Adam Paper 4 Advocate

Adam Paper 4 Advocate Adam Paper 4 Advocate Protect Yourself, Protect Your Rights: Keep a Gun Close By Adam Com 101-201 Persuasive Essay 23 September 2014 Should Americans have the right to own a gun? The second amendment says so! One should be able to practice the second amendment, participate in gun recreation and most importantly protect oneself. America should be able to exercise their constitutional right to own a gun. Laws placing restrictions on firearm ownership and use do not necessarily stop the crime or protect individuals. Turn on the news right now. Americans are inundated with examples every day about innocent citizens that fall victim to a gunshot wound because they were unarmed and not able to defend themselves. Additionally, owning a gun gives Americans the choice to engage in recreational activities such as hunting, target shooting, or gun collecting. Is it fair that a father cannot provide a meal for his family or enjoy a hunting trip with his children? Gun ownership also gives Americans the ability to protect themselves and their precious loved ones from falling victims of heinous crimes. One posse sses a gun for the purpose of self-defense. The right to bear arms is a crucial element of belonging to the United States of America. Putting more guns into the hands of law abiding Americans because the government gives citizens that right, prevents citizens from being victims and gives them the freedom to participate in gun recreational sports or activities of their choice. The United States of America’s second amendment guaranteeing citizen’s rights to legally bear arms, must not be infringed. The second amendment is no different than any of the other protections listed in the bill of rights. Citizens should not need a government issued consent form rather, they should be able to carry a gun as a matter of right. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to his nephew Peter Carr in 1785, â€Å"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind†¦.† (Ablow). Establishing freedoms was so important to the forefathers, that they were willing to fight and give their lives while preserving those Kanoski 2 constitutional rights. According to Bruce Parker, â€Å"In an apparent violation of the second amendment a growing number of states are on track to end federal gun control once and for all† (Parker). Parker, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has specialized in business and state laws for fifteen years. The state of Kansas felt maintaining the second amendment right to bear arms was so important, that on April 16, 2013, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed SB102 making Kansas the first state to outlaw federal gun control. The bill, titled â€Å"The Second Amendment Protection Act,† declared federal gun regulations â€Å"void and unenforceable in the state,† and it prohibited state and local officials from enforcing any law, order, or treaty of the United States with regard to guns and ammunition† (Parker). Subsequently, states across the country stood by Kanas by advancing their own versions of the Second Amendment Protection Act. According to StandWithKansas, a grassroots website that tracks the push by states to end federal gun control, approximately 30 states introduced versions of the Second Amendment Protection Act in 2013. The model bill listed on the site - which was formulated by the Tenth Amendment Center, a group of lawyers who advocate for protecting all constitutional rights, and subsequently endorsed by Gun Owners of America - prohibits state officials and agencies from enforcing federal gun control regulations (Parker). The 2014 legislative branches of Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri also filed Second Amendment Protection Acts that would ban state implementation of

Free Essays on Steven Dunn

Professor Stephen Dunn Wins Pulitzer Prize, â€Å"I didn’t think I had a chance.†By Brandi Fornicola Just yesterday poet Stephen Dunn sat casually awaiting questions from the students of a journalism class at Brookdale Community College. He entered the room, took off the layers of winter, and got settled. Dunn, a 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry was also scheduled to recite his poems later on, these students had the benefit of meeting him in a more personal setting. After a long silence many inquiries were addressed towards Dunn. When asked if he will feel more pressured with his work since winning the Pulitzer he answered, â€Å" No. Not at all, I will however be more scrutinized because of it.† Dunn addressed each question directed towards him. As he chewed on the tip of his eyeglasses, he informed the students that he liked the attention that his work was getting more than the attention that he was receiving because of the award. â€Å"I think it is one of the dilemmas of being an American poet, that perhaps even if you are famous, you are more famous for being famous than if people know your poetry,† Dunn mentioned in a past interview. After the conference Dunn attended dinner at a nearby restaurant. At 7:30 p.m. he then attended a forum open to the public to commence on the reading of his poetry. The Pulitzer Prize winning collection of poetry, ‘Different Hours’ received the most attention from Dunn. Nine poems from that collection were recited, and over ten poems from additional collections. The Pulitzer Prizes, which are awarded annually by Columbia University in N.Y.C., are not easily obtained. With 2,000 entries submitted each year and only twenty-one awards normally given in a number of fields Dunn knew of the odds against him. When previously asked what he thought his chances were in winning the Pulitzer he stated, â€Å"I didn’t think I had a chance.† There was a stir throughout the audience as the p... Free Essays on Steven Dunn Free Essays on Steven Dunn Professor Stephen Dunn Wins Pulitzer Prize, â€Å"I didn’t think I had a chance.†By Brandi Fornicola Just yesterday poet Stephen Dunn sat casually awaiting questions from the students of a journalism class at Brookdale Community College. He entered the room, took off the layers of winter, and got settled. Dunn, a 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry was also scheduled to recite his poems later on, these students had the benefit of meeting him in a more personal setting. After a long silence many inquiries were addressed towards Dunn. When asked if he will feel more pressured with his work since winning the Pulitzer he answered, â€Å" No. Not at all, I will however be more scrutinized because of it.† Dunn addressed each question directed towards him. As he chewed on the tip of his eyeglasses, he informed the students that he liked the attention that his work was getting more than the attention that he was receiving because of the award. â€Å"I think it is one of the dilemmas of being an American poet, that perhaps even if you are famous, you are more famous for being famous than if people know your poetry,† Dunn mentioned in a past interview. After the conference Dunn attended dinner at a nearby restaurant. At 7:30 p.m. he then attended a forum open to the public to commence on the reading of his poetry. The Pulitzer Prize winning collection of poetry, ‘Different Hours’ received the most attention from Dunn. Nine poems from that collection were recited, and over ten poems from additional collections. The Pulitzer Prizes, which are awarded annually by Columbia University in N.Y.C., are not easily obtained. With 2,000 entries submitted each year and only twenty-one awards normally given in a number of fields Dunn knew of the odds against him. When previously asked what he thought his chances were in winning the Pulitzer he stated, â€Å"I didn’t think I had a chance.† There was a stir throughout the audience as the p...

