Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby Essay Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is one of the best American novels owing to its thematic strength. It reflects â€Å"The Jazz Age of 1920s and the writer artistically examine the theme of aspiration in America during this era. Fitzgerald wrote this novel as a satire on this so called glamorous period. This novel is about Gatsby, newly rich person, who is obsessed with desire of reuniting with a lady, Daisy, whom he loses in past just because of status difference. The main theme of this novel is while many desire the American Dream of easy, quick money and measuring success and happiness only with material wealth; eventually they realize this perfect dream is certainly unachievable. This dream leads Gatsby from Poverty to wealth and he finally gets Daisys love. But the end of the novel exposes the ugly side of this American Dream. There are many social themes in the story including Dream, vision, honesty, time, wealth, superficiality and shallowness, societal expectation, disloyalty, immorality and selfishness. The surface study shows that its about love relation between Gatsby and Daisy. But the story has much broader theme rather than big romantic scope. The most dominating theme of the story is that of American Dream or rather Perverted American Dream†. It is very symbolic story of Roaring Age of 1920s America, particularly the story of shattering of American Dream in that era of economic prosperity and material abundance. It exposes how the American people adulterated American Dream by indulging in immoral and unethical pursuits of wealth. The energy to be burnt in noble purpose gets started to be burnt in show off and individual pleasure, fame and success. All other themes of the novel strengthens this theme through out the story. The people become selfish, indulge themselves in vulgar means of wealth, disloyalty is at its peak and the most important of all; they forget the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. Theme of wealth supports the main theme in the strongest way. It is desire of possessing enormous wealth which blinds one from real objective. It is wealth which betrays the characters of the story from their noble goal and leads them to wrong way. That is how noble American dream is corrupted. Insight and vision of the characters are blurred due to obsession of wealth. The characters are too blind to know their own self or others’. The writer is successful in connecting this blindness of characters with main theme of Disintegration of American Dream. The story also describes the theme of Time†. The novel depicts both pre-war and post-war scenario in a way that we clearly come to know the differences which occur during that period. The mind of characters becomes so materialistic in the wake of World War1 that they are highly scorned by old aristocratic class who once had a high and unrivaled prestige. Its this change of time which results in shattering of Noble American Dream. Gatsby gets back her beloved, Daisy, winning her heart by showing off his wealth. A simpler, better, nobler time, perhaps, a time when people believed in the importance of the family and the church turns into materialistic time in which everything is measured through wealth. Theres no denying the fact that the fall of American dream is the super theme of the story and rest of the themes support it fully. The story shows how reality turns into illusion and how dream is shattered. It shows the impossibility of American dream in an era of immorality where there is no place for religion and ethics but for wealth, the prime interest. Reference: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The great Gatsby Scribner Paperback Fiction. New York. 1995

The Price Of Elasticity Of Supply Economics Essay

The Price Of Elasticity Of Supply Economics Essay The price of elasticity of supply assesses the sensitiveness of the quantity supplied to a change in the price of a good when all other influences on selling plans remain constant. It can be calculated by using the formula: PES = Percentage change in quantity supplied Percentage change in price The two determinants of price elasticity of supply are resource substitution possibilities and time frame for the supply decision (Parkin 9th edition pg97): For resource substitution possibilities, it means that only some goods and services can be produced only by using special or rare productive resources. Such items have low and sometimes even zero elasticity of supply because items like that are hard to be substituted. For example, cars and tyres. As the price of rubber rises, the quantity supplied will reduce by only a little because people still need tyres for their cars. It is difficult to find another raw material for tyre because the input factor of production is rare and therefore, the price elasticity of supply will be inelastic. The second determinant is time respond for the supply decision. For instance planting maize. It takes a few months to produce maize that even if the price changes, the farmer will not be able to do anything. Reason being so is that when the price of maize fluctuates, the time taken for maize production will remain constant. Thus, the price elasticity of supply will be inelastic if the production is long. Price QS 40% 20% S Based on the diagram, it shows that price increase is greater than the quantity supplied. The two determinants of price elasticity of supply are resource substitution and time frame for supply decision. Part B Price elasticity of demand (PED) is a unit free measure of the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in price, when all other determinants on buying plans remain the same. The formula used to calculate PED is(Parkin, 9th edition pg 86): PED = Percentage change in quantity demanded Percentage change in price Businesses use the price elasticity concept to decide on their pricing strategy based on three ranges of elasticity namely inelastic, elastic and unit elastic demand. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded is less than percentage increase in price, it is said to be an elastic demand. Goods that are categorized under inelastic are considered necessities and therefore when business increase the price to obtain more revenue, the demand will still be there. An example would be smokers and cigarettes. If the price of cigarettes is now rm10 a pack, quantity demanded is 50 but when price increase to rm15 a pack, quantity demanded becomes 45. The above diagram is an example of the relationship between the change in quantity demanded and change in price. The elasticity is more than zero but less than one, which means it is inelastic and smokers will still continue buying cigarettes despite the price increase. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded but greater than one exceeds the percentage increase in price, then it is an elastic demand. Goods that have an elastic demand are luxury goods because the goods have many substitutes, for example Nike shoes. If the price is rm200, then quantity demanded is 100 but once the price increases to rm220, the quantity demanded will fall to 70. This is because the customers can resort to other brands. The elasticity is more than one which means customers are sensitive to the change in price. The diagram shows that even though the price increases only by a little bit, but the quantity demanded decreased by a lot because goods like that can be substituted easily. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded equals to the percentage increase in price, then it is a unit elastic demand. In cases like that, businesses should neither increase nor decrease the price of goods because a change in price will change the quantity demanded. An example would be chewing gum. The initial price is rm1, and quantity demanded is 200 but once the price increases to rm2, the quantity demanded will decrease to 100. By using the concept of price elasticity, businesses can decide whether to increase price (inelastic demand), reduce price (elastic demand) or not to change the price (unit elastic demand) in order to maximize revenue. Question 3 One of the factors of supply is the prices of factors of production. A decrease in price of production will directly correlate to an increase in supply. This is because if the price of a factor of production used to produce a good decreases the minimum price that a supplier is willing to accept for producing each quantity of those good decreases. So a decrease in the price of a factor of production decreases supply and shifts the supply curve rightward. Another factor is the price of related goods produced. A substitute in production of a good is another good that can be produced using the same resources. The supply of a good increase if the price of a substitute in production falls. Goods are complements in production if they must be produced together. The supply of a good increase if the price of a complement in production rises. Expected future prices are another determinant of an increase in supply. If the price of a good is expected to decrease in the future, the supply of the g ood today increases and the supply curve shifts leftward. b) A price ceiling or price cap is a regulation that makes it illegal to charge a price higher than a specific level. If the price ceiling is set above the equilibrium price, it has no effect. The market works as if there were no ceiling in the first place. Inversely, if the ceiling were to be set below the equilibrium, its effects are far greater. If the level of price equilibrium is above the price ceiling, in order to achieve price equilibrium one would have to enter to illegal region. Other mechanisms thus come into place in order to eliminate the shortage created by the price cap. Search activity and black markets are some of those mechanisms and consumers are willing to pay a higher price in order to obtain the goods due to the shortage. A price ceiling decreases the quantity supplied to a less efficient quantity resulting in a deadweight loss. A further shrink in consumer and producer surplus further enhances the potential loss from search activity. A price floor is a regulati on that makes it illegal to trade at a price lower than a specific level. If it is set below the equilibrium price, there is no effect. Effect only takes place if set above the equilibrium price. Price floor leads to an inefficient outcome. A minimum price is set above the equilibrium and decreases the quantity demanded. A deadweight loss thus arises due to a decrease in consumer and producer surplus. Question 5 Part A Demand refers to the quantity of a good that potential buyers would be willing and able to buy or attempt to buy at a different price level. The law of demand states that there is an inverse relationship between the price of a good and the quantity demanded in a defined time period. Quantity demanded of a good or service is the amount that consumers plan to buy during a given time period at a particular price.(McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition) A decrease in demand will result in a leftward shift in the graph and there are six main factors influencing it. The first factor is the prices of related goods. Assume if a comparison is made between hamburger and hot dog. If the price of a substitute for hamburger rises, people buy less of the substitute and more hamburgers. The demand for hamburger will rise and demand for hot dogs will fall. Then there is also complement which is a good that is used in conjunction with another. For example, fries and hamburgers. If the price for hamburger increases, people will not buy so much fries and hamburgers. There will be a decrease in demand. The next factor is expected future prices. If a good, for now will decrease because people would want to buy it at a cheaper price. The third factor is income. When income rises, consumer will buy more goods but when it decreases, they will buy less of those goods. A normal good is one for which demand increases as income increases. Inferior good is one when demand will decrease as income increases. Next factor that will decrease a demand is when expected future income and credit falls. For example, when a sales person knows her income will fall in the future, she will have to spend wisely and not splurge on goods. Another factor is when the population decreases. For example in the 1990s in America, a decrease in the college-age population decrease the demand for college places. Lastly would be preference. If there is poor or no environmental awareness, it will shift the demand curve for recycled items or even eco-friendly bags to the left. The diagram shows a leftward shift on the demand curve. Unlike the demand curve, the quantity demanded curve will bring an upward movement on the diagram, instead of a shift and the only factor that influences it is price with all other determinants on buying plans remain constant. According to the new law of demand, higher price will cause a decrease in demand. From the diagram, a decrease in quantity demanded will cause an upward movement when price rise from P0 to P1, quantity demanded falls from QD2 to QD1. An example would be the rise of price of apple from P0 to P1. It will decrease the quantity demanded to QD1. There are a few differences between a decrease in demand and decrease in quantity demanded. First, decrease in demand will show a leftward shift in the graph but decrease in quantity demanded shows an upward movement. There are six factors influencing the demand to decrease but only one that influence the quantity demand; price. Part B Income elasticity of demand (YED) is the ratio of percentage change in the quantity demanded of a good or service to a given percentage change in income. YED indicates the responsiveness of demand to change of household income. To calculate YED.(McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition) : YED = Percentage change in quantity demanded Percentage change in householdà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s income The three degrees of YED are positive, negative and zero. For positive YED, it is further categorized into two types which are income inelastic (01). For income inelastic, the percentage increase in quantity demanded is positive but less than the percentage increase in income. When the demand for a good is income inelastic, the percentage of income spent on that good decreases as income increases. Those will be considered normal goods such as clothes, food and travel. But for income elastic demand, the percentage increase in quantity demanded exceeds the percentage increase in income. When the demand for a good is income elastic, the percentage of income spent on that good increases as income increases. For example, if the price of a doughnut is constant and 9 doughnuts an hour are bought. So when income rises from rm975 to tm1025 a week, the quantity of doughnuts sold rise to 11 an hour, ceteris paribus. The change in quantity demanded is 2 and the average quantity is 10 doughnuts, so the quantity demanded increases by 20% and the change in income is tm50 and the average is rm1000 so income increases by 5%. The income elasticity of demand for doughnut is: 20% = 4% 5% Therefore, it is said that the income elasticity demand for pizza is elastic. Next is negative YED (YED Question 6 Equilibrium is a situation in which opposing forces balance each other out. Equilibrium in a market occurs when the price balances the plans of buyers and sellers. The equilibrium price is the price at which the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied. Consumer surplus is defined as the value of a good minus the price paid for it, summed over the quantity bought. It is measured by the area under the demand curve and above the price paid, up to the quantity bought. Producer surplus is determined by subtracting the marginal cost from the price received for a good and summed over the quantity sold. It is measured by the area below the market price and above the supple curve. b.) The production possibility frontier (PPF) marks the boundary between the combination of goods and services that can be produced. There are four assumptions that are made which are the economy is efficient, there are a fixed amount of resources, a fixed level of technology and there are only two goods. In order to achieve efficiency there must be full employment and full production. The opportunity cost of an activity is the value of the next best alternative that must be forgone to undertake the activity. Scarcity is a situation where there is not enough resources to produce enough a good to satisfy the needs of the consumers. Choice occurs when scarcity forces consumers to make a choice in order to maximise satisfaction. PPF illustrates these three principles of economics; choice, scarcity and opportunity cost. Because of scarcity, a society has to make choices between the productions of two goods with scarce resources available. Most choice involves opportunity costs. Referencing Parkin.M, Economics 9th edition ,Pearson International Edition McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition

What Is Your Position On The Death Penalty Philosophy Essay

What Is Your Position On The Death Penalty Philosophy Essay Does the death penalty serve as a deterrent to crime? Naturally, supporters of the death penalty believe that capital punishment acts as the best deterrent possible for decreasing instances of crime. Abolitionists however, think that the death penalty is no more of a deterrent than life imprisonment. The bottom line is that deterrence in regards to the death penalty is the theory about the mind of a murderer involving the psychological processes that exist (Costanzo, 2004). If so, why are crime rates in the United States comparatively high? What are some other countries responses to the death penalty? What is your position on the death penalty- should it be legal or should it be abolished? Why? Should youths who have been convicted of violent crimes be subject to the death penalty? Why or why not? Capital punishment is punishment by death for committing a crime. Capital punishment is often called the death penalty. It is most commonly used in convictions for murder. But it has also been used for such crimes as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and treason. About 60 countries-including the United States and many African and Asian nations-use capital punishment. Canada, Australia, and most European and Latin American nations have abolished it.   Table Capital punishment in the United States Throughout history, governments have executed criminals by a variety of methods. These methods have included hanging, crucifixion, stoning, beheading, and poisoning. Since the 1600s, shooting-often by firing squads-has been a common method of execution in many countries. Some countries execute criminals using electrocution or deadly gas. The most commonly used method in the United States is lethal injection. Lethal injection involves the use of drugs that stop the persons breathing and heartbeat. History of capital punishment. Governments have used capital punishment since ancient times. In 399  B.C., the Greek philosopher Socrates was condemned to death. He was forced to drink hemlock, a poison the people of ancient Athens used for the death penalty. Between the A.D.  400s and 1400s, thousands of people in Europe were executed were executed for crimes against the state and church. Most were hanged or beheaded. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), the revolutionary government executed around 40,000 people. One method of execution in France was the guillotine, a beheading machine. The use of capital punishment in many parts of the world declined during the 1900s. The United Kingdom suspended capital punishment for murder in 1965 and abolished it in 1969. Northern Ireland, however, which is part of the United Kingdom, kept the death penalty for several more years. By 1998, capital punishment had been banned in the entire United Kingdom for all crimes. Canada abolished the death penalty for murder in 1976 and for all crimes in 1998. By 1985, Australia had abolished capital punishment for all crimes. About 130 nations have formally abolished capital punishment or stopped using it. Many less developed countries continue to use the death penalty. The United States is the only industrialized Western nation where executions still take place. In the United States, the death penalty may be given as a punishment under federal law, military law, or the laws of 35 