Human effects on environments Essay

Human effects on environments is increasing during the past few years. Those trash and pollution made by people is becoming detrimental to local environment. There is a survey done in Xingqing park in Xian about human effects on natural environment. Water quality including turbidity and pH were tested, also the quality of soil was tested. In addition human effects were found in order to see how deep the damage is. Food web provides a view of creatures live in there in order to give an opinion on how much the pollution is. The result was that human activities does have negative effects on natural environment in various ways, so in conclusion people should care moe about loca environment instead of through trash. Introduction Human activities sometimes contaminates the nature, it can be seen in many parts of city such as parks and lakes. Here the environment of Xingqing park is damaged by people for many years. As a park, it locates in the center of the city which means the majority of people come there frequently. In order to find the damage, items such as pH, turbidity and others were tested to find out how much the negative effects are. Human activities like footprints and trashes are also counted in. The thesis is that human activities has detrimental damage on environment because of trash and lack of cleaning. Method In order to find out the quality of water, first we tested the water turbidity using Secchi disk, measured the length of the line to calculate the turbidity. Then the pH of water was tested using pH paper. Soil pH is a little different, we have to put soil and water in a ratio of 1 over 5, then wait until water and soil separated into layers, the clear part of the water will be tested by pH paper. For plants distribution and food chain we use a map to mark every time we see certain creatures. Human activities including foot prints and trash are marked in the map also. Then results will be analyzed to reach the conclusion. Findings Based on research, there are something in the park represents environmental damage. Walking around the lake there is died fish over the corner spreads smelly smell, it seems that the quality of water is not good enough to support such big creatures. Also there are not enough decomposers to break it down. In addition, there are several insects float on the water, also some trash such as plastic bags are around corner of the lake edge. The water turbidity is 33cm in Secchi disk measurement, another thing is seen commonly is massive of bacteria on the surface of water floating around,which is disgusting. On the ground there is a wild crab found in the bush, also there are wild sparrows and magpies found in the tree but not so many. For plans distribution, since it is an artificial lake, the plants are mostly planted by human, rings of tress surrounded the whole lake. But the grass cover is not in a high rate, hard soil is everywhere due to human walking, about 40%of land is covered by grass. Another thing need to consider is soil and water pH, however both the soil and lake have water in basic levels of 7 to 8, which is just ok for creatures to survive. Finally we noticed that there are a huge amount of ants, including big ants and small ants. Small ants stay together meanwhile big ants going around alone. As internet shown the air quality is not as bad, pm2.5 is in a level of 110 in general.

College and Success in Life

College and Success in Life It is very difficult to answer the claim that a person needs a university education to be successful in life because success in life means different things to different people. This essay starts by defining three different ideas of success. Following this, it looks at which types of success are dependent on a university education. Success in life can be achieved in different ways. Many magazines and television programmes tell us that success means having a lot of money, having a fulfilling career, and being powerful.In contrast, most religious and spiritual organizations claim that success means finding spiritual happiness and being at peace with God and with yourself. Another idea of success focuses on relationships – being surrounded by people who love you and care about you, spending time with family and friends. A university education can help you achieve some types of success, but it makes little or no difference to whether or not you are succe ssful in other areas of life. Undoubtedly, a university education is essential if you want to have a career in a profession such as law, engineering, teaching, or medicine.However, you do not need a university degree to become a wealthy and powerful movie star, sports star or businessperson. In fact, a university education does not generally enable you to achieve spiritual happiness, or to have successful relationships with family and friends. sIn conclusion, there are many different types of success. A university education may help you to achieve professional success in some careers. However, it will not help you to achieve success in other areas of your life such as your spiritual life or your relationships.

challenge Faced BY Modern accommodation Manager

Modern accommodation agents and companies in the contemporary global world are facing various challenges. The issues related to contemporary accommodation problems can be linked to market demands, increased competition, technological advancements and customer needs (Aurecongroup.com, 2017). Another global challenge that seems to be a major problem for accommodation agencies is the lack of sufficient availability of resources and utilization of the same resources.   For instance, agencies may require adequate resources to build on the best satisfaction of their clients' needs. Accommodations department may also lack adequate support for management of their resources thus leading to mismanagement of the company available resources when resources are mismanaged especially in an entrepreneurial accommodation industry, other areas or departments within the organization are also likely to be affected since accommodation often entails several packages that are interrelated to each other. The aim of this assignment is to address factors related to accommodation challenges. The paper shall also discuss remedies for proper customer service in the accommodation industry. Outsourcing is a business strategy that entails duty or role sharing among companies or organizations.   Outsourcing process occurs when an organization or an individual company takes the role of performing or providing products and services on behalf of other businesses (Wuyts, 2015).The most organization often applies the outsourcing strategy in the verge of saving costs.   Outsourcing can be both beneficial and non-beneficial. Outsourcing may prove to be cost saving when properly utilized. Outsourcing is the most appropriate measure that hotel managers can take into consideration in ensuring that their customer needs are met. Outsourcing in hotel management is viable as it is aimed towards ensuring that clients get access to quality services from experts (Johnson et al. 2014). Outsourcing makes hotel management easier as it attracts more customers to the business chain because outsourcing is more often than not based on professional rather than just poor practices (Langer, Mani, and Srikanth, 2014). Large accommodation industries should consider adopting an outsourcing practice in the management of their business. This is because outsourcing will help the hotel cooperative to develop effective customer relations, maintain stability and increase the hotel income earnings. Departments That Can Utilize Outsourcing Departments that can use outsourcing in the hotel management industry are as follows; Outsourcing is an important approach to hotel industries; hotel managers should adopt outsourcing practices due to the following reasons. First, outsourcing enables managers to focus on primary business in the given department. Managers adopting the outsourcing practice perceive it as a more appropriate practice as services can be partially shared among specific qualified individuals or company thus ensuring quality (Gunasekaran, 2015). Secondly, outsourcing is an open approach as hotel managers can choose to delegate an entire or partial duty to an individual or other organizations. Nevertheless, partial outsourcing is often more encouraged in hotel industries so as to avoid disappointments in the delivery of services (Lacity and Willcocks, 2014). For instance, a hotel that conducts or connect to their customers via online platforms should consider outsourcing more than one IT system company; this will enable the hotel managers to maintain customer communication balance in case of failures of one of the departments. Thirdly, outsourcing helps hotel managers in establishing proper on-site assistance for employees thus leading to better performance. for example outsourcing of outside professionals to enhance employees professional skills promotes better and improved performance among the trained employees. Fourthly, outsourcing help bridge employees gap within the organization while at the same time saving on the capital costs. For example, partial outsourcing of services to other agencies helps reduce the work load of employees within the hotel. Outsourcing also helps in covering up for organizations that have few employees and ensures that employee’s workload is not overstretched (People matters. in, 2017) Fifthly, outsourcing in the hotel industry is a sure way of fulfilling customer demands satisfaction (Research, 2017). This is because outsourcing often involves engagement of qualified personnel in given areas thus promoting quality delivery of services to clients.   Finally, outsourcing ensures efficient operational services as it exposes the organization to different specialized vendor systems this allowing the hotel managers an opportunity to choose from the most preferred provider service. Drawbacks Of Moving To An Outsourced Organization The first drawback of outsourcing in hotel management is the quality alteration. Sometimes outsourcing may not prove to be the best approach for managers who wish to maintain service quality to customers. This is because partial outsourcing to different organizations may differ regarding quality thus creating a different version of a given product and service rather than creating consistency. The second drawback for outsourcing is that it may lead to employees’ layoff due to its cheaper costs (Dolgui and Proth, 2013).   Some employees may end up losing their jobs in an instance where an organization decides to employ an outsourcing approach. For example, the hotel management online payment approach may lead to losing of jobs for cashiers and accountants. Outsourcing is also associated with labor issues in instances whereby employees from different organization lack sufficient knowledge of what is expected of them. The third drawback of outsourcing is the ignorance to legal compliance and security. Some managers often assume acquiring formal legal documentation of the outsourcing process thus leading to conflicts in cases of breach of contracts or agreement. It is important for investors to ensure that the outsourcing process is legal and that both concerned parties retain a copy of the agreement. Another outsourcing problem is that it may not solve all the customer needs especially in a situation whereby outsourcing is granted to a different nation with dissimilar interest to the organization in place (Carruth et al., 2013).   For instance, giving a call center to a country that speaks the different language to that of several customers may lead to customer demand dissatisfaction. Accommodation management planning sector is influenced by three main factors which are; priority, company resource and forecasting   (Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2017). Most accommodation industries often aim at generating revenues thus altering the planning process of other projects within the industry. For instance, an accommodation agency may give more priority to customer satisfaction and ignore investing in active planning processes that will enhance customer satisfaction. Lack of sufficient company resources may prevent accommodation managers from achieving their planned goals. For example, an organization may have an intention of expanding its customer capacity and capital butt lack enough financial resources to do so. Inappropriate forecasting in accommodation management makes it difficult to plan for the success achievement of the accommodation services (Pereira, 2016). For instance, a forecast in the change of the accommodation material prices may interfere with the accommodation agency planned budget. Some of the issues contributing to controlling influence in accommodation management are; culture, financial administration, and customer service   Culture influence on accommodation management is prevalent in global accommodation services whereby people from the diverse community would prefer other accommodation services to others due to various cultural services offered (Ali & Amin, 2014). Customer service provision is a major controlling influence in accommodation management as it determines the incomes earning of an agency. Proper handling of customers enhances better accommodation agency growth while poor customer service limits an agency controlling influence for growth. Financial management determines the controlling influence in accommodation management.   Proper financial management enhances the strategic development of the set goals while poor fiscal management makes it difficult for an organization to control their expenditure. The first importance of handling customer and their needs is to ensure that client's grievances are heard and appropriately addressed thus ensuring customer satisfaction with the service offered to them. The other relevance of handling customer needs id to enhance the better relationship between customers and an enterprise. A well-developed customer relation promotes a company brand as it creates trust a feeling of allegiance among customers to the enterprise. Addressing customer needs and handling customers contributes to organization stability as happy customers often have a trend of coming back for better services. Therefore, addressing customer needs and managing customers in a friendly manner will contribute to the increase of organization net incomes. Handling customers with respect is also a method that an organization can use in popularizing their brand as customers are more likely to give positive feedback on the services they have received. Positive feedback, especially in business scenario, has the capacity of growing organization segmentation as positive feedback attracts more clients (Cambra-Fierro, Melero and Sese, 2015) Accommodation is one of the most delicate departments in the service industry, overcoming accommodation challenges needs the manager to address issues dealing with planning and proper customer management as these are the two largest contributors to accommodation challenges (Berman, 2015). An alteration of resource within one part or department of the accommodation industry may thus cause interference of the entire unit. Ali, F. and Amin, M., 2014. The influence of physical environment on culture, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in the Chinese resort hotel industry. Journal of   International Business Advancement, 7(3), pp.249-266. Aurecongroup.com. (2017). The hotel industry: our experts discuss the mega trends. [online] Available at: https://www.aurecongroup.com/en/thinking/insights/aurecons-successful-hotels/the-hotel-industry-our-experts-discuss-the-mega-trends.aspx [Accessed 4 Apr. 2017]. Berman, E., 2015. Performance and productivity in public and nonprofitable organizations. Routledge. Cambra-Fierro, J., Melero, I., and Sese, F.J., 2015. Managing Complaints to improve customer profitability. Journal of Retailing, 91(1), pp.109-124. Caruth, D., Haden, S.S. and Caruth, G.D, 2013. Critical factors in human resource outsourcing. Journal of Management Research, 13(3), p.1. Dolgui, A. and Perth, J.M., 2013. Outsourcing: definitions and analysis. International Journal of Production Research, 51(23-24), pp.6769-6777. Gunasekaran, A., Irani, Z., Choy, K.L., Filippi, L., and Papadopoulos, T., 2015. Performance measures and outsourcing decisions metrics: A review of research and applications. International Journal of Production Economics, 161, pp.153-166. Johnson, G., Wilding, P., and Robson, A., 2014. Can outsourcing recruitment deliver satisfaction? A hiring manager perspective. Personnel review, 43(2), pp.303-326. Lacity, M. and Willcocks, L., 2014. Business process outsourcing and dynamic innovation. Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, 7(1), pp.66-92. Langer, N., Mani, D. and Srikanth, K., 2014. Client satisfaction and profitability: An empirical analysis of the impact of precise controls in strategic outsourcing contracts. In Information Systems Outsourcing (pp. 67-88). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Peoplematters.in. (2017). People Matters - Interstitial Site. [online] Available at: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/training-development/bridge-skills-gap-know-and-grow-your-employees-12507?utm_source=peoplematters&utm_medium=interstitial&utm_campaign=learnings-of-the-day [Accessed 4 Apr. 2017]. Pereira, L.N., 2016. An introduction to helpful forecasting methods in revenue management of hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 58, pp.13-23. Research, H. (2017).   Marketing BPO Will Significance on the CMOs of Tomorrow. [online] Outsource magazine: thought-leadership and outsourcing strategy. Available at: https://outsourcemag.com/how-marketing-bpo-will-help-the-cmos-of-tomorrow/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2017]. Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2017). Factors That Affect Planning in an Organization. [online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/factors-affect-planning-organization-72.html [Accessed 4 Apr. 2017]. Sparrow, P., Brewster, C. and Chung, C., 2016. Globalizing human resource management. Routledge Tandfonline.com. (2017). The associations between training outsourcing and employee commitment in an organization content: Human Resource Development International: Vol 17, No 2. [online] Accessed from; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13678868.2014.886444 [Accessed 4 Apr. 2017]. Wuyts, S., Rindfleisch, A. and Citrin, A., 2015. Outsourcing customer support: The role of provider customer focus. Journal of Operations Management, 35, pp.40-55

