Violence in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Violence in America - Essay Example Children learn at an early age the easiest and often quickest way to remedy a problem is not to amended the cause directly, but rather, to blame something else as being the cause of the predicament. This paper shall look at the typical causes of violence in America and the social problems associated with them. Lastly, a sociological reasoning and conclusion is made in light of the study. There are several factors associated with effects of violent television including developmental stages, types of socialization, and cognitive priming. Other issues considered to play a part in the effect include the idea of a vulnerable viewer, result of desensitization and the creation of fear. Education that is more public is needed to inform American society of the possible negative effects of violence on television and the methods available to prevent these effects. (Best, 2003) American society is concerned with the negative effects of television as the amount of violent programming is increasing (Anderson, 2005). This concern is reinforced with an increase for television children are watching. On average, children view three hours of television a day (Anderson, 2005). That works out to more than 40 days a year in front of the television. As violent content increases, children are watching more violence during their viewing hours. This makes the effects of violence on television a great concern to parents and American society. Most researchers believe that there is a relationship between violent television and violent behavior (Anderson, 2005). Researchers classify violent behavior as ranging from minor to severe. Minor violence is defined as violence directed at toys while severe violence is the physical aggression involving intent to hurt another person (Lockwood, 2006). Studies by Best have concluded that no such relationship exists between violent television and violent behavior (Best, 2003). Still other studies have not been able to prove, nor disprove, the existence of a relationship among the two. Researchers do tend to agree that television does have a potential to influence behavior as so much time is spent viewing (Lockwood, 2006). A realistic sociological theory, which explains the above scenario, is symbolic interactionism, as studied by Blumer. When a child views a violent scene on television, the scene is stored in their memory along with other ideas. When such ideas are activated, the child's mind is organized in such a manner that it responds to the activated idea in a violent manner because of the set of associations made with the original violent scene. (Blumer, 1962) Some children may be more vulnerable to violent television than others (Best, 2003) this includes children who identify with those portraying violence on television and see them as real, even cartoon characters. These children watch many violent programs with little parental supervision. Desensitization can result from viewing violent television (Best, 2003). This effect is seen in children who show little interest or emotional trouble when they observe real life

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay Will there be enough water for a more crowded world? The adult human uses on average about 100 gallons of water a day. Only about 2.5% of earth’s water is fresh and only 1% is actually attainable for usage. The available water on earth has not changed. The same water we have today has been recycled for millions of years, we are not gaining any more. The time to do something is now. In this essay I would like to remark on the past, present, and future of water conservation. We use much more water today than we ever did in the past. With new technologies and fashions, we use more and more water every year. Not only do we have luxuries that we didn’t have a hundred years ago, our world population has more than tripled since then. Yet our supply of water is not changing. Water has gone through the same replenishing cycle since our world began, and we are using more then ever. Now is the time to make sure we conserve. We have an obligation to our future. With world population growing at the rate it is, we must take precautions that those ahead of us don’t suffer because of our negligence. Water is life; the number one necessity for survival. Not only must we conserve now to prevent future problems, we need to teach the coming generations the importance of our water, that they in turn can make sure nothing will ever happen to bring about disaster in the form of water shortage. As we can see, water conservation is a much larger issue now than it ever was in the past. What we do now makes a difference. We must do all we can to make sure our future is safe. Water conservation is a practice in which people, companies, and governments attempt to reduce their water usage. The goal of water conservation may be to address an ongoing water shortage, or to make lifestyle modifications to be more environmentally friendly. In the late 20th century, water emerged as a major issue, especially in the developing world, where many people lack access to safe drinking water, and the issue of water conservation began to attract a great deal of attention. One of the most obvious reasons to practice water conservation is in a situation where water supplies are limited. An ongoing drought can restrict supply, as can a change in water policy, especially in an area where people are dependent on water from other places. Desert regions, for example, rely on water which is shipped, trucked, or moved through aqueducts, so distant policy decisions can directly impact the amount of water which can be accessed in these areas. Water conservation may also be practiced in response to rising water prices. The cost of water is usually contingent on how easy it is to access, how far it must be transported to reach the end consumer, and how much it needs to be processed in order to be rendered safe. Water treatment can get extremely expensive, causing water prices to rise, and water prices also grow when water supplies are tight. From an economic standpoint, water conservation keeps water bills down to a manageable level, and it frees up water for other uses. Some people encourage the practice of water conservation because they would like to promote the sustainable use of water. While water is a renewable resource in a sense, every time fresh potable water is used, it takes a long time for that water to re-enter the water supply, as it may become contaminated by chemicals, bio hazardous materials, and so forth, requiring extensive cleanup before it can be re-used. Using water for things like gardens, car washing, and industrial production may be frowned upon in some communities where people would prefer to reduce the overall amount of water they use so that clean water will be available to future generations and other regions of the world. A water conservation order may be issued to oblige citizens to conserve water in some communities. Conservation orders are often issued when water supplies are low, and officials are worried about running out. They may also be used to mandate water conservation for environmental reasons. Typically, water conservation orders restrict water use by setting rules about how and when water can be used.