states. The decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Furman v. Georgia (1972) greatly influenced the use of capital punishment in the United States. The court held that the death penalty, as it was delivered at the time, was cruel and unusual punishment. Therefore, the death penalty violated the 8th and 14th amendments to the Constitution. However, the court left open the possibility that the death penalty could be constitutional if it were conducted differently. The court stated that death penalty laws must be limited to certain crimes and applied according to fair standards. Following the decision, many states passed new laws to satisfy the courts requirements. In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Supreme Court upheld the use of capital punishment for people sentenced under new laws in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. The court ruled that the death penalty itself and the standards developed by the states were constitutional. Later in the 1970s, the court struck down laws that made the death penalty mandatory (required) for certain crimes. It also abolished the death penalty as a punishment for rape. More than 1,000 people have been executed in the United States since the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in 1976. Thousands more are imprisoned on death row. Death row is where people who have been sentenced to death await execution. Many prisoners on death row are awaiting the outcome of legal appeals. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that juries, not judges, must decide sentences in capital punishment cases in which there was a trial by jury. That same year, the court ruled that it was unconstitutional to execute people who have an intellectual disability. In 2005, the court banned the use of capital punishment in cases where the offender (person who broke the law) was under 18 years of age when the crime was committed. In the early 2000s, some U.S. states reexamined their capital punishment systems. Evidence had shown that some prisoners on death row were actually innocent or had been tried unfairly. For example, in 2001, Illinois declared a moratorium (temporary halt) on capital punishment. During the moratorium, a commission reviewed the fairness of the system and found many flaws. Therefore, Illinois continued its moratorium. In 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted (reduced) the death sentences of all the prisoners then on death row in the state. He changed most of the sentences to life in prison without parole. Other states halted executions, at least temporarily, to study the method of lethal injection. In 2006, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida suspended the death penalty in the state. This suspension followed an incident in which prison officials had mishandled the lethal injection of a convicted killer. Bush appointed a commission to investigate whether lethal injection violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. In mid-2007, Florida resumed the death penalty. In 2006, a federal judge in California declared a halt on executions to determine the constitutionality of lethal injections. Executions in the United States were put on hold in September 2007 after two Kentucky death-row inmates challenged the current procedures of delivering lethal injections. The inmates argued that the method violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. In April 2008, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the current lethal injection procedures. This ruling permitted executions to resume in the United States. A number of U.S. state legislatures in the early 2000s considered laws to end their states use of the death penalty. New Jersey abolished death penalty in 2007. New Mexico did so in 2009. Print History of capital punishment subsection The debate over capital punishment. People often disagree about whether capital punishment is a moral and effective way of dealing with crime. Many people oppose the death penalty because they believe it is cruel. They believe it is not consistent with the ideals of modern society. Critics also warn that innocent people could be executed if they are mistakenly convicted or unfairly sentenced. Most critics favor life imprisonment as an alternative to capital punishment. Supporters of capital punishment believe that, in certain circumstances, a person who takes a human life deserves to lose his or her own life. Supporters also argue that the threat of capital punishment deters (discourages) people from committing serious crimes. However, studies have not consistently shown that the death penalty has a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment. Print The debate over capital punishment subsection ______________ Contributor: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚  Robert W. Taylor, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Criminal Justice, University of North Texas. How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: Taylor, Robert W. Capital punishment. World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web.   4 Feb. 2011. To learn about citing sources, see Help. Extracts from Beccarias an Essay on Crimes and Punishments BECCARIA, An Essay on Crimes and Punishments (Edinburgh, 1788), pp. 49 sqq., 70 sq., 111 sqq., 169. World History 93. What are in general the proper punishments for crimes? Is the punishment of death really useful or necessary for the safety or good order of society? Are tortures and torments consistent with justice, or do they answer the end proposed by the laws? Which is the best method of preventing crimes? Are the same punishments equally useful at all times? What influence have they on morals? These problems should be solved with that geometrical precision which the mist of sophistry, the seduction of eloquence, and the timidity of doubt are unable to resist. If I have no other merit than that of having first presented to my country with a greater degree of evidence what other nations have written and are beginning to practice, I shall account myself fortunate; but if, by supporting the rights of mankind and of invincible truth, I shall contribute to save from the agonies of death one unfortunate victim of tyranny or of ignorance, equally fatal, his blessing and tears of transport will be a sufficient consolation to me for the contempt of mankind.  .  .  . It is evident that the intent of punishments is not to torment a sensitive being nor to undo a crime already committed. Is it possible that torments and useless cruelty, the instruments of furious fanaticism or of the impotency of tyrants, can be authorized by a political body which, so far from being influenced by passion, should be the cool moderator of the passions of individuals? Can the groans of a tortured wretch recall the time past or reverse the crime he has committed? The end of punishment therefore is no other than to prevent others from committing the like offense. Such punishments, therefore, and such a mode of inflicting them ought to be chosen as will make strongest and most lasting impressions on the minds of others with the least torment to the body of the criminal.  .  .  . Use of torture The torture of a criminal during the course of his trial is a cruelty consecrated by custom in most nations. It is used with an intent either to make him confess his crime or explain some contradictions into which he has been led during his examination; or discover his accomplices; or for some kind of metaphysical and incomprehensible purgation of infamy; or finally, in order to discover other crimes of which he is not accused, but of which he may be guilty. No man can be judged a criminal until he be found guilty; nor can society take from him the public protection until it has been proved that he has violated the conditions on which it was granted. What right, then, but that of mere power can authorize the punishment of a citizen so long as there remains any doubt of his guilt? The following dilemma is a frequent one! Either he is guilty or not guilty. If guilty, he should only suffer the punishment ordained by the laws, and torture becomes useless, as his confession is unnecessary. If he be not guilty, you torture the innocent; for in the eye of the law every man is innocent whose crime has not been proved.  .  .  . A very strange but necessary consequence of the use of torture is that the plight of the innocent is worse than that of the guilty. With regard to the first, either he confesses the crime which he has not committed and is condemned, or he is acquitted and has suffered a punishment he did not deserve. On the contrary, the person who is really guilty has the most favorable side of the question; for if he supports the torture with firmness and resolution, he is acquitted and is the gainer, having exchanged a greater punishment for a less.  .  .  . Arguments against capital punishment The punishment of death is pernicious to society from the examples of barbarity it affords. If the passions or the necessity of war have taught men to shed the blood of their fellow-creatures, the laws, which are intended to moderate the ferocity of mankind, should not increase it by examples of barbarity,-the more horrible since this punishment is usually attended with formal pageantry. Is it not absurd that the laws which detect and punish homicide should, in order to prevent murder, publicly commit murder themselves? What are the true and most useful laws? Those compacts and conditions which all would propose and observe in those moments when private interest is silent or combined with that of the public. What are the natural sentiments of every person concerning the punishment of death? We may read them in the contempt and indignation with which every one looks on the executioner, who is nevertheless an innocent executor of the public will, a good citizen who contributes to the advantage of society, the instrument of the general security within as good soldiers are without. What, then, is the origin of this contradiction? Why is this sentiment of mankind indelible, however one may reason? It is because in a secret corner of the mind, in which the original impressions of nature are still preserved, men discover a sentiment which tells them that their lives are not lawfully in the power of any one, but of that necessity only which with its iron scepter rules the universe.  .  .  . The past full of mistakes If it be objected that almost all nations in all ages have punished certain crimes with death, I answer that the force of these examples vanishes when opposed to truth against which prescription is urged in vain. The history of mankind is an immense sea of errors in which a few obscure truths may here and there be found.  .  .  . That some societies only, either few in number or for a very short time, have abstained from the punishment of death is rather favorable to my argument, for such is the fate of great truths that their duration is only as a flash of lightning in the long dark night of error. The happy time has not yet arrived when truth, as falsehood has been hitherto, shall be the portion of the greatest number. I am sensible that the voice of one philosopher is too weak to be heard amidst the clamors of a multitude blindly influenced by custom; but there is a small number of sages scattered on the face of the earth who will echo me from the bottom of their hearts; and if these truths should happily force their way to the thrones of princes, be it known to them that they come attended with the secret wishes of all mankind; and tell the sovereign that deigns them a gracious reception that his fame shall outshine the glory of conquerors, and that equitable posterity will exalt his peaceful trophies above those of a Titus, an Antoninus, or a Trajan. The benevolent despots How happy were mankind if laws were now to be first formed, now that we see on the thrones of Europe benevolent monarchs, friends to the virtues of peace, to the arts and sciences, fathers of their people, though crowned, yet citizens; the increase of whose authority augments the happiness of their subjects by destroying that intermediate despotism which intercepts the prayers of the people to the throne. If these humane princes have suffered the old laws to subsist, it is doubtless because they are disturbed by the numberless obstacles which oppose the subversion of errors by the sanction of many ages; and therefore every wise citizen will wish for the increase of their authority.  .  .  . Would you prevent crimes? Let the laws be clear and simple; let the entire force of the nation be united in their defense; let them be intended rather to favor every individual than any particular classes of men; let the laws be feared and the laws only.  .  .  . From what I have written, results the following general theorem of considerable utility, though not conformable to Custom, the common legislator of nations: That a punishment may not be an act of violence, of one or of many, against a private member of society; it should be public, immediate, and necessary; the least possible in the case given; proportioned to the crime, and determined by the laws. How to cite this document: To cite this document, World Book recommends the following format: di Beccaria, Marchese . Extracts from Beccarias An Essay on Crimes and Punishments. Readings in Modern European History: A Collection of Extracts from the Sources Chosen With the Purpose of Illustrating Some of the Chief Phases of the Development of Europe During the Last Two Hundred Years, Volume 1: The Eighteenth Century: The French Re. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1908. World Book Advanced. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. ANOTHER VIEW: Do not expand New Hampshires death penalty Anonymous. The Union Leader. Manchester, N.H.: Feb 2, 2011. pg. A.7 Abstract (Summary) [] the abolition of the death penalty does not jeopardize our states ability to protect people from dangerous criminals, as we have available to us the sentence of life without the possibility of parole (which the minority report of the Commission to Study the Death Penalty in New Hampshire referred to as death by incarceration). [] in the midst of all our discussion on legislation, let us never fail to express our support for the families and friends of victims of terrible crimes.   Ã‚ »   Jump to indexing (document details) Full Text   (672   words) Copyright Union Leader Corporation Feb 2, 2011 THE NEW HAMPSHIRE House of Representatives soon will consider two bills, HB 147 and HB 162, which seek to expand the death penalty in our state. As Catholic bishops, and as citizens of New Hampshire, we urge the members of the House to vote against these bills. Like other citizens of our state, our hearts are broken by the inconceivable and monstrous crimes that prompted these bills. We pray for the victims and their families; we honor the bravery and nobility of the police officers; and we, too, seek a just punishment for the guilty. However, we believe that just punishment should not involve the taking of yet another life. It was surely no accident that life was the first of the inalienable rights affirmed by our nations Declaration of Independence. The right to life is the foundation of all the human rights we possess. Unfortunately, in our time, the value of human life and human dignity is constantly under attack. During the century we just concluded, we saw war and bloodshed on a scale never before witnessed in human history. We live in a culture where the taking of the most innocent of lives those of unborn children in the womb is tolerated, made legal, and even encouraged, and a world where the elderly and infirm are subtly encouraged not to be a drain on their families or society. In the face of all this, it is evident that to restore what Pope John Paul II called a culture of life, our society ought to employ the strongest measures available. One of the measures available is the restriction and eventual abolition of the death penalty. By no means does this assertion of the respect for the life of criminals minimize the requirement that justice be done to them through proportionate punishment, nor does it dissolve the distinction between innocence and guilt. Indeed, the abolition of the death penalty does not jeopardize our states ability to protect people from dangerous criminals, as we have available to us the sentence of life without the possibility of parole (which the minority report of the Commission to Study the Death Penalty in New Hampshire referred to as death by incarceration). Instead, our states refusal to kill capital offenders would be a sign of the states confident moral integrity, not of its weakness to govern and protect. When the state ends a human life although a non-lethal alternative exists, it suggests that society can end violence with more violence. We know that this is not the case. As Pope Benedict XVI has said, killing the guilty one is not the way to rebuild justice and reconcile society. On the contrary, there is the risk that the spirit of revenge is fueled and that the seeds of new violence are sown. We therefore should end the use of the death penalty, not only for what it does to those who are executed, but for what it does to all of society. By having the courage and rectitude to spare the lives of those who are demonstrably guilty and, instead, imprison them for life, we develop and support a culture appreciative and protective of the value of every human person. By refusing to expand the death penalty in this state, we proclaim a moral goodness that moves beyond the influence of reaction to chilling crimes and toward a civil ethic that respects the intrinsic value of every human person from conception to natural death. For these reasons, HB 147 and HB 162 should not become law. Finally, in the midst of all our discussion on legislation, let us never fail to express our support for the families and friends of victims of terrible crimes. Let us show our gratitude and appreciation for members of law enforcement who bring criminals to justice. Let us all as Pope John Paul II challenged, commit to live as people of life and for life. . John B. McCormack is bishop of Manchester. Francis J. Christian is auxiliary bishop of Manchester. Indexing (document details) Subjects: Capital punishment,   Violence Author(s): Anonymous Document types: Editorial Section: OPINION Publication title: The Union Leader.  Manchester, N.H.:  Feb 2, 2011.   pg. A.7 Source type: Newspaper ISSN: 07455798 ProQuest document ID: 2256312851 Text Word Count 672 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2256312851sid=1Fmt=3clientId=74379RQT=309VName=PQD ANOTHER VIEW: Do not expand New Hampshires death penalty.  (2011,  February  2). The Union Leader,A.7.   Retrieved February 4, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID:  2256312851). ethal Injection and the F.D.A.; [Editorial] New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Jan 28, 2011. pg. A.30 Abstract (Summary) When it reaffirmed the constitutionality of capital punishment three years ago, a splintered Supreme Court said it believed lethal injection carried neither substantial nor objectively intolerable risk of inflicting serious harm.   Ã‚ »   Jump to indexing (document details) Full Text   (412   words) Copyright New York Times Company Jan 28, 2011 Capital punishment means lethal injection. The administration of a barbiturate as part of a fatal dose of drugs is meant to render a convict unconscious before other drugs stop his or her breathing and heart so the execution can somehow be construed by a judge as being neither cruel nor unusual. Sodium thiopental is at the heart of this story. A fast- and short-acting general anesthetic, it has been used to put convicts under and make executions methodical. For more than a year, however, a shortage of the drug has widened the gap between the reality of carrying out executions and support for them in American law. In October, a majority of the Supreme Court wrongly insisted there was no evidence that the shortage had any bearing on whether an execution can be done constitutionally. Now the evidence is impossible to ignore. We strongly oppose capital punishment on many grounds. Even with judicial blessing, the conduct of executions in this country is a shambles. In Arizona and Georgia, the sodium thiopental used in executions has possibly been ineffective and almost certainly been illegal. It came from Dream Pharma, an unlicensed British supplier, run from a driving school. The batches carried a date of 2006. They were likely made by a company in Austria that went out of business. The drug is said to be effective for only a year. As a foreign-made drug without approval by the Food and Drug Administration, it is prohibited by federal statute. The F.D.A. initially suspected the drug from Dream Pharma of being adulterated or mislabeled and refused to let it be imported. Then it let the drug enter the country but with the warning that the agency hadnt reviewed the drugs identity, safety, effectiveness, purity or any other characteristics. This month, the F.D.A. stated: Reviewing substances imported or used for the purpose of state-authorized lethal injection clearly falls outside of F.D.A.s explicit public health role. In the meantime, the only American manufacturer of sodium thiopental formerly described as F.D.A.