American History to 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American History to 1877 - Essay Example England was able to maintain tentative alliances with many of the few remaining indigenous clans that had not yet been totally annihilated and wiped off of American soil; restricting the colonist from entering the Appalachian territories. This must have made the monarchy feel confident that they would have little problem keeping their American colony in check. However by 1760, with the increasing threat of slave rebellion and Indian insurrection1, the colonialist rich and poor were feeling rather antsy and insecure. Nonetheless, there had been no less than eighteen colonial uprising aimed at overthrowing British control (Zinn, 59). In time, this combination of British over-confidence and domestic insecurity would become an enormous political accelerant. It would take only the machinations of the elite and the will of a people to make revolution a fait accompli. What Brittan discovered was that it could not hold up the examples of the Magna Carta (1215), and the English Bill of Rights (1689) to their far-flung relatives overseas without expecting challenges to their indisputable right to govern from afar. In the colonies, the elites discovered that the rhetoric of liberation, cloaked in the hubris of patriotism, and adorned with religious zeal was the only spark that they needed in order to ignite the White working classes into full blown rebellion: "to bind that loyalty with something more powerful even than material advantage, the ruling group found in the 1760's and 1770's a wonderfully useful device. That device was the language of liberty and equality, which could unite just enough whites to fight a Revolution against England, without ending either slavery or inequality". (Zinn, 1980) The aftershocks of the Great [Religious] Awakening (1739-1740) could still be felt on American soil, and people were increasingly ready to equate the religious hierarchy of the crown with outright tyranny. Now that they had freed their souls, what would be next The courage, bravery, and skill that had been expended on North American soil helping England to defend its possessions against the French, the Spanish and other colonial powers was soon to be turned upon England herself. While Great Brittan was shoring up its colonial presence around the world, the colonists were growing increasingly agitated at having to adhere to laws that they felt should not have been applicable to them on American soil. They were sick and tired of paying for initiatives of which they had no concern; and they were growing increasingly upset at being taxed by a government of which they had no representation. Ironically, their situation was somewhat similar to the situation of nearly three quarters of a mil lion residents of Washington D.C. today.2 Nevertheless, anger had been mounting in the colonies for quite sometime. Consequently, "[F]rom 1750 to 1776 four hundred pamphlets had appeared arguing for one side or another of the Stamp Act, [the] Boston Massacre, [and] The [Boston] Tea Party (Zinn, 69)". From 1660 to 1764 there had been no less than 29 Acts of Parliament restricting colonial commerce in favor of the crown (Ramsay, 1811). Between 1764 and 1767 the English passed a series of taxes (Navigation Acts) on goods imported to the colonies, aimed at forcing goods to either be sold in England or purchased from England. The Sugar Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of

Teaching and Learning Turkish in Cyprus Thesis Proposal

Teaching and Learning Turkish in Cyprus - Thesis Proposal Example The research will target at evaluating the trends and the suitability of the technological environment of the county as well as the appropriateness of learning/teaching Turkish in the country as a foreign or second language in the southern part of Cyprus; Limassol. To have reliable results both quantitative and qualitative research methodology will be applied. Among the latest action plans put in place by the European Union is (EU) is linguistic diversity and language learning within lifelong learning scope. Lifelong learning refers to all learning activities undertaken within someone’s life, with an objective of improving skills, competence, and knowledge within a civic, personal, and other perspectives related to employment. Around 200 semi-structured interviews should be conducted using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The participants will include university students, colleges’ students and other Turkish speakers living in Limassol. Over 1000 det ailed questionnaires should be formulated and later analyzed after data collection. A comparison should be made and the conclusion drawn basing the argument on the results. Observations should be carried out mainly on the attitude, behavior, and approach of the e-learning by students and teachers. Other observations should target impacts of other language education, challenges facing those offering the languages as well as the gaps in language education in the country. Following the country’s education curriculum, Turkish e-learning, open-learning, and distant learning institutions should be set up in the strategic regions. The location should be based on long-run effects as well as competition from other language institution. The establishment should be after the shortest time possible. Other factors to be considered are government regulations, security, and mission. The learning schedule should be ready by this time; e-learning protocol should be well designed with simplici ty to facilitate comprehension by any kind of student. Guidelines of who can apply or how can one apply should be laid down; there should be an offer to facilitate many applicants and quick establishment.

The issue of management discretion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The issue of management discretion - Essay Example The challenge compromises the quality of the financial reports delivered by the company analysts. This aspect is favorable to one party becomes a barrier for another party to the achievement of a certain goal. For instance, the case of Adelphia Company reveals management discretion challenge for the company stakeholders. In this case, the communications company created a high amount of debt amounting to $2.6B in its off-balance sheet records (Siddiqui 37). The company provides cable entertainment and other communication services. The debt was created when the top management of the company shifted the loans of the company amounting to $2.6B to the unconsolidated books of account, which were controlled by the family of the founders of the company, Adelphia Company. Accordingly, the money borrowed by the company to fund the company’s projects, balanced personal loans of the Adelphia founder family members. The rest of the amount was used in the covering of other expense relating to the Adelphia founder family members. Additionally, the money was spent in the purchase of a golf course and purchase of Adelphia stock, which was unwarranted, by the company rules and regulations. According to Martin, the money was misused in the purchase of luxurious condominiums in the city of Colorado and New York City (67). No expenditures were related to the initial objectives of seeking the company loan. The whole syndicate wax in the benefit of the executive team while it was in complete violation of the company regulation and the shareholders’ interests in the Adelphia Company. The move evoked the stakeholders’ stern reaction. The afflicted parties sued the executive management of mismanaging an embezzling of the Adelphia Company’s financial resources. The retaliation measure of filing of a bankruptcy claim was appropriate given that the claim represented the true state of affairs of the Adelphia

