Capital punishment :: essays research papers

Capital Punishment: A View of the punishments in America today: Capital Punishment by definition is the term used for the death penalty. Capital punishment is the most extreme of all sentencing options. In the United States capital punishment is legal in thirty-nine of the fifty states. Beginning in 1973, prison populations began a sure growth. There were 204,211 inmates in 1973, and by 1977 the number of prisoners had grown to 285,456, which later grew to 315,974 in 1980. By 1976, it was clear that the death penalty had to be reinstated. America’s twenty-one year experiment with capital punishment has resulted in a total of 392 executions, seventy eight of which took place in 1996 alone. Of these only thirty-four were federal cases, out of which thirty two were male and only two were female. Every year about 15,000 killers are charged and only about 300 wind up on death row. The death row population is constantly increasing. It is now more than 3,000. Because of constant appeals, it takes a person on death row typically between five to eight years to finally get   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medugno 2 executed. To kill all the prisoners on death row, it is estimated that it would take two executions a day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  for seven years. Crimes such as aiding in suicide, causing a boat collision resulting in death, forced marriage, espionage, castrating another, rape, homicide, child molesting resulting in death, and conspiracy to kidnap for ransom among many others are, in some states, crimes that are punishable by death. What the law permits, however, is not always used by the courts or the executive authorities. Most executions are a result of a murder or rape, and a small number for robbery, kidnaping, burglary, aggravated assault and espionage. In the US, the death penalty is currently authorized in one of five ways: hanging, which has been the traditional method of execution throughout the English-speaking world; electrocution, which was introduced by New York State in 1890; the gas chamber which was first adopted by Nevada in 1923; the firing squad which is used only in Utah and Idaho, and lethal injection which was introduced in 1977 by Oklahoma and is the most common form of execution in the US. Capital punishment is legal in Washington State, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,

Institutional Discrimination Essay

Sociologists often follow (Merton 1972, p. 20) in defining discrimination as the treatment of a functionally relevant status (such as race or sex) as relevant for the distribution of some reward or penalty. While legal standards of discrimination have changed since the passage of Title VII (Blumrosem, 1993, p. 110), legal scholars theoretically concur that discrimination involves the desperate treatment of similarly situated individuals because of their sex, race, color, national origin, religion or some other protected characteristics (Belz 1991; Blumrosen 1993, p 50). Diversity is defined as real or perceived difference among people that affect their interactions and relationships. (Bell, 2007). Knowing how to deal professionally with racism and racial discrimination in the workplace is important in managing the situation quickly and effectively and with the least upset possible. In the fiscal year 1997-2008, the United States EEOC received 28,372 charges of sex discrimination. EEOC resolved 24,018 sex discrimination charges in FY 2008 and recovered $109. million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation). Causes: Sexism, gender and racial discrimination are more common in the patriarchal societies. The term patriarchy refers to a society where men are granted the majority of social and political power. When thought of in this way, the cause of gender or racial discrimination has to do with unequal power where men and people of a particular race are granted more power than others. Institutional discrimination begins with recruitment process. Most jobs, especially the better ones, are not openly advertised. Knowledge of their existence is usually limited to friends and colleagues of those in power in the institutions, and in turn their friends and associates. Much institutional discrimination results from judgments made on secondary rather than primary characteristics such as educational background employment history, supervisory experience, age, income, etc. Misconceptions about employment experiences of women of color, particularly black women abound. Black women are often stereotyped as being unwilling to work, preferring nstead to use welfare to support her children (Bell 2007). Consequences: Cost associated with doing a poor job by not integrating workers from different background and gender could be very high. Organizations that do not value diversity reduce employee relations and also increase the cost of staff turnover. Costs associated with turnover include exit interviews, lost productivity while positions are unfilled and recruiting cost for replacement of employees. Cox, T. , & Blake, S. (1991). Talked about non-resourceful acquisition. Cox and Blake describe an organization’s ability to attract and retain employees from different backgrounds as resource acquisition. Employees from diverse backgrounds may include women, people of color, older workers, workers with disabilities and minorities, therefore organizations who do not have diverse workers are not resourceful in acquiring employees. An organization that does not value diversity lacks creativity and problem solving capability. Organizations composed of the same group of people, with same background would lack creativity and the problem solving ability of these competitive business environments. Research indicates that groups composed of people from different backgrounds bring with them different experiences that result in greater creativity and problem solving ability. These abilities stem from different life experiences, language abilities, and education that groups composed of different members have. An organization that discriminates or does not appreciate diversity in the workplace lacks system flexibility. System flexibility is the final way that Cox and Blake proposed that valuing diversity provides organizations with a competitive advantage. They argue that women have a higher tolerance for ambiguity than men. Tolerance for ambiguity is associated with cognitive complexity and success in uncertain situations. Other researchers have pointed out women’s ability to† multitask,† successfully handling multiple tasks concurrently. Organizations that discriminate against women therefore lack the flexibility and thus poor turnover. Due to amount of media attention focusing on lawsuits and damage settlements, an organization that discriminates in hiring employees from different ethnic groups and cultures might be at risk for law suits. Firstly to find solution to discrimination one has to be aware of one’s own stereotypes and biases, making conscious efforts to challenge and address them. Evaluation of current system of recruitment and promotion in the workplace is also very important. The current system of recruitment and promotion in a workplace needs to be examined and evaluated. Occupational hierarchies need to be examined both to determine the actual content of jobs and to remove barriers to mobility built into such hierarchies which serve to discriminate (Jo Freeman 1970). Not only are efforts to recruit and hire people from diverse backgrounds important, efforts to ensure that they are treated fairly after employment are also critical to successful diversity programs. Managers and professionals should be made to understand the importance of diversity in the workplace. The benefits of diversity is not farfetched, if an organization develops a reputation for valuing all types of employees, it would become known as an employer of choice, increasing its ability to attract and retain workers from a variety of backgrounds. Valuing diversity can also benefit organizations in the areas of cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, and problem solving and system flexibility. As a manager or supervisor that is hiring in an organization, pay particular attention to relevant information and ignore irrelevant, race-based stereotypes. This will help to eliminate what is not necessary and help to focus on necessity. Applying sanctions for violation of anti-discriminatory norms by employers is very important to stop discrimination in workplaces. Title VII of the civil right act of 1964 (Title VII) prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Federal and state law has expanded the rights afforded employees, giving them greater opportunities to bring claim against employer. The 1991 civil rights act specifically permits both punitive and compensatory damages for most type of discrimination and grants the right to a jury trial for such claim. I will also advice employees if they have suffered an insult, an injury, or a wrong at work to go slowly. Decide what you want to gain. If an apology from your employer would suffice, save yourself the time and expense of filling a legal action. Finally in light of societal changes, responsible managers and professionals at all levels should acknowledge the need to reassess the influence of culture and diversity on achieving expected organizational outcome. The deliberate attempt to discover and apply the positive benefits of cultural variation promotes respect and a celebration of the value of diversity, whereas perpetuating prejudice fosters narrow-mindedness and contempt.

