Electronics Equipment Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Electronics Equipment Waste - Essay Example 130 million mobile phones and an almost equal number of other electronic devices such as MP3 players and gaming consoles became obsolete in 2005. A report by Basal Action Network (BAN), a Seattle-based organization, states that 50-80% of the e-waste generated in the United States is transported to developing nations for disassembly and recycling with methods that are not acceptable in the United States standards (Herat, 2007). Very few people are aware that the electronic equipment contains more than 1000 harmful chemicals like lead, mercury, PCBS and other toxic substances that pollute air, soil and ground water (Baulch, 2002). Unawareness and negligence have been evident in many countries in the way people disassemble these electronic wastes in open spaces instead of disposing of them safely. However, at least some of the countries such as those in the European Union have recognized the potential harmful results of these improper disposal management practices, and these countries are in the process of implementing laws and policies that ensure safe disposal of e-waste (Canning, 2006; Ladou & Lovegrove, 2008). There have been extensive research and studies on various dimensions related to e-waste. The areas of study include but not limited to consequences for the environment and health, problems with improper disposal in and out of countries, need for regulations, and better management of e-waste materials. It is imperative to consider the health and environmental effects before discussing other issues because improper management of electronic waste leads to pollution of the air, soil and water. This has been observed in various studies. 2.1 Sources of E-waste According to UNEP's "E-waste Management (2006) there are three primary sources of e-waste: 1. Individual households and small businesses: White goods such as refrigerators and washing machines form the largest part of e-waste in terms of weight in households followed by television and personal computers (E-waste Management, 2006). 2. Large businesses, educational institutions and governments: Office devices such as photocopiers, fax machines, printers, and computers form the most part of e-waste from this category (E-waste Management, 2006). 3. Original equipment manufacturers: manufacturers generate e-waste at various levels and in different forms such as defective components or products of sub-optimal quality, waste along upstream supply chain, and waste from product recovery and refurbishing operations (E-waste Management, 2006). In 2000, of the 2,214,400 tons of generated e-waste, 859,000 were video products, 348,200 tons were audio products and 96,900 tons were information products (Kate, 2006). According to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), starting from 2005, approximately 130