The Nature Of Corruption In India

The Nature Of Corruption In India Corruption cannot be defined easily but in a deeper sense it is mostly concerned with bribery and has various forms. Being a global phenomenon, it has progressed and is now strong in the Indian society. In India, it is a result of the mash between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. India has now become a consideration state where everything can be had for a consideration. The number of officials with an honest profile is easily countable on fingers. There was a time, bribe was paid for getting wrong things done but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. In an interview with Jitendra Singh and Ravi Ramamurti, professor of international business at Northeastern University, Singh said that In the bad old days, particularly pre-1991, when the License Raj held sway, and by design, all kinds of free market mechanisms were hobbled or stymied, and corruption emerged almost as an illegitimate price mechanism, a shadowy quasi-market, such that scarce resources could still be allocated within the economy, and decisions could get made. Of course, this does not in any way condone the occurrence of such corruption. The shameful part of all this was that while value was captured by some people at the expense of others, it did not go to those who created the value, as it should in a fair and equitable system. He mentions that there was a distortion of incentives within the economy, as people found unproductive behaviors to be of short-term gains. Thus, utilizing positions of power that could bestow favors became more important than bringing out new ideas and innovations. Even if tried, the process of eradicating corruption will be too low paced and it cannot change overnight. The costs of corruption are rooted in various parts of the economy. Improper infrastructure, of course, is widely recognized as a serious impediment to Indias advancement. Producing valuable goods is of limited utility if they cannot be transported in a timely fashion, for example. Transparency International estimates that Indian truckers pay something in the neighborhood of $5 billion annually in bribes to keep freight flowing. Corruption is a large tax on Indian growth, Ramamurti said in an interview after the conference. It delays execution, raises costs and destroys the moral fiber. Corruption also cripples the effort to ameliorate poverty in India and to improve the countrys stock of human capital. The rate at which this happens varies tremendously from region to region. Edward Luce, for example, author of In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India, notes that Rates of theft vary widely from state to state in India, with the better states, such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, getting more than 80% of subsidized government food to their poor. Meanwhile, in the northern state of Bihar, Indias second poorest with a population of 75 million, more than 80% of the food is stolen. A few Indian companies, Ramamurti said, such as the Tata group or Wipro, have taken the high road, but most firms find it impossible to get anything done without greasing palms. Wipro, headed by Azim Premji, is Indias third-biggest global tech services provider (behind Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys). In Bangalore Tiger: How Indian Tech Upstart Wipro Is Rewriting the Rules of Global Competition, business journalist Steve Hamm writes that Wipro is not just a company, its a quest. That quest, according to some observers, is as much about moral rectitude as it is about business success. For example, according to Hamm, the company pays no bribes and has a zero tolerance policy for corruption. The paradox, Ramamurti said, is that even though Indias faster growth in recent years is the result of fewer government controls, most Indian managers would tell you that corruption has increased, not decreased, in tandem. How could this be? The explanation is that faster growth has created new choke points at which politicians and bureaucrats can extract payments, such as land regulation, spectrum allocation or college admissions all of which have become much more valuable in [this century]. Faster growth has also raised the economic cost to firms of delays in public approvals, giving officials that much more hold-up leverage over private investors. Corruption in India leads to promotion not prison. It is very difficult to catch Ëœbig sharks. Corruption in India has wings not wheels. As nation grows, the corrupt also grow to invent new methods of cheating the government and public. A survey conducted by Transparency International cites India as far worse than China and refers to her as a country where bribery and corruption are among the worst in the world. In a developing country, resources are always scarce and demand greater than supply. The recipients of public services are mostly the poor, illiterate, ignorant and weak. Thus it is the ordinary man who suffers most from misgovernment and corruption. Yet in India, even the highly educated lack the power to protest. There is no accountability or transparency among public servants and outdated systems like the license-permit-quota-inspector system continue to prosper even in the face of liberalization and globalization. The overabundance of laws and statutes and discretionary powers only provides further breeding ground for bribery and corruption. Recent Incidents A spate of high-profile corruption scandals has rocked the Indian government in the last few months and is threatening foreign investor confidence. The scams include allegations of graft against officials responsible for last years Commonwealth games hosted by New Delhi, a telecom case involving the government underselling mobile-phone licenses for kickbacks that may have cost the exchequer nearly $40 billion, and a housing scam in which politicians, bureaucrats, and military officials are accused of taking over a plush Mumbai apartment block intended for war widows. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose government has come under fire from opposition parties and the media, has vowed to crack down on corruption. But as the BBCs Soutik Biswas notes, India has a poor record of prosecuting corruption and an even grimmer record on actual convictions. India ranks 87 out of 178 countries on Transparency Internationals 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. A 2010 report from Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity blames Indias poor governance for the tax evasion and corruption, which result in illicit financial flows from the country of at least $462 billion. It is an issue which needs to be tackled, because corruption not only reduces the social acceptability of whatever growth we achieve, but actually reduces growth, Indias Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told the World Economic Forum. Some investment analysts say corruption is already a factor in declining foreign investment which has been a key to Indias growth over the last two decades and is worrying domestic investors, too. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) became net sellers for the first time in January since May 2010, shedding some $1.4 billion in holdings, according to industry data. Were not claiming FII flows are driven simply by corruption concerns, said analysts from Espirito Santo Securities in Mumbai, but corruption and ensuing political risk has without question become a major concern. Indias surging growth rate of nearly 8.5 percent is also under threat from high inflation, which may further scare off foreign investors. A report from international organizations, including the UN Global Compact, estimates that corruption adds as much as 10 percent (PDF) to the total cost of doing business globally, and as much as 25 percent to the cost of procuring contracts in developing countries. When it comes to ease of doing business, the World Bank ranks India 134 out of 183 countries in 2011. Corruption also harms poverty-alleviation efforts in India. The World Bank has found corruption the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development. India has a right-to-information law that promises to make government accountable, but whistleblowers have often had a fight on their hands, in several instances paying with their lives. The government has a draft anti-corruption bill scorned by many activists who have coalesced under the banner India Against Corruption. Indian businessmen, too, are calling for effective legislation to counter corruption. The most promising drive for change, say some commentators, comes from Indias civil society, with initiatives such as I Paid a Bribe, an online tool where citizens report instances where they have paid or resisted the demand for a bribe. A survey conducted by World Development Report some year ago, business man in surveyed countries said that the main problem with corruption was that it increases risk and uncertainty .The risk declined dramatically if corruption produced reliable outcome .If all player have to play 10% and could treat of getting their license entrepreneurs could treat this as just one more tax, factor it into their calculations of profit and so could invest with confidence of sure gain. The quality of institution seems to be the most important factor for the growth of a countries .If the institution work moderately well, progress is possible even if money is skimmed off at the top .But if the institution are incapable of enforcing any right, corruption will hasten economic collapse. So far Indian economic is concerned the slow progress is the result of lack of decision making at higher level .Many politician who take money but could not enforce their will because of powerful lobby of bureaucrats at many place and a democracy like India ,voice of media ,voice of opposition could suppress the wish of the leader . Causes of corruption The causes of corruption are many and complex. Following are some of the causes of corruption. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Emergence of political elite who believe in interest-oriented rather than nation-oriented programs and policies. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Artificial scarcity created by the people with malevolent intentions wrecks the fabric of the economy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Corruption is caused as well as increased because of the change in the value system and ethical qualities of men who administer. The old ideals of morality, service and honesty are regarded as anachronistic. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tolerance of people towards corruption, complete lack of intense public outcry against corruption and the absence of strong public forum to oppose corruption allows corruption to reign over people. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Vast size of population coupled with widespread illiteracy and the poor economic infrastructure lead to endemic corruption in public life. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In a highly inflationary economy, low salaries of government officials compel them to resort to the road of corruption. Graduates from IIMs with no experience draw a far handsome salary than what government secretaries draw. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Complex laws and procedures alienate common people to ask for any help from government. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Election time is a time when corruption is at its peak level. Big industrialists fund politicians to meet high cost of election and ultimately seek personal favor. Bribery to politicians buys influence, and bribery by politicians buys votes. In order to get elected, politicians bribe poor illiterate people, who are slogging for two times meal. Corruption is one of the most serious consequences of poor governance. A country with widespread corruption invariably has low investment rates, poor economic growth and limited human development. The public will find their access to the most basic social services severely restricted and the government will find the cost of delivering these services inordinately high. Corruption has no positive effects. It hits the poor hardest, it makes a mockery of financial systems and it actively works against the legitimacy of the state. Poverty, development, growth and investment all suffer at the hands of corruption. Source of corruption In a country with some 19.5 million public servants, a plethora of outdated and outmoded laws and a conspicuous lack of accountability, it is not difficult for these public servants to use their powers to control the remaining 1,000 million citizens. Within the public service system, a rigid, old fashioned hierarchy means that in actual fact, 90% of these employees are only Class 3 and 4. Thus less than 2 million officers control the fate of 1,000 million. As officers, they earn high salaries enriched by numerous perks and privileges but nevertheless, their greatest desire is for further riches. It makes no difference how educated they are; they have no respect for democratic values and no grasp of public morality. They will do anything for money. The 17.5 million minor public servants who work under them are exploited as middlemen or left to indulge in petty corruption them. Lack of Punishment: A contributory factor to the growth of corruption in India is that the cases relating to corruption are often handled in a casual and a clumsy manner. Those in hierarchy vested with disciplinary powers shirk duty and slow unwillingness to use their powers against corrupt practices. This may be due to different reasons like political or trade union pressure, vested interests, or sheer ineptitude in handling criminal investigation. The result is that corrupt are rarely caught and even if caught are let off with minor or no penalties. The government officials entrusted with the responsibility of dealing with corruption do it in a most inefficient and lethargic manner and this suits the political leadership which patronizes corruption. The judiciary system is so expensive, dilatory, and inefficient that it takes years and years of corruption cases to be decided. The infamous Harshad Mehta case of organized corruption in the stock exchanges of India, in which small investors lost hundreds of billions of Rupees, has been in courts for almost a decade now and yet there is no indication of its nearing any decision. The result of such inordinate delay is those accuseds often escape punishment because long time span has an adverse effect on the evidence in a case. The conviction rate in Indian courts is only 6%. There are 300 million cases pending in the Indian courts and average time taken for disposal of cases is from 10-20 years. Justice delayed is justice denied in most cases of corruption. The Benefits of an Open Society One of the inevitable comparisons in any story on rapidly developing economies is that between India and China. China has endured a spate of bad news in recent months regarding the impact of corruption and shoddy oversight on the quality of exported products from cold medication that killed dozens of people in Latin America to toxic toothpaste to childrens toys coated in lead-based paint. If Chinas initial response was to attempt to characterize much of this as a Western conspiracy against Chinese products and businesses, officials were rather quickly goaded into taking serious action. In July, the government executed Zheng Xiaoyu, who headed Chinas State Food and Drug Administration from 1997 to 2006. The good news in India, compared to China, said Ramamurti, may be that at least the most egregious forms of corruption are exposed by social activists or the media. A more open society, by definition, provides more avenues for oversight, more empowered constituencies to ferret out and disseminate the truth when things go wrong. One big difference, Singh added, comes in the form of the legal system. In India, a firm can sue the government and win, which may not be as easy in China. Also, the public at large is much more vocal and active in India. Any group can file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against a firm, which will frequently get heard in court. Also, it is the case that corporate governance is stronger in India, on average, due to better disclosure and Securities and Exchange Board of India regulatory guidelines. This [is true] even though there are some fine Chinese firms, and some quite poorly governed Indian firms. Singh ticked off a quick list of additional cultural factors that are to Indias advantage: A fierce arguably sometimes to the point of being irresponsible media, both the press and TV; a legal system descended from British Common Law like the U.S. which, while hardly perfect, does work reasonably well; [the existence of] certain rights such as freedom of speech; strong links with the global economy through, though not solely due to, the non-resident Indian (NRI) community which provides global exposure; and a facility with English which makes for easier integration into the global economy. As in other countries, however, there is the nagging problem of money corrupting the electoral process and thereby short circuiting, or at least slowing, reform. The business community and the public at large would welcome a reduction in corruption, Ramamurti said, but neither believes this will come to pass. Corruption is endemic in daily life, from things minor to major, and it has become the primary means of funding election campaigns. The really serious problem here, Singh stated, is that the prevalence of corruption in the Indian economy may well have distorted cultural norms within the society. Yet I am also aware of countervailing forces, so I do not want to overstate the case. But to the extent that change in cultural norms will be needed to root out corruption, it will take a persistent, long, drawn-out effort. While economic change is easier to achieve, cultural change is much slower and more difficult. This is compounded by the rearguard actions of those who are beneficiaries of the status quo. Measures to combat corruption Is it possible to contain corruption in our society? Corruption is a cancer, which every Indian must strive to cure. Many new leaders when come into power declare their determination to eradicate corruption but soon they themselves become corrupt and start amassing huge wealth. There are many myths about corruption, which have to be exploded if we really want to combat it. Some of these myths are: Corruption is a way of life and nothing can be done about it. Only people from underdeveloped or developing countries are prone to corruption. We will have to guard against all these crude fallacies while planning measures to fight corruption. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Foolproof laws should be made so that there is no room for discretion for politicians and bureaucrats. The role of the politician should be minimized. Application of the evolved policies should be left in the hands of independent commission or authority in each area of public interest. Decision of the commission or authority should be challengeable only in the courts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cooperation of the people has to be obtained for successfully containing corruption. People should have a right to recall the elected representatives if they see them becoming indifferent to the electorate. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Funding of elections is at the core of political corruption. Electoral reforms are crucial in this regard. Several reforms like: State funding of election expenses for candidates; strict enforcement of statutory requirements like holding in-party elections, making political parties get their accounts audited regularly and filing income-tax returns; denying persons with criminal records a chance to contest elections, should be brought in. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Responsiveness, accountability and transparency are a must for a clean system. Bureaucracy, the backbone of good governance, should be made more citizen friendly, accountable, ethical and transparent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ More and more courts should be opened for speedy inexpensive justice so that cases dont linger in courts for years and justice is delivered on time. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Local bodies, Independent of the government, like Lokpals, Lokadalats, CVCs and Vigilance Commissions should be formed to provide speedy justice with low expenses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A new Fundamental Right viz. Right to Information should be introduced, which will empower the citizens to ask for the information they want. Barring some confidential information, which concerns national and international security, other information should be made available to general public as and when required. Stringent actions against corrupt officials will certainly have a deterrent impact. Corruption cannot be ignored or swept under the carpet. Its effects are extremely damaging, far-reaching and all pervasive. For third world countries, struggling to emerge from crippling debt and bitter poverty, the struggle is doomed unless and until the ugly issue of corruption is confronted and effectively addressed. Corruption is not something that a government on its own can eradicate. In any case, political leaders simply use it as a quick, easy way to win votes, making catchy slogans and shallow promises when it suits their political interests. Prime ministers from the late Gulzari Lal Nanda to Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared a war on corruption but achieved absolutely nothing. Is there anyone, then, who can take on this huge task? If the population at large and civil society institutions in particular continue to be indifferent, helpless and resigned in the face of corruption, then the answer is no. The first prerequisite is for the public and its institutions to be motivated to fight. The second is to scrap or rationalize all obsolete and outdated laws, something the government alone cannot do since such laws currently serve to keep the status quo. A genuinely committed judiciary working with civil society institutions can take on this task. India is a land of tremendous contrasts, not least in the way she cherishes such values as sacrifice and spirituality, points proudly to their prominent place in her past and boasts of her rich cultural heritage and the honesty and purity that were an essential part of it. But in the 21st century, such values remain very much in the past and India has become an embarrassing by word for dishonesty, hypocrisy and money grabbing. What has happened to those old values? Is there some covert destruction of these values going on undetected? We need a true diagnosis of the root causes of the erosion of these values and this is something our academics must do. Only then is there any hope of an eventual lasting solution. At present the public perception is that corruption is a way of life, unavoidable, something you have to endure; that you cannot survive in India without indulging in corruption in one form or the other. People are so used to this life of corruption that they have lost all interest in doing anything about it. We cannot look to businesses, industrial houses or management education for help for their entire raison detre is profit. Nor can money solve the problem. Only exceptional individuals can make a difference. In Sweden and Norway, it was sociologists who cleaned up corruption in their countries. In the USA, individual police officers and bureaucrats made sacrifices to streamline and rationalize the system. In China, a cultural revolution changed the people and transformed the entire country. But India is a law unto herself. Perhaps a little parable can illustrate this. Some Improvement; Some Distance Yet to Go Transparency International monitors corruption globally and puts out an annual report which it refers to as the Global Corruption Barometer. The most recent figures from 2006 provide an interesting perspective on how Indians see progress in the area of corruption. Indians report a substantial reduction in the perceived level of corruption in a number of sectors, according to the most recent report. Improvements encompass education, the legal system/judiciary, media, parliament/legislature and utilities. It should be noted, however, that Indian respondents still indicate that the majority of sectors highlighted are significantly affected by corruption. These improvements should therefore be understood as a positive sign of progress, but not an indication that the problem of corruption has been solved. How much is left to be done? Some three out of four Indian respondents, on the question of the degree to which their government is fighting corruption, answered that the government was either not effective, does not fight at all or actually encourages corruption. Where does business fit into this? Asked to rate the impact of corruption on various spheres of their lives on a scale of one to four, from not at all to to a large extent Indians identified political life as the sphere most significantly impacted (2.9), and personal and family life as the least impacted (2.3).They put the business environment squarely in the middle (2.6). What institutions are respected? Rating the impact of corruption on different sectors and institutions (on a scale of one to five, from not at all corrupt to extremely corrupt), Indians identified political parties (4.2) and police (4.3) as the most corrupt institutions, with business again near the middle (3.2). The least corrupt institution? The military, at 1.9. Corruption is an intractable problem. It is like diabetes, can only be controlled, but not totally eliminated. It may not be possible to root out corruption completely at all levels but it is possible to contain it within tolerable limits. Honest and dedicated persons in public life, control over electoral expenses could be the most important prescriptions to combat corruption. Corruption has a corrosive impact on our economy. It worsens our image in international market and leads to loss of overseas opportunities. Corruption is a global problem that all countries of the world have to confront, solutions, however, can only be home grown. We have tolerated corruption for so long. The time has now come to root it out from its roots.