How I Know My Mother Loves Me Essay

When I was very young, I was a sickly child. In fact, I had to spend most of my life away from school and in bed. Not surprisingly, I was miserable. I fretted a lot and constantly demanded my mother’s attention. I was a spoiled brat.During the day, I would demand that my favorite delicacies be served to me and that my favorite stories be read to me. At odd hours of the night, I would ask for a hot drink or a cookie, or just some company.†Mummy, stay with me!† was my constant whine.Not once was that demand refused. Not once did my mother groan or grumble. She answered every unreasonable demand of mine with unfailing patience. My mother would put everything aside to comfort me.My world was very small then. There was just me and Mummy. My world consisted of the feel of her cool palms soothing my brow and her floral scent as she leaned over me to tuck in my blanket. I remember her low voice, hushing me as I fretted about the pains in my joints. Most of all, I remember the look in her eyes, of deep concern for her sick child. That was how I knew my mother loved me then.Miraculously, I have outgrown my childhood ailments. Now that I am on the threshold of adulthood, my world has grown to include many exciting friends. Set free from the prison of the sickbed, I revel in the fun that the world has to offer.My relationship with my mother has suffered from my wild pursuit of fun. She criticizes my choice of friends and tries to enforce rules and regulations to curb my activities.Two nights ago, I stayed out way, way past my â€Å"curfew† hour, which is eleven o’clock. It was almost 1 a.m. when I reached my house. To make matters worse, I had been unable to call home to inform my mother that I would be delayed. There were no phones where we were â€Å"hanging out†. I knew that I was in for it!My mother flung open the door the minute she heard my friend’s car pull in. Her face was red, sweat was pouring down her temples. My friends made a quick exit as she ranted at me, her arms waving wildly. I didn’t say a word, in case one of those hands should find its mark on my face. I was ordered straight to bed.As I got into bed, she stood in my room, still ranting at me for my disobedience and â€Å"wild behavior†. I was tired. I just wanted to sleep. I looked up at her face to try to gauge if her scolding would be continuing much longer.Then I saw something familiar about the look in her eyes. It was the same look of concern that she had always had when I was so sick. I saw in her eyes all the fears that she had suffered that night as she waited for her daughter to return safely.This is how I know my mother loves me now.