-approved has announced it will no longer make the drug. It planned to produce the drug in Italy, but the Italian government has said it wont permit the drugs export for use in executions. When it reaffirmed the constitutionality of capital punishment three years ago, a splintered Supreme Court said it believed lethal injection carried neither substantial nor objectively intolerable risk of inflicting serious harm. How can the justices be confident in that conclusion now? Indexing (document details) Subjects: Capital punishment,   Anesthesia,   Supreme Court decisions,   Editorials Capital punishment Companies: Food Drug AdministrationFDA Document types: Editorial Column Name: Editorial Section: A Publication title: New York Times.  (Late Edition (East Coast)).  New York, N.Y.:  Jan 28, 2011.   pg. A.30 Source type: Newspaper ISSN: 03624331 ProQuest document ID: 2250674721 Text Word Count 412 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2250674721sid=2Fmt=3clientId=74379RQT=309VName=PQD Lethal Injection and the F.D.A  :[Editorial].  (2011,  January  28). New York Times   (Late Edition (east Coast)),   p.  A.30.   Retrieved February 4, 2011, from Banking Information Source. (Document ID:  2250674721).

The Spanish Influenza in Missouri :: Journalism St. Louis, Missouri Health Essays

The Spanish Influenza in Missouri Reports of the Spanish Influenza continue to bombard us from St. Louis, Missouri, as inhabitants of that fine city take many precautions to safeguard themselves and their families against this incendiary malady currently sweeping our great nation. At a time of war when our country needs our strength the most it is important that we fight this Influenza head on, taking whatever actions necessary to eradicate it from our fine shores. Let us take a page from St. Louis's book on how to prevent this illness from spreading. Culling through the pages of this fine publication you may notice many advertisements for products meant to maintain the health of your loved ones. Things to help them look and feel their best. Instructions and products for ridding oneself of dandruff or bleaching one's freckles with lemon juice abound--helping you, dear readers, to be your best! Most importantly [there are] prescriptions for how to keep your family healthy, and to avoid catching the Spanish Influenza that has the very city of St. Louis in its fiery grips! One of the most common preventatives are powders or liquids meant to cleanse the bowels of impurities which leave your body tired and open to infection by this dastardly plague. Also for your little ones who do not enjoy the tastes of medicines are Cascarets, delicious candy-like drops that cure children of biliousness and sour stomach. As we all know, purging one's system of impurities is a medical miracle that has been long-held and used to restore the healt h of many from early times in western Europe. However, there are drawbacks to using medicines as a preventative against the Influenza epidemic. Why, just yesterday the Water Commissioner answered complaints from the citizens of St. Louis who complained that "the water tastes like medicine." The water, he explained, is not being treated in any different fashion, but that "an unusually large number of people are taking medicine and its lingering taste might be attributed by some to the water." By October 3, earlier this year influenza had been reported in 43 states. It was at this time that St. Louis's Health Society Head, Dr. Evans, urged any members of the community with ailments as minor as the common cold to cover their mouths upon sneezing, and to please cover their faces with a hankie when in public. The Spanish Influenza in Missouri :: Journalism St. Louis, Missouri Health Essays The Spanish Influenza in Missouri Reports of the Spanish Influenza continue to bombard us from St. Louis, Missouri, as inhabitants of that fine city take many precautions to safeguard themselves and their families against this incendiary malady currently sweeping our great nation. At a time of war when our country needs our strength the most it is important that we fight this Influenza head on, taking whatever actions necessary to eradicate it from our fine shores. Let us take a page from St. Louis's book on how to prevent this illness from spreading. Culling through the pages of this fine publication you may notice many advertisements for products meant to maintain the health of your loved ones. Things to help them look and feel their best. Instructions and products for ridding oneself of dandruff or bleaching one's freckles with lemon juice abound--helping you, dear readers, to be your best! Most importantly [there are] prescriptions for how to keep your family healthy, and to avoid catching the Spanish Influenza that has the very city of St. Louis in its fiery grips! One of the most common preventatives are powders or liquids meant to cleanse the bowels of impurities which leave your body tired and open to infection by this dastardly plague. Also for your little ones who do not enjoy the tastes of medicines are Cascarets, delicious candy-like drops that cure children of biliousness and sour stomach. As we all know, purging one's system of impurities is a medical miracle that has been long-held and used to restore the healt h of many from early times in western Europe. However, there are drawbacks to using medicines as a preventative against the Influenza epidemic. Why, just yesterday the Water Commissioner answered complaints from the citizens of St. Louis who complained that "the water tastes like medicine." The water, he explained, is not being treated in any different fashion, but that "an unusually large number of people are taking medicine and its lingering taste might be attributed by some to the water." By October 3, earlier this year influenza had been reported in 43 states. It was at this time that St. Louis's Health Society Head, Dr. Evans, urged any members of the community with ailments as minor as the common cold to cover their mouths upon sneezing, and to please cover their faces with a hankie when in public.