Gender in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi

This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Gender in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader.

History of Broadway Essay

There have been many debates on whether or not Broadway musicals are considered â€Å"serious† art forms. People feel that a musical can never be taken seriously if the character is always singing sporadically, which is very unusual in real life. However, musicals have been around for quite some time now, many musicals are being adapted into major motion pictures, many children are raised on the famous Disney musical cartoons and everybody( whether they’ll admit it or not) has seen at least one musical in their lifetime and are able to sing some of the songs from it. It seems that musicals have made an impact on society but yet are still not taken seriously. The history of musicals dates back to the Greeks. It is a common known fact that the Greeks incorporated song and dance into their stage comedies and tragedies as early as the 5th Century B. C. Some used existing songs but it is known that Sophocles wrote his own. The Romans are also known for taking the Greek musicals and expanding on them. The Romans liked the idea of musicals so much that they attached metal chips to their shoes, creating the first tap shoes, so that there would be more focus on the dancing throughout the play. Of course musicals and the idea of telling stories through song and dance really became popular through the Renaissance era. During the 1700’s the two main types of plays were ballad operas and comic operas. Many people think that musicals evolved from operas however if you follow the history of musicals and operas you will learn that it is the other way around yet operas are much more respected than musicals. Musicals came to America during the mid-1800’s as saloon shows. They were also known as variety shows and consisted of everything from clowns, singers, dancers and chorus girls. In Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York (Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, New York, 1991, p. 92), historian Luc Sante, claims that variety shows were born in Manhattan’s Bowery saloons during the 1840s. One of the first and most famous variety houses was Koster and Bial’s on West 23rd Street in New York City. The variety shows were very distasteful and were later cleaned up and renamed vaudeville then in the 1900’s the shows were cleaned up even more and were then known as minstrelsy. While the minstrelsy shows were much cleaner than the original variety show they would still be considered extremely raunchy by today’s standards. Musicals later came to take the form of the misunderstood form of Burlesque performances. Burlesque shows became popular and kept America entertained from 1840 through the 1960’s. Many people identify burlesque with strippers or scantily dressed women. The burlesque shows however covered many topics of interest from Shakespeare to spoofs of the famous operas of the moment. In 1860 Burlesque made its appearance on Broadway with Lydia Thompson’s British burlesque troupe and their first hit entitled Ixion. It became clear that respectable people would pay lots of money for a sexy performance. The theatre group would use popular songs of that time and parts of operas to perform too which made some of the audience try to say made the Burlesque show more classy and easier to relate too. Soon the offended audience members began to raise their voices in protest of the performances saying that they were extremely inappropriate and tasteless. This of course only made people more curious about the performances and the crowds began to grow for the show. With the success of the shows people began to copy them and bring them back to their own communities. The majority of the managers and choreographers were women and finally women were beginning to gain respect in the theatre business. Men quickly began to see the success and start their own shows. The point of the shows were to hint at the idea of the women being naked and to show as much skin as was considered acceptable. The Burlesque shows, while being popular, were considered to be the lowest form of theatre, many of the actors would move on to vaudeville shows which were considered to be the top of the line where if a vaudeville actor would appear in a Burlesque show it was considered a step down and the actor was labeled as â€Å"washed up†. Burlesque soon took on comedy routines and would make fun of the current issues that the middle and lower class were dealing with. However in the 1920’s there began a raid and the police felt the need to shut down all of the Burlesque shows which was a major hit to the Manhattan society where most of the theatres were at the time. While the Burlesque scene was popular musical comedies were beginning to rise without the help of the nudity factor. The musical comedy was born on Broadway between the years 1878-1884 by the famous producers Edward (Ned) Harrigan and Tony Hart. Harrigan would write the lyrics and songs with some of the music he had taken from his father and add them to plays that would feature characters and situations that the everyday lives of New York’s lower class. They had one particularly famous bit entitled â€Å"Mulligan Guard’s March† which started in San Francisco and was quickly spread all across the country and reached New York where it ran for over a year in the most popular theatres. With the success of their short bit they expanded into a 40 minute performance which was greatly accepted and kept playing for a month which was considered a good run for that time. Their show became so popular that it started a seven year run of different shows with Harrigan directing, producing, performing and writing the scripts and lyrics. Their shows ran with much success on Manhattans downtown streets and overpopulated theatres. People quickly saw the success and began to try to create their own versions of this new style known as musical comedies. Some had success but were quickly forgotten or overlooked with Harrigan and Hart’s success. The more light-hearted and â€Å"cheesy† musicals began to pop up all over the Broadway scene in 1940. The Broadway producers felt that with America at war and people still suffering from the Depression audiences just wanted to be entertained and no longer wanted to see their troubles and everyday situations acted out on stage because they were no longer comical. There were still a few comedies left however, one of the most popular being This is the Army a comedy which spoofed the army life. This particular play had a huge success in America and also had successful run in London. This is the Army became so popular that they even made a motion picture out of the play which earned over $9 million and donated to the Army’s Emergency Relief fund. The 1940’s were filled with famous musicals all with the hopes of just being pure entertainment and losing the idea that only the most artistic performances would be well received. Two of the most famous musical writers in the history of the business made their debut during this time, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers and Hammerstein were friends in college and both agreed that the best way to approach a musical was with the lyrics first, which was rare for the time. When the two were ready to debut their loved musical Oklahoma the Theatre Guild was bankrupt so the two took the major decisions in their own hands. They took some major risks one being to not open with a big catchy theatrical number and the other being to cast smaller unknown actors instead of the guaranteed success of the more popular actors of the time. The play was something that had never been seen before; it was a well rounded well written musical. On opening night in New York the show however was not sold out, since there were no major known stars, however the show quickly became a huge success. The success of Oklahoma changed the quality of musicals forever. It was soon realized that musicals could contain more than just â€Å"cheesy† dance numbers; musicals could contain drama, comedy and all around quality acting. Future musicals had higher standards and required better and more talented actors. The actors had to be skilled dancers, singers and actors. There was a lot of talent discovered all over the theatre community during the 40’s while everybody tried to compete with and follow the success of Oklahoma, however most of the talent was quickly forgotten. The 1950’s were soon open the musical community and show tunes were considered the main source of entertainment. Even the smaller musicals that did not have the most talented actors could be very profitable because the audience hoped to discover another winning team like Rodgers and Hammerstein. The fantastic duo were still ruling the musical world of Broadway, at one point they had 4 successful musicals running at the same time. In 1959 one of the most famous musicals of all time was created and praised, The Sound of Music. Everybody loved the music and the story and it was an immediate success, however it is also remembered as their last great success together as Hammerstein died just a few months after it opened which brought the end of their ruling. The 60’s and 70’s also had some great success in the musical worlds with the idea of bring rock music to the stage. In the 60’s show tunes could not be found in musicals and were replaced by edgier rock songs. The 60’s are of course known as the years of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and those ideas were put into story lines and portrayed on the stage. The 70’s had two major hits with Grease and The Wiz. However, the 70’s ended on a bad not for musicals because many people were tired of the shoddy performances being produced and their change in taste of music. There were some other great musicals that were produced in the 70’s but unfortunately they went overlooked. At the end of the decade revivals were beginning to pop up with famous actors playing the major roles in the musicals to boost up ticket sales. In 1980 the success of Broadway was revived with the huge success of Cats. The success and word of Cats spread all across the world and totally revived the spirit of the musical theatre. Many American composers debuted works after the success of Cats but sadly many failed. One of the biggest failures, Carrie, made its debut in 1988 which many considered the death of the Broadway rage of musicals. The main source of entertainment was now and movies and nobody paid much attention to Broadway anymore. Broadway however had one major hit left in The Phantom of the Opera. Andrew Lloyd Webber gave Broadway one last major success which is still running today. The Phantom brought in a new crowd and sold tickets at outrageous prices that the audience did not mind paying for at all, they also spent ton of money on the souvenirs. The 90’s saw a pretty bad drought in musical success except for the mid-90’s when it seemed like musicals were back with the success of Rent, Chicago, Cabaret and Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk. The success carried into 2000 and is still working it’s was on a comeback with a hot streak. With the huge success of Chicago being adapted into a major motion picture with huge stars like Rene Zellweger, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs and Catherine Zeta-Jones a new interest and spark was ignited in musicals. The theatre has also seen success recently with The Lion King, Hairspray, Aida, The Producers and Mamma Mia!. Musicals have overseen many changes and has a great history of success and failures just like any other type of theatre. As stated in the beginning many children are raised on musicals and grow up surrounded by music yet musicals are not seen as serious pieces of art. While the most popular musicals are the entertaining ones that don’t deal with any major issues that doesn’t mean that they can’t be serious as well. There are many types of musicals but why does that make them less important? Should comedic plays be seen as less artistic than dramatic pieces? Musicals have just as an important background and history as plays so I feel they should be viewed just as valuable to our society as any other piece of theatrical art. While it may be unnatural for a person to just burst out into song throughout their everyday life I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch if it did happen. How many times are we reminded of a song we hear earlier that day and sing it in our head? The only real difference between musicals and everyday life is that when we do sing our songs throughout our lives they aren’t always originals, everybody around you doesn’t join in and automatically know every word and we don’t have perfectly choreographed dance numbers to go along with them, however if we did have all that I think it would make life a lot more exciting and interesting. I am personally jealous of musicals for those reasons and wish they were given more respect.