The Causes and Effects for College Students Essays

The Causes and Effects for College Students Essays The Causes and Effects for College Students Essay The Causes and Effects for College Students Essay Everyone in the world has a chance to experience stress, so almost everyone knows what the meaning of stress is. Most people who suffer from stress are college students because they have many things to do at the same time. Students have to balance their course work and family at the same time, and they have to leave their family problems in their home to be able to concentrate carefully on their course work. The university life has become a lot more challenging, and it’s much harder than school. I think being in college can be extremely stressful because students have to do everything by themselves. Furthermore, students have many assignments to do everyday. Therefore, students stay awake late and don’t pay attention to the class because they don’t get enough sleep. Moreover, college students in their first year usually lose or gain weight; this leads to stress. Also, most students have jobs and less time to do homework which makes them stress. An enormous amount of stress affects many academic issues; such as sleep deprivation, changes in weight, and time issues. The first effect of stress that happens for college students is sleeping problems. In addition, college students have many things to do in their day time, so they have to stay up until midnight. Therefore, if they get to sleep late, they will wake up late in the morning. According to Berit, â€Å"deprivation alone is enough to make the emotional brain behave as if an extreme danger were present† (2008, P 11). In my case, every day, I have to study for an exam or do homework for all my classes and write at least one essay. Even though I finish college at 3PM, I sometimes stay until 6pm. Therefore, I can’t sleep well at night, and if I don’t have 8 hours of sleep, I feel tired while I’m in the class, and I can’t pay attention. Some students have to study for more than one test, so they have to spend most of their time on studying, and they need to stay awake until the next day. During the exam, they feel tired, and they can’t do well on the tests. Because of stress they don’t sleep well at night. This stress affects their attention on the class. Another cause of college stress is losing or gaining weight. Sometimes students do not have time to eat because of the work they have to do. According to Scott (2008), in the article about stress for college students â€Å"Some people think that while student study for first year, some of students they lost their weight and other gain because of academic stress† (P7). As a result of not having enough proteins and energy to stay healthy, some students lose weight. For example, before I came here to study my major, my weight was 70kg, but after four months of studying here and the amount of work I had to finish, my weight has become 61kg because I don’t have time to cook, and I feel lazy, so I just eat simple foods and go to the bed. Also, my friend Abdurrahman who came with me to the U. S. , he was 73kg but until now he has gained 9kg because of the stress which caused him to eat chocolate and ice cream when he felt bad. Because of this stress, students would not be able to focus carefully because they are unhealthy, so the brain may not work like some healthy person. Therefore, the stress on college students attributes to weight loss and gain. The third cause of stress that college students deal with is time management problems. Some college students are more independent, and they have to work for themselves. Most of the students have a part time job, so they can pay for their tuitions. Thus, they have to study well in college and do well at their job simultaneously; they need more time to adapt and do well at a new job. For example, my friend John, from Washington, DC, lost his scholarship because he didn’t do well in his course, so he lost his job. He didn’t do well because he didn’t have time to study. Some students can’t manage their time between work and studying which affects them with a lot of stress. As a result, course work and employment is difficult for students which causes the stress because of the lack of time. All of these aspects can cause students to feel like they are overwhelmed. Most students use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to relieve stress. To conclude, I think most of the university students today are facing three main major effects that have to do with sleeping, weight and time issues. College students have a lot of stress, but we have to balance our lives. Because of the stress that college students face, some students use drugs to reduce the college stress. Moreover, to reduce the stress, we have to balance the college life and social life. Being lazy is taboo in the college life. Students have to sleep early and wake up early and try as much as they can to focus in their classes. Students should budget their demands of college life and social life. Food is very important for the body to get energy and be more active because it contains all the nutrients and vitamins that we need in order for us to function correctly. We also have to balance between work and school. Everyone must study hard and balance life to be a successful person.