Marlows Transformation in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Essay

Marlow's Transformation in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness After returning from a voyage in the Congo of Africa, Joseph Conrad said "Before the Congo I was a mere animal," and implied that only a select few of the rest of society have risen above the animal state. Conrad had a bout with malaria, and while recovering went through radical changes in thinking. He began to despise his fellow Belgians, and for a time he was furious with them for their very existence. Leonard Dean's collection of Conrad's letters show the writer's scorn of regular society after his journey: "Everything is repellent to me here. Men and things, but especially men...all have a gift for getting on my nerves." (103) Conrad eventually accepted himself as one of these people, and began to work on Heart of Darkness, a cathartic novel based on his journal written in the Congo. He wrote about Marlow, who will take a journey into the Congo and into his own soul, in an attempt to discuss the evil he experienced in Africa. Conrad presents a situation that he and Marlow both know, and that the average listener can't comprehend. Conrad was appalled and shaken by what he saw being practiced in the Congo, and by his statement cements his belief that a man cannot truly understand, sympathize, or feel anything significant on the emotional level unless he has also experienced the dark and the diseased side of himself. Everything up to that point is only scratching the surface of human nature. A human being needs suffering and experience with depravity before he is able to appreciate and embrace what is good in himself. He is only an animal up until that point. Marlow goes to Africa on a quest, though he isn't aware of it. Jerome Thale compared Marl... .../DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v407/n6800/full/407025a0_fs.html Evans, Robert O., "Conrad's Underworld". Cambridge: Purdue Research Foundation, 1956. Guerard, Albert J., "The Journey Within", 1958. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press. Hewitt, Douglas, "Reassessment of Heart of Darkness". Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes Publishers Ltd., 1952. Modern Fiction Studies, IX, No. 4 Winter '63-64. Cambridge: Purdue Research Foundation Reid, Stephen A., "The 'Unspeakable Rites in Heart of Darkness," Solzhenitsyn, Alexander, "What I Learned in the Gulag." Excerpted and abridged from The Gulag Archipelago http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/4942/gulag.html Telgen, Diane, Novels for Students. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale Researcher, 1997. Thale, Jerome, "Marlow's Quest," 1955. Toronto: University of Toronto Quarterly, XXIV July.

Globalization process Essay

Due to the emergence of globalization process, many changes are taking place within the mainstream business activity. As the organizations becoming to more and more globalized, the need to have a uniform set of international standards is strongly felt. This argument is based on the fact that since organizations are becoming global and have to face the different legal as well as cultural environments therefore in a bid to reduce the bottlenecks for the international firms as well as creating a uniform set of accounting rules and regulations, it is critical that a convergence shall be made to the international accounting standards so that a uniformity can be achieved. The experience of EU and Canada has been successful so as those of other countries who are making a transition to the international accounting standards. This experience is also considered as a strong signal for the US to adapt to the new standards because it is connected with the global world. The complexities of the international trade have led much international business to remove the conflict between the different standards in place and as such the effort from the US is one of the attempts to converge to the International standards to achieve the desired results. However, it is also critical to note that many argue that such transition will be costly for the American firms because an earlier transition to Sarbanes Oxley has been a costly proposition for the many companies and most of them may be reluctant to adapt to the new standards. The costs, however, may be relatively high but the added benefits which US firms may enjoy after this convergence may greatly outweigh the benefits. The uniformity of the standards will allow international firms, especially to be more flexible and support the initiatives taken by the Security and Exchange Commission to make a phased transition to the adaptation of the IFRS. The process of this convergence can be difficult to assess as it is a phased process however, given the fact that more than 85 countries have adapted the IFRS itself indicate that more and more countries are now willing to adapt to the international standards in order to facilitate the businesses to adapt a uniform set of standards. Such large scale adaptation of the standards however, also creates cultural as well language problems as the correct and accurate interpretation of the standards itself is an issue to deal with. Language and culture therefore are two of the potential impediments which can restrict the true applicability of the standards even if the standards are fully implemented and adapted by the countries. If we assess the globalization of accounting standards with special reference to US, we will also come to know that few of the international firms in US have already adopted the standards for their foreign subsidiaries and as such this process may not be as complicated to them as they may perceive it. However, what is also critical to note that those firms which have only the domestic presence within the US market may find it difficult to cope with the increasing costs as well as adapting to the new standards? This will not only require investment into improving the skill level of the employees as well as would require additional funds to implement the new system.

