Capital Punishment Essays (815 words) - Penology, Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment What is capital punishment? Capital punishment is the maximum penalty of a conviction. More than 4, 400 people have been executed since 1930. There is no way of knowing how many people have been executed in U.S. history because they used to be local affairs with nobody to record them. On the edge of the 21st century, Capital punishment is still one of the two most debated issues in the U.S., the other is abortion. This paper will attempt to show the effects of capital punishment and how it is used. Capital punishment has been a very attention grabbing incident over the years. For example, in 1936, about 20,000 people gathered in Owensboro, Kentucky, on the morning of August 14 to see the hanging of a 22 year old black man, Rainey Bethea. Many people have also died wrongfully. Sacco and Vangetti were two Italian immigrants that were accused of payroll robbery. Although they had alibis of there whereabouts, they were still convicted of the crime and sentenced to death by the electric chair. Nearly every culture throughout history has practiced capital punishment. Quartering was a popular method in Europe. Quartering is being torn apart by horses. In India, executions were sometimes carried out by having an elephant crush the condemneds head. In modern times, societies have sought to make executions more humane. Such was the goal of the guillotine, which severed the condemneds head with a heavy blade, and the electric chair which kills with a massive dose of electrical current. The Constitution of the United States guarantees to every citizen certain fundamental rights. The First Amendment, for example guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. The Second Amendment promises that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The amendment most relevant to the issue of the death penalty is the Eighth Amendment. It reads: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. However simple and straightforward these words may sound, its not always clear what they mean. That is because the words cruel and unusual are subjective. One person may think, for instance, that capital punishment is cruel and unusual, while another person may not. In 1972, the Supreme Court declared the death penalty cruel and unusual, and therefore unconstitutional. It was soon reactivated in 1976 by 35 states. People have tried to influence decisions on the death penalty. For example, the Pope has played a role in the decision of the death penalty. The Pope pleaded for a criminals life and the criminal was sentenced to life in jail instead of the electric chair. Many people that are innocent have been sentenced to death. Harry Blackman, a death penalty opponent, stated Innocent persons have been executed and will continue to be executed, explaining why he could no longer support the death penalty. Isidore Zimmerman, came within 2 hours of execution for a murder he did not commit. Citing instances like this, death penalty opponents claim that the danger of a terrible and irrevocable mistake capital punishment intolerable. Cost often comes up when the death penalty is mentioned. Those in favor of the death penalty say the government shouldnt waste its money on guarding, feeding, and housing a depraved criminal for the rest of his or her life. The truth is, however, that it costs much more to put a prisoner to death than to keep a prisoner in jail. It cost about 2 million to 3 million dollars to sentence someone to death and keep them on death row for 8 years. The same it costs to keep 3 prisoners in a maximum security prison for 40 years. Opponents use this as a contradiction. Race is a big issue in death sentencing although not admitted. There is still a lot of hard decision making when it comes to ethnics being punished. A comprehensive examination of capital murder cases in Georgia, a black convicted of murdering a white has a 22 percent chance of being sentenced to die, whereas a white convicted of murdering a black has only a 3 percent chance. This has been a big thing in the civil issues

Comparison between Walter Mitty and Holden Caulfield essays

Comparison between Walter Mitty and Holden Caulfield essays Comparison between Walter Mitty and Holden Caulfield Inability to live a successful and fulfilling external life The short story The secret life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, and the novel The Catcher in the Rye by the author J.D Salinger, are two works of literature of the twentieth century which have been analyzed and criticised broadly. Walter Mitty and Holden Caulfield are the main characters of each of these narrations. Both authors refer to the themes of loneliness, escaping reality, meaning of life, and lack of maturity amongst others. These themes are reflected in the protagonists, and similarities between Mitty and Holden Caulfields personality make these two characters recognizable in literature. Both are engrossed in failure, failure to productive society Walter Mitty is a middle-aged man who escapes from his unhappy and mediocre life into a world of fantasies where he is an outstanding and successful man, where he is respected and does not depend on anyone. This contrasts to his real life, where he is dominated by his wife, Mrs. Mitty, and he is just an ordinary weak man, who is constantly humiliated whenever he interacts with normal people. His fantasies and his real world have almost turned into an indivisible one. His illusions make his life tolerable, fulfilling him at least for a concise time. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy who has been sent to a mental institution after having a mental breakdown. He is an immature adolescent who is scared of becoming an adult, because he sees adults as phoney, hypocrites and obscene. All this has lead him into depression, because he keeps fighting responsibilities, thinking that that way he can achieve not turning into horrible grown ups image he has. Mitty is constantly daydreaming, for he does not know how to confront life, and is afraid to face reali ...