Internet Piracy Essay Example for Free

Internet Piracy Essay Abstract Internet Piracy has drastically affected the music and film industry and by downloading illegally on the Internet, millions of Internet users swap billions of dollars worth of music and movies. With all the sharing of copyrighted materials, the music and film industry is losing millions of dollars. This research looks into the effects of Internet Piracy and current campaigns to deter it. The study shows the effectiveness of existing campaigns and the relationship between the decline of the music and film industry and the rise of Internet Piracy. Exploring the good and bad of campaigns and using the information to propose a documentary to approach the problem. Raising awareness and educate Internet users about Internet Piracy and try to have the numbers under control. 1. Introduction Fighting against Internet piracy and infringement is a long-term mission and an uphill journey. – Yan Xiao Hong, Deputy Director, National Copyright Administration of China (quoted in AFP 2006) The exchange of information is nothing new. Technologies change, cultures change, and people change, but in any point of human history there are people that copy and distribute the work of others in any form. Technologies that help the production and distribution of information heavily influenced the shape of history, especially when it is accessible to larger population of people. From prints to recordable medias, every technology advances us nearer to today’s digital file sharing. Today, Internet pirates operate online stealing billions of dollars worth of digital content every year (Fisk, 2009). By downloading illegally on the Internet, millions of users turned into pirates swapping billions of dollars worth of music and movies and other intellectual property that can be converted to digital format. With all the sharing of copyrighted materials, the music and film industry is losing millions of dollars (Fisk, 2009). Thus, Internet Piracy has drastically affected the music and film industry and Internet users need to be educated via a documentary on how to combat piracy in Singapore. 2. Findings Analysis 2.1 Background According to a trusted Internet survey, a staggering 70% of Internet users think there is nothing wrong with online piracy (Go-Globe, 2011). In the context of the U.S economy alone, there is $12.5 billion dollars in losses, more than 70,000 lost jobs, and $2 billion in lost wages thus far – Internet Piracy being the main cause. (Siwek, 2007). The niggling issue regarding Internet Piracy is severe. However, after decades and numerous efforts to stop it, the results of the actions taken by the entertainment and other industries have been futile, having no impact in reducing piracy amongst users. On the contrary, the rate of Internet Piracy has increased significantly in recent years, and the figure will only continue its growth (Cones, 2010). 2.2 Survey Through a survey put up by me, the results gathered were not surprising. Eighty-four percent of the online users surveyed have downloaded media in the past month but sixty-two percent do not mind paying for these media. When asked if they know the consequences of downloading copyrighted contents, seventy-three percent knew of the consequences but fifty-four are not afraid of getting caught. This has further cemented the proof that the existing anti-piracy campaigns are not working. Although only thirty-five percent of interviewees are interested in taking part to combat Internet piracy, a slight increment of fourteen percent wants to be educated about piracy and fifty-four percent will watch documentaries about it. 2.3 Existing Campaigns With this established, it is needless to say that existing anti-piracy campaigns and action taken thus far have had little to no effect. An example is of companies taking the issue to court. There are two types of copyright infringement, civil and criminal and in both cases the users must be identified and evidence must be gathered before putting them into the arms of the law. In civil cases, copyright holders handle the process. In criminal cases, law enforcement units utilize different tools and techniques with variable reliability to gather evidence, often causing defragmentation in its accuracy. An example of one such unfortunate incident is the widely publicized lawsuit brought up by the RIAA against a deceased 83-year-old woman. She was accused of sharing over 700 songs under the username â€Å"smittenedkitten†. The case was later dropped by the RIAA after it was confirmed that the woman had never even owned a computer (Fisk, 2011). Another movement to deter piracy was the introduction of the Digital Rights Management (DRM). This technology makes it difficult for users to make copies of content. DMCA also legally protects DRM, making it a criminal offense to remove DRM protection. At present, most media contains some form of DRM (Fisk, 2011). Most DRM schemes, however, only provide protection temporarily. The protection can still be easily cracked by professional pirates and made widely available. One popular movement most Internet users have occurred is the presence of a short video about piracy at the start of movies in cinemas and retail DVDs and VCDs. However, such a movement is to a degree, arbitrary, as the videos primary target audience is piracy supporters. Ironically, this has, instead of deterring piracy, led to users turning to it in search for more ‘freedom’. The same content could be available online- and without the presence of irritating advertisements that block the movie itself. 2.4 Piracy Campaigns Guerilla campaigning has been more successful amongst the campaigns. In August 21, 2006, an organization dubbed â€Å"The League of Noble Peers† released a documentary in support of Internet Piracy. The documentary â€Å"Steal This Film† was distributed freely on ‘BitTorrent’, a software frequented by Internet pirates to share copyrighted content. The film received wide positive reviews and was screened across film festivals from all around the world (King, 2008). The campaign against Anti-Piracy is much more successful mainly because the pro-piracy organizations made use of the much hated force feeding methods deployed by copyright holders and make it to their benefits. Although misleading and being one-sided, the film is extremely effective and hence, manages to spur a movement against Anti-Piracy – The copyright holder’s plan backfired. 2.5 Good Campaigns The first step to making a good campaign is to study what works and what do not. In this case it is quite obvious that the methods used by the â€Å"The league of Noble Peers† work and the copyright holders methods are not working. Hence, the best way to educate Internet users and combat piracy is to create an effective and different documentary and distribute it for free online. The documentary â€Å"The Cove† is a good example of an effective and good documentary. By challenging the question head on with exclusive footage shot in a unique perspective, it managed to become one of the best and most influential documentaries that caused a movement with the intended and desired effect. A ninety-four percent positive rating from both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB.com proved the huge positive reception for the documentary (Rotten Tomatoes Various Authors, 2009). Thus the model of a good documentary is effective at spreading information and educates people. 3. Conclusion Internet Piracy, despite years of effort to deter it, the existing campaigns’ messages are not strong or effective enough to keep Internet Piracy at bay. Therefore, after studying the good and bad of these existing campaigns, a necessary solution has to be done to control the situation. Thus, after knowing the proven effect of a documentary, there is a need for a good documentary to educate online users about Internet Piracy to have the numbers within control. From the above analysis, making a documentary is one of the best options to try and deter the increase in Internet Piracy. With the documentary, more people will be aware of the issue and understand what the industry is going through with Internet Piracy currently affecting the market. Hence with the proposed documentary, results will be highly positive and have the number of Internet Piracy under control. 4. Recommendations The documentary will be shot as an investigative documentary and the approach will not be a traditional documentary but a new approach similar to â€Å"The Cove†. The documentary will take viewers through the insights of local music and film industry, to introduce the hard work behind the contents they produced over the years. The film will gradually take a stand against Internet Piracy by showing the negativity, cause and effects to the economy due to illegal file sharing over the years. The showing of such effects includes some potential creative firms closing down due to the decline in sales because of the act of downloading illegally. The documentary will take a turn in mood and attempts to go behind the scene to track down Internet pirates and following authorities to prosecute them. The documentary will end off with local musicians and filmmakers having their say against Internet Piracy. The film will be distributed for free over the Internet via torrent, streaming sites and file-sharing forums and hopefully on free-to-air television networks to increase exposure for the film. References Cones, J. (2010). Business plans for filmmakers. Southern Illinois University Press. Fisk, N. (2011). Digital piracy. New York: Chelsea House. Fisk, N. (2009). Understanding online piracy: The truth about illegal file sharing. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Go-Globe. (2011, November 01). Online piracy. Retrieved from http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/online-piracy King, J. (January 3, 2008). The Future Doesnt Care About The Bank Balance but the 1/1000 do!. Retrieved from http://www.jamie.com/2008/01/03/the-future-doesnt-care-about-your-bank-balance-but-the-11000-do/ Rotten Tomatoes Various Authors. (2009). The cove. Retrieved from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1208882-cove/ Siwek, S. (2007, August 21).The true cost of sound recording piracy to the US economy. Retrieved from http://www.ipi.org/ipi_issues/detail/the-true-cost-of-sound-recording-piracy-to-the-us-economy