Japanese Battleship Yamato in World War II

Japanese Battleship Yamato in World War II One of the largest battleships ever built, Yamato entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1 guns. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were underpowered. Taking part in several campaigns during World War II, the battleship was ultimately sacrificed during the Allied invasion of Okinawa. Ordered south as part of Operation Ten-Go, Yamato was to break through the Allied fleet and beach itself on the island to serve as an artillery battery. While steaming to Okinawa, the battleship was attacked by Allied aircraft and sunk. Design Naval architects in Japan began work on the Yamato-class of battleships in 1934, with Keiji Fukuda serving as the chief designer. Following Japans 1936 withdrawal from the Washington Naval Treaty, which forbade new battleship construction before 1937, Fukudas plans were submitted for approval. Initially meant to be 68,000-ton behemoths, the design of the Yamato-class followed the Japanese philosophy of creating ships that were bigger and superior to those likely to be produced by other nations. For the ships primary armament, 18.1 (460 mm) guns were selected as it was believed that no US ship with similar guns would be capable of transiting the Panama Canal. Originally conceived as a class of five ships, only two Yamatos were completed as battleships while a third, Shinano, was converted to an aircraft carrier during building. With the approval of Fukudas design, plans quietly moved forward to expand and specially prepare a dry dock at the Kure Naval Dockyards for construction of the first ship. Veiled in secrecy, Yamato was laid down on November 4, 1937. Early Issues In order to prevent foreign nations from learning the actual size of the ship, Yamatos design and cost were compartmentalized with few knowing the true scope of the project. In order to accommodate the massive 18.1 guns, Yamato featured an extremely wide beam which made the ship very stable even in high seas. Though the ships hull design, which featured a bulbous bow and a semi-transom stern, was tested extensively, Yamato was unable to achieve speeds higher than 27 knots making it unable to keep up with most Japanese cruisers and aircraft carriers. This slow speed was largely due to the vessel being underpowered. In addition, this issue led to high levels of fuel consumption as the boilers struggled to produce enough power. Launched with no fanfare on August 8, 1940, Yamato was completed and commissioned on December 16, 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II in the Pacific. Entering service, Yamato and its sister Musashi became the largest and most powerful battleships ever built.  Commanded by Captain Gihachi Takayanagi, the new ship joined the 1st Battleship Division. Fast Facts: Japanese Battleship Yamato Overview Nation: JapanType: BattleshipShipyard: Kure Naval DockyardLaid Down: November 4, 1937Launched: August 8, 1940Commissioned: December 16, 1941Fate: Sunk in action, April 7, 1945 Specifications Displacement: 72,800 tonnesLength: 862 ft. 6 in. (overall)Beam: 127 ft.Draft:: 36 ft.Propulsion: 12 Kampon boilers, driving 4 steam turbines and 4 propellersSpeed: 27 knotsRange: 7,145 miles at 16 knotsComplement: 2,767 men Armament (1945) Guns 9 x 18.1 in. (3 turrets with 3 guns each)6 x 6.1 in.24 x 5 in.162 x 25 mm anti-aircraft4 x 13.2 mm anti-aircraft Aircraft 7 aircraft using 2 catapults Operational History On February 12, 1942, two months after its commissioning, Yamato became the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. That May, Yamato sailed as part of Yamamotos Main Body in support of the attack on Midway. Following the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Midway, the battleship moved to the anchorage at Truk Atoll arriving in August 1942. The ship remained at Truk for much of the next year largely due to its slow speed, high fuel consumption, and a lack of ammunition for shore bombardment. In May 1943, Yamato sailed to Kure and had its secondary armament altered and new Type-22 search radars added. Returning to Truk that December, Yamato was damaged by a torpedo from USS Skate en route. Yamato and Musashi at Truk, 1943. Public Domain After repairs were completed in April 1944, Yamato joined the fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea that June. During the Japanese defeat, the battleship served as an escort in  Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawas Mobile Fleet. In October, Yamato fired its main guns for the first time in battle during the American victory at Leyte Gulf. Though hit by two bombs in the Sibuyan Sea, the battleship aided in sinking an escort carrier and several destroyers off Samar. The following month, Yamato returned to Japan to have its anti-aircraft armament further enhanced. After this upgrade was completed, Yamato was attacked by US aircraft with little effect while sailing in the Inland Sea on March 19, 1945. With the Allied invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, Japanese planners devised Operation Ten-Go. Essentially a suicide mission, they directed  Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito to sail Yamato south and attack the Allied invasion fleet before beaching itself on Okinawa as a massive gun battery. Once the ship was destroyed, the crew was to join the islands defenders. Operation Ten-Go Departing Japan on April 6, 1945, Yamatos officers understood that it was to be the vessels last voyage. As a result, they permitted the crew to indulge in saki that evening. Sailing with an escort of eight destroyers and one light cruiser, Yamato possessed no air cover to protect it as it approached Okinawa. Spotted by Allied submarines as it exited the Inland Sea, Yamatos position was fixed by US PBY Catalina scout planes the next morning. Japanese battleship Yamato blows up, following massive attacks by U.S. Navy carrier planes north of Okinawa, 7 April 1945. An escorting destroyer is at left. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV-10) plane. US Naval History and Heritage Command Attacking in three waves, SB2C Helldiver dive bombers  pummeled the battleship with bombs and rockets while TBF Avenger torpedo bombers assaulted Yamatos port side. Taking multiple hits, the battleships situation deteriorated when its water damage-control station was destroyed.  This prevented the crew from counter-flooding specially designed spaces on the starboard side to keep the vessel from listing. At 1:33 PM, Ito directed the starboard boiler and engine rooms flooded in an effort to right Yamato. This action killed several hundred crewmen working in those spaces and cut the battleships speed to ten knots. At 2:02 PM, the admiral elected to cancel the mission and ordered the crew to abandon ship. Three minutes later, Yamato started to capsize. Around 2:20 PM, the battleship rolled over and began sink before being torn open by a massive explosion. Of the ships crew of 2,778, only 280 were rescued. The US Navy lost ten aircraft and twelve airmen in the attack.