Controlling Extraneous Variables in Research Coursework - 2

Controlling Extraneous Variables in Research - Coursework Example They do it based on the rational analysis and past occurrence. After spotting the extraneous variables, they can be regulated through grasping a variable steady. Another way of controlling the extraneous variables is through building a consistent environment and system to ensure that all variables are equal in every condition. Researchers have also embarked on random assignments where a group of researchers takes part in the same research. In random research, different researchers or groups are assigned to perform the task where a mathematical theory is applied to conduct the research. Â  In the article, a hypothetical construct has been identified as an extraneous variable, it is not seen directly. However, there are dimensions that have been formed to help learn hypothetical constructs in a more systematic way. Researchers use different techniques to address the issues related to the extraneous variables such as standardization that is mostly used in survey analysis. Researchers also ensure those extraneous variables are kept the same for all the research parts. It also requires the researchers to be aware of the extraneous variable especially throughout the design phase and be able to control it. Balancing the variable across the research stages also reduce the chances for the influence of the research by an extraneous variable. The balancing enables comparison between the research groups and stages.

How Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) influenced by the French Essay

How Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) influenced by the French New Wave - Essay Example In the film, Tarantino cuts some scenes and moves to other scenes in a manner that the audience is able to note that some scenes are not there. The Reservoir Dogs has a non-linear narration just like the French New Wave films. This is evident where Tarantino introduces the past life of some characters and then comes back to the present. The Reservoir Dogs film also makes references to films produced earlier including Get Christie Love and The Lost Boys films. The referencing of films produced earlier, in a film was a common characteristic of the French New Wave films (Conard, 2008, p.108). In terms of the formal elements of the film, the film employed the on-location shooting concept. Tarantino shoots about a quarter of an hour in one particular location and entry of new character in the scene happens without cutting of the shot. According to Neupert (2007, p.39) the French New Wave films were produced on a low-budget and location of shooting was not costly. The use of handheld cameras which was also a popular concept during the French New Wave can also be seen in the Tarantino’s

Dislocated Shoulder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dislocated Shoulder - Essay Example In most cases,  dislocation occurs due to direct fall or blow on the outstretched arm. Additional, there are posterior (backward) and the inferior or the downward dislocation (Rockwood, 2009). The posterior occurs occasionally, and it is to electric shock. Shoulder Dislocation often leads to severe pain that makes the victim unable to move the affected shoulder in a particular direction; thus, making their rams numb. Sometimes, the dislocated shoulder makes the arm twist off the body with the arm facing towards the back (Kuehl and National Association of EMS Physicians (U.S.), 2002). A severely dislocated shoulder is visible whereby the victims shoulder appears unusual. Dislocated shoulders can be tested and examine in different ways; however, it is pertinent to note the time of injury, prior medical condition to the problem or injury, and how the injury occurred. Some of the tests include the deltoid muscle test, touch sensation, twist, hand movement, and x-ray in the invisible situations (Rockwood, 2009). The treatment of the dislocated shoulder may include medication to a lessen pain and some cases require a general anesthetic. The treated patient is often sent home in shoulder immobilizer or sling (Rockwood, 2009). This reduces movement of the shoulder thereby facilitating recovery. Additionally, a pillow may be placed in between the body and the affected arm to help support the injured shoulder. A fully recovered victim may get back to the pitch but can avoid or prevent further injuries by learning safe landing

NURSING AND SOCIAL WORK SKILLS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

NURSING AND SOCIAL WORK SKILLS - Essay Example Through science, nurses obtain the skills and technology they rely on to achieve each patients optimal health (Dougherty, L & Lister, S. 2004). In this essay I will illustrate how I worked and established a working relationship with service user TJ during my 100-day statutory placement at a primary care community setting for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems. I will consider the interactions and interventions embarked upon with the patient, critically analyzing my work practice by linking theory to practice. My work with this patient involved helping and supporting him to develop new skills and more importantly to lower his aggression towards others in the day centre. The assignment will look at the rationale for utilizing a holistic philosophy of care and employing an anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice in nursing. I will also discuss how developed a close relationship. I will divide the essay into five sections. The first will discuss the des cription of the work. The second section will analyse how relationship was established. The third section will identify anticipated and actual barriers in the relationship. The fourth will talk in depth how the relationship was brought to a close. Reflecting upon my interactions with the patient I will analyze the influence of the reflective process. Following guidance from the NMC code of professional conduct and the GSCC Codes of Practice, the names of the patients have been changed to ensure confidentiality. The placement will remain unidentified and referred to as Edwardian Day Centre. The final section will provide an evaluation of my success (if any) in establishing the relationship with TJ. The essay will than be concluded.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Established with the aim to enable people with learning disability to live independently in the society, Edwardian Day Centre considers its members (aged 18-65) as students rather than service users as this prevents labelling (Cynthia, B.