Should Prayer Be Allowed In Public Schools Religion Essay

Should Prayer Be Allowed In Public Schools Religion Essay Allowing prayer in public schools remains a persuasive and frequently frenzied issue for various individuals. The authorized parameters and guiding principles for prayer in school have been extremely clearly distinct, but the question, should prayer be allowed in school? continues to emerge. What keeps this matter boiling is the apprehension that Christians have that the modern official code hampers the liberty they have had in the earlier period to explicitly practice their faith. At best, people confuse the distinction between state-mandated, authorized, state-sponsored, prayers piloted by school authorities and individual, confidential prayers instigated and spoken by the learner. At worst, individuals are being intentionally devious in their allegations. To embark on the answer we should start at the inauguration of government in a particular state, say America. The United States Constitution is a manuscript which its citizens adopted as their nations moral fiber. It is an anthology of attitudes that we embrace to be our rulings. These values are a supple, flowing patchwork formed to generate and improve justice, association, and nobility amongst the citizenship of America. One of the elements of the patchwork subsists as Amendments which modify editorials of the Constitution, or elucidate in a number of circumstances. The First Amendment (1791) translates as: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (Bergel, 1998, 3-6) This applies to this issue of prayer being allowed in public school since it means that the U.S. regime cannot approve, rule out, or recommend any religion at all. By doing so, it would be a violation of the First Amendment which would upshot in the kind of large extent lawful conflict so widespread in the modern general public. Moreover, the States are anticipated to follow suit in perpetuation of all rules in accordance to the Government. Ever since the commencement of public edification the conflict to have religion in learning institutions has boiled. Each of the minorities, majorities, left wing, right wing, or nonaligned group in America has for a moment articulated their observation. What typically ensues is a school arrangement or principal establishments, a school extensive prayer or reading of the Bible. In doing so, it is mandatory for all scholars to declare that prayer and read from the Bible. (Bergel, 1998, 8-10) The school presupposes that everybody is Christian and makes prayer request to a similar God- this is perceptibly a social right desecration as all people that go to school are not necessarily Christian. Accordingly the scholar or those scholars parents protest, this grievance shows the way to a lawsuit, which pilot to Supreme Court cases verdict on the delicate subject of disconnection of Church and State. They argue that it often seems to signify only the removal of references to Jesus, thus allocating the prayer to be comprehensive for both Christians and Jews and, conceivably, Muslims. Such a prayer will not, nonetheless, be inclusive for affiliates of non-biblical spiritual customs. It will not be accommodating for Jains, Buddhists, Shintos and Hindus, for instance. It is as well obvious that prayers cannot be inclusive for disbelievers who hardly bother about prayers. (Popular Issues, 2002, 1) There are a number of assurances that make Christians believe that prayer ought to be permitted in learning institutions. Essentially, prayer is a daily feature of the Christian existence. Jesus Christ trained His disciples to be individuals of prayer, in an equivalent way as He was. Christians desire the right of freedom to pray candidly in school since they suppose that prayer provokes Gods involvement in the school surroundings and the learning procedure. Logically, they desire to surpass everything they study and do beyond Gods assessment so that He may give them understanding to distinguish what is correct and excellent, and what is phony or objectionable. Christians perceive the necessity to pray over individual problems or requirements that crop up on the school site. For example, if a comrade turns up at school and is distraught concerning a family setback, a health predicament, an oral manuscript description they must present that day, Christian professors and learners desir e the autonomy to convey these requests to God. They have full conviction that God can grant insight and supremacy when they themselves are inadequate. (Popular Issues, 2002, 3-4) When a catastrophic accident or an unexpected tragedy transpires, it is common for various individuals to turn simultaneously to God in request for comfort and assistance. Psalm 50:15 says, Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. This autonomy is accessible to citizens in numerous regimes and civic locations, so it must as well be permissible to youthful individuals while they are at school. For these, and countless additional explanations, Christians are worried about the religious limitations they undrergo on the university grounds of America. Because of the inflexible limitations on prayer in learning institutions, Christians customarily feel endangered when circumstances like these turn up, purposeful that if they pray explicitly at school, anybody who is antagonistic to their devotion can take officially authorized law against them. In the year 1962, Americas moral decline speedily hastened following the event that the U.S. Supreme Courts removed prayer from the nations public schools. Millions of students were prohibited from publicly calling upon the name of God daily at the commencement of studies, which is what they and their forerunners had been doing ever since the beginning of the nation. The four areas: national life, youth, education and family, which school prayers touched upon experienced drastic decline during that time. Thus, regardless of what the courts rule, we should all realize, as declared by Oswald Chambers that Gods laws are not watered down to suit anyone; if God did that He would cease to be God. The moral law never alters for the noblest or the weakest; it remains abidingly and eternally the same.'(Bergel, 1998, 10-16) Citizens of any and the entire conviction must not have to feel demoralized when they wish to pray in a municipal state of affairs. School workers and scholars similarly should be liberated to pray at school. Because of the assortment of faith and viewpoints in America, learning institutions should cherish an environment of deference for citizens with sacred passions, not squash such appearance. Protecting school children from examining another individuals pious appearance does not cultivate thoughtfulness, instead, it cultivates unawareness, and it denies them of scholarship skills that expand their indulgence of existence. Educators and school proprietors must make sure that no scholar is somehow pressurized to contribute in spiritual action. Scholars comprise a right to allocate spiritual text to their schoolmates on the same stipulations as they are acceptable to allocate other literature that is unrelated to school catalog or performance. Students usually do not contain a Federa l liberty to be exempted from teachings that might be inconsistent with their religious beliefs or practices. (Cline, 2011, 1-2) Currently, the Supreme Court has on no account ruled that students cannot pray in learning institutions. As an alternative, it has ruled that the government has nothing anything to do with prayers made in school which his allows students an immense deal of liberty. It has been ruled by judges that only the students must be capable of deciding how, when and where to pray. However, some individuals have undertaken to dispute that it is tolerable for the government to maintain, approve and direct prayers with public school learners provided that those prayers are nonsectarian. Regrettably, the precise character of what individuals denote by nonsectarian is exceptionally vague. (Cline, 2011, 3) In ending, the problem Should prayer be allowed in schools? especially when prayer is a genuine expression of ones conviction, then Yes, prayer is allowed within specific parameters. In actual fact the question is typically an opinionated resistance to achieve legislative authority by spiritual groups who desire a regime selected belief. This opinionated fight back does not deduce well into a restricted disparity for or not in favor of prayer in school. Schools basically are a place where learners come to switch thoughts, learn the civic standards and responsibilities of being Americans, and develop a perspective to learn about the entire world freely, respectfully, and with the deepest sense of honor. (Cline, 2011, 4-7) Students should be allowed to pray in school and they are! Although students religious liberties must be conserved, there are limitations on the mode and time of prayers. Students can pray peacefully and noiselessly at any instance, especially when not engaged in school performance or schooling, and subject to the fact that it is done in relevant surroundings. Students can as well talk to, and try to influence, their peers concerning spiritual issues similar to what they do with consideration to opinionated subjects. However, if they desire to do extra things, then they should not do it in an approach which interrupts other scholars or classes, since the major intention of schools is to teach. Hence, while there are petite and practical limitations on the approach in which learners can go about implementing their spiritual liberty, the fact holds that they do have considerable spiritual autonomy in the public learning institutions. Students pray individually, in groups, silently as well as loudly. Yes, students can certainly pray in schools.