Arizona vs Grant Case

On August 25, 1999, acting on an anonymous tip that the residence at 2524 North Walnut Avenue was being used to sell drugs Tucson police officers Griffith and Reed knocked on the front door and asked to speak to the owner. Gant answered the door and, after identifying himself stated that he expected the owner to return later. The officers left the residence and conducted a records check, which revealed that Gant’s driver’s license had been suspended and there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for driving with a suspended license. When the officers returned to the house that evening they found a man near the back of the house and a woman in a car parked in front of it. After a third officer arrived they arrested the man for providing a false name and the woman for possessing drug paraphernalia. Both arrestees were handcuffed and secured in separate patrol cars when Gant arrived. The officers recognized his car as it entered the driveway and Officer Griffith confirmed that Gant was the driver by shining a flashlight into the car as it drove by him. Gant parked at the end of the driveway got out of his car and shut the door. Griffith who was about 30 feet away called to Gant, and they approached each other meeting 10 to 12 feet from Gant’s car. Griffith immediately arrested Gant and handcuffed him. Because the other arrestees were secured in the only patrol cars at the scene Griffith called for backup. When two more officers arrived they locked Gant in the backseat of their vehicle. After Gant had been handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car two officers searched his car One of them found a gun and the other discovered a bag of cocaine in the pocket of a jacket on the backseat. Gant was charged with two offenses possession of a narcotic drug for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia the plastic bag in which the cocaine was found He moved to suppress the evidence seized from his car on the ground that the warrantless search violated the Fourth Amendment Among other things Gant argued that Belton did not authorize the search of his vehicle because he posed no threat to the officers after he was handcuffed in the patrol car and because he was arrested for a traffic offense for which no evidence could be found in his vehicle. I think that to better prepare for such an inquiry officers should focus on articulating the reasonableness of any such search based on the following facts and circumstances: (1) Distance: The distance between the arrestee and the place to be searched. 2) Restraints: Whether the arrestee was handcuffed or otherwise restrained what kind of Restraints were used and whether the arrestee was handcuffed in the front or back (3) Display of guns or other weapons by officers: Whether the police had weapons drawn or pointed at the arrestee or other suspects (4) Positioning: Whether the police were positioned so as to block the arrestee suspects and bystanders from the area to be searched. (5) Access: The ease of access to the area or container itself to include whether a container is open or closed locked or unlocked. 6) Numbers: The number of officers present versus the number of arrestees, suspects, or bystanders. (7) Arrestee’s conduct: Attempts made by the suspect before during, or after the arrest to access the area to be searched. (8) Reasonable change in circumstances: Do police need to move the arrestee away from a dangerous environment into another private area or can police articulate a legitimate need to retrieve something such as the arrestee’s shoes or clothing? Searches of a Vehicle Following Arrest of an Occupant or Recent Occupant: Two Potential Justifications Arrestee could access the vehicle Gant held that police might search a vehicle incident to arrest when the arrestee an occupant or recent occupant of the vehicle is unsecured and within reaching distance of the passenger compartment at the time of the search. The Court noted, It will be the rare case in which an officer is unable to fully effectuate an arrest so that a real possibility of access to the arrestee’s vehicle remains. In such a rare case however an SIA of the passenger compartment would be reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. Since Chimel justifies this search officers may search for weapons any evidence of any crime and means of escape. Offense related evidence might be in the vehicle. Even if the arrestee can no longer access the vehicle’s passenger compartment the Court held that an SIA will also be permitted when it is reasonable to believe evidence relevant to the crime of arrest might be found in the vehicle. In many cases, such as arrests for traffic violations or outstanding arrest warrants there will be no reasonable basis to believe that the vehicle contains relevant evidence of the crime. In other cases however such as arrests for possession of controlled substances the basis of the arrest will supply an acceptable rationale for searching the arrestee’s passenger compartment and any containers inside. In a case where the search is justified by the possibility of locating offense related evidence in the vehicle officers are limited to searching only those places in the passenger compartment where the offense related evidence might be located. How to define the reasonable to believe standard? Is it the same as probable cause or is it something