Explain what the role of education would be in your ideal society Essay

Explain what the role of education would be in your ideal society - Essay Example It also helps develop reasoning powers, judgement and prepares one intellectually for mature life (Ornstein, 2013). The definitions demonstrate that there is learning involved, that education is a process centered towards making an individual’s life better. Education takes different forms, informal education, formal education and the now widely spreading e-learning. Irrespective of the form, the outcomes are more or less the same (Collier, 1998). The importance and value of education in many countries and governments is being emphasized, and as a result, some of the countries have their constitutions providing for ‘Right for education (Bruner, 1996). Education dictates a large part of what we do, how we think, the decisions we make and how we relate with others. Most countries have the same four levels of education, kindergarten /nursery level, primary education, secondary education and higher/tertiary education for the adolescent and teenage years (Cossin, 1997). Social purposes of education Research shows that education has a great role in shaping the person that one is, and the person that one will become (Goodland and MacMannon, 1997). It has many and important social purposes as seen herein. It helps in developing, enhancing and completing the socialization process. Parents and guardians now rely and expect the school to complete this process for their children. Young children spend most of their time with their teachers, and at the learning institution, the socialization process is enhanced. The child learns to relate with fellow people, learns basic respect actions like salutations, excusing themselves among others. Children learn how to live and relate with others in school (Nikollakoki 1997). Education helps get rid of negative attitudes and behaviors acquired during the early age. A child who comes from a family where parents raise their voices on each other, or where the father abuses the mother, or where honesty has not been instilled i s most likely to have learned some of these behaviors. Education however, is a correction tool, it will help correct this wayward child and teach them the good values instead (Cossin, 1997). Education develops the personality of a person. Children with low self esteem are taught to believe in themselves and made aware that they have power to be who they want (Barnett, 1991). In addition, education has a social purpose of training in skills (Lewis, 2011). Schools that offer practical classes like cooking classes, carpentry, art and acting helps in growing the talents of students. These skills, when perfectly developed are important in building careers. Another social function of education is to pass on culture (Collier, 1998). Culture refers to peoples beliefs, way of life, practices, values and tradition. In whichever form of education adopted, the culture of a particular people is taught. This is done through music, art, literature, drama and oral recitations. Education strengthens and acts as a unifying factor. People are taught how to live with people who have different cultures and beliefs. This way, it promotes peaceful coexistence, which is one of the core values of any society (Acar, 2011). Education has a role of conferring status in different people. Usually, a person with higher education studies is treated different from a primary school person. The higher degree of learning commands more respect. Related to this is the aspect of job placement. The

Unit 5 & 6 - POL 2000 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Unit 5 & 6 - POL 2000 - Research Paper Example With each country enjoying its leverage in different sectors. Secondly the threat of impact on one would lead to impact on all which has been seen in the case of European Union. Therefore each of these three nations would object to this idea. Other challenges include the rate difference in the currencies of the three states. The possible solution can be found in form of domestic currency versus international currency as a common currency. However it is still far from practical implementation. In personal capacity, having seen the challenges faced by the European states and especially with the relatively meager states in Europe such as Greece, Portugal and Spain that have been time and again bailed out and despite that they have found it difficult to continue with the common currency, therefore a common concept prevails that the common currency may not go too well in the favor of the weaker economic states such as Mexico in

Downfall of our public schools Essay Example for Free

Downfall of our public schools Essay As much as we would like to be able to assert that American public schools are the best in the world, time and time again we have been proven wrong, at least partially. The American system of public schools is failing those it serves. It has failed to provide equal educational opportunities to all students, it has failed to train them to take jobs and advanced careers, and it has failed to secure the future of American prosperity by failing utterly to create the kind of necessary professional and skilled labor balance that is critical to our continued prominence as a nation. On structural, financial, and curricular levels, the system is not designed to succeed. What it does do well is prepare a very small number of people who come from wealthy families to have any opportunity they want to take advantage of and leaves the vast majority of the nation to fend for itself – often without the tools, support, or ability to do so. The American public system of education bases its curriculum on several overarching principles: generalization, focus on the liberal arts, and an emphasis on individual achievement and self-selection (meaning that individual students determine the course of their own education and career path rather than being funneled into specific schools and programs as is common in other countries). Each of these, philosophically, is designed to help students achieve the greatest level of self-reliance and independence while providing the broad liberal foundation that can be, theoretically, applied in any situation, in any calling. Those are the benefits of a liberal foundation, but the detriments are that without specialization in education, students aren’t able to focus intensely upon their particular subject area until as late as college, and perhaps a small amount in high-school. The result is that students focusing on a general education for 12 years are allowed only 4-5 years of specialization (Browser, 10). Other nations, notably Japan and Germany, employ a system of education that, as early as elementary school, begins to identify potential school types and careers for students and puts them through specialization 4-6 years earlier than the US (Browser, 10). This results in many of these nations excelling in math and science where the U. S. falters. But, this is not the only point of failure of the U. S. system, the 2005 study of reading and mathematical proficiencies of 4th and 8th graders nationwide found that less than 40% of all students tested were grade-level proficient in those subjects (Standard Poors, pNA). This figure gets worse when the schools are dominantly African-American or Hispanic in Graduation Graduation rates are similarly dismal – only 69. 7% of American high school students matriculate (â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†, pNA). The American public school curricula is failing its students. There are a variety of opportunities throughout the continuum of public education to directly assist students in determining the career path that best suits not only their individual skills and needs, but those of the nation as well. In my own experience, I witnessed high school programs that taught industrial arts, and job-related programs that had been designed to provide students who would not be going to college with the skills necessary to enter the workforce upon graduation get cut out of the curricula entirely. The reasoning given was that the school wanted to focus on achieving higher levels of college entrance, and to increase the numbers of college-prep courses available. This, on paper, sounded great, but in reality it left many students completely without post-high school support. If the American dream requires college, then we are absolutely failing our students by allowing (in some districts) more than half of the population to fail out of school entirely. If we take a realistic look at how students could benefit from industrial arts, business training, home economics, and other job-related training, providing intensive specialization in high-school would allow for a much higher success rate and a higher graduation rate. Our system is failing its students in terms of investment in their present and their future. Schools get the majority of their funding from locally levied taxes with additional state and federal support. It should be no surprise, then, that the districts with the largest tax base to population ratio results in a much larger amount of money available for schools than in districts with a low tax to population ratio. For example, in Nevada, there are two primary sources of funds for schools – property tax and gambling revenue taxes. In districts with the highest value of homes, the tax base is very high, resulting in significantly more money per pupil available than in districts with less expensive homes or those dominated by apartments and low-income housing which do not pay nearly as much in property tax per resident than do the more affluent communities (â€Å"America Goes Back to School†, pNA). The impact, then, is not only significant regional differences in the amount of money available per student, but these differences can be found at the district by district level throughout the entire country. Not surprisingly, those schools with the highest per-capita spending capability are also among the highest ranked schools in the nation (there are no inner city urban public schools in the top 100 high schools in the nation). Therefore, by failing to provide a balanced financial opportunity for every school district, we are pre-determining the level of success, graduation, and career opportunity for entire swaths of students. The poor, the Black and Hispanic, and the otherwise disadvantaged will remain so because they (as a community) will never be able to catch up in terms of opportunity and performance with the more successful communities until we balance the amount of money spent per student throughout the entire nation. On a structural and statistical level, in terms of money and curricular focus, our public school system is failing its students and the communities it is supposed to serve. Despite a continual â€Å"focus† on education, our graduation rates and basic skills passing rates are absolutely dismal. Our generalist curricula has absolutely failed to contribute meaningfully to reducing the massive gaps in our workforce. Finally, the severe imbalance in spending and available funds from district to district and community to community has led to a near permanent state of success and failure for the entire student population in each of those districts. Ultimately, then, the system has failed and is continuing to fail to properly educate, support, and allow our students to contribute to the betterment of society and our success in the international community. References Browser, Jack. Educating America: Lesson Learned in the Nation’s Corporations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1989. United States Department of Education. â€Å"America Goes back to School† www. ed. gov/Family/agbts/index. html. Online. Internet. Info Acc March, 2007. Standard Poors. â€Å"United States Public Schools Districts: How Students Performed on National Reading and Math Tests†. SchoolMatters. com Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. schoolmatters. com/app/location/q/stid=1036196/llid=162/stllid=676/locid=1036195/site=pes. Info Acc March 18, 2007. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†. Manhattan-Institute. org. Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. manhattan-institute. org/html/cr_baeo. htm. Info Acc March 19, 2007.