Introducting the Characters and Themes in Educating Rita Essay

Introducting the Characters and Themes in Educating Rita GCSE Coursework: In what ways is Act 1 Scene 1 of â€Å"Educating Rita† a good introduction to the play’s main characters and themes? Do you think Willy Russell has made his opening dramatic and entertaining? â€Å"I’m coming in aren’t I? It’s that stupid bleedin’ handle on the door!† is not the way in which we would expect a new university student to talk to a lecture she had never meet before, but as we later find out, Rita, is not a stereotypical student and her lecture, Frank, is not a stereotypical lecture. The play â€Å"Educating Rita† is based on an out going character, who has decided her working class lifestyle, does not fit who she is anymore. She believes she can change her life by achieving a higher education, to â€Å"fit in† with everyone else around her. Changing her name from Susan to Rita is her first step, she had now begun the great leap from the 26year old hairdresser, to a well spoken and well educated higher classed human being. This 1970’s play displays the struggle and frustration of a woman, caught in the working class. Willy Russell uses wit, humour and his knowledge of that time period to create and develop his two characters as they travel through substantial changes in their lives. Willy Russell uses two very different styles of writing for each of his characters, the introduction to his play begins with a conversation between lecture Frank and his wife. â€Å"Look if you’re trying to induce some feeling of guilt in me over the prospect of a burnt dinner you should have prepared something other than lamb and ratatouille†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Russell was determined to show Frank’s striking upper class exterior, with the usage of such formal and polite languag... ...appy with life until Rita was able to show him his true colours. Using the snappy, chatty atmosphere so early on in the play, Willy Russell was able to keep his fairly long opening; dramatic, entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Willy Russell’s choice to uses such different characters to base his piece around, made one hundred percent sure that his audiences anxiety levels would have been raised as they became more and more intrigued, to find out if the characters would clash or get on like a house on fire. But I believe it was Willy Russell’s pure talent that enabled him to places to different characters in the same scene and make it work. Using the two different styles of writing and such different character personalities creating an opening, which was not only dramatic and entertaining but will be remembered in history as the starting point for woman.

