to run in a debate on, for instance, legalization of drugs, since governments of the world have proven to be sufficiently successful in combating illicit drug trafficking. However, it perfectly applies to restrictions on pornography. The demand for pornography soaring, there will be abundant supply. The police will be incapable of preventing illegal pornography production. The sector might be heading towards wide-scale corruption. Moreover, lack of regulation in pornography production might result in exploitation, use of minors, or unacceptable working conditions. Thus, it is better to regulate this sector than to let black market overtake it. There is a lesson America should have learned: the 1920s were the time of alcohol prohibition, and the regulation provided for a huge black market in alcohol to flourish, giving rise to bootlegging business and speakeasies. Many gangsters, including Al Capone and Bugs Moran, made fortunes selling alcohol illegally. Another hackneyed argument in a debate on civil liberties is that it’s better to tax than to let shadow economy grow. However, this argument should be taken seriously in the U. S. at the present moment of its history. The falling dollar and slowdown in the housing market has placed the U. S. economy on the verge of recession. At the same time, more government revenue is needed to support the national welfare and healthcare programs. More money is needed in education and research. Large-scale foreign policy initiatives also require additional funding. Refusing another source of tax money is unacceptable for the time being. If the aforesaid is not enough to dismiss the feasibility of restrictions on pornography, another argument can be introduced into the debate. In general, civil liberties are in danger in the U. S. , and by clampdown on yet another one the government will send a very wrong message. In fact, the government should leave citizens the ability to think for themselves. Individuals should be able to make decisions about their life careers themselves, and the government should be supportive of these decisions if they are deemed to be beneficial for the individual and society as a whole. Yet it is far beyond the jurisdiction of the government to protect an individual from the consequences of his/her conscious choices. In fact, it is the traditional dilemma of governmental regulation v. individual freedom. It may seem that restrictions on pornography would be in line with the theory of social contract. The state, which is the product of social contract, has the function of setting the limits on individual rights and freedoms. Social contract implies that agents give away a part of their freedom in return for security delivered by state. John Locke (2004, p. 33) writes: ‘Men†¦ by agreeing with other men, to join and unite into a community for their comfortable, safe, and peaceable living, one amongst another, in a secure enjoyment of their properties, and a greater security against any that are not of it†¦make one community or government†¦and make one body politic. ’ The situation is fairly clear-cut when one individual’s activity results in the violation of another individual’s rights. When the realization of rights of one individual infringes on rights of another individual, the state should intervene to reestablish the balance between these rights of different individuals. However, in the case of pornography, the practice does not pose a danger to society. Feminists argue that pornography is dangerous because it perpetuates exploitation and oppression of women. However, this is not necessarily true. Men also star in pornography production, and women are not always featured in subordinate roles. In the 1960s, a more liberal approach to sexuality was hailed as a major advancement of women’s right. Pornography means that both male and female sexuality is no longer a taboo but rather a subject for public discussion and business activity: ‘Pornography breaks cultural and political stereotypes, so that each woman can interpret sex for herself†¦ Pornography tells them to accept and enjoy them. Pornography can be good therapy. Pornography provides a sexual outlet for those who – for whatever reason – have no sexual partner’ (McElroy, 2004, ‘A Pro-Sex Defense’). For some females, pornography might be a pleasurable way of expressing themselves, given the popularity of home videos. Liberals ‘continue to maintain either that pornography does not cause harm to women (in the relevant, usually narrow, sense of ‘harm’), or they admit that pornography probably does cause some harm to women’s interests, but deny that this harm is sufficiently great to offset the dangers inherent in censorship and to justify the violation of the rights of pornographers and would-be consumers’ (West, 2004, ‘Recent debate: liberals and feminists’). A riskier argument that feminists were running was that pornography increases the number of instances of rape in society. However, empirical evidence in support of their claim has been scarce and contested. It leads to an obvious conclusion that ‘[p]ornography will not cause otherwise normal, decent chaps with no propensity to rape suddenly to metamorphose into rapists,† (Feinberg, 1985. p. 153). Some researchers have gone as far as to argue that consumption of pornography might decrease rape rates (Landsburg, 2006). Since citizens can satisfy their sexual fantasies by watching them on the screen, their urge to commit sexual assaults in real life is weaker. In fact, empirical evidence suggests that porn actually decreases rape: ‘The incidence of rape in the United States has declined 85% in the past 25 years while access to pornography has become freely available to teenagers and adults’ (D’Amato, 2006, Abstract). While there are many critics contesting the actual correlation between the two variables, increase in accessibility of pornography would have led to skyrocketing rape rates, which is not happening. There is another positive feature of pornography being pointed out by sexologists and family therapists. For some couples, watching pornography together might enhance their sexual relationship and make them freer in expressing their desires and fantasies. One more oft-cited danger of pornography is that it might cause an addiction. The government has long established itself as a body responsible for protecting its citizens against addictions, since they might foster compulsive behavior and lead to citizens harming themselves or other. This might be true about physical addictions, like addiction to drugs. However, addiction to pornography, if it exists, is a psychological phenomenon. Psychologically, people can be addicted to anything, from computer games to chocolate, which does not provide grounds for the government to ban everything that is enjoying considerable popularity. Taking all those arguments into account, it is possible to conclude that pornography is not as dangerous as it is portrayed, and prohibition of pornography might have devastating consequences for the society.

How Does Co2 Emissions Affect the Ecosystem?

How does CO2 Emissions Affect the Ecosystem? Kenyetta Sloan Bryant & Stratton College Ecology Dr. M. McLellan-Zabielski October 24, 2012 What would happen if we didn’t cut trees, use transportation, even turn on our lights or any electrical item we own? Then global warming wouldn’t exist. The things that we do on the daily basis is what produces carbon emissions, when we burn oil, coal, and gas, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The result of this is climate change, temperature, and moisture, which affects our ecosystem, consisting of plant life and human life.One type of ecosystem is plant life, temperature and moisture influence birth, growth and death rates of plants (Effects on Ecosystems chapter 10). These factors also influence photosynthesis and respiration, which responds differently to temperature, in low temperatures, photosynthesis, is slow, at higher temperatures it accelerates. It is argued that global warming may result in a reduction in net carbon uptake by plants (Woodwell, 1987). Though plants have the ability to adjust to climate change, plants stay in the limited range where they are able to breathe and reproduce.If plants don’t receive enough moisture, it reduces plant growth, if too much moisture then it can cause cellular damage and a rapid increase in respiration (Hanson and Hitz, 1982). Plants absorb carbon, but when it’s burned or when they decay; carbon is released back into our atmosphere, the result being greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is a process that carbon goes through or better yet a cycle it goes through, it is cycled from land, to ocean, to air.The ocean contains 50 times more carbon then our atmosphere because it serves as a repository system. Earths current levels of carbon in the atmosphere is something that we should be worried about, the Earth was warmer and sea levels were higher in the past, we’re below the normal averages of where Earth’s levels are suppos ed to be. The blame to this change is us as humans; we are forcing the atmosphere to change, we responsible for the increase of carbon dioxide emissions.Fossil fuels when combusted, contain carbon which bond with oxygen and forms carbon dioxide that enter our atmosphere. The leading fossil fuel is coal, which is used most to form electricity, releases more carbon into the atmosphere than any other fossil fuel we use, even gas doesn’t release as much carbon as coal does. About 40% of fossil fuel combustion is used up by electricity, to power up our homes, businesses and industries, using coal as the primary source of energy (Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2010). Transportation is the second largest source of CO2 emissions, about 31% of fossil fuel combustion is used to transport ourselves and goods. Vehicles, air travel, marine transportation and trains are the sources that we use to transport from place to place, using gasoline or diesel. Carbon Di oxide emissions are projected to grow 1. 5% from now to 2020, there are ways to reduce the emissions, and it’s by cutting our use of fossil fuels.The vehicles we drive can be more fuel-efficient, meaning going green and cutting the gas use, changing our appliances and our electrical usage. References NRC (2010). Advancing the Science of Climate Change. National Research Council. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, USA. U. S. Department of State (2007). Fourth Climate Action Report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions. U. S. Department of State, Washington, DC, USA (2010). What Is Carbon Dioxide (CO2)?Understanding the Carbon Cycle & How Current CO2 Emissions are Disrupting It. www. coolerclimate. com Global Biofuels Industry. (2010). M2PressWIRE. www. Thecarbonaccount. com (August 2009). Nature’s role in climate change. European Commission. Effects on Ecosystem. Kaplanovic, S. , & Mijailovtc, R. (2012). THE INTE RNALISATION OF EXTERNAL COSTS OF CO2 AND POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FROM PASSENGER CARS. Technological & Economic Development Of Economy, 18(3), 470-486. doi:10. 3846/20294913. 2012. 702694 .