Distracted Driving Statistics

Distracted Driving Statistics Kaitlyn DAgati   According to the website, Distraction.gov, distracted driving is defined as any activity that could divert a persons attention away from the primary task of driving. In 2015, the State of Florida recorded a total of 45,740 traffic accidents that were a direct result of distracted driving. Of the total number of distracted driving accidents recorded, a total of 39,396 injuries were reported and, sadly, 214 people lost their lives as a result of distracted driving accidents. With astounding statistics as these, some would ask, is the State of Florida doing enough to prevent distracted driving? Given the statistics, the answer appears to be that the state is not doing enough to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving although some may argue that it has. In order to make a proper determination, it is important to fully understand what distracted driving is, examine the statistics of distracted driving, and explore what more can be done in order to bring awareness to th e dangers of distracted driving. First, in order to properly discuss the topic of distracted driving, it is important to fully understand what distracted driving actually is. As defined earlier, distracted driving involves any activity that would cause the driver of vehicle to divert their attention (Distraction.gov). According the article entitled, Focus on Driving Florida distracted driving can be further broken down into three different categories: visual, manual, and cognitive (Focus on Driving Florida). Any activity that would require a driver to take their eyes off the road is would be a visual distraction. Manual distractions would require that the driver take their hands off the wheel; whereas, cognitive distractions involve the driver thinking about things other than driving (Focus on Driving Florida). Examples of distracted driving include: eating, grooming, unsecure pets, adjusting vehicle control. One of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving is texting because it involves all three categories of distraction: visual, manual, and cognitive. Next, in order to better grasp the growing problem of distracted driving, it is important to examine the statistics. In 2014, it was reported that 3,179 people were killed and another 431,000 people were injured in accidents that involved distracted drivers (distraction.gov). However, just the following year, the State of Florida reported that 214 people lost their lives in accidents due to distracted driving. When averaged out among the different states, the statistics provided in 2015 by the State of Florida appear to be an increase in the amount of injuries and fatalities caused by distracted driving. It is reported that in any given month, 169.3 billon text messages are sent across the US territories and approximately 660,000 drivers are using their cell phones or electronic devices at any given moment (distraction.gov). Additionally, it has been noted that the amount of drivers observed texting has increased from 1.7 percent in 2013 to 2.2 percent in 2014 (distraction.gov). Fina lly, and perhaps most scary of all, is that it only takes 5 seconds for a distracted driver going about 55 mph to cover approximately 100 yards, which equals the length of a football field (distraction.gov)! Finally, in order to begin to reverse the statistics discussed above, it is important to explore what more can be done in order to bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving. In 2013, the State of Florida began issuing traffic citations for distracted driving and the number of citations issued since the start has steadily climbed. Currently, texting while driving is considered a secondary offense, which means an officer has to pull a driver over for another reason before the driver can be issued for texting while driving. The fine for the first offense for texting and driving is thirty dollars and isnt considered a moving violation. A second offense within a five-year period could result in a sixty dollar fine and would be considered a moving violation which would add points to the drivers license (Isger, S., 2013). At this time, drivers are allowed to use their phones while stopped at a light or stuck in traffic. In addition, drivers are allowed to speak on their phone whi le driving and can use their phone while driving to check maps, use voice commands, or for other programming (Isger, S., 2013). The State of Florida has attempted to bring awareness to the danger of distracted driving by releasing radio public service announcement ads and launching a social media campaign using the hashtag of FocusonDrivingFL on Twitter and Facebook (Focus on Driving FL). However, according to the article entitled, Brutally Honest: How to keep your teens from texting and driving that was published in August of 2016, 55% of young adult drivers believed that texting and driving was easy while 34% of teens admitted that they had texted while driving even though forty-four states passed laws making it illegal to text and drive (Wallace, 2016). Teens interviewed for the story admitted that they had seen their parents driving while they were distracted including texting while driving. With this knowledge, it soon becomes apparent that the State of Florida has failed to ad equately do enough to educate drivers both young and old so this begs the question, what more can the state do? First, it appears that the campaigns to bring awareness to this issue either need to be more consistent or need to reach a greater audience. The social media campaign stopped with just two platforms: Facebook and Twitter. Although more adults are on Facebook than ever before, most teens have fled that social networking site just for that reason. Instagram has quickly overtaken Twitter as the choice among many teens, yet the State hasnt attempted to launch campaigns on the social networking site. Additionally, tougher penalties need to be considered when a driver is caught texting and driving. In reality, most people will pay more for their designer coffee in a week than they will if they were ticketed for distracted driving! Finally, the state should consider more in-school campaigns, including those that have been injured or caused the injury of someone else because of di stracted driving. It seems as though these type of visual demonstrations have a major impact on teens. In conclusion, distracted driving is defined as any act that would require the driver to divert their attention from the task of driving. Distracted driving can fall into three different categories: visual, manual, and cognitive with some behaviors, such as texting falling into all three categories. The statistics have shown that the incidents of accidents, injuries, and deaths have continued to rise over the last couple of years. Given this information, it soon becomes apparent that the State of Florida has failed to do enough to educate drivers to the dangers of distracted driving. In order to begin to reverse these statistics, it is necessary for drivers, both young and older, to become more educated about the dangers of distracted driving. Works Cited Facts and Statistics. Distracted Driving : Facts And Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. . Florida Distracted Driving Awareness. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. . Sonja Isger Palm Beach Post Staff Writers 10:18 P.m Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 Florida and Legislature News. Texting While Driving Illegal in Florida Starting Tuesday. Texting and Driving in Florida Illegal Tuesday. Palm Beach Post, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. . Wallace, Kelly. Brutally Honest: How To Keep Your Teens From Texting and Driving. CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Aug. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. .

An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

An Inspector calls is set in 1912 and was written for a 1946 audience. What can it have to offer an audience in 2002? An Inspector calls. 'An Inspector calls' was written by J.B. Priestly in 1945, and was first shown to an audience in 1946. It was set in 1912, before the Second World War had started, and was to be shown, after the Second World War had ended. 'An inspector calls' is a dramatic, moralistic thriller. It is set around the death of a young woman: Eva Smith. The play begins with the Birling family celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila, to the wealthy Gerald Croft. In this part of the play you learn a lot about the social system of that era, the way people acted, and the way they thought. The doorbell, and the arrival of an Inspector interrupt their 'celebration'. From now on the mood changes, contrasting the light-hearted and happy mood; it now becomes tense and serious. The Inspector reveals each characters involvement in the death of Eva Smith, side by side with the flaws and evils in each characters' personality. This slowly reveals to the audience that the Inspector is a lot more then he seems, and that the play is not only a 'murder mystery', but also resembles a moralistic play of the middle ages, but in it's own socialistic manner. It also shows the flaws in the social system at the times, which are displayed in each character, and in the consequences of their acts. The audience are shown how some people ignore the reality of their actions, and even after seeing the consequence of their actions, refuse to change. Mr and Mrs Birling are portrayed as selfish and ignorant of their actions, while Sheila and Eric, as a contrast, have fully realised their mistakes and have changed the way they think. The inspector is successful in changing two of the characters, but is not successful in the rest. Priestly is in a way playing the Inspector, to his audience, showing them the consequences of their actions, and what will happen if they do not change. 'An Inspector calls' has many underlying messages, most of which are still relevant to us today. The question as to whether 'An inspector calls' is out of date, is a long argued and debated question. Both sides of the argument have valid points, and in order to come to a fair decision, you must consider both these sides of the argument. I am going to consider three statements about 'An Inspector calls' and after studying each one, am gong to come up with a decision.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Cyborg: Trading Flesh for Metal :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Cyborg: Trading Flesh for Metal Since the beginning of time, man has attempted to avoid the inevitable. In his endless pursuit of perfection, man has tried to dodge the grim reaper. Death is certain; life is not. Yet through technological interventions, man is attempting to be godlike and live eternally. Through these same interventions, man is becoming transformed into a cyborg. Currently, the technology has not arrived so that a man will be able to have more metal in his body than he would have flesh. But if one could be a cyborg , if one could live longer, jump higher, store more info, and become more efficient would they? Would one become a cyborg if it meant no more pain, no more suffering, but in exchange would require thousands of dollars worth of hardware and hundreds of hours’ worth of surgery. Today I will explore some of the pros and cons of becoming a cyborg. I will also explore how people today like Stelarc have already taken steps and modified their own bodies to become cyborgs. I wi ll also define some of the ethical and morals issues supporting and criticizing the transformation from flesh to metal, with the end result becoming a cyborg. First of all, one must define what a cyborg is, and also clearly define what a cyborg consist of. A cyborg is a combination of man and technology. Robocop, The Terminator, Spock are all clear examples of what a cyborg is. A cyborg is a combination of human life and artificial intelligence. What about the elderly, would they be considered cyborgs? Yes, with pacemakers surgically installed within their bodies, the elderly, according to the definition, are considered to be cyborgs. So then, what the hell is a cyborg? One may believe the best place to locate a definition is the Webster’s New World Dictionary; it defines cyborgs as â€Å"a hypothetical human being modified for life in a hostile or alien environment by the substitution of artificial organs and other body parts. Using the basic definition will not be enough, it is too broad. One cannot really determine what a cyborg is and what a cyborg is not. For instance, suppose if people followed this definition that would mean that anyone wearing a watch, contacts, glasses, or using headphones would be considered a cyborg.