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Reflection - Essay Example Different countries have evolved separate items of mass entertainment, they can therefore be considered as their domestic culture. Youngsters, in the progress of their active life, learn to engage in activities mainly on the basis of information collected from mass media entertainment such as TV, music, movies, mobile and internet of course to the greatest extend these days (Nachbar 1992, p. 414). Engagement in popular culture should be productive, I mean, by way of learning the ethical values of great works done by people in literature, art and architecture. Students need to attend sessions of cultural activities and perform their role thereby. They should realize that culture is a source of ethical values apart from mere entertainment. Learning about modern popular culture encourages people to form a positive attitude towards their community. Movies, stage-shows or any other form of public entertainment should focus on building this attitude among people. Modern popular culture however, imprints the enthusiasm of more indigenous cultures involving tattoos, fashion design, animated photography etc in returning to the primitive style as a fashion. As the globe has been totally trodden by man, the need for cultural globalization has already evolved. People presently have the attitude to respect and follow the indigenous culture as a connection with modern popular culture. Also, with the development of sports and folklore programs across the world, the engagement of popular art in the social life has been reinforced. Therefore, in the light of due consideration of values and standards of popular culture these days, I don’t consider a change in my attitude towards them unless it goes all against social ethics; e ven on such conditions, there are legislative measures to regulate such possible

Argument essay structure Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument structure - Essay Example It therefore important for an organization to have an efficient and effective leader in order to direct and bind all these diverse employees in order for the organization’s targets to be achieved. Generally, overtime, many people have had different viewpoints on the concept of leadership. For instance, Daft views leadership as a vital organizational component which involves influence on people, and â€Å"occurs among people who intentionally desire significant changes† (2008). Similarly, Yukl views leadership as a process used by managers to influence employees to get an understanding of what ought to be done and how it should be done in order to achieve organizational targets (2006, p. 8). As such, the concept of management and leadership does not merely entail setting up plans and following the set procedures, but it instead requires the managers to effectively direct the diverse set of employees towards achieving the organizational objectives. However, it is worth noting that unlike the â€Å"Great Man’s Theory† which suggests that leadership is inborn rather than natured, Daft’s and Yukl’s viewpoint implies that leadership is a process t hat requires teamwork, influence and practice in order to achieve organizational goals. Equally important, with increased competition as well as numerous emerging new markets, today’s organizations have become more complex. This has hence led to a high inter-organizational and intra-organizational competition, a factor that has brought up an urgent need for effective and efficient leadership in organizations. Primarily, leadership competency encompasses the various practices, functions and responsibilities which the management are required to take. Thus, the competencies points out the various functional skills that leaders must develop in order to be able to take up responsibility effectively. To illustrate, leadership competencies are used in the