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Management - Essay Example er and retailer of specialty coffee, deals with issues of performance management such as setting of standards by the Compensation and Management Development Committee. It has as one of their responsibilities to: â€Å"Annually review and recommend the objective performance measures and the performance targets for executive officers participating in the Executive Management Bonus Plan (whether or not such executive officers are Executive Officers) for approval by the panel of independent directors of the Board and for certifying the performance of such executive officers at the end of each fiscal year.†1 In line with this responsibility, Starbuck came up with an Executive Bonus plan whereby performing executives can make up to 70% of their base salary for meeting performance measures and company’s strategic plan annually. Those concerned with this bonus plane are â€Å"Employees serving in positions of executive vice president and above, as well as certain other senior officers of the Corporation specified by the Compensation Committee†.2 All of this is to meet the mission statement of â€Å"establishing Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.†3 The mission statement is often followed through meetings of top managers of all Starbuck agencies around the world. One of such follow up meetings was held on March 10th 2008 at Seattle, where the General Manager, Howard Schultz and senior members came up with what is known as â€Å"Howard Schultz Transformation agenda communication number 10†4 in which 7 bold moves to be followed in the coming years; remain the undisputed coffee authority, re-engage into serious business and inspire Starbucks partners, re-ignite company emotional attachment with the customers, expand the company global presence while making each store the heart of the local neighbourhood, remain a leader in ethical sourcing and environmental impact, create innovative

Check Your Understanding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Check Your Understanding - Assignment Example Destructive conduct in made by a person and endorsed by the community, members. Natural morality revolves around human evolution than what has been acquired from the environment. Moral behavior is outgrown from the animals. The human beings are social being and therefore they derive moral out of interactions and are passed to the next generation in life. Empathy is the nature of animals and human beings are not excluded. They walk together in groups and also hunt in groups out of these interaction they inherit morality. On the contrary transcendent morality is the morality that goes beyond the world and the visible things that can be seen. It goes beyond the physical world and tries to explain what bring people together in marriage sports and pledging their allegiance to the state. Moral judgment is the process in which character traits, belief systems motives and opinions are measured against the standard good. There are standard set that are used for judgment failure to meet these standards will lead to automatic disqualification. These standards are based on the individual’s knowledge, integration and experience. As moral judgment primarily focuses on discussion, aesthetic judgment focuses the beauty and ugliness which are part of life. Beauty and ugliness lack the standards of measurement but depends on how they are perceived by different people. Perception determines how an object is beautiful or ugly. The completeness and proportionality of a beautiful object is difficult to arrive at. Behavior can be considered in one context as beautiful while in a different context as ugly it depends on the perception and interpretation in the mind. Moral objectivists are those people that believe that reality is independent of consciousness. Human beings have direct contact with the reality though the sense of perception and

Movie Response for Japanese film Zatoichi(2003) Review

Response for Japanese film Zatoichi(2003) - Movie Review Example the blind samurai represents the oppressed poor society who struggle for equality in the society through the search for justice for the less privileged. The film portrays the hostility in the Japanese society and the role of the samurai in the struggle for enhancing peace in the society. The blind Zatoichi is hired by Sukegoro a gang-leader because of his skills. Yakuza Shigezo, the head of a rich powerful opposition gang hires a bodyguard with similar skills as Zatoichi with the aim of creating equality in militant powered between the two rivalry groups. However, Zatoichi manages to destroy Yakuza’s body guard and his entire army and fulfills his quest of protecting Ginzo town and avenging the death of the two geisha sibling’s father. In the Japanese culture, the samurai is a legendary term used to refer to a wars hero who represents the rights of the oppressed minority. Zatoichi is a film that portrays the exact description of the Japanese culture through the display of a blind Japanese warrior and his quest to free Ginzo town from oppression by a local Yakuza gang war that has forced residents of the town to pay excessive amount of money for their protection. In this case, the film perpetuates that the term Samurai is a symbolic version of peace ins pired by war heroes in the Japanese

Claim and fact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Claim and fact - Essay Example men shun the positions all the same because of the negative perceptions that the society has towards women who are senior in organizations (Deal and Stevenson 289). Such women are believed to have given sexual favors to men to acquire such positions. At times, they are hated by men or even discriminated. A very good example is Margret Thatcher who even to death was hated by many men (Brenner 382). The increasing impact made by women in leadership positions mostly the senior most positions has led to research to examine the effectiveness of women as better leaders. Research shows that it is natural for women to employ some skills. Women are non-coercive, team players as well as a proficient in making better relationships (Kolb et al. 306). Furthermore, female qualities such as expressive, emotional, cooperative, tactful, warm, gentle, and talkative as well as submissive (Park 15).These qualities of women make them have a more nurturing, motivational as well as based on relationships their work. Women juggle with a lot of house work. They cook, raise children, and they do laundry as well as they clean the house at the same time they go to work. It is very challenging to do housework as well as be a career woman yet women still succeed. This has made them know how to prioritize their work. Men lack priority in their type of leadership skills. Organizations require prioritization. Men are aggressive, and task oriented while women work on the relationships of the employees. This in turn results in a better outcome. Women are more transformational leadership works well in any organization. This the best type of leadership that is required in any organization. Women model their organizations they take them as their responsibility. They know that that it is their home. There is a famous saying that says â€Å"give a woman a house and she makes it home.† This simply means that women transform everything that is left under their care. Every place that requires a leader

Children's Learning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Children's Learning and Development - Essay Example The three main theories are behaviorism theory, constructivism theory and socio-cultural theory. Behaviorism theory states that knowledge exists and learners should discover it. . Constructivism theory states that knowledge can be created in the mind of a child while socio-cultural theory states that knowledge is created and transferred when children interact with members of the society. The society, the state as well as individual members of the societies understand the importance of developing and nurturing the capabilities of a child to develop into a responsible and productive adult in the coming years. There are various ways of promoting learning and development of children. First, according to Blake et al (21), children learn and develop when they feel sense of containment, worth and love. They also need to be inspired, encouraged and challenged to stretch beyond their capabilities to be able learn and develop. As a result, they develop positive attitude towards learning. Secondly, children and young people need a role model who they are able to observe and emulate. This will show them a path to follow as they develop into adults. Thirdly, they need opportunities to practice and internalize different ways of being and behaving. The opportunities can be availed in form of well thought of role-plays, music, acting (drama) and group work. The opportunities enabled them to learn and understand themselves and their personalities as they interact with various members of the society. Therefore, children should receive enjoyable and challenging experiences during their learning and devel opment. Fourthly, the individuality of every child should be recognised and nurtured at all developmental stages. This assures that the children's individual needs as well as interests and abilities are taken into solemn considerations. Fifth, the children should be assisted to identify their talents and hobbies. This is because talents and hobbies make them enthusiastic and the levels of their self-esteem grow. Furthermore, talents and hobbies help children develop passions early in life. This is done by listening to the voices of children when they talk about their interests and likes in life as well as paying attention to the environment where the child learns and develops. Sixthly, children should be praised for every good thing they do. This reinforces positive behavior in their learning environment. It is important to note and understand that children enjoy growing and developing in a stimulating environment. Stimulating environment presents a platform for challenging activiti es and experiences for growing and developing children. If every aspect of a child is taken into consideration, the child would exhibit progress in his or her learning and development endeavors. Seventh, it is important to ensure that children are safe and healthy. Children should be kept away from hazards that can devastate or disempower them in the environment in which they live. Children should be fed with balanced diets. In addition, children should be taught how to keep themselves healthy. They need to learn to wash their hands regularly and brush their teeth after main meals. Whichever the approach utilized