Cash Flows in Business Organisations Coursework - 1

Cash Flows in Business Organisations - Coursework Example On the other hand, net cash flow can be defined as the difference between the cash that is brought in and that goes out of a company. First, to understand the underlying factor causing the difference in these two major accounting items, it is imperative to be known that the determination of a company’s net profit for the financial period depends on some criteria as provided by the GAAP (Eisen 2007, pp. 101-110). Unlike net profit, cash flow determination is not affected by any criteria. Second, the difference is brought about by the fact that some expenditure considered as non-cash such as the depreciation costs are deducted from the revenue in order to obtain the net income. On the other hand, these non-cash costs are added back to obtain the net cash flow. Third, the difference may be caused by the rules regulating the recognition of revenues and expenditures, which do not apply to a cash flow statement but to the profit and loss account. Consider a company with a net income of $ 1,117,500. To obtain the company’s cash flow, some costs such as the amortization ($ 101,100) are added back to the net income to obtain the net cash flow. Therefore, $ 1,117,500 + 101,100 + (or less other items) will result in a higher value of net cash flow as compared to the net income (Gilbertson & Lehman 2009, pp. 428). As provide in the international accounting standards 7, the indirect method of cash flow presentation involves beginning with the net income, which is then adjusted to obtain the net cash flow. On the other hand, the direct method specifically shows the cash inflows that make up the operating activities as shown in appendix 1a and 1b (Jury 2012, pp. 228-230). Operating activities: The extracts of operating activities of the two companies are available under appendix 2. In the year 2011 and 2012, the following are the cash flow analysis: Viacom has net earnings of $ 2,173,000 and

International Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Organizations - Essay Example The lack of transparency in its procedures and the tendency for some or all of the permanent five to caucus in private are cause for concern. A more serious concern is the composition of the Council. It is not reasonable to suggest that the five winners of the Second World War, with the assistance of ten additional rotating member states, comprise a representative, legitimate or authoritative voice for a UN membership of 185. While certainly it would be good to have more representation where decision-making and policy-crafting in the UN is concerned, so as to accommodate the interests of developing countries, such moves might smack of tokenism if the single biggest roadblock is removed: the veto power. Historically, the veto power has been wielded to promote the partisan interests of superpower nations. It is obsolete and should be phased out. Second, more political will is needed on this issue of human rights. When the United Nations was created in 1948 by a world still reeling from the ravages of the Second World War and intent on healing the wounds wrought by it, it was tasked to become the primary agency in defining and advancing human rights. From then on, various other agencies were created, addressing specific human rights concerns. Notable examples of this are the International Labor Organization and the UNICEF. However, despite the complex structure and wo... Two good examples are the genocide in Rwanda in the early 90's, and the current conflict and suffering of people in Darfur, Sudan. There must be a mechanism to ensure that the UN will quickly respond and intervene. 2. How relevant is the experience of the concept of Europe to contemporary problems of management in international affairs Indeed, the European model has been helpful in addressing some problems in management of international affairs. However, a predominant problem in the management of international affairs is the accommodation of diversity and pluralism that certainly cannot be addressed solely by reliance on an intrinsically homogeneous model. Even on the issue of human rights, there are conflicting paradigms. The universality of human rights has oftentimes been challenged by critics on the allegation that the Western bias is very much evident, and that the popularity of it in recent times is nothing more than the remnants of a neocolonial attitude purveyed by the crafty and bought by the undiscerning. A refutation of this was attempted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1968 through a study that demonstrated that "the profound aspirations underlying human rights correspond to concepts - the concepts of justice, an individual's integrity and dignity, fre edom from oppression and persecution, and individual participation in collective endeavors - that are encountered in all civilizations and periods." Some Islamic scholars like Safi (2000, page 1) remain unconvinced: The pragmatic arguments for the universality of human rights are problematic, because they either completely overlook the significant impact cultural