Home Health Care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Home Health Care - Research Paper Example The system provides a majority of advantages and as well as they provide information security to some extent. To be more specific, the paper speaks mainly of AllScripts software, the information management system used by the Residential Clinical Services. It addresses some of its features, weaknesses along with its strengths and security level. The Residential Clinical Services situated in Merrillville, in northwestern Indiana was established in 1987. This home care facility was established to provide commitment to excellence in patient care. The Residential Clinical Services main mission is to help patients and their families make the transition from hospital to home as smooth as possible. The facility is administered by Aileen M. Ellicott NP and has a total of 23 employees working there. It also serves a wide populous in the Indiana state, inclusive of; Northwest Indiana to include Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Newton and Jasper counties. The agency offers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical social services for financial or psychosocial counseling and identification of appropriate community resources. Home health aides are also available for those patients who are unable to manage their own personal hygiene, prescribe exercises and meal preparation. Additionally, their services include a comprehensive Oncology program with nurses highly competent in the total care and instruction of the patients with cancer. Programs such as Pain Management, Education, Supportive Care, Infusion Therapy, Chemotherapy, Antibiotics, Hydration and Nutritional Support are available for those patients in need. They also have a policy with local hospitals that enable the administration of blood and blood products to those patients already at home whose alternative would be an admission to the hospital or ambulance transport to an out-patient setting for an 8-10 hour stay. Home health care services