Aggressive Behavior Equals Man :: essays research papers

Aggressive Behavior Equals Many Rewards A little boy in Eastern Oklahoma is riding a bicycle for the first time, when suddenly he falls to the ground. His father running behind him tells him to get up and not to cry. A little girl from the same city is playing on the playground at school; she falls out of the swing and scraps her knee. She cries for hours, while her mother tells her, â€Å"It will be okay.† From the time little boys are young they are taught to be tough, to withstand pain, and not to give in to anything. In today’s society males are rewarded for aggressive and intimidating behavior. Intimidation takes place in many aspects of life, even though it is not always caused by aggressive behavior. Athletic events always seem to reward males for aggressive and intimidating behavior. Football games are a great example of the kinds of rewards males receive for their aggressiveness. Coaches teach their players to be physical and tough, but two of the essential elements of football are aggressiveness and intimidation. Football is an aggressive sport in many ways; a ball carrier must attack the line of scrimmage aggressively, or he will be tackled in the backfield. Defensive players must be aggressive also, so that they can make tackles. Basketball is another athletic event that rewards aggressive behavior. Although basketball seems harmless, it is a sport that requires a tremendous amount of aggressive behavior. When I was younger, before basketball game I would always get a pep talk from my dad. He would tell me to be aggressive and to take the ball inside. He always told me to play tough, work hard for rebound, play good defense, and when somebody came into the paint make them pay for it. Our basketball coaches in junior high taught us that when a player came inside the paint, knock them down and next time they would not be as eager to take the ball inside on us. When we would exhibit this behavior we would be rewarded with a pat on the back, a high five, and sometimes even a water break. It seems like every time the television is turned on, there are at least three wrestling programs going on at once. At one time, wrestling was on the television only once a week, but now it is on three or four times a week.

Police misconduct Essay

Police misconduct majorly refers to the various actions that the police officers (force) involve in their line of duty which are actually objectionable or questionable. Some of these activities are carrying out brutality, indulging in corrupt activities, falsely arresting various individuals without any basis, cooking evidence so as to justify the arrest of certain persons who might be actually not guilty, intimidation of the public in a number of ways, taking sides in the political arena so as to favor a given politician for instance the incumbent president, abusing various individuals sexually and also enhancing other forms of abuse. Generally, police misconduct has been a serious problem world wide. A good amount of effort has been put in place so as to combat this problem but due to certain problems like the culture of resistance to change by individuals and organizations it has been very challenging. In this paper, the stand that I will take with respect to the topic is that police misconduct is indeed a very significant issue in policing as it was in the time of Serpico as described in the book ‘Serpico’ written by Peter Mass. This means that it is a very important issue that must be addressed to ensure that policing in both developing and the developed countries occurs in a manner that is expected. Significant as it is, police misconduct determines a number of things in this area of service including how the civilians view and respond to the work of the police. Police misconduct is actually different from police corruption. As mentioned above, police misconduct deals with outright brutality and various things that the policemen do as they work (in their line of duty) which are actually can be questioned or objected. Some of these things or activities actually go against human rights. On the other hand, police corruption refers to a given category or example of police misconduct that is normally basically tailored towards availing financial benefits to the concerned officers. This can also lead to the advancement of police officers’ careers due to not pursuing or selectively pursuing an arrest or investigation. Some examples of police corruption include: soliciting or accepting bribes so as to allow certain individuals to carry on with something which is unlawful, use of falsified evidence to secure the convictions of certain suspects. This mounts to breaching the police code of conduct. Both police misconduct and police corruption are related to each other because both of them are actually done in the same way, it is only that one of them is an example of the other one which is relatively wide. Both of them are actually, the subject matter of these theses. There are a number of contemporary issues as regards police misconduct. Even though this is a real problem in the current world, various governments have not been very keen or serious with putting in place stringent measures to fight it. Some governments have, however, tried to put in place some measures but the concerned officers continue to enhance this vice. Police misconduct has resulted in very serious consequences which includes unfair death of innocent individuals e. g. In January 1997, A thirty four year old man who was not armed was carelessly shot dead by a Rhode Island police officer after a low speed car chase, having been just suspected of driving a stolen car. Another issue is that this misconduct of police has led numerous situations where the citizens’ rights are adversely violated by police officers for instance, some of these very innocent citizens are normally tortured, seriously beaten, or even struck to a degree that is not commensurate to the punishment for the crime they are being suspected to have committed and this is normally done when some of them are out rightly not guilty. It is important to note that even though police misconduct is actually rampant in many stations, we have not lost the fight against it.  It is still very possible to cub this practice. This can be achieved when individuals, governments and even the officers themselves just organize themselves as it is currently in the United States and purpose to do away with this vice. The specific topic under discussion here is that police misconduct is very significant an issue in policing as it was in the time of Serpico as described in the book ‘Serpico’ written by Peter Mass. There are a number of issues that actually qualify police misconduct as very significant. It is real or true that this is a serious problem in the United States currently and even world over that actually affects us and consequently needs to be solved. There is no police department world over that is actually free of misconduct yet police officers are very important for the provision of security in all nations world wide. It means that this is a real problem that is actually with us and affects certain things in our day to day lives making it significant. This vice therefore has to be fought both locally and internationally. It is also important to note that the departments of justice has in a way contributed to this seriousness because in some cases, they have failed to prosecute officers who are proved to have indulged in police misconduct. The law that is operational in many countries also does not clearly define how to handle this problem. It is apparent that policing is a very important requirement of enforcing law so as to facilitate day to day activities anywhere yet police brutality and misconduct has brought a hindrance to proper, good or professional law enforcement. All the officers are normally well trained before they are allowed to practice policing yet the manner in which they carry themselves in this profession is so wanting. It is naturally expected that once these officers have undergone good training, then they should exercise a high level of discipline as they execute their duties. It is therefore a disappointment seeing them operate in a very indiscipline manner invoking the need to consider what should be done so as to put things right with respect to this. Therefore makes police misconduct a significant issue (United States Commission on Civil Rights. 1979). The significance of the above is also seen through consideration of how it contributes to corruption in large scale in various states or largely countries. Corruption is a vice that really contributes to loss of numerous resources which should otherwise be used to enhance the development of various countries or cities especially the developing countries. Through police misconduct, some of the dues that are supposed to be received by the government directly for development e. g. through taxes end up unfairly in the hands of few individuals who use it in unwanted ways. This to a larger extent contributes to underdevelopment especially in developing countries where police misconduct is actually rampant. One of the major roles of policing is to ensure that democracy is maintained in a country or state, for that matter. This involves among other things protection of the rights of citizens e. g. the right of speech so as to ensure that they command a good public trust (Champion, Dean J. (2001). In a freely democratic state, individuals are in a position of speaking out or sharing what they know and desire freely without any unnecessary restrictions i. . the freedom of speech is practical. In the past, police officers have interfered with democracy in many states in a way especially during electioneering periods in which they lean on only one side of the political divide ending up favoring it over then other. In such cases, police officers have unconstitutionally prevented individuals from contributing to chatting the way forward on certain political issues at hand especially if there is a somewhat serious problem or crisis. Such matters are normally national and so affect a lot of things in the state. This also explains why police misconduct is significant and should actually be seriously looked into (Archbold, Carol. (2004). It is also important to note here that each and every worker or rather civil servant in the current world is normally expected to achieve certain set goals and objectives(job requirements) stated by performance contracting in certain states. Likewise, policing in its mandate of enhancing law enforcement should meet certain standards that have been set for them. Research has, however, shown that most officers in the police force are actually very far from achieving the standards that have been set for them. This poor performance is majorly contributed to by the police misconduct which includes brutality, corruption among other things. As a result of this, a number of things that are supposed to be achieved by them do not come to pass. This also explains why police misconduct is really significant and so a number of ways should be suggested to ensure that it is checked and managed. In the book ‘Serpico’ a number of incidences transpire which show out rightly how police misconduct occurred in this episode. At some point it is evident that even though police officers are brought to a number of issues that they should respond to, they actually ignore and not act upon them after all (Tomasi. (2005). This is shown on page 14 of the book where key municipal and police officials are brought to allegations with an evidence by Serpico which they are actually supposed to act upon but up to this point, they fail to do so. â€Å"†¦ and key municipal and police officials at last admitted under oath that, despite the specific allegations brought to them by Serpico, they had in fact done nothing. .. † (pg 14). In another incident, we come across a situation where an individual is literally shot for some crime that was supposedly committed. According to the code of conduct of policing, no officer is supposed to shoot to kill save for specific circumstances which are actually entrenched in the law (Finn, Peter. (2001). For instance if an individual is actually in confrontation with a polic e officer in a given scenario yet he or she is not armed then the officer should not even attempt to shoot. This excerpt suggests that the person was actually shot only that the bullet deviated from original line of fire which would otherwise paralyzed the person’s arms. â€Å"†¦ If the bullet continued along its original line of fire, it would have struck the upper part of his spinal cord, paralyzing his arms and legs †¦ † pg 20. There are also cases in which police officers are involved in overreaction to gang problems. This is driven by the assumption that those who associate with known gang members must be involved in criminal activity even in situations that there is evidence that this is not the case. Some of the things that the police officers do are mass stops and arrests of various people, demanding certain things from various people (like the youth) on the basis of their dress and race in stead of on the basis of their criminal conduct (Robinson, Paul H. , (2006). This actually amounts to breaching the code of conduct and professionalism of the police force currently and in the book â€Å"Serpico†. With regard to comparing and contrasting contemporary issues pertaining police misconduct and Serpico, we can note that in both cases, this has led to a number of very serious consequences. One of these is unfair death or serious injury of very innocent individuals. This has consequently led to reduction in the labor that is needed by the state for instance in the civil service. This is because part of the labor may become lame due to torture or may simply be done away with due to death for instance through shooting (Mitchell, Richard H. (1992). Another thing is that in both cases, police misconduct has proved to be very challenging to control. A number of ways have been devised to curb this practice for example at some point in the Book; Serpico tries to challenge some people who are in the process of enhancing it. Though it is not very successful, at least something is done. â€Å"†¦ Peter Maas suggested that there was no point in his hanging around any longer. â€Å"What do you mean? † Serpico asked him, puzzled. â€Å"Kid, it just can’t be,† the detective said. †¦ † pg 98. BODY This paper is basically about my stand of showing that police misconduct is actually a significant issue and that ways should be devised to curb it. In the introduction above a number of cases have been highlighted that show how serious this practice actually is. A number of points will also be given in this section in support of the same From ‘Serpico’ and other sources (Hinton, Valeska S. ; DeWolfe, Ruthanne. (1981). Police misconduct in a way contributes to underdevelopment e. g. in a country. This can occur if police officers constantly indulge in corrupt activities denying the state a good amount of revenues which can be allocated to develop various areas (United States. (2007). In ‘Serpico’ a situation is described where one wants to give money to supposedly avert a given penalty. If the person is guilty he would be taken to court where he would likely produce some dues to the state. In this case, however, Serpico demonstrates his independence and no need of the money. â€Å".. Serpico started up the car. â€Å"No,† he said blankly. â€Å"I’m really pretty independent. I don’t need the money. † â€Å"You sure? Real†¦ † (pg 102). Corruption as discussed above is a real enemy to development and so its practice here makes police misconduct really significant. Indulgence in unnecessary torture and killing/shooting of citizens also leads to underdevelopment. This is because it interferes with labor which is very vital in a country’s economy. A report â€Å"police conduct report† indicates how police officers involve in unnecessary killing of individuals in the name of carrying out a security operation in the area. The killed individuals would have played a major role in enhancing the economy and so their death was a loss as regards development (United States. , Congress. (2001). Police misconduct also contributes greatly to tainting professionalism in the practice of policing. This is very important in commanding public trust and enhancing efficiency of the practice. The book ‘Serpico’ indicates an incident in which various officers who are supposed to act on an issue fail to do it at the required time after having been forwarded to them. This is a sign of non-professionalism. â€Å".. municipal and police officials at last admitted under oath that, despite the specific allegations brought to them by Serpico, they had in fact done nothing.. † pg 14. In another incident recorded in one of the papers in the US, a young man was ruthlessly shot dead by a Rhode Island police officer as he was driving on one of the roads in the city. This brother, who was actually not armed, was being suspected of having stolen a car. Proper professional police practice demands that in this case, the concerned is apprehended and a proper investigation is done. This brings out the significance because the practice actually interferes with the professionalism that is needed in the police force. It is also important to mention that police misconduct has contributed to the increase in crime hence insecurity of various properties in a state. This majorly occurs in situations where police officers liaise with criminals by receiving some cash from them and tolerating their criminal activities. This leads to a lot of insecurity in the areas of operation of these people. ‘Serpico’ describes a situation in which a certain detective is reluctant to execute his duties as pertains to a given investigation (Maas, P, 2005). Serpico is being discouraged from staying any longer at the scene probably because Peter Maas has his own plans. â€Å". 98 PETER MAAS suggested that there was no point in his hanging around any longer. â€Å"What do you mean? † Serpico asked him, puzzled. â€Å"Kid, it just can’t be,† the detective said. .† Such kinds of negligence can really lead to more criminal activities. External evidence is a situation where it is recorded in one of the US paper archives that given police officers deliberately delayed or rather averted a case that they were handling having made an agreement with the concerned that they would be given a big sum of money if the case was done away with. It was unfortunate that this plan succeeded and so the criminals went scot free. The danger of this is that the criminals may opt to continue with their criminal activities hoping that the same would occur to them in future. This increases crime in a country and hence insecurity (BATFE. (2006).