Current World Event's Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current World Event's Report - Essay Example Despite, or perhaps in spite, of these problems, the European Union maintains that it will only provide additional bailout funds to those who can follow its austerity and reporting measures. The people from these troubled economies are unhappy, as unemployment rates soar, and reject the austerity measures that directly negatively impact their lives. Many have taken the streets, while some have committed suicides (Joy, 2012). The economic situations in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are affecting the economic condition of the European Union (EU) and the globe, while increasing political tension and social unrest in the region. The economic situation of the European Union’s region and the globe are interconnected, and so the economic problems in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy are having widespread financial consequences. Dario Perkins of Lombard Street Research stated that the economic output fell by 20% since the crisis began: â€Å"If you look at what Greece is going th rough, it's comparable with the Great Depression† (Stewart, 2012). As the world reels away from the slow recovery of the 2008 global financial crisis, several European countries are in for the worse, as they enter Depression-like conditions. The EU responds with a bailout program, but not without strings attached. The bailout funds include austerity measures that will cut into social welfare: â€Å"Economides explained that the projected cuts could break down into 11.5 billion euros worth of cuts -- from pensions and wages as well as the sale of state property†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Joy, 2012). Reduced social welfare will further make it hard for ordinary citizens to deal with their impoverished conditions. As for the infamous â€Å"Grexit,† if Greece chooses to leave the EU, this may be best for the region’s credit standing, but it will break the euro currency (Shann, 2012). It will prove that the concept of the euro is unsustainable, when countries have not fully inte grated their â€Å"regulation, labor markets, welfare payments and taxes for resources to move quickly to equalize competitiveness† (Shann, 2012). In addition, the widespread bailouts to the banks are not going as faster as it should, according to the news (Shann, 2012). As a result, depositors are transferring their investments and deposit funds in other countries: â€Å"Depositors would transfer funds abroad in case these countries left the euro and devalued† (Shann, 2012). The statistics show the amount of funds outflowing from countries that need the money the most: â€Å"A total of $425 billion was pulled from banks in Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Greece in the 12 months ended July 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg† (Onaran, 2012). The pullout means business for other countries, but spells further economic problems at the Euroland, as it assists the former nations deal with their banking conditions. The wearing off of deposits is compelling banks in those countries to pay more to keep them â€Å"The average rate for new loans to nonfinancial corporations in July was above 7 percent in Greece, 6.5 percent in Spain and 6.2 percent in Italy, according to ECB data,† when â€Å"It was 4 percent in Germany, France and the Netherlands† (Onaran, 2012). With dwindling funds being sucked in the banking sectors, the funds needed to revitalize the economy and provide employment are not forthcoming. As these countries further experience economic problems, their politics and populace are at a

BUS303 MODULE 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUS303 MODULE 2 - Assignment Example Our divisions and a few other departments are faced with a 25% budget reduction this year. We need to come up with different ways to work with the budget cuts. The intension of our teams is to ensure that your relationship with the students is not impacted in any manner. We understand how difficult it can be to develop a strong rapport with the students and also the efforts put in by each one of you. Hence we have come up with one simple move, which will contribute to the overall issue to a great extent. Since we do not wish to impact any of the academic aspects of the university, hence one of the closest means to manage this issue is close to your office desk. Our aim is to work together as a team and to save money by working on our recycling efforts. One simple step by each one of you can help the university sustain itself and keep up its excellent performance. All staff is requested to empty their own trash baskets into the recycle bins in the basement. This will not only assist us as a team but will also prove to be beneficial for you as well in terms of small exercise. A simple step like this will reduce the overall departmental custodial costs to a great extent while also helping the environment by efficient recycling. This approach has been adopted by the Business Division team and has proved to be very effective for the cost-saving project. A sincere request is for you to empty your trash on a weekly basis or as often as you require. Unlike other universities we do not wish to cut down on any other services, and wish to be able to effectively cut costs by recycling. The approach used here is to appeal to the sense of reason in the organisation. Here since this mail is being sent out to well-educated individuals, with strong education background and knowledge of sustainability, the most effective approach is to use logical reasoning (Camp). The explanation in the memo will provide a