Lord Palmerstons Achievements as Foreign Secretary

Lord Palmerstons Achievements as Foreign Secretary Assess the achievement of Palmerstons first period at the Foreign Office, between 1830 and 1841. Viscount Palmerston was, without doubt, one of the most famous foreign secretaries ever to have held the office- and he did so on two occasions- between 1830-41, and 1846-52. As with many famous figures he is also rather a controversial one, receiving a mixture of praise and criticism from historians. Anthony Wood generally sees him as a dextrous negotiator, who threatened to use force in a judicious and responsible manner[1]. Eric Evans, on the other hand, is more inclined to see Palmerston’s obvious sabre rattling and ‘Gun Boat diplomacy’ as an irresponsible and unprincipled pursuit of the National interest[2] that aggravated diplomatic wounds (especially with the French) – and left Lord Aberdeen (when he took over in 1841) to ‘pick up the pieces’[3]. The function of this essay will be to evaluate Palmerton’s achievements in the first (and perhaps more influential) period under the premierships of Earl Grey and Lord Melborne in light o f this historiographical debate. This essay will adopt a chronological structure to facilitate the clarity of discussion. It will cover the three most famous events in British Foreign affairs in this period- the Belgium Crisis of 1830-1, the creation of the Quadruple Alliance in 1834, the finally the Egyptian Crises concerning France and Russia from 1831-41. It will then assess if, on balance, Palemerston’s first period at the Foreign Office can generally be called a success, as argued by Wood, or in fact did more harm than good- as argued by Evans. Palmerston’s general attitude to foreign affairs was famously one of the pursuit of national self-interest above the maintenance of any kind of consistent, or ‘ethical’ position. He told the House of Commons: â€Å"We have no eternal allies, we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow† For Evans, this was attitude represented a carte blance form of pragmatism. Palmerston was able to wrap himself in the union jack- often mobilising British public opinion behind him- and effectively conduct himself as he pleased with little regard for the sovereignty or stability of other nations- and most importantly- without any regard for long term-worsening of diplomatic relations. This approach was first demonstrated in respect of the Crisis in Belgium in 1830-1. In the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Belgium had been placed under the United Provinces of the Dutch- ignoring the obvious differences in religion and national feeling[4]. Eventually, Belgium Patriots were able to gather enough support to drive out the Dutch garrison from Brussels. King Louis Phillipe, who had come to power in France in 1830, was known to favour a satellite Belgium state under a French protectorate- although it was unknown as the extent the French were prepared to use military force to get it. At a London conference in 1831, Palmerston found himself in a difficult position- but refused to hand over two fortresses on the Belgium border to the French- thus ensuring the creation of a neutral Belgium. Some months later, after the French posted troops inside Belgium, Palmerston let it be known that he would be prepared to use force against them if they did not withdraw[5]. The French could n ot take this risk, and retreated. A treaty was signed in December 1832, establishing an international guarantee of Belgium’s neutrality. On the face of it, this seemed like a triumph for Palmeston. It could be argued that he had played the game of diplomatic bluff to perfection, and by refusing to assent to French demands and sabre rattling, had achieved a settlement most inkeeping with his goal of maintaining British national interest- and one which ensured a potentially dangerous French power-base did not grow any more menacing. However, there was no doubt that ‘Lord Pumicestone’s’ abrasive qualities had soured Anglo-French relations and perhaps a more delicate and consensual stance might have yielded a more satisfactory outcome to all sides The diplomatic problems with France did not go away. In 1834, the Queens of Spain and Portugal (who were constitutional rulers) were threatened by absolutist regimes in their own countries- and Palmerston was suspicious that the French planned to take advantage. His idea to create a ‘Quadruple Alliance’ between all four countries seemed, on the face of it, another great success. France could not diplomatically refuse an alliance already agreed to by Britain, Spain, and Portugal[6], and was seemingly once again outmanoeuvred by what Palmerston called a ‘Capital Hit all of my own doing’ (He was not known for his modesty). Palmerston had always been unequivocal in his support for Constitutional rulers, and Britain’s self-interest was arguably sustained by the maintenance of moderate regimes in the Iberian Peninsula[7]. On this occasion, he had arguably used diplomatic guile rather than the implied threat of military force to achieve success- so it can pe rhaps be said that Palmerston was occasionally prepared to dock his gunboat for a spot of peaceful diplomacy. Once again, though, the price of safeguarding British Interests had worsened Anglo-French relations. In 1831, Mehemet Ali, a rebellious vassal of the Turkish Sultan Mahmud in Egypt, declared war and took possession of Palestine and Syria from the Turkish Empire. The Russians- in offering to help forced the beleaguered Sultan to sign a rough treaty which effectively passed control of the strategically vital Unkiar Skelessi Straits to them. Palmerston was worried about an escalation of Russian influence- as it heightened his fear of a potential alliance between Russia and France. In 1839, the Sultan made an ill-advised attack on Ali, and ended up suffering an ignominious defeat, and gave the vassal his excuse to carry the war deep into Turkish territory. It was Palmerston’s policy to support Turkey, mainly because it dispersed the power base of Europe, and also because of a recently signed commercial treaty between the two nations. The Turkish town of Aden (which had the added benefit of being a useful place for British steamships to replenish their coal stocks en route to Ind ia) was placed under a British protectorate. Rather predictably, the French sided with Mehemet Ali. Palmerston offered a deal to his enemies- that Ali could retain Egypt and Syria for his lifetime, but the French encouraged him to turn it down. Palmerston refused to climb down, and instructed Lord Granville (the British Ambassador in Paris) to: â€Å"Covey to him (King Louis Phillipe) in the most friendly and unoffensive manner possible†¦that if France begins a war, she will lose her ships, colonies and commerce before she sees the end of it; that her army of Algiers will cease to give her anxiety, and that Mehemet Ali will be chucked into the Nile†[8] This uncompromising stance once again was a gamble, made more intense when British Marines helped capture the cities of Acre and Beirut after Ali rejected Palmerston’s deal. France (also worried by threatening movements in Bavaria) was in no position to engage Britain in a war, and she ended up having to aid Britain and Russia to defeat Ali[9]. Eventually, Russia was even persuaded to relinquish control of the Straits, and all four powers agreed to return to the original settlement of 1809[10]. Disaster had seemingly been diverted again by Palmerston’s tough diplomatic line. For Wood, he had read France’s hand perfectly[11], and once again maintained peace, even if (for Evans) he had put several noses out of joint with more ‘Gun Boat Diplomacy’[12]. In Conclusion, this essay has shown that Palmerston’s abrasive approach to Foreign policy was generally a great success. In each of the three instances covered, his reluctance to compromise worked in Britain’s interests, and against those of France- her eternal foe. Undoubtedly, he did prioritise the national interest above all else, but it could be argued that- such was Britain’s dominance- that her interests and the goal of stability and peace in Europe were by no means unrelated. In fact, one could argue from this evidence that they were very closely linked, and that maybe Palmerston’s reputation as irresponsible is slightly unfounded. It can be said that Palmerston’s hands-on and confrontational approach was extremely risky, and that there was a large element of luck involved in achieving a successful outcome on each occasion. For example, had France not withdrawn from Belgium in 1831, a bloody war might have ensured. In 1839, it may only have been the sudden advent of threatening activity in Prussia that made the French swallow their pride, and abandon Mehemet Ali. Palmerston was also aided by his fleet of gunboats that backed up everything he said. Britain’s naval dominance at that time allowed him to adopt a far more hard-line and interventionist approach than many other Foreign Secretaries before or since. Overall, Palmerston’s guile- backed up by his luck and his powerbase made his period at the Foreign Office between 1830-41 extremely successful, but arguably it could have easily gone horribly wrong. Bibliography Wood, A, ‘Lord Palmerston at the Foreign Office 1830-41’ in Nineteenth Century Britain , 1960, Longman Droz, J, Europe between Revolutions 1815-48, 1967, Fontana/Collins Evans, E, ‘Influence without Entanglement: Foreign Affairs, 1815-46’ in The Forging of the Modern State 1783-1870, 1983, Longman Felling, K, A History of England, 1973, Book Club Associates Roberts, J, A History of Europe, 1996, Helicon Publishing Word-Count- 1620 1 Footnotes [1] See Wood, ‘Lord Palmerston at the Foreign Office 1830-41’ in Nineteenth Century Britain , 1960, pp.156-63 [2] See Evans, ‘Influence without Entanglement: Foreign Affairs, 1815-46’ in The Forging of the Modern State 1783-1870, 1983, pp.210-3 [3] ibid, p.211 [4] Wood, pp.157-8 [5] In a letter to Granville, he wrote â€Å"The French must go out of Belgium or we have a general War†. See Wood, p. 159 [6] Droz, Europe between Revolutions 1815-48, 1967, p.236 [7] Evans, p.211 [8] See Evans p. 211, also Wood, p.157 [9] Felling, A History of England, 1973, p. 856 [10] Wood, p.163 [11] ibid [12] Evans, p.211