Justice at the Scaffold in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Ess

Justice at the Scaffold in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Richard Harter Fogle acknowledges the aspect of the superhuman as "the sphere of absolute insight, justice, and mercy: few of Hawthorne's tales and romances can be adequately considered without taking it into account" ("Realms of Being and Dramatic Irony" 309). This superhuman aspect surfaces through Divine Justice in The Scarlet Letter. On the other hand, the merely human application of justice emerges through the Puritan laws, or Earthly Justice. The struggle for supremacy in the novel between Earthly and Divine Justice becomes a central theme, reflected in multiple aspects of the plot. However, the focal point in this struggle manifests itself at the scaffold in Boston, where Divine Justice materializes and ultimately triumphs over Earthly Justice.    The thematic struggle at the battleground of the scaffold unfolds and develops through Hawthorne's three scaffold scenes. Earthly Justice dominates the first scene, where the Puritans force the stoic Hester Prynne, bearing the scarlet "A" on her bosom, to stand on the scaffold in front of the cackling, condemning Puritan crowd. Hawthorne explains that "shame...was the essence of this punishment" (41). Moreover, Ernest Sandeen verifies that a sinner "feels shame before his fellowman and fear before his God" ("The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story" 360), meaning that Earthly Justice induces shame as Divine Justice creates fear. Therefore, since Hester's punishment reduced her to shame on the scaffold, Earthly Justice dispensed its punishment, asserting its authority, in this first scaffold scene.    Also, Dimmesdale's reluctance in this scene to admit his guilt diminishes the hope for Divine Justice, which is fo... ...werful yet merciful Divine Justice that unfailingly watched over them.       Works Cited    Abel, Darrel. "Hawthorne's Hester." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 300-308. Feidelson, Charles, Jr. "The People of Boston." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 371-375. Fogle, Richard Harter. "Realms of Being and Dramatic Irony." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 308-315. Sandeen, Ernest. "The Scarlet Letter as a Love Story." The Scarlet Letter. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross, Sculley Bradley, Richard Croom Beatty, and E. Hudson Long. New York: Norton, 1988. 350-361.

Is Foreign Aid Is Blessing Or Curse?

Since the time of independence Pakistan has been facing macroeconomic exertions, such as vicious circle of poverty, less utilization of available natural resources, unfavorable political circumstances that influenced domestic economy and so on. To seize the deficiency, Pakistan has had to depend greatly on financial assistance made by distant countries. Pakistan has been seeking aid since 1947 from global lenders including International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank.This financial aid poured mostly in the form of loans or debts with high interest rates. Focal of such assistance is the socio-economic development of the country. Financial assistance once taken as a blessing, appeared as to remove all the dearth of the economy. Resultantly many of the sectors started nourishing at par. Pakistan commenced its way towards developing nation but 2005s earthquake ruined Pakistan leaving its awful economy further worsen.Though foreign aid showered in the cou ntry but, in fact, it directly went to the bank accounts of few effluents and hence with the passage of time, it proved that foreign aid has become a curse instead of becoming blessing, not only perished the confidence of local people but corrupted more government officials. All the authorities here are now seeking more and more aid rather than to rely on their own available resources. Pakistan has already borrowed too much foreign aid in the form of loans and is still borrowing that has reached the historic over $60 billion.Debt burden is continuously increasing so its interest rates that worth more than the debt itself. Now the economic position is so deteriorated that for the payment of interest, Pakistan tries to get more loans. Pakistan has become now an aid addict and does not make policies to develop their economy with their own domestic resources. Officials do not pay attention for the development of the technology. They just become entirely dependent on others. Major portio n of aid particularly commodity aid is misappropriated by the concerned Government officials.Moreover, when aid is in terms of commodity such as wheat etc, which many times is provided at a very nominal price, discourages local production of that commodity because of higher cost of production within the country. This situation discourages local agricultural production. If donor country has assisted in establishing imported substitution industry then raw material for the industry will have to be imported from loan given country otherwise industry will not continue its production because particular raw material is not available locally.This causes heavy foreign exchange burden on economy. Pakistan is obtaining foreign aid for bridging gap between domestic savings and investment and also to improve balance of payments position but till now it has not been able to accomplish this task, rather both gaps are continuously increasing. Sometimes aid giving countries interfere in the defense and foreign affairs of Pakistan. That’s why it is said that there are always political strings attached to the bilateral loans. Thus this is to be reveal here that all aid is not for economic rationales but also political.Most of the politicians misallocate the aid for its appropriate concern so to raise their pay, power and prestige. Thus aid is also promoting greed and selfishness among the leaders of the realm. Pakistan was accessed as an independent nation but Pakistan is now fully dependent on the aid drug to eradicate all the absences. As soon as a new government takes office it is out to woe the US for aid, begs from the Saudis for a few crumbs and looks to countries like China for handouts. This must stop.To achieve self-respect and start to improve the lives of the impoverished masses the country needs corrective surgery. The starting point should be adopting a culture of austerity and simplicity. The President, Prime Minister, Army Chief and Chief Justice should be given homes and protocol of ordinary citizens. The vestiges of colonial days, the pomp of office must go. Leaders must present themselves as a role model of modesty rather to complex the masses by their luxurious stuff.One has only to look across the border that how people present themselves in public in simple clothes, sans jewels and accessories, where ministers don’t drive in flashy imported vehicles if a role model is needed. The next step is to generate resources by taxing all. The first step should be agriculture. There is no more favorable time than now. In the past 3 to 4 years produce price including cotton have witnesses a runaway increase and most farmers have had their incomes increase by over 400 percent in three years. Income tax is a failure in Pakistan however consumption tax can be promoted.All students going abroad for study should be required to get an NOC which would require their parents to explain the source of funds. All property purchase, vehicle purch ase and airline ticket purchase should require an NTN number. Put in place consumption taxes. For examples vehicles over 1000 cc should progressively be taxed. Measures such as the above would document the economy and bring more of the black economy into the main stream. With a corrupt bureaucracy, political elite and military this may virtually impossible. So a revolution is needed to unshackle Pakistan.