Critique of the Ethical Issue Essay Example for Free

Critique of the Ethical Issue Essay Every profession is subject to different ethical considerations. In response, professions present code of conduct to their employees to guide their behavior in the organization. Formal ethical training is also held to make the employees aware of different ethical issues. Ethical decision making process enable the workforce to handle every ethical issue and prevents them from making any ethical lapses whatsoever. US healthcare system comprises many branches that offer unique health related services to clients. Furthermore the healthcare is split into a hierarchical setup which starts from nursing to the top physicians. Each individual related to the US health care has to undergo a lot of training and education before he/she is authorized to discharge any duty. A fundamental part of this coaching involves ethical training which guides the employees ways and means of dealing with different ethical problems. Conflicts faced by the healthcare are of many types. To start with, physicians fail to work as a team with nurses. Sometimes nurses do not understand their roles and discharge their duties improperly. Other kinds of conflicts involve patients. These conflicts can usually become very serious and can even become unlawful in nature. Articulating the Problem The ethical conflict that arose in my studies involved a doctor and his patient. Jimmy suffered from high fever and he decided to go to a new doctor, Dr. Bill, as his general physician was out of town on vacation. Jimmy reported all his conditions to Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill made some notes and then warned him that he might be in fear of suffering from typhoid (a severe form of fever). Jimmy was very shocked to hear this. The doctor further added that it would be better for Jimmy to remain in hospital care for at least two days before his condition improved. He also asked him to run some tests which would be needed to clearly diagnose his sickness. When Jimmy heard of the high amount they were charging him, he was highly shocked and left the clinic. Jimmy called his physician up and informed him of the entire issue. Dr. Andrew told him to get a check-up from another doctor who was his friend. Jimmy went there and after the checkup, he received another surprise upon hearing that the fever was not serious and he’d be perfect in two days. He was given some prescription which he was to take. In two days time, Jimmy perfectly recovered from his fever and, by then, realized how Dr. Bill had tried to deceive him into getting the tests and hospital care in order to make more money. The event is, by all means, shocking and unethical. Dr. Bill and those of his like are ruining the sanctity of the medical profession by converting it into any other business profession. It is certainly not unethical to offer your services and expertise to others in return for money. However, intimidating patients by telling them of symptoms which, in fact, they do not possess is certainly very unethical. This trend is quickly spreading everywhere, especially online. After doing some research, the author found that there are many health care services which are presently being offered online. Though some of these setups are highly professional in nature and offer very effective services online, the rest are merely scammers. What’s more problematic is that individuals do not know how expert the physician is in his/her respective field. Looked at it this way, we’re all in a big risk whenever we decide to get ourselves checked up from a new doctor. As far as the scammers are concerned, their deceptive marketing campaigns allure the sick and the injured into asking for help. They make false claims that their products will change their lives or make them better. By the time the poor people find out that they’ve been deceived, it is too late to do anything because such institutions and individuals protect themselves through different legislations of the law. Gathering Data After thorough research and data collection, the author has come up with following important ways of checking the credentials as well as ratings of a physician along with ways of preventing health care frauds. 1. Information about doctor’s experience and training is obtained from his office or local medical society in which the doctor is a member. 2. There are some state licensing boards that also issue information about disciplinary actions taken against a particular physician. However, it is not very easy to get information from there. 3. American Medical Association’s AMA Physicians Select offers information on training and certification of all the medical and osteopathic physicians who are currently holding a license in the US. However, disciplinary actions are not included with them. 4. American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Certified Doctor Verification Service can also be utilized to check whether the physician is certified by one or the 24 recognized specialty boards. The service is free of charge. 5. Googling out for more info is also not a bad idea. You will find several options wherein to check the report/credibility of a physician. 6. There are several government sources which may be used to obtain information relating to disciplinary action. Of these, the two most important sources are the National Practitioner Data Bank and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank. 7. Many clinics and hospitals also offer options to check their doctors’ credentials. However, this is not a good idea because hospitals would never reveal that any one of their doctors is of low quality. Exploring Strategies It is, indeed, very difficult to carve a strategy that would clearly identify and tackle the above situation. Practical issues of these kinds are indeed very different from theoretical knowledge that is offered in books. However, following procedures may help prevent such situations in future. From Profession’s perspective 1. Establishing a federal committee on healthcare fraud prevention, and having it carry out a detailed wipe-out of all such fraudulent institutions and individuals 2. Exercise rigorous ethical training program, stressing the consequences of deceiving and holding the truth in the medical profession 3. Conducting regular external audits on different health care facilities, with an aim to identify the scammers 4. Publicizing and penalizing doctors who conduct such activities From Patient’s Perspective 1. Organizing a wide marketing campaign instructing the individuals to be wary of such scammers 2. Avoiding new doctors 3. Fixing the medical charges offered at various institutions, so the competition is not price-based but quality based. 4. Having another review with another physician if instructed to undergo very expensive treatment. Implementing the Strategy In order to implement the above discussed strategy, the following needs to be done: 1. Give the event a wide coverage on popular media 2. Create mass-awareness through the media 3. Instruct masses to avoid online health care facilities as much as possible unless they know the physician personally. 4. Write to the American Medical Association and other medical authorities, asking them to address the issue on federal level. 5. Increasing word-of-mouth, and making all such frauds public 6. Conducting nation-wide survey of physicians’ credentials Evaluating the Outcomes Implementing the above strategy would have the following pros and cons: Pros 1. Efficient and appropriate health care only by physicians who have sound credentials and ratings 2. Lesser frauds and scams in the health care 3. Better opportunities for physicians who’ve worked their way up 4. An overall better impact on the health of US nationals 5. Better medical infrastructure Cons 1. High investment is required to create the mass-awareness 2. It is not possible to identify every physician who is conducting fraud 3. It is difficult to decide whether a physician is diagnosing a patient sincerely or not as different physicians come up with different diagnosis measures REFERENCES Percival, Thomas. Medical ethics. (pp. 49–57) from http://books. google. com/books? id=yVUEAAAAQAAJprintsec=frontcoverdq=medical+ethicsas_brr=1ie=ISO-8859-1#PPA52,M1. Walter, Klein (ed). The Story of Bioethics: From seminal works to contemporary explorations Jordan, M. C. (1998). Ethics manual. Fourth edition. American College of Physicians (pp. 23-30) Beauchamp, Tom L. , Childress, James F. (2001). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press. Margaret A. Burkhardt, Alvita Nathaniel (2007) Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing

Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement Essay 1. Why did four Indigenous activists erect a beach umbrella on the lawns of Old Parliament House? On Australia Day in 1972, Indigenous activists erected a beach umbrella on the lawns outside of Old Parliament House. They set this up to start a protest; they placed a sign that said â€Å"Embassy† to represent a displaced nation. The McMahon Liberal Government made a statement in which land rights were rejected in favour of 50-year leases to Aboriginal communities, the activists were against this and this was the reason that this protest started. The activists were repeatedly asked when the protest would end and they said that they would stay until Aboriginal Australians had land rights, which could be forever. 2. Is source 2 a primary or secondary source? Why?  Source 2 is a secondary source because it is not the original photo that was taken at that time. This photo would have been edited, copied and scanned so that it could be used for website and for other sources. 3. What sort of information can a photograph give historians about a past event? What might a photograph not tell us about the past? A photograph can give historians an idea about what the situation looked like and also the people involved and how they seemed to be feeling. A photograph cannot tell historians exactly how people were feeling because people may seem happy and content in a photograph when they are really going through a horrible time. A photograph also doesn’t show the full story and may only capture a small part of the past event. These points are proven in source 2 because in the photo there are two Aboriginal Australians sitting in a tent with signs saying â€Å"Aboriginal Embassy†, these two people seem quite relaxed and that’s how people that saw the photo would think they were feeling. Because of this reason you know that it doesn’t capture the full story as these people were protesting for land rights and the Government wanted them to be removed. These protesters also faced a lot of violence and you wouldn’t have known that from just this one source. 4. Read source 3. How does the government plan to respond to the Aboriginal Embassy? When the government realized what the Aboriginal protesters were doing they knew that they had to be removed because they were trespassing on Government land. They decided that that action should be taken to remove the campers which were on the lawn; it was put into place that it would be done with reasonable notice and tactfully with the least disturbance. * 5. Look at source 4. Do you think the cartoonist is critical of the Government or the Aboriginals? What other groups are represented in the cartoon? I think the cartoonist is critical of the Government because the writing under the cartoon is being said by the Aboriginals. In the cartoon it is stating that the white settlers have come to Australia and have taken over from the Aboriginal Australians and are taking away the right that the Aboriginals had. The people that are represented in this cartoon are the Aboriginals and the Politicians. I think the fighting would involve the Aboriginals and also the white people because you can see the people in the fight and you can see one person biting another’s leg in front of Parliament House. You can also see a sign which says ‘Aboriginal Embassy’ and a tent which may show that they are destroying the camper’s area. In the quote it states that ‘They’ own the place, I think that when they say ‘they’ it is referring to the White Settlers and the politicians. There are also two Aboriginals walking away from the fight looking very casual with the quote â€Å"They get stranded by some travel agency in 1770, then act like the own the place†¦!†. 6. Using all the sources, explain what happened to the Aboriginal Tent embassy in 1972. On Australia day 1972 four Indigenous activists, Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Koorie erected a beach umbrella on the lawns of Parliament House. These four people set up a protest and placed signs which said ‘Embassy’, this was to represent a displaced nation. The protesters were against the McMahon Liberal Government’s statement in which land rights were rejected to Aboriginal communities. They issued a petition which had a detailed five point plan which addressed that Aboriginals had ownership of existing reserves and settlements. The Aboriginal protesters said that they would stay out on the lawns opposing until the Aboriginal Australians were granted their land rights. After a while the Government realized that they needed to get rid of the Aboriginals that were camped at Old Parliament House. They decided that they would be removed without any disturbance and with plenty of notice. The police pulled down and raided the tent embassy may times and many Aboriginals were arrested. Even through all of this and the support through the nation the embassy said that they would stay until they were granted their land rights.