Conduct Books in the 18th Century Essay -- Literature

Conduct Books in the 18th Century Throughout history, conduct books have played an integral part in defining what cultures believed were acceptable and desirable behaviors, as well as representing the ideal person. In the introduction to The Ideology of Conduct, Nancy Armstrong and Leonard Tennenhouse attempt to show how literature and conduct books have been important in relaying these messages and shaping a history of sexuality through the ages. They also point out the interesting fact that these books of conduct have been aimed more at women and far "surpassed in quantity and variety" (Armstrong and Tennenhouse 4) similar types of literature for men. Some of the examples they list of types of conduct literature include pamphlets on marriage, books on manners and morality, and devotional manuals designated for women of the aristocracy. Even in our culture today this type of literature exists in the forms of advertisements, fashion magazines, and exercise books. Again, much of this type of literature is directed at women more than men, which these editors explain as an attempt to specify "what a woman should desire to be if she wishes to attract a socially approved male and keep him happy" (Armstrong and Tennenhouse 5). This makes sense because even today our society is patriarchal, constructed so that women many times have to count on financial support from a man. However, the introduction points out the irony of this, since not only is the desirable woman being defined, but also what a man should find desirable in a woman is defined. also note that this is not necessarily a contradiction, since "the gendered world of information we inhabit today reproduces and maintains the dominant view (Armstrong and Tennenhouse 5). ... ...n," women learn how to be more desirable for men in terms of today's standards. The focus seems to be on independence as well as sexual attractiveness, and although these qualities are quite different from those of the eighteenth century, they are still just as offensive. Just a few of the headings and articles give a clear idea of the messages being sent to women today: "Are you going too far to snag a man?" or "Bikini Body Bummers: Stretch Marks, Bikini Stubble, Flab, Back Acne--You name it, we help you banish it" and even "Cosmo's 10 Commandments" which include, among other things, "ditch the bitchy mood, fall for a nice guy, send thank you notes, keep underwear under cover, and never lose your cool." Even today conduct books remain an integral part of a culture's beliefs and ideals, documenting "a history of sexuality" (Armstrong and Tennenhouse 19) through time.