Criminal Law Study Guide Essay

Murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, which is 15 years. Sound memory—the person responsible must not be insane. Age of discretion — a child less than 10 years old is not criminally responsible for his/her actions. Since S. 34 of the Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 the presumption of doli incapax has been abolished and consequently any child over 10 years has potentially full legal capacity. Unlawfully kills — the act must be an unlawful killing. The law recognises that in certain circumstances the killing may be either justified or authorised eg. xecution or self defence. Living human being — a foetus is not deemed in law to be a living human being. However, a murder conviction may be possible if a foetus is injured and, after birth, dies as a result of injuries sustained whilst in the womb. Attorney-General’s Reference (No 3, 1994) 1996. A defendant cannot be convicted of the murder of someone who is already dead at the time of the attack. R v Maicherek and Steel 1981 The accused had seriously wounded the victim who was then artificially maintained on a respirator. When it was discovered that irreversible brain damage had occurred the respirator was turned off M was found guilty of murder and his appeal was dismissed when he claimed the doctor had caused death. It was his act which caused death. The court appeared to favour the approach that death occurs when the victim is brain-dead. Queen’s Peace — killing an enemy during wartime is not murder. Malice aforethought — since the case of R v Moloney the mens rea of murder is the intention to kill or cause grievous bodily harm. ACTUS REUS The actus reus of murder is that the killing is unlawful, causation must be stablished (A caused B’s death) and the victim must be a human being. (see causation notes from AS). MENS REA DIAGRAM MENS REA The mens rea of murder is malice aforethought which is the intention to kill or cause grievous bodily harm (GBH). There are two forms of intent: †¢ Direct intent — this is what D desires, eg. pointing a gun at someone and sh ooting them because you want to kill them. It was their aim or purpose to kill. †¢ Indirect or oblique intent — this is not necessarily what D desires but what he foresees will almost certainly happen, eg. D sets fire to a building and killed someone, did he foresee the risk that death might occur? Four important cases must be looked at. R v Moloney 1985 A soldier shot and killed his stepfather in response to a drunken challenge. He claimed that he had not aimed the gun at the victim and had, at the time, no idea that firing it would cause injury. The judge directed the jury that intention included both desire and foresight of probable consequences and the defendant was convicted of murder. Held (HL) Appeal allowed, manslaughter substituted. Lord Bridge did state that it was possible to intend a result which you do not actually want. He gave the example of a man who is trying to escape, who boards a plane to Manchester. Even though he may have no desire to go to Manchester — he may even hate the place — it is clearly where he intends to go. However, the appeal was allowed because foresight of consequences can only be evidence of intention — it is up to the jury to decide. R v Hancock and Shankland 1986 Two striking miners pushed concrete from a bridge onto a road, killing a taxi driver. They claimed only to intend to block the road or frighten the taxi passenger and not to kill or cause GBH. They were convicted of murder but successfully appealed, a manslaughter conviction was substituted by the Court of Appeal and confirmed by the House of Lords. The House of Lords looked at risk and probability. A slight risk of death is not enough to infer intention: Lord Scarman stated the greater the probability that death or GBH would occur; the more likely that intention can be inferred, eg. if A cut B’s little finger is would not be very probable that death would occur, therefore A is unlikely to have intention. However, if A stabbed B in the chest, it is much more likely that death would result, therefore it is more likely that A had intention. In both cases the defendants were convicted by the juries and appealed, first to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords. In each case the House of Lords quashed the convictions for murder and substituted a verdict of manslaughter. The reason being the trial judges had misdirected the jury. The following case established the Virtual Certainty test which should always be used in indirect intention situations.. R v Nedrick 1986 The defendant set fire to a house, killing a child. He claimed that his intention was to frighten the child’s mother and not to kill or cause GBH. Convicted of murder. Held (CA) Appeal allowed, manslaughter substituted. Where direct intention is not present then the following test should be put to the jury. A jury should return a verdict of murder only where they find that the defendant foresaw death or serious injury as a virtual certain consequence of his or her voluntary actions. R v Woolin 1998 (HL) D shook his 3-month-old son when he choked on his food and then threw him across the room, the child died, D had lied to the ambulance men and the police before admitting what happened. He claimed that he did not want his son to die. He was originally convicted of murder but the House of Lords reduced his conviction to manslaughter. The trial judge had misdirected the jury on the test to infer intention. The case has now confirmed the Nedrick test. It must now always be used when dealing with indirect intent situations. R v Matthew and Alleyne 2003 (CA) The defendants appealed against their conviction for murder following the death of a young man (a non-swimmer) whom they had thrown from a bridge into a river. The Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, which it did not consider unsafe in the light of the evidence, but expressed concern that the Nedrick/Woollin evidential rule should not be treated as if it were a rule of law. A defendant’s foresight of virtually certain death does not automatically require the jury to find that he intended that result: it is merely evidence from which the jury may draw that conclusion.