The detection of online child abuse in UK

The detection of online child abuse in UK Introduction The explosion and availability of the internet have seen huge advancements in the world of communications and business. However, along with the benefits the internet has created a new environment for criminals to engage in criminal activity. Theft and fraud are the more common crimes committed on the internet but a more disturbing crime is on the increase. Child abuse has been around for centuries but with advancements in technology, the upsurge in social networking sites and instant messenger services, children are now at greater risk from online sexual abuse within their own homes as the PC, gaming consoles and even mobile phones become the gateways for abusers and organised networks of criminals to prey. This reports aims to look at the way the United Kingdom legal system alongside national and international agencies are working together in order to tackle the growing problem of online child abuse. This report will also highlight cases of abusers who have been jailed for their crimes and also highlight the roles played by Internet Service providers, the media, charities, education and families who all have a role to play in keeping children safe online. What Constitutes Child Abuse? In order to discuss the prosecution and detection of child abuse, it is important to primarily define the term child abuse. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1999) the term child abuse refers to the ill treatment of children which includes sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the childs health, development or dignity (World Health Organisation, 1999) or in its purest form when an adult intentionally hurts a child under the age of 18 (NSPCC, 2011). It is difficult to define the term online child abuse as it encompasses all of the charcteristics of the current definition of child abuse as already described however, the term online reflects the methodology deployed by the offenders. Online child abuse has many characteristics, e.g., bullying, and more serious offences such as creating and downloading images of sexually abused children or approaching children to engage in sexual conduct either o nline or offline (HUWY, 2011) now legally known as grooming under The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (s14 s15). A well publicised example of this was witnessed In Durham Crown Court, March 2010, where Peter Chapman was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering 17 year old girl Ashleigh Hall who he had lured through the social networking site Facebook. He created the persona of a teenage youth in order to lure Ashleigh Hall into meeting him (Stokes, P, 2010). At the trial it is estimated Chapman had used the social networking site to make contact with 2981 females between the ages of 13 and 31 (Armstrong, et al., 2010). Internet Usage Since 2001, the number of children using the internet has increased dramatically. A report commisioned by the London School of Economics in 2005 (UK Children Go Online) estimated in the 9 to 19 years age group, 75% of children had internet access at home, rising to 92% access at school (Livingstone, et al., 2005). A report by Ofcom in 2008 indicated that 35% of all 12 to 15 year olds had access to the internet in their bedrooms, 16% of 8 to 11 year olds and even children in the 5 to 7 year age group accounted for 3% (OFCOM, 2009). As technology has developed and the internet is now more accessible through other platforms such as mobile phone technology and online gaming consoles, the UK Council for Child Internet Child Safteys Click Clever Click safe campaign highlighted the Ofcom report by revealing that of the 44 million people who currently have internet access in the UK, 99% were in the 8 to 17 year age group (OFCOM2009 cited in UKCCIS, 2009). Although it is virtually impossible to quantify the total number of unprosecuted online child abuse offences, a report conducted in 2000 by the Internet Crime forum (ICF) estimated that 1 in 5 children online had been approached by paedophiles or other undesirables online (cited in Childnet, 2001). In view of the increasing usage of the internet and mounting crime against children committed online, in 2007, the Labour Government sanctioned an independent review into child online safety and commissioned Dr Tanya Byron to produce a report detailing the risks and effects of children surfing online. The Safer Children in a Digital World report was published in April 2008 and recommended a national strategy for Child Safety and a shared culture of responsibility in order to sustain safety (Byron, 2008). The report focused on the need for legislation, education and parents to all play their role in internet safety. The childrens charity Barnardos as recently as January 2011 reported in their publication Puppet on a String, (Barnardos, 2011) the dangers of child exploitation both on and offline. Using figures recorded by CEOP, Barnardos revealed a 16% year on year increase of reported crimes of which 25% were directly of an online nature. In 2008/9, 5411 crimes were recorded and by 2009/10 that had increased to 6291 (CEOP, 2010). As well as potential for criminal contact between adults and children, the internet has become a portal for offenders to upload and view images an videos of children engaged in sexual acts. There are no official or unofficial figures on the number of child abuse images on the internet but of the 34,871 websites reported to the Internet Watch Foundation in 2007, 85% of those contained images of children in a sexual nature (IWF, 2008). Undoubtedly the rise in internet use and availability of web services will create opportunities for offenders to distribute indecent photographs and videos of abused children, hence the number of pictures will inevitably increase. (Taylor, et al, 2003 cited: Byron, 2008, 3.41, p51). As the use of the internet by children increases and its portability through technology advances further, its is increasingly more important that children, parents and teachers are more aware and knowledgeable of the dangers of being online. This goes hand in hand with mechanisms in place to prevent and report unsolicited or criminal activity and adequate legislation to convict offenders of these heinous crimes. Online Child Abuse and UK Law Legislation created to protect children and subsequently prosecute those guilty of child abuse offences in the United Kingdom falls under many acts of legislation in the UK legal system. The Children and Young Persons Act of 1933, (part 1, c12) still in force today, states the legal obligation to protect children from the prevention of Cruelty and Exposure to Moral and Physical Danger (Childrens and Young Persons Act 1933, c12, 2011). Section 1 (1) of The Indecency with Children Act of 1960, goes further by stating it is an offence to individually or with another incite or engage in acts of gross indecency with a child (Childnet, 2001) and is therefore liable for conviction . Today the legislation for the protection of children online or offline is rooted in The Children Act (1989) and the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. Section 31 of The Children Act states that harm to a child legally constitute the ill-treatment, impairment of health or development of a child which can include sexual abuse and non physical ill treatment (The Children Act 1989, 2011)S31, [f3, (9). The Protection of Children Act 1978 (England and Wales) (c.37) states it is illegal to take, possess, distribute or publish indecent photographs of children under the age of 16 [f22,(6). In May 2004, The Sexual Offences Act (2003, S.45), amended the age limit to include children up to the age of 18 unless defendants could prove they were a) in a relationship with the child involved (section 1A (1) and b) the child had consented to the photographs being taken (section 1A (4). In April 2008, The Police and Justice Act (2008, s39,) revised section 11 of The Protection of Children Act 1978 further by giving the police the powers to remove and retain indecent photographs of children under the age of 18 unless the defendant could prove they had a legitimate reason for being in possession of such material (IWF,2011). In August 2008, Paul Hagan was charged and convicted in Teesside Crown Court for possessing 15,000 child abuse images and distributing nearly 4400 to others. It is estimated that the website collectively had nearly a million indecent images and video clips relating to child abuse (Hunter, 2010). Computer generated Images, not necessarily photographs that depict or infer children engaging in sexual activity are also illegal and fall under the remit of the Coroners and Justice Act (2009) pt2, ch2, (65). This Act defines an image as a moving or still image produced by any means (legislation.gov.uk, 2011) Where the offence involves technology, Online Child abuse is still dealt with as an offence against the child and is determined and punishable also under many acts of the UK legal system in both the criminal and civil courts. However, new legislation incorporates the new methodologies of Child abuse not applicable in for example the creation of The Children and Young Persons Act of 1933; a time when information technology was not invented. The Sexual Offences Act of 2003 was produced as a result of a government investigation in 2000 into sexual offences. The Home Secretary at that time, David Blunkett, viewed the existing legislation and legally and socially outdated and inadequate to deal with mounting public pressure to deal seriously with sex offenders and also to reflect changing social attitudes. (Batty, D, 2003). The Sexual Offences Act (c42, Part 1 sections 14 15) relates to the relatively new offence of sexual grooming. Sexual grooming in the UK is legally defined as communicating with a child with the intention of meeting in order to commit a sexual offence (The National Archives, 2010). If an adult (a person over the age of 18) is seen to have attempted to make contact and arrange to meet with a child on more than one occasion with the intention of committing a sexual act, they will be liable to prosecution under the Sexual offences Act of 2003 s15, (1)(a). Successful prosecutions of