Gun Control Research Paper †Ethics Essay

Gun Control Research Paper – Ethics Essay Free Online Research Papers Gun Control Research Paper Ethics Essay Try to imagine a stone cold killer who just got out of jail running loose in the streets. He sees a house with a family in it. He breaks into it with the intention of killing someone. As he enters, the owner of the house sees him with a gun in his jacket. The owner then goes to the drawer and pulls a gun on the person. That person just saved her life because she owned a gun. This could happen to anyone. Gun control is the regulation of the sale and use of rifles and handguns. An injustice is violation of anothers rights or of what is right. This could be unjust because guns can save lives. Gun control is unjust and adjusting it accordingly can solve our nations most persistent and pressing problems. Gun control has been a rising conflict in the 2000’s. Some people say we should have it some say we shouldn’t. And there are those others who just want to change gun control a little bit. Gun control is an injustice because if people can have guns they can save lives. But not just any person should be able to get a gun. Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Due to this assassination it increased public awareness which lead to the creation of increased and stricter gun control laws. People are entitled to own a gun. â€Å"The right to bear arms is stated in the 2nd amendment to the U.S. constitution. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed† (Right to Bear Arms). In other words the constitution allows U.S. citizens to own firearms. So, if people are allowed to have guns then why are there gun control laws? â€Å" The debate started shortly after November 22 , 1963 when evidence in the assassination of President Kennedy, which created some questions of why there was a relative lack of control over the sale and possession of firearms in America†(Gun Control Timeline). This all originated in Dallas, Texas. This is some history on gun control. The people that are trying to convince people that there is no problems with gun control have some pretty interesting things to say. These gun control advocates claim that guns promote violent behavior. Every day people are killed by guns. â€Å"Every day in the United States, 14 children are killed with guns† (Children Are Not at Risk from Handgun Violence). From this data a conclusion can be made that a lot of people are dying from guns. Gun control advocates also claim that there are ways to reduce gun violence. â€Å"A push for restrictions on bullet purchase, programs to rehabilitate criminals, devices to block out television violence, and growing citizen action groups are some ways of that gun violence can be reduced†(Bender 165-166). They claim that doing all this will help reduce gun violence. Trying to rehabilitate criminals might not be that effective. They also claim that death isn’t the only problem guns create. â€Å"During 1987 and 1988, Highland H ospital in Oakland, California, treated about 700 gunshot victims at a total cost of $10.5 million. Most of these victims- 2 percent of the hospitals patients- used 40 percent of its blood supply† (Newton 103). This data shows that gun shot victims are using almost half of the hospital’s donated blood. This justification is wrong for many reasons. For one, just because someone assassinated the president 40 years ago doesn’t mean that we have to limit what guns we can buy today. Lives can be saved if more people are able to buy guns. â€Å"In 1990 30% of the guns in the U.S. were used for self-defense† (Newton 24). This number should be much higher. Guns have more than just one use, for instance to go hunting or just to have a collection for a hobby. â€Å"Nearly 60% of the guns in the U.S. were used for hunting (Newton 24). That leaves about 10% left of guns in the U.S. â€Å"Law enforcement owns 3% of guns and 5% of guns was for collection purposes† (Newton 24). So that leaves only a small percentage of people who own guns with no purpose for them. Now, legalizing some illegal types of guns wouldn’t really affect people if most of them are using them for hunting and self protection. Just try to imaging a woman in an alley coming home from work with a g ang following her. The gang finally catches up to her and corners her in the back of the alley. In most cases she would die, unless she had a gun. If she had a gun she could have just pulled it out and scared the gang away. Possibly saving her life or any others around her. We can save lives with guns! It’s not the guns that kill people it’s the people that kill other people. Guns are just one way of killing them. This problem still affects us today for many reasons. For one, we just went through a war and the U.S. will never know what Iraq is going to do next. Also, people feel insecure if they don’t have a gun especially after what has happened in the past couple of years. Gun control still affects us today because there have been incidents where there have been suicides. â€Å"Homicide is not a disease, but it is a public health condition whose primary cause is the possession of guns† (Newton 103). There are still murders today committed with guns and that is why this problem still affects us today. Also, the 2nd amendment says that people have the right to bear arms and protect themselves. There are many actions that can be taken to remedy this problem. For, one we can engage today’s youth by engaging them in gun safety programs. This way the kids will know about guns and what will happen to them if they abuse them. Also, by legalizing some guns that are illegal the demand for them will go down and illegal gun sale will drop. But if those illegal guns become legal then there should be longer waiting periods and more thorough background checks. We can start by having petitions and have people sign them so that they will be sent to the NRA. This will tell them that we are serious about this and want immediate action. Also, there should be more gun awareness programs to educate people. â€Å"One NRA member expressed his support for longer background checks and mandatory training for gun buyers† (Newton 101). Gun safety should be a required class in the junior high to high school level. Doing all this will help get rid of gun control. One thing is for sure our future looks pretty good if gun control is gone. Just try to imagine a place where the criminals and murderers are afraid rather than the innocent people of America. Just try to think of the kids. This is so desirable because in our world people never know what’s going to happen next. All that people can do is prepare themselves for what could happen. Such as a mugger or a cold-hearted killer. Many lives can be saved with the ownership of a gun. If a family is at home sleeping and they hear a person break into their house. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a gun in case that person is about to kill the kids. Also, the sport of hunting would be enhanced. It would make it a lot easier for younger kids to go hunting. Gun control is unjust and adjusting it accordingly can solve our nations most persistent and pressing problems. Now as stated in the arguments above gun control is unjust and there is now reason why we should have it. When heard of on the news of a kid getting shot just think that it is the parents fault for leaving the gun in a place where they could reach it. The public of the United States should stop at no cost to effectively adjust gun control laws of today and to resolve this nation wide problem. Research Papers on Gun Control Research Paper - Ethics EssayEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)PETSTEL analysis of India