State Requirements for Parenting Plans

State Requirements for Parenting Plans Carol Schelling PA415-01: Family Law & Divorce Mediation Kaplan University State Requirements for Parenting Plans | |Carol Schelling | Memo To:Prof. H. From:Carol Schelling Date:12/20/2011 Re:Pennsylvania Parenting Plans Parenting Plans are very important. They outline the responsibilities of the parents and clarify what is in the best interest of the child. Pennsylvania does not require a parenting plan according to 23 Pa. C. S. A. Section 5331. In Pennsylvania, it also depends on the county in which you live. For example: In Washington County, Pennsylvania they require parenting plans for contested custody cases. However, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania they do not require parenting plans. My Day in Court When I went to gain more rights to my daughter, Christal; I first filed a Modification with the Court of Common Pleas. The reason I had to do this was there was already an Order of the Court already in place. In Pennsylvania, you are required to go to a â€Å"Parents Forever† Seminar. This is a four hour seminar that teaches parents how to co-parent. When I was done, I had to provide the Court with the certification of my completion. If I did not complete this requirement, I would have been held in contempt. After I showed the Court that I completed the seminar, I then had to go to custody conferences. They represent mediation. In the custody conferences, my ex-husband and I had to work out a parenting plan. When we agreed to the context of the agreement, we both received copies. After a couple of months, we then had to go to a custody conference and the conference officer reviewed the past months. When there was an issue, like when my ex-husband refused me visitation with Christal, she would help us come up with another parenting plan that worked better. After our first custody conference, I was awarded an extra day (Friday-Monday) to take my daughter to doctor and dentist appointments. At the time, she weighed only 48lbs at the age of 8! After our second conference, I was awarded another day. This time my visitation was from Friday- Tuesdays. I would then take her to school and drop her off. I asked for this, since I could not make all of her appointments on Mondays. In June of 2007, we agreed to every other week. This worked out well, since it was years since I got to spend a week with her. I also, had all week to take my daughter to appointments. She was also involved in therapy, since I had requested that in our first custody conference. She was regressing to the point that we had to put her back in pull-ups and start the potty training all over. She was also on the Binky, (aka: Pacifier), as well. In August, my ex had told the courts he would be out of state. Knowing this, the court allowed a telephone conference, so he could be present. He did not call at the required time. I had told the conference officer that Christal had stated that he was at his home and that they should call him, which they did. When he answered, the conference officer had told him that this was not allowed and that he had lied to the courts. As a punishment, the every other week stood. I then requested for a hearing, since I did not want to lose this time that I got to spend with Christal. Her father was trying to take it back to an every other weekend. Our hearing occurred in February of 2008. At this hearing, I provided letters that my ex had written, school documents, and witness testimony. My ex’s mother and girlfriend would not testify. Our Judge had told them that they were not asked. If they wanted to be a part of Christal’s life, they needed to testify. Christal was also spoken to by the judge on camera (judge’s chambers). Since there were so many issues with my ex’s side, our case went for a continuance. On Mother’s Day of the same year, we had our next hearing. In this hearing, my daughter’s therapist, ex-mother-in-law, ex-husband’s girlfriend all testified. Right before the end of our hearing, I had asked if I could rebut the first hearing. I had explained all the issues that I had encountered between the hearings. I was happy to find out that on my birthday, which is June 5, that I gained full-custody of my angel and that my ex cannot gain custody of her again. The courts took his every Wednesdays and his vacation during the summer away due to negligence. I lost my daughter in 2002, due to me not knowing what to expect going pro se and not having money. I gained her back due to my hard work and dedication to my daughter’s best interests and well-being. I included this in my memo, for the simple fact that not all cases are black and white. The law itself has a lot of gray areas. What one county requires, another does not. Same thing goes with states. You cannot be ignorant about the law. Pennsylvania My state does not require parenting plans, but they are implemented within the court process when filing for custody, modification of an order, and contempt of court order as expressed in my own case stated above. New Hampshire To file for parental rights or to modify an order, such as a divorce, legal separation, or parenting petition, you must include a parenting plan. In Rules of the Circuit Court of the State of New Hampshire-Family Division, Section2-Domestic Relations, 2. 8 Parenting Plans shows you what is required within your parenting plan, and the order of the contents. My Thoughts I like how New Hampshire requires the parenting plan, because it saves money and court time as well. References Child Custody Act, 23 Pa. C. S. A  § 5331 NH Court Rules, Rules of the Family Division of the State of NH, Section 2-Domestic Relations, Rule 2. 18 Bertin, M. (F ebruary 8, 2011). New Child Custody Act Ushers in Sweeping Changes. Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP Attorneys At Law Retrieved on December 15, 2011 from www. obermayer. com/publications. php? action=views&id=200