this offence can lead to prison sentences of ten years (Sexual Offences Act 2003 s15, (4)(b). Further to this revision, another new law came into force to further protect children further. Under Section 42 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 part 2, 123 (a)(b), A senior police chief can apply to the courts for a civil Risk of Sexual Harm Order (The Crown Prosecution Service, 2011) against an adult who has previo usly been involved in illicit conduct with a child on more than one occasion even if they may not have necessarily been convicted of such crime. The Risk of Sexual Harm order serves to protect children by placing a minimum of a 2 year order on an adult considered to be a threat to not engage in any form of sexual activity, whether it is verbal, via instant messaging services or in internet chat room (Blackburn City Council, 2011) . On conviction of any sexual offence whether online or offline involving a child (post 1997), the offender is placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will have to comply with orders governed under Sexual Offences Act (2003) c42, part 2, Section 81 (1) that relate to the Sex Offenders Act (1997) pt1. Under this act the offenders must report to a Police station within 3 days of conviction and inform of any address changes or movement which may involve them being away from their current address for more than 7 days. Failure to comply can result in a 5 year jail term (CPS, 2011). Offenders can remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely if their conviction for this offence resulted in a 30 month or more jail sentence. For jail sentences of a lesser term, the length of time spent on the register is seven to ten years or half that time if the offender is less than 18 years old (Batty, 2006). Having served jail sentences and being placed on the Sex Offenders register, under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) and the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005) (SOCA, 2011), the police now have the power to remove/seize assets of offenders that have been made through Child abuse offences. This act enables police to confiscate goods through any criminal conduct deemed so in UK law. (The Guardian, 2009). Detecting Online Abuse Responsibility for the detection and prosecution of offline and increasingly more online Child abuse crimes in the UK involves a myriad of specialised agencies. The sensitive nature of this crime requires specialist, sensitive and professional management from the start of an investigation to the end from the childs perspective and the alleged offender. Successful convictions are to be commended; yet cases where there has been an arrest but no conviction can have ominous consequences for those involved. The Government, Crown Prosecution Service, E crime units at local police forces, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), charities such as The Internet Watch Foundation, local authorities and education all play a role in the protection of children from child abuse. The UK collaborates with European directives and international organisations in order to share information and specialist advice. At European level, the Council of European Convention on the Protection of Children against sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse came into force in July 2010 (CET.201), stating each member states responsibility to protect children and enforce the law on child abuse offences (EU, 2010) in accordance with Section . Further to this, there are currently proposals to extend the powers each governments hold further to force internet service providers to adhere to the Internet Watch Foundations (IWF) block list of offending web sites and remove the site from the host (Williams, 2011). On a worldwide level, The Virtual Global Taskforce is an example of one such organisation that operates on an international level. The Global Virtual Taskforce was formed in 2003 and consists of 7 multinational police forces from countries such as The UK, Canada and Australia who pool information and strategies in order to protect and educate children and ensure prosecution of offenders (VGT, 2011). Interpol also have a central database of suspects and the movement of offenders whom it shares with specialised units within police forces worldwide known as the International Child Sex Exploitation image Database (ICSE-DB) (INTERPOL, 2010). Interpol also release what are termed as green notices to organisations involved in Child abuse detection to warn of the movement of a convicted offender who may have located in their area (INTERPOL, 2010). Child Exploitation and Online Protection Service (CEOP) The key taskforce currently operating in the UK today created specifically to report, detect and tackle the growing problem of online child abuse is the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Service, otherwise known as CEOP. CEOP was created in 2006 as an independent central unit for detecting individuals and paedophile rings that use the internet to commit such crimes. All UK reported cases of Child abuse whether relating to on or offline offences are reported to CEOP. CEOP was the result of the creation of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (2006) (SOCA) which in turn overhauled the National Hi-tech Crime Unit of 2001 (NHTCU). The NHTCU was originally created to tackle the growing problem of all crime committed on the internet. With the creation of SOCA, the NHTCU was incorporated into SOCAs E crime unit and online crimes against the child fell under the remit of CEOP. CEOP is a multi professional unit of the police force which operates alongside and with the full power of the law. Based on information received, CEOP has the authority to investigate and on successful proof of evidence, prosecute offenders The organisation consists of highly trained police officers, IT experts, with assistance from internet service providers (ISP), local authorities, psychologists and educational agencies who collaborate in order to identify, locate and protect children from potential abuse (CEOP, 2006-10). The organisation has an online reporting mechanism on their website for the public to use if they suspect or have been a victim of child abuse. It also holds a database of the most wanted suspects who are currently wanted for questioning in relation to child sex abuse offences. CEOP have also created with the assistance of social networking sites like Facebook, a panic button known as ClickCEOP enabling children to click and report unsolicited or potentially criminal activity (Allan, 2010). The main function of CEOPS is the detection of online crime against children. Intelligence gathering is one of the key activities of the organisation and involves working nationally and internationally with police forces and experts to coordinate information and track activity across computer networks. CEOP also with the assistance of other agencies attempts to trace convicted offenders who have contravened their conditions determined under the Sex Offenders register. With the authority from The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2002, (RIPA), CEOP is able to share information with other police authorities and non police agencies e.g. local government authorities and councils, as the knock on effects of Child abuse often will require intervention from Social services departments. CEOP is a multi faceted organisation. As well as crime detection CEOP operates preventative measures and works alongside other organisations e.g. NSPCC and software companies like Microsoft to help eradicate online child abuse. It also plays a major role in the education and training of professionals who work within this field, e.g. police officers, social workers and regards itself as a truly holistic organisation that not only deals with the responsibility of detecting crime but works as an agency that endeavours through research and detection methods to trace movement of offenders and offences. This technique known as crime mapping facilitates in locating individuals and organised gangs and pinpoints areas where these crimes have been committed in order to forewarn local police forces and monitor offenders before they offend again. CEOP also aim to educate and promote awareness of safely using the internet through its campaigns such as its thinkuknow website which was developed to educate children and adults responsible for the web safety of children (Thinkuknow, 2007). Since its launch in 2006, CEOP and its associated agencies have seen dramatic rises in the numbers of offenders successfully brought to justice. Official figures from the CEOP website indicate in the years 2009-10, 1121 offenders were arrested compared to 83 in 2006-07 (CEOP, 2010). In the same period, the organisation has also been responsible for smashing 262 paedophile networks in comparison to 29 in 2006-7 (CEOP , 2010). The creation of a National Crime Agency in 2013, proposed by the current Government will see the merger of CEOP with SOCA and the UK Border Agency into one solitary unit. This has been met with in trepidation by those involved as there are fears CEOP will lose its independence and ability to provide a holistic service. The former head of CEOP, Jim Gamble resigned his post believing the move away from a dedicated child abuse unit will seriously but children at risk and return the service to a police department with little scope for all the other services the organisation currently provides(Booth, 2010) (Police Oracle, 2011). The Internet Watch Foundation Another key organisation involved in the fight against online child exploitation is the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The IWF is a registered charity formed in 1996 by members of the internet industry. Funded by the EU, the IWF operates alongside law enforcement agencies including CEOP and the internet industry and attains to tackle, block and remove illegal content on the web. The IWF does not have the legal powers of CEOP as it is not part of the UK police force but works and reports to the police on all website activity it investigates and is considered illegal under UK Law. THE IWF operates in conjunction with CEOP and operates a notice and takedown policy (IWF, 1996-2011) which enables