American Policy that Best Describes Response to Terrorism essays

American Policy that Best Describes Response to Terrorism essays Prior to 9/11, terrorism was just another key problem in American policy and different agencies were tasked to curtail its growth and influence whether it is domestic or international terrorism. 9/11 changed the landscape to the point of having an all-source, central governing body that ensures 24/7 monitoring, prevention and stopping of all terrorist activities. The agency is the Department of Homeland Security tasked to coordinate defense against, and responses to, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil combining border control and consequence management functions as well as a coordinating entity the National Office for Combating Terrorism with broad international responsibilities (Perl, 2003). By aggregating the counterterrorism and anti-terrorism functions into one superbody, the previous problems with jurisdiction and turf wars amongst the FBI, DEA, ATF and other state and local police, intelligence and law enforcements agencies were solve. Hence, American policy in combating terrori sts and terrorism responded with a centralized collection, investigation and implementation agency that ensures all avenues are managed to contain the global threats of this 21st century menace. By combining all its resources into a single cabinet-level agency, the U.S. administration has been seen to have instituted a swift, wide-ranging and decisive (Perl, 2003) action plan that best responds to terrorist threats. The campaign involved rallying the international community, especially law enforcement and intelligence components (Perl, 2003). But despite this noteworthy action, American policy should still look at the root causes of some of the terrorist actions against itself and its citizens. Some sectors in the society especially Muslims and Arabs state that; The method the American administration has used in the war against terror may have complicated the situation even mor...

The Parmalat Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Parmalat Scandal - Research Paper Example Parmalat employees tried to obstruct justice by shredding documents and spoiling computers. Tanzi and two members of his family were arrested. Zini of Zini legal firm was the mastermind behind the fraudulent activities while Fausto Tonna is played a key role. Parmalet’s outside counsel and ten members of its management pleaded guilty to criminal charges, but were lucky to get sentences not exceeding thirty months. While claims against Deloitte&Touche LLP and Grant&Thornton LLP were allowed to continue, a suit against Bank of America was dismissed (Markham 375). Italian prosecutors sought to cast the net wider. They indicted Deloitte &Touche, Grant & Thornton and their employees. They accused Citigroup and Morgan Stanley Deutche Bank with aiding and abetting the fraud since they were the company’s investment banks. Citigroup filed a countersuit in New Jersey claiming they were also a victim of Parmalet’s fraud (Markham 375).The scandal was an embarrassment to the Italy political establishment that had received $120 million in political contributions from Tanzi. The Parmalat scandal forced the Italian government to take measures to restore investor confidence. It passed laws that should have been passed long ago to prevent frauds such as the Parmalat scandal. However, as history has shown, there will always be a lot to be done. It takes an economic collapse or a big scandal to force legislators to seal loopholes and increase regulation (Mallin 86). The measures the Italian government took to prevent fraud were long overdue. Publicly traded companies should have been required to rotate their lead auditor’s after a brief period. The government set it at two years that should be ideal. The new laws extend the time of engagement from three years to six but limit the number of times they can be contracted (Mallin 86). The extension ensures continuity that is crucial to an auditing firm’s success. In addition, mandatory rotation

Media Log 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media Log 4 - Essay Example At an encounter with her therapist, she also confessed to behaving in similar manner for a very long time in her life as she has always wanted to please all people around her. Her rationale for doing this was that her own people did not understand her. Indeed, this is an exemplification of how distant modern family members are even though they may all live together in the same house. It had to take Claire going to Alex’s school to experience a similar situation where she was made to solve a mathematical problem to realise how distressing it could be for anyone to be put under pressure or put him or herself under pressure with the goal be pleasing others. From the episode, one is forced to ask if members of today’s modern family really live independent lives. This is because if Alex had learnt the act of living independently, she would not have probably worried herself about the need to put herself under pressure to please others. But then there the real issue could be t hat the family expects so much from its