Respryn and the Cornish Country-side

It would be a normal day in the summer holidays when suddenly the phone would ring. My friends and I were off to Respryn. We'd all grab our bags, put our swimming shorts in along with a towel, and jump onto our bikes and go. We'd all somehow meet up and then ride along the busy Cornish town roads, which was full with cars at this time like an ant's nest in the summer, up and along many steep hills, past our school and then out of Bodmin into the countryside of Lanhydrock. We'd go down a fairly steep hill which as we go down we see fields ahead of us that are laid out like the squares on a patch work quilt. Lots of different shapes and not all connected properly together like they should. At the bottom of the hill we turned right into a dimly lit small forest where the ground in autumn is filled with the vibrant colours of dead leaves. Every time our wheel rotated we herd the crackling of a bonfire as despatched twigs and branches crumbled beneath us. In the background we would hear the faint cry of an owl but the main sound was the rumbling and roaring of the cars passing by on the nearby main road. We left the forest and then mounted onto a newly built bridge that crossed the main road we herd from the forest. Myself and my Friends, Craig and Jamie like to stop here and look down on the passing cars. We like to play a game we call Emmett spotting, which is where we'd try and spot as many tourist or foreigners we can that aren't from Cornwall. I found it amazing how so many cars enter my hometown and how so little leave; they all can't be here to stay! Occasionally a passing lorry or truck would honk its horn at my friends as they try and provoke other drivers to do the same. Once we had a driver make a gesture at us, which included him making the middle finger on his hand stand up, we all stared at each other and laughed as we were out to enjoy ourselves and not let any body spoil our day. On we would go! We all rode along a crop filled fields where the power of the wind made an on going wave where the yield swept side to side. This effect was spoilt though by the sound and look of the nearby motorway, which was built straight through the middle of the farmland and beautiful scenery which makes me proud to call this tiny corner of England, I live in, home. As we exited the field we had the first site of the task ahead of us, a giant hill which took us to Richard's house. On would go our serious faces as we normally treat this hill as a competition to see who can get the furthest up, without putting a foot down and that day wasn't going to be an exception. I rode and rode; firstly Jamie regrettably put his foot to ground as the size of the hill overcame him. I fell back a bit just to keep him company as Craig pushed ahead because he doesn't like to lose. The top was in our sight, one last right turning and we would be treated to the smell of cattle from the farm that was really close. Okay maybe treated isn't the right word to use, but this would be the sent that would great the winner. Craig was the first to the top, but it ended in a draw, he wasn't the only one who managed to get to the top without putting his foot down, I made it as well. I now couldn't wait to get to Richards house to give my legs a rest. At the top of the hill we were able to look across all across Bodmin. From the highest point, where The Beacon stood to the industrial estate where most of the main work in Bodmin took place. The sky didn't look like the sky, but a sea of nothing. It was cloudless with not even a patch of white to be seen. After I had stopped looking across Bodmin I was greeted by the undesirable smell of the farm animals which swept along the cobblestone roads that seemed to act like a funnel directing the scent directly towards us. Once we had overcome the smell we meandered along the mud layered roads. A farmer passed in his tractor as we turned our last corner and glided down the last hill. We did this is a childish manner trying to go as fast as we could and then suddenly turn into the driveway of Richards house. His house is set in a lovely location, a generous garden with a pond in the middle, ducks and geese in his back garden along with sheds where the pony's and horses were kept. We couldn't see much from his house but if we walked out into the road in front of his house, there are hills in all directions with popcorn like bails of hay scattered around like houses on a Monopoly board. Richard was waiting for us and as soon as he saw us came out into his front garden. We talked for a couple minutes, had a drink which was well earned after the hill we managed to climb earlier, and just before we left got showed the motorised three wheeled bike he and his twin brother had been working on for the past couple weeks. This was it, we were on the last leg in till we would arrive at our final destination, Respryn. We'd rumble down a small hill and then took our bikes up a narrow stinging nettle filled hidden lane, which turns into a woodland area. The woodland area was packed full of trees, with man made paths for us to struggle ahead on. We had to be careful because there were brambles spurting out in all direction and Jamie would some times squirm after seeing a spider in it's water droplet filled web. I can remember coming through this woodland area before with Richard after a night full of rain. The paths weren't any more than a stream of muddy water and swamps that would suck you into the ground at any chance possible. It was impossible for us to pass, without getting soaked to the skin. We would exit the forest, cross a main road that was deserted with no cars to be seen and then pass a small cottage that had ivy crawling up all the walls in all directions. â€Å"Straight ahead then!† Richard would yell at the top of his voice, just to make sure every one knew where to go. We would then act in the same childish manner as before and soar down the unstable country lane road as fast as possibly, just that time taking more care because there was more chance of us falling off. Coming down the hill we were able see Respryn in the distance. The river slowly running through the woods and One or two cars on the granite bridge, which had one meter slots in to let horses get out of the way of cars. At the bottom of the hill we'd slam our brakes to there full because of a red gate which stands in our way. I get off my bike and open it for the rest to pass and then struggle through myself. The excitement would start to generate as we got closer to Respryn and as we went through the field at the bottom of the hill, we passed a dog walker who smiled politely. We were there, as I looked around I saw a canopy of leaves above, which protect the ground from the sun like an umbrella protects a small child on a beach on a very hot day. This canopy was only disturbed by small gusts of wind or the occasional sparrow or blackbird flying from branch to tree and tree to branch. Even when it's raining the ground remained dry because of the thick shelter created by the tree canopy. In some of the very rare gaps there is in the roof, I couldn't see anything apart from a large streak of light that missiles to the ground like a laser streaking from a gun. There was no noise to be herd apart from a distant barking dog in the background and the nearby stream that runs straight through the woods. As we kept on riding I noticed some of the graffiti carved into the trees. One I saw had the date 1987 on, this was before I was born and made me realise that many children of our age have enjoyed these woods and the streams for many years before us. We rode beside the cascading river for a bit, which on one side has a sea of blue bells, daffodils and many other plants. On the other is a never ending wood, full of lots of different types of trees and hundreds of passages that had different explorations in each direction. Here we were, we all stood and stared at a huge island in front of surrounded by the river. Ankle deep on one side and on the over two and a half meters deep, but you have to jump one and a half meters first off the island to reach the water. â€Å"Last one in is a wimp,† I shout so we all ran into the forest in different directions and strip naked. We chucked on our swimming shorts and then ran back to the island leaving our belongings in a safe place apart from one person, Craig, who unsurprisingly, accidentally forgot his swimming shorts and towel. We weren't going to let him stop us having fun so we sprinted into the water and got on top of the island. We stopped for a bit and then leaped forward off the island into the crystal clear deep water. The stream has a higher than average current but we still jumped in. As soon as we hit the water, we'd all swear and shout because of the shock about how cold the fast flowing river is. Even though it was the middle of summer the water was still freezing because of the canopy stopping the sun heating it up. We quickly swam out and catch our breath before doing it again. We went a bit higher up the island this time and then jump of again and again, in till we either get too cold or bored. Once we were this we grab our bags and hopped back onto our bikes. We then rode back through the forest we just came and crossed a small wooden bridge. As usual we stopped and played the classic game from the â€Å"Winnie the Poo† novel â€Å"Poo sticks† which I always win. We rode past some walkers who sounded like there tourists and who make a few unwanted comments about what were doing, we also passed some empty fishing platforms that I sometimes jumped of but today we didn't so we exited the woods. I can remember a couple months before coming to these woods with another friend at night during the winter. It was totally silent and as black as the hot chocolate I was thinking of having when I got home. Every time there was a flutter in the trees we would look up immediately. We kept on trying to scare each other because at night the trees look like people and in pitch black in the middle of the woods, another person isn't someone who you really wanted to see. The atmosphere could have been cut with something less than a knife a blunt pencil would have done the trick. I told my friends about this experience but they just laughed because they couldn't imagine how something so beautiful during the day could become so scary at night. After we left the wood we went to another area of Respryn, it was still part of the woods but you had to go in a different direction to get to it. So we picked up our bikes and took them over a fence, rode through a field of cows and went through a gate. Like earlier we were meet with the same woods but something was different about this one. There was less of a canopy but still as elegant and pleasing. After riding on for a bit we came to another area where we going to go swimming. Of came our bags, onto the floor went our bikes and into the river we went. In the corner of my eye I saw a tree, which was drooping over the river so, I got out and climbed it. While I was doing this my friends had realised what I was about to do, I pushed off and plummeted into the water. My friends laughed and I tried to get them to have ago but they weren't as mad as I was. Twenty minutes later we were starting to get cold and fed up of the small flies that came and landed on us, of which we wouldn't notice until they starting