them to block or remove UK websites which host illegal content. Where the images are hosted internationally the IWF can block UK access and then informs the relevant agencies of the country where the material is hosted. The IWF does not have the authority to remove content held on international servers and different laws apply in different countries, i.e. what the UK may deem offensive or containing criminal content might not be the case in another country. Amongst its other remit the IWF operates an online reporting mechanism on their internet homepage asimilar to the one provided by CEOP that enables internet users to report websites that may contain indecent images of children or criminal content. The IWF maintain a database or block list of websites believed to host illegal content which it distributes to internet services providers, mobile phone and communications o perators both nationally and internationally. This enables those in the industries to take action to break up networks of crime. Since its Launch in 1996, the IWF has dramatically reduced the volume of child abuse content hosted by UK websites. In 2003 criminal content known to the IWF stood at 1% compared to 18% in 1997 (IWF, 1996-2011). In 2007, the IWFs annual report revealed they were aware of 2755 publicly available websites not hosted in the UK that were displaying child abuse images (IWF, 2008) Case Study: Operation Ore One of the largest and most controversial UK investigations into online child abuse occurred in 1999 and resulted in the arrest of over 3700 men in the UK for online child abuse offences (Hirsch, et al., 2010). The ramifications of this investigation are still ongoing today and heralds the need for those involved in Child abuse detection and prosecution to ensure technological advances and considerations are at fundamental to the enquiry in order to reflect that the evidence is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), which preceded CEOP ran an enquiry termed as Operation Ore and was the upshot of an existing investigation into online child pornography in the United States knows as Operation Avalanche. Operation Avalanche was an investigation involving a married couple from Dallas, Texas in April 1999. Thomas and Janice Reedy had amassed a personal fortune by creating a network of websites trading as Landslide productions, which enabled users to subscribe to access predominantly adult porn sites. Within the website there was an opportunity to access child abuse images. Although Thomas Reedy had not created, uploaded or hosted the images or websites, he had facilitated others to use the Landslide website as a portal to child pornography websites based in other countries. On their arrest, US police officers discovered a list of 300,000 credit card holders from 60 countries who had subscribed to the Landslide website (CBC News, 2003). On receipt of t his list, the US police authorities informed the UK police that within those credit card numbers found, approximately 7000 of those were UK based and proceeded to provide the UK police force with the names of those involved (BBC, 2002) . On the substantiation of the credit card details provided by the US authorities, the UK police began the largest investigation into online child abuse offences ever witnessed in the UK. Of the 7000 names exchanged, it is estimated that more than 2600 of those have been convicted of child abuse offences (Wardrop, 2009) and all of those cautioned and convicted have been placed on the sex offenders register (The Yorkshire Post, 2009). Operation Avalanche was heralded as a triumph in the fight against child abuse crimes in the United States. The US investigation was commended for the professional manner in which it handled the operation. Of the 35,000 suspected offenders, following meticulous investigations, 144 homes were searched and 100 people arrested (Campbell, 2005). In the UK, all of the names on the list were immediately placed on the sex offenders register before investigations had been completed (The Yorkshire Post, 2009). CEOP who took over the investigation from the NCIS also judge the ongoing operation to be a complete success having cautioned or convicted 2600 offenders (Laville, 2009). The Operation Ore investigation is not without controversy. Many believe that the basis for prosecution was solely placed on the credit card details passed to UK authorities with little thought given to the actuality that subscribers may not have consciously accessed the links directing them to child abuse images or knew the website presented such a service. As the website was predominantly directed at adult pornography, the vast majority users would have admitted to paying for adult services. The names of those alleged offenders were also leaked to a national newspaper, the Sunday Times, (Cullen, 2003) and included professionals and high profile names from the music industry of which many were publicly named causing widespread distress. This in turn also victimised those on the list before they had the opportunity to defend themselves. It is estimated that over 30 of those accused of viewing child abuse images have committed suicide in the wake of Operation Ore (Oates, 2006). Gibraltar based Forces Commodore, David White, was suspended of his duties and took his own life in 2005 having been investigated under Operation Ore. At the inquest, the Ministry of Defence police has written to the Navy to confer there was no substantive evidence (Herbert, 2005) to prove that Commodore White had partaken in any of the crimes he was accused of. An additional concern of the enquiry was that no consideration had been given to the possibility of credit card identity theft. One such instance of this was the case of Consultant Dr Paul Grout who was under investigation and in April 2004 successfully proved his innocence in Hull Crown Court. Dr Grout had paid for a restaurant meal in the UK by the means of his credit card; his details had been fraudulently stolen and had fallen into the hands of a user in the United States (Leppard, 2005). In a recent case not under the remit of Operation Ore, a man was acquitted of downloading child pornography at Southwark Crown Court in October 2010 and awarded  £180,000 in damages after his PC had been affected by a virus. In the process of the investigation the accused, Chris Singam, had been originally investigated by the Fraud squad rather than specialists in online child sex abuse crime. Mr Singam had been found not guilty based on the evidence of a computer specialist who provided technical evidence to prove that the computers in his office had been attacked by a virus and he had not intentionally download illegal images (Welham, 2010). In the process of the investigation, Mr Singams business had collapsed and he had been ostracised by the local community (Shorter, 2010). Although these cases should not reflect away from the successful convictions for these offences, Operation Ore has exposed the human effects of those involved in Child abuse investigations. The effects on family life and career progression will have far reaching consequences even if the accused is found not guilty. An expert witness, Duncan Campbell, who gave evidence in one of the many Operation Ore investigations, reflects on the stigma attached to individuals in these cases and argues that internet users in such cases can become the victims through a combination of technical naivety and fear (Campbell, 2005). It is also clear that technology raises many issues than is evident in offline child abuse cases. Establishing guilt through a users PC or mobile phone records may prove difficult. Although technology can provide the trails of data evidence, it cannot necessarily prove the activity was paved through the actions of the accused. That will require the use of highly trained specialists to work alongside traditional policing methods to successfully prove liability. Conclusion Undoubtedly the Internet has given those who partake in online child sex abuse, a gateway to view pornographic images and an effortless passage through social networking sites and messenger services the potential to sexually abuse children offline. Keeping safe 99% of children in the UK between the ages of 8 and 17 years old with internet access is a colossal task. In view of the rise in internet service and the number of children using the internet, it is evident that the Government through legislation and policing, alongside the internet industry, educational and charitable organisations are proactively working to make the internet a safer place. Revisions of outdated Acts of Parliament are enabling the courts to prosecute offenders under new laws as technology increasingly plays its role in crime. However, technology moves faster than legislation and the Law may not be prepared for technological advances. Educating children and parents through online safety campaigns such as the thinkuknow campaign will alert users not only to the dangers of internet use and will empower them to report suspected crimes making the internet a safer place for others. This could be improved further by television campaigns to reach a wider audience. Dedicated UK specialist organisations such as CEOP and the IWF are working in collaboration with national, European and International organisations to pool data resources as networks of internet crimes operate on a global level. This can only benefit the fight against child online abuse as networks cover global areas. However, there is not a global strategy or organisation in which all countries participate. The Virtual Global taskforce could extend to include other countries in order to be truly international. And finally, Operation Ore reminds us of the emotive nature of involvement in Child abuse cases whether on or offline. Although a large number of offenders were successfully and rightly prosecuted under this investigation, large numbers of those have been left with a lifelong stigma which surrounds this type of offence due to flaws in technical evidence. The need for highly specialised experts is paramount to ensure not only the safety of children on the internet but to bring offenders to justice for their crimes and to protect those not guilty of these crimes from persecution.