less? One must compare the search incident to arrest exception in Gant to another firmly established search warrant exception to find the most likely answer. In U. S. v. Carroll the Supreme Court established the mobile conveyance exception to the Fourth Amendment search warrant requirement. under this exception an officer may search a readily mobile conveyance without a warrant upon probable cause that it contains evidence or contraband. Once this standard is met the officer may search any area of the vehicle to include the trunk compartment if that area may contain the objects of the search. The rule in a Gant search incident to arrest however first requires a lawful custodial arrest of an occupant or recent occupant of a vehicle. A search of the passenger compartment incident to arrest is then justified by a reasonable belief that evidence of the crime of arrest might be in the car. If Gant’s reasonable to believe standard is equal to probable cause then the Court has created an M. C. Escher-like puzzle. An officer who has made a custodial arrest and has a reasonable belief equated to probable cause that evidence of the crime of arrest might be in the car could search only the passenger compartment. An officer who has made no arrest but has probable cause to believe that evidence of any crime is in the car could search the entire vehicle. In other words the officer who meets the higher standard custodial arrest probable cause for particular evidence gets to search less but the officer who meets the lesser standard probable cause for any evidence can search more. At best the Court would have created a new search warrant exception that is instantly swallowed by another that has existed for almost 85 years. The better explanation is that reasonable means. easonable. There is no need to equate reasonable to believe to a percentage or particular level of probability in fact the Supreme Court has stated the test of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is not capable of precise definition or mechanical application. Rather as in issues regarding an officer’s use of force the proper application of the reasonableness standard requires careful attention to the facts and circums tances of each particular case and must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene. The ultimate question should be whether another reasonable officer if confronted with the same facts and circumstances could believe that evidence of the arrestee’s crime might be found in the vehicle the arrestee recently occupied. Facts and circumstances leading to such a reasonable belief will include information about the offense and the offender the age of the information the nature of the crime at issue the behavior of the arrestee before during and after the arrest ownership and control of the vehicle and results of questioning arrestees and occupants. The Court did not expound upon why it believed vehicles to be special in this context but Justice Scalia’s concurrence in Thornton from which the language was taken reminds us that motor vehicles are a category of effects which give rise to a reduced expectation of privacy and heightened law enforcement needs. Therefore it appears as though officers may not justify a search of an arrestee’s non vehicular lunging area based upon a reasonable belief that evidence of his crime might be found therein. Rather they will have to articulate reason to believe that the arrestee could access the area at the time of the search. Other Vehicle Search Exceptions Remain Available If an officer cannot justify a search of a vehicle incident to arrest under Gant or is uncertain whether an SIA is warranted other established exceptions to the search warrant requirement remain available to safeguard evidence and protect the safety of officers. 1) If an officer has a reasonable suspicion that a passenger or recent occupant of a vehicle whether arrested or not is dangerous and may gain access to a weapon he may frisk the passenger compartment for weapons This exception is known as a Terry frisk of the vehicle. (2) If the officer has probable cause that the vehicle contains evidence of criminal activity the officer may conduct a thorough search of any area of the vehicle in which the evidence might be found. This exception is the aforementioned mobile conveyance exception or the Carroll Doctrine. (3) If an officer conducting an arrest reasonably suspects that a dangerous person is hiding in a nearby vehicle he may conduct a protective sweep of the vehicle by looking in places where such a person might be concealed. (4) Consent will always allow an officer to search as long as it is given voluntarily by one with actual or apparent authority to give it and the officer stays within the boundaries of the consent given. 5) Although not permitted for use as a criminal search tool an officer who effects a lawful impound of a vehicle may inventory its contents in accordance with standardized agency policy. If the inventory is performed lawfully any evidence or contraband identified during the process may be seized and used as evidence in a criminal prosecution and may provide justification for another warrant exception. References ^ â€Å"Law professor Tomkovicz writes brief for case in upcomin g Supreme Court term†. The Press-Citizen. 2008-09-29. http://www. google. com http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Arizona_v. _Gant