biting. They starting arriving in ones and twos, giving us one byte every ten minutes or so but then they came to us like children go to their Grandma's sweet bowl. Once we were all out and dry we slowly started walking back through the woods, which had all the shades of brown and green in one place at once. We came across a few strange bugs and insects that we never new existed. We left Respryn and then headed towards the ancient Lanhydrock house. Up the main driveway we went, which was some five hundred meters long. Its massive gardens where both sides of us, on the left was a giant field of which I crept into once to see a Jazz and Blues concert with Richard and On the right is another field but unlike the other has huge Oak trees and hedgerows in. At the top of the driveway is the actually house, we didn't want to go in but to go to the court yard around the back where we could get a delicious proper Cornish dairy ice-cream. Our bikes were locked up in the designated area for the bikes, we quickly used the toilets and then walked over to the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ where the ice-cream shop was. We got our ice cream and then sat on a hill that looked over Respryn and into the surrounding countryside. Our minds were more focused on the French teenagers playing in the gardens and of course our ice creams. We played around with the French teenagers for a wile talking to them and trying to get them confused, at one point I think we told them â€Å"My dog gave birth to a herd of donkeys†. We finished our ice creams and then decided it was time to leave so we peddled up to another exit of the house and back onto the main road. Richard headed in one direction and had to master the hill that we had, on the way to his house in the morning wile Jamie, Craig and I travelled straight across the road into the Crop fields that we visited earlier in the day. We then retraced our steps home and said good bye to each other. It was the end! All I need to do now is wait for the phone to suddenly ring on a normal day in the summer holidays. My friends and I would then be off to Respryn.

Marine Mammals Essay

SeaWorld gives you the opportunity to feed and swim with dolphins, watch jaw-dropping whale and seal shows, pet stingrays, see all types of sharks, exotic fish, and so much more! But my views have recently changed after I saw the tragic death of a Sea World trainer on the news; the cause of death being one of the parks very own orca whales. This horrific news brought me to research why the whale turned on its trainer and the information I found made me change my outlook on animal captivity completely. In the ethical debate over marine mammals in captivity there are many conflicting views. The public theme park industries advocate that marine mammal exhibits provide an important role in educating, entertaining, and conservation; they see nothing wrong with captivity. An increasing number of scientists counter this view and believe that animals should flourish naturally and are too intelligent to be held captive. Animal protection groups also have taken notice that these mammals in cap tivity develop severe health issues and should be in the wild. There are other organizations that believe in absolute welfare of these animals, whether it is best  suited in confinement or in the wild. Lastly there are associations that agree with captivity for some cases, just not when animals are exploited. Above all I agree that the more knowledge we have about marine mammals, the more mankind can do to help find the most beneficial option for specific marine animals. When thinking about aquatic parks one in particular comes to mind for most people, Sea World. According to its website, â€Å"SeaWorld has a world-wide reputation for providing unique, up-close animal encounters designed to bring more than 20 million guests each year closer to wildlife and the world we share† (â€Å"Sea World†). Parks like this also affirm that one of their main goals is to educate people through seeing live animals in person such as dolphins, whales, seals, and penguins. Marine parks around the world, including Sea World, also claim that they serve as a rescue and a preservation center for stranded, sick, orphaned or injured animals. This is in fact true; many animal lives have been saved due to the help of aquatic parks (SeaworldParks.com). But some still question if it’s justifiable to keep animals in captivity if they are capable to live naturally in the wild after being rehabilitated. It’s evident that SeaWorld and other captivity par ks have not only contributed tremendously with saving countless marine  mammals lives, but have also entertained and educated thousands of people on marine life. Yet with all of this in mind it’s hard for me to fully agree that captivity is always the best option for these animals’ welfare. It’s tough to deny that the entertainment and profit aspect from the â€Å"yearly 20 million guests† may be intervening with the wellbeing of the animals, which should always be the main focus. On the other side of the spectrum when dealing with the issue of marine mammals in captivity, are animal rights activists. â€Å"There are better and more humane ways of providing entertainment and education to the public without sacrificing the welfare of animals† states Grace Ge Gabriel, the head force behind the Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The IFAW is a well-known organization that advocates saving animal populations from cruelty and depletion. An example of their support is their campaign to end commercial whaling and seal hunts. She and many others speak out against marine mammals held in captivity (Gabriel). These activists express that the lives of captive marine mammals are impoverished, people do not receive an accurate picture of a species from imprisoned environments, and the traffic in live marine mammals causes harmful impacts on populations and the animals’ health. A prime example is the abuse whales endure when their family and pod members are separat ed from each other to be put into captivity. Once removed from their natural environment, the whales are then transported to small enclosures that lack not only their families and social groups but which also are only a fraction of the size of their natural home range (â€Å"PETA†). If life for captive orcas and dolphins were as peaceful as marine parks would have us believe, the animals would live longer than their wild counterparts. While captive marine mammals are not subject to predators or ocean pollution, their captivity is nevertheless a death sentence. These caged mammals develop severe health issues from being confined to small tanks where they are forced to perform unnecessary tricks for â€Å"entertainment.† According to PETA’s website, â€Å"Wild orcas can also live for decades—some have been documented to be more than 90 years old—but those at Sea World and other marine parks rarely survive for more than 10 years† (peta.org). An imals imprisoned die prematurely from stress and other captivity-related causes; which is seen as the  main cause for the deaths of animal trainers at aquatic parks, like the attack mentioned before from Sea World. The question of whether marine mammals should be held captive is even weighed in by scientists. There have been countless experiments and portrayals of cetaceans, or aquatic mammals such as whales and dolphins, displaying intelligent behavior. Experts in philosophy, conservation, and animal behavior recognize that dolphins and whales are adequately intelligent to justify the same ethical considerations as humans. According to the BBC News World website, â€Å"The move was made at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada, the world’s biggest science conference. It is based on years of research that has shown dolphins and whales have large, complex brains and a human-like level of self-awareness† (http://www.bbc.co.uk). This has led the experts to conclude that by recognizing these animals’ rights would serve as a catalyst to ending whaling and captivity of these self-aware creatures. Unlike the views of animal display industries who endorse captivity, or animal rights activists and scientists whom advocate against it, there are some associations that seem more neutral towards animal confinement. These organizations act as a middle ground, where their pure intent is to promote animal wellbeing; whether that may be in captivity or in their natural environment. These groups look at specific cases of different marine mammal species individually and decide where that animal is more likely to thrive. The Seal Conservation Society (SCS) is a terrific illustration of a society who is neutral to the thought of captivity; their main focus being on conservation and welfare. They view both sides of captivity on their website. At first questioning captivity they inquire, â€Å"Do the benefits to humans from the animalndisplay industry justify the animals’ confinement and stress associated with the unnatural environment? The question remains for all marine mammals whet her captivity is justified for entertainment, educational or conservation purposes.† Then countering those thoughts according to the website, â€Å"A further justification for captive pinnipeds to be considered is the research value of captive studies where the research clearly increases  our understanding and appreciation of pinniped species, this benefit must be considered in the context of the welfare and well-being of the animals involved. Our society would tend to support those facilities where the animals’ long-term and welfare is a priority† (pinnipeds.org). These impartial organizations appear exceptionally more helpful than the other radical view points; instead of supporting what they believe in they can focus more on the specific animal and not their cause. In correspondence to the previous organizations mentioned, there are similar associations that promote animal well-being but also support captivity if it’s necessary. These groups are marin e mammal rescue centers that endorse captivity along with non-performance opportunities. The Marine Mammal Center is an organization that believes animals shouldn’t be abused in captivity by being forced to perform unnatural tricks, but believe captivity should be allowed if the animal cannot survive on its own in the wild (â€Å"Marine Mammal Center†). These institutions don’t see captivity as the enemy, but rather view aquatic theme parks and entertainment business that confine animals for the wrong reasons to be immoral. Their website won me over when it stated, â€Å"What we do is more than kind-hearted consideration for the well-being of other living creatures. We recognize the fundamental relationship that binds humans, animals, and the ocean† (â€Å"Marine Mammal Center†). The question if marine mammals should be kept in captivity is tough to answer. Personally, I believe that in our present society there are more urgent matters than amusing audiences by exploiting such intelligent and defenseless animals. We have an ethical and imperative responsibility to think about species that may be negatively impacted by our actions. This includes a lot of species, and cetaceans are no exception. These marine mammals should remain where they evolved and thrived and we should make sure that their rights are protected so that they can go on living there.