made up Garfield :: essays research papers

It was just a day at John Arbuckle's house. As Garfield got up at 10:00 am he took a look at his calendar. He took a glance at the day of the week and mumbled "Ha, monday I need to go back to sleep." Just as Garfield was falling back to sleep John yelled "Get up you lazy cat! I need to take you to the vet for your shots." Garfield was wide-awake soon as he heard that and ran into the closet. John grumbled, " I'm not having a good day." Then Garfield opened the door and ran into the center of the room and stopped there. A few minutes later Odie came up behind him and said, "bark". Garfield sprang to the ceiling. Garfield thought to him self " Just what I was waiting for. Now John can't find me up here." "Garfield!!!" John yelled. Then "rip" the wallpaper on the ceiling ripped and down Garfield came. Yet, John grabbed him right out of the air. "OK Garfield let's stop with the games and go to the Vet." John said happily. Soon they were in John's car and going to the vet. When they got to the vet Garfield whispered to himself "Maybe if I can just stall we will miss my appointment with the vet." When they got there Garfield grabbed the seat firmly. John got out and went to the other side to get Garfield. When he got there Garfield was on the drivers side. Then John went to the other side to get him he was on the other side. John mooned " Stop this Garfield!" So John crawled threw the car and grabbed Garfield, but Garfield had clinched the seat firmly and would not let go. John pulled and tugged, but Garfield had a good grip. Then John had a brainstorm " for ones in his life". John unlatched the seat and took the Garfield and the seat into the vets. He just made it on time. John takes the seat and Garfield into the vet who is waiting. The vet was a really fine looking woman. John took one look at her and started flirting with her. They where talking when Garfield saw t his as an opportunity to get out. He jumped out of his seat and ran off into the street. He stopped and looks around this place look filmier to him. made up Garfield :: essays research papers It was just a day at John Arbuckle's house. As Garfield got up at 10:00 am he took a look at his calendar. He took a glance at the day of the week and mumbled "Ha, monday I need to go back to sleep." Just as Garfield was falling back to sleep John yelled "Get up you lazy cat! I need to take you to the vet for your shots." Garfield was wide-awake soon as he heard that and ran into the closet. John grumbled, " I'm not having a good day." Then Garfield opened the door and ran into the center of the room and stopped there. A few minutes later Odie came up behind him and said, "bark". Garfield sprang to the ceiling. Garfield thought to him self " Just what I was waiting for. Now John can't find me up here." "Garfield!!!" John yelled. Then "rip" the wallpaper on the ceiling ripped and down Garfield came. Yet, John grabbed him right out of the air. "OK Garfield let's stop with the games and go to the Vet." John said happily. Soon they were in John's car and going to the vet. When they got to the vet Garfield whispered to himself "Maybe if I can just stall we will miss my appointment with the vet." When they got there Garfield grabbed the seat firmly. John got out and went to the other side to get Garfield. When he got there Garfield was on the drivers side. Then John went to the other side to get him he was on the other side. John mooned " Stop this Garfield!" So John crawled threw the car and grabbed Garfield, but Garfield had clinched the seat firmly and would not let go. John pulled and tugged, but Garfield had a good grip. Then John had a brainstorm " for ones in his life". John unlatched the seat and took the Garfield and the seat into the vets. He just made it on time. John takes the seat and Garfield into the vet who is waiting. The vet was a really fine looking woman. John took one look at her and started flirting with her. They where talking when Garfield saw t his as an opportunity to get out. He jumped out of his seat and ran off into the street. He stopped and looks around this place look filmier to him.

Four Conditions for Knowledge Essay -- Essays Papers

Four Conditions for Knowledge I. In this paper, I offer a solution to the Gettier problem by adding a fourth condition to the justified true belief analysis of knowledge. First though, a brief review. Traditionally, knowledge had been accounted for with the justified true belief analysis. To know something, three conditions had to be met: first, you had to have a belief; second, the belief had to be justified; third, this justified belief had to be true. So a justified true belief counts as knowledge. Gettier however showed this analysis to be inadequate as one can have a justified true belief that no one would want to count as knowledge. In the first Gettier counterexample, Smith is justified in believing that Jones is the man who will get the job. Smith’s also justified in believing that Jones has ten coins in his pocket. From that he infers and has a justified belief that the man who will get the job has ten coins in his pocket. It turns out that the man who gets the job is not Jones but Smith, and Smith does in fact have ten coins in his pocket. Smith has a justified true belief that the man who will get the job has ten coins in his pocket. However, this shouldn’t count as knowledge. In the second Gettier counterexample, Smith is justified in believing Jones owns a Ford. Therefore, he’s justified in believing Jones owns a Ford or Brown is in Barcelona. Turns out, Jones doesn’t own a Ford but Brown is in fact in Barcelona. Once again, we have an example of a justified true belief that shouldn’t count as knowledge. ... ...eliefs: (a) I’m in a community of barn facades. (b) That looks like a barn (q), his belief that he sees a barn, isn’t justified, though. Therefore, Dom cannot know (q). The internalism of my account is obvious. What’s required for justification of (q) is different for Henry and Dom because of each’s belief about the kind of environment he is in. It is the belief about the environment and not the environment that matters. In other words, two people could be in the exact same circumstances but what required for justification would be different because of the beliefs they have. Causal accounts of knowledge can’t account for why Henry is justified for (q), but Dom is not. My account is not a causal account; as is shown in the Dom variation above, my account has no problem accounting for the different justifications required for Dom and for Henry.

Mike Roses I Just Wanna Be Average Essay -- Report French Commission

Comparing Mike Rose's I Just Wanna Be Average and the â€Å"Report of the French Commission on American Education, 1879' Mike Rose's I Just Wanna Be Average essay sheds light on troubled youth within the public school system. It makes you long for the days of American pride and service. Students placed in â€Å"tracks'; to utilize overcrowded and faulty test systems. Identity lost due to poor instruction and lack of motivation. The influx of shattered images brought forth by the â€Å"Report of the French Commission on American Education, 1879'; reminds us of a time long ago when education was for every child, not select few. Stoic instructors molding young minds in the quest to advance America as a whole. Civic pride and duty were influencing every aspect of American education. Both essays draw from the influence of education into the societal path into American mainstream society. Each school system is influenced by thoughts of bettering youth, but in much opposite ends of the spectrum. The French commission stated that the youth of America were offered the same curriculum in the hopes to form a united, equal society. America, as seen by the French, was a land of golden opportunities available to every child regardless of social standing. It was the basis for our country to survive. It safeguarded our standing in the world. Mike Rose’s school offered quite the opposite. It was a haven for long standing views on school being selective as to whom actually deserved the educa...

Automobile Industry in India Essay

Chennai accounts for 60% of the country’s automotive exports. In tune with international standards to reduce vehicular pollution, the central government unveiled the standards titled ‘India 2000’ in 2000 with later upgraded guidelines as ‘Bharat Stage’. These standards are quite similar to the more stringent European standards and have been traditionally implemented in a phased manner, with the latest upgrade getting implemented in 13 cities and later, in the rest of the nation. The Automotive Industry has flourished in Pune Region in Maharashtra, What were the special conditions were there for this development. Still Indian cars are not considered as a class in itself compared to European cars. India’s strong engineering base and expertise in the manufacturing of low-cost, fuel-efficient cars has resulted in the expansion of manufacturing facilities of several automobile companies like Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Maruti Suzuki In recent years, India has emerged as a leading center for the manufacture of small cars. Indian brands: AMW(Asian motor works- Commersial vehicles), Eicher Motors(tractors, Buses, components), Force(Bajaj Tempo), Hindustan motors(Birla, Ambassador car, Joint venture with Mitsubishi), Premier(Padmini, Moved from Mumbai to Pune), Tata, Mahindra, BharatBenz. Per capita penetration at around nine cars per thousand people is among the lowest in the world. While the industry is highly capital intensive in nature in case of four-wheelers, capital intensity is a lot less for two-wheelers. Though three-wheelers and tractors have low barriers to entry in terms of technology, four wheelers is technology intensive. Costs involved in branding, distribution network and spare parts availability increase entry barriers. With the Indian market moving towards complying with global standards, capital expenditure will rise to take into account future safety regulations. Automobile majors increase profitability by selling more units. As number of units sold increases, average cost of selling an incremental unit comes down. This is because the industry has a high fixed cost component. This is the key reason why operating efficiency through increased localization of components and maximizing output per employee is of significance. Maruti Suzuki, which is the market leader in PVs, had to deal with labour strikes at its plant at Manesar as a result of which production was severely hit. As petrol prices firmed up, the differential between petrol and diesel widened. Thus, there was a surge in demand for diesel cars. Most companies faced pressure at the operating level as margins declined due to rise in input costs. Steep depreciation of the rupee also took its toll. Tractors: While good monsoon is a positive for the sector, given the fact that non-farm incomes have continued to climb up, volumes should still hold up well in the longer run despite a year or two of poor monsoons. privatisation of select state transport undertakings bodes well for the bus segment.