Case Study Analysis in Change Management. Whirlpool Essay

Case Study Analysis in Change Management. Whirlpool - Essay Example In the case of Whirlpool, Whitwam understood some important elements of the business as he worked as marketing director. He identified that how Whirlpool branded itself was the main key to survival and this was therefore the basis of the transformation that occurred in the company after he took over in 1987. The actual transformation that took place under Whitwam was connected to three main aspects of business: globalization, consumer satisfaction and competition. Change in these three components were necessary for several reasons. First of all, globalization was necessary because there was the need to maintain a healthy financial position to keep shareholders interested in investing in the company, thus it became necessary to find markets outside North America to sell Whirlpool productions. Secondly, consumer satisfaction was key to survival because there were numerous innovations that were needed at regular intervals to ensure that consumers maintained their interest in the company's products. Finally, there was the need to include important adjustments to ensure that Whirlpool maintained its market share in relation to its three major competitors in the United States and also capture more market share in the international markets. This therefore formed the basis of the transformation and change that occurred in the company. ... He identified that how Whirlpool branded itself was the main key to survival and this was therefore the basis of the transformation that occurred in the company after he took over in 1987. The actual transformation that took place under Whitwam was connected to three main aspects of business: globalization, consumer satisfaction and competition. Change in these three components were necessary for several reasons. First of all, globalization was necessary because there was the need to maintain a healthy financial position to keep shareholders interested in investing in the company, thus it became necessary to find markets outside North America to sell Whirlpool productions. Secondly, consumer satisfaction was key to survival because there were numerous innovations that were needed at regular intervals to ensure that consumers maintained their interest in the company's products. Finally, there was the need to include important adjustments to ensure that Whirlpool maintained its market share in relation to its three major competitors in the United States and also capture more market share in the international markets. This therefore formed the basis of the transformation and change that occurred in the company. This paper analyzes the various changes in Whirlpool in relation to several models in change management theory and practice. It uses these models to justify the change processes that Whirlpool went through and identifies the important factors relevant to these processes. The paper concludes with an attempt to recommend how the company can proceed into the future to ensure that the change management process attains the optimum results for Whirlpool. The Change Process According to Hayes, the change process in organizations

OCA2 Gene - Hair Color Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

OCA2 Gene - Hair Color - Essay Example I will analyze the Oculocutaneous Albinism gene type 2 (OCA2) and its effect on color change of the hair and how different individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds are affected. Oculocutaneous Albinism Type II and Hair Color Changes Identification of OCA2 may have the following implications on a child or individual: A change in the color of the hair or an elevated color levels in hair, the iris is normally translucent, dancing eyes that may lead to impaired vision, or a general eye complication that makes it difficult to have a normal vision. OCA is normally diagnosed in a child or an adult with poor vision or reduced visual contact. In addition, these individuals often have a change in skin complexion and a different hair color that is considered not normal. In dark skinned affected individuals, it is easier to identify OCA2 because the skin may lighten and the color of the hair changed. In light-skinned individuals however, it may be more difficult; hence, there is need to conside r the other symptoms like a change in iris color. Albinism does not discriminate and affects all races. Our case type 2 is mostly evident in individuals in African and African American population. It however affects both male and female sexes with it being more evident in male persons female because albinism is sex linked. Albinism is often more evident in individuals during childhood stage where the characteristics mostly witnessed are a change in skin pigments and a change in hair color (Peracha). Individuals having Oculocutaneous albinism because of mutation in the OCA2 gene often depict traits of blond, light brown or light yellow hair. There is often reduced coloring in the skin, hair and the eyes sometimes impaired vision. The key cause of these traits is always a reduction in the production of melanin that is responsible for the normalcy in the color of these components. Several mutations exist in individuals with OCA2, some of which I have listed above. The commonly found mu tation is the complete absence of the gene responsible for normal coloring. This is usually evident among occupants in sub- Saharan Africa where extreme cases of albinism are witnessed, among African Americans and in Native Americans. These genes are inherited from our parents and mostly are not noticeable in the carrier parents until passed on to the children where they are now more evident. In OCA2, individuals from European Ethnic origin often experience a light yellow color change often evident during birth. In some cases, the hair may have white pigments and may darken with time. This group of Oculocutaneous albinism normally shows much lighter symptoms as compared to the first group. Caucasians with OCA2 have red hair in place of blonde while in most Africans and African Americans, the hair color is light brown complemented by light skin. In another instance, individuals from Asian and northern European origins are found to have a normal skin and hair complexion and only stand out when they are compared to their family members. Their skin complexion is normally lighter when compared to that of individual members of their family who are unaffected. It is evident that the skin color in OCA2 is not as affected as the one in Oculocutaneous albino group one that has a very sharp distinction in pigment alteration. This is evidence that the melanocytes in this