Midterm Learning Reflection Essay

Introduction. You should print this out, although you may also use it as a template to type over. You will be writing two reflections this term: a midterm reflection and a final reflection. The final reflection is the one you want to have ultimately on your portfolio. Both your midterm and final learning reflections must be 700 to 1000 words, which is approximately two to three MLA-formatted pages. You can check your word count by going to Tools/Word Count on the menu bar. Style and Format. The writing style of the learning reflection is primarily expressive, but will also contain narrative elements. You do not need a Works Cited page unless you cite something. So, if, for example, you cite song lyrics, one of our texts, a poem, or even a work of art, then you need a Works Cited page. I’ve included one here to serve you for formatting purposes. File formats. We are going to be learning how to convert Word documents to pdf format so that they load more easily in a browser window. If you can, please practice with one or both of the following two methods, which are what I use (they are free). 1. Install a free pdf converter. These are not truly â€Å"free† in that they either force you to look at some advertising or they add a line on each page advertising the manufacturer of the software. I don’t have a problem with either of these and gladly suffer through the free advertising every time I convert a file to pdf, which I do all the time. The one I use to create all the pdf files for my classes is at http://www.pdf995.com/download.html. Download both the Pdf995 Printer Driver and the Free Converter (they are both free; they are required to work together, but for some reason, they are two separate downloads). After you go through the download and installation process, every time you want to create a pdf file from Word, all you need to do is select File/Print and then chose PDF995, which will show up as a â€Å"printer.† When you initiate this process of creating a pdf file, you will be prompted for a place to save the file, as well as a file name. Be careful to save the file to your H: drive or, if to your C: drive, to ftp (transfer) it over to your H: drive later. You will notice that some advertisements come up as the conversion process occurs. That’s the â€Å"price† you pay for the free conversion software. 2. The other pdf-conversion method I like is to use the free OpenOffice word processing software. This software should be in our labs. You can also download it for free on your own computer, from http://www.openoffice.org/. This is basically an open-source version of Microsoft Office. Once you’ve installed it (it’s large and takes a while to install), you can open any Word document with the OpenOffice word processing program (Open Document). Some of the original Word formatting may be lost – especially the header information with your last name and page number. You will need to add that back in; be sure you do it correctly. When you’re satisfied with the format, there is a little pdf icon on the toolbar that you can click, and that will automatically convert the document to pdf format. Learning Reflection Content. What should you discuss in your reflection? In general, you discuss what you’ve learned, what you’ve done especially well, what you’ve enjoyed – and the challenges you’ve encountered and how you might make changes in the future. Here are some suggestions for what to write about: †¢ Your experience transitioning from high school (or wherever you were previously) to a freshman in college, focusing on how you have grown as an individual and an independent student. †¢ Your experience in this particular course – your year-long freshman inquiry. In this regard, you should probably focus on the University Studies goals and the ways in which you have grown and developed with respect to those goals. I would expect that other courses have also contributed to the goal areas, so you might want to highlight any that have been particularly useful in that regard. †¢ Other experiences as a student here at Portland State. Portland State University’s mission is â€Å"Let Knowledge Serve the City,† which reflects the fact that we are an urban university. What have you learned with respect to community, diversity, and the connection between a learning community (the university) and the city in which it is located? Keep in mind that you may have acquired valuable experiences outside of the classroom, but still connected to your identity as a student. o Perhaps you have learned important lessons about discipline and time management as a student athlete, which may serve you well when you enter the workforce. o Maybe your involvement in activities with other students – such as taking dance classes or playing in the band or spending hours in an art studio or toughing out chemistry and physics labs – has improved your personal skills and brought to light new areas of interest, which you’ve pursued in your free time. o Or perhaps you’ve found out that you are a loner, that you haven’t connected very well with a lot of the people in your classes. As you reflect on this (or any other conclusions that some – maybe you – might consider, well, depressing), think of this is an opportunity to think of ways to make some changes in the future. †¢ A reflection, in other words, should include a self-assessment element as well as thinking along the lines of â€Å"What could I do better or differently in the future?† Consider the challenges you’ve faced, how you’ve overcome them, or how you’d like to overcome them in the fu ture. Conclusion. Your reflection should end in a way that gives the reader the sense that you are closing up a chapter in your life and ready to move on, with some ideas in mind of what you might do differently. My suggestion is that you do not spend a lot of time critiquing the world around you; after all, you can’t change that very much. Confine your reflection to you and what you have learned and experienced. Dwelling on what you don’t like about a given course or program is not a reflection about you, but about something else. Works Cited Eakin, Paul John. How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 1999. Fiske, John. â€Å"Popular Culture.† Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia and Thomas McLaughlin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. 321 – 335. Harrison, Claire. â€Å"Hypertext Links: Whither Thou Goest, and Why.† First Monday. 7 Oct. 2002. 10 Feb. 2004 .

Describe the everyday life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Describe the everyday life - Essay Example Unconscious emotions may be fully understood in the context of mood swings. Most people may wake up in a bad mood or good mood, but they may find it hard to articulate and pinpoint the root source of the happiness (Wyer, 2014, p. 38). Human beings pass judgment on other people through thin-slicing. Thin slicing is a phenomenon by which human beings tend to judge others with limited information such as the first impression due to previous experiences of a similar nature. Henri Lefebvre’s works focus on describing and bringing a terse meaning of everyday life through introducing concepts such as â€Å"social space† and the â€Å"right to the city.† In his book, â€Å"Le Droit à   la ville† he discusses dwells on the concepts, where he proposes reforms that will improve everyday life for the betterment of the society (Lefebvre, 2002, p 19). Conclusively, Lefebvre’s theory insinuates that through the betterment of cities and urban centers, everyday life will improve and inflicting happiness among people. However, some of these unconscious actions maybe as a result of deliberate learning and thereafter become automotive due to repetitive undertakings by human beings. Most people show more care in the initial phase after a driving course. However, a person may be more at ease after some time and may subconsciously engage in other activities while driving (Bargh, 2013, p.