My Experiences in a Nursing Career Essay -- Personal Essays Career

Nursing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter ´s or sculptor ´s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God ´s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.† Spoken by a true nurse, Florence Nightingale; a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have many goals in life such as to have a good strong career and family. What is important to me is graduating Central high school and go on to UND. While at UND I plan to get my nursing degree and specialize in pediatrics and truama. I have already started to make short term goals that will lead me in to the life of nursing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have volunteered at Altru hospital since I was in the eight grade. I have been on most of the floors from surgery to pediatrics, terminally ill to yearly check ups. This has influenced me greatly, encouraging me to go in to nursing and also to go in to a more specialized area. Volunteering helped me search my future my career until I was old enough to get my CNA and go in to the health careers class. A CNA is a certified nursing assistant. When I turned sixteen i applied for the CNA class. Three months later I became a CNA. As a junior I also took a health careers class. This class gave me a more indepth look at the choices that I could make a...

Competitive Strategies

The battle between Nike and Reebok lasted over three decades and created celebrity culture as we know today. Initially the two could not have been more different: Phil Knight, a former University of Oregon track star and a Stanford MBA, tossed his accounting career and formed a company to import running shoes to the U. S (Akhtar, 2011). He named it Nike after the Greek goddess of victory. Paul Fireman dropped out of Boston University to take over his family’s sporting-goods business (Akthar, 2011). He acquired the North American rights to British-made sneakers. Reebok, a line of white-leather women’s aerobic shoes named after an antelope, took off as jogging became a national craze. Fireman bought out the parent company in 1984 and took Reebok public the following year. Benefits Nike, which had risen to prominence by aggressively courting male customers and fostering a jock-laden management culture, missed the market for women’s sneakers. Reebok overtook Nike in 1987as the latter struggled to catch up. Eventually Nike regained momentum by signing the man who would become the most iconic athlete of all time: Michael Jordan. Nike gained not just a hero athlete but also a spokesperson who connected with audiences. On the back of Jordan and the massive popularity of his Air Jordan brand, Nike surged ahead. Air Jordan sales eventually surpassed $1 billion annually (Akhtar, 2011). Reebok responded by signing Shaquille O’Neal, who once showed up to a meeting with Nike wearing a jacket emblazoned with a huge Reebok logo—much to the dismay of Nike executives (Akthar, 2011). At the 1992 Olympics, Jordan controversially draped a U. S. flag to hide the logo on the Reebok-sponsored tracksuits worn by the U. S. s winning Dream Team. The move delighted Knight, who baited Reebok further by contributing $25,000 to figure Tonya Harding’s defense fund after she was accused of orchestrating a vicious attack on Nancy Kerrigan, a Reebok athlete (Akthar, 2011). Nike continued to snap up the most popular athletes, including Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and later Tiger Woods, making Reebok seem lame by comp arison. In 2005, Adidas bought Reebok, but the new, combined company is still a distant second to the Nike juggernaut. Changes As the world is getting smaller now, many sport events are broadcasted globally. This leads to a more effective and efficient way of advertising internationally. Nike’s logos on athletes’ uniforms, signs, stadiums and television have attacked consumers at their subliminal conscious. The â€Å"swoosh† then comes to consumers’ minds quickly when they are in a process of shopping for athletic goods. The market size of Chinese plus other Asians is tremendous and these people are affected by these internationally advertisement by Nike. Athlete footwear market in Asia has not been saturated and fully developed yet, compared to those in America and Europe (Prathet, 2008). Most of Nike’s productions are based in Asian countries; therefore, there will be less cost in transportation, which creates an opportunity for a more flexible and competitive pricing method. The leading cause of Reebok’s recent tumbles stemmed from problems relating to poor marketing. Reebok’s shortcoming in the area of marketing is their key weakness. While other athletic shoe companies bombard the airwaves with commercials pushing their product lines, Reebok remains out of sight and out of mind. While Reebok’s competitors are known for familiar slogans like Nike’s â€Å"Just Do It,† Reebok’s, â€Å"Are You Feeling It,† does not equate to their brand name in the eyes of most consumers (Jenkins, 2009). Reebok, in terms of their products, is not entirely different from Nike. Reebok is involved in the design and marketing of both athletic and non-athletic footwear apparel, as well as various fitness projects (Jenkins, 2009). Reebok’s financial position has been gradually slipping for a number of years. This is evident in their declining stock price, which has fallen by over 80 percent in the last four years (Jenkins, 2009). The downfall of Reebok led to Adidas buying the company and adding its brand to their rising franchise. Nike ranked as the 25th top brand in 2011, according to Josh Sternberg, and the brand is working to bring the equity into the social sphere. On Facebook, it has 8. 96 million likes with 95,000 people talking about the company (Sternberg, 2012). Reebok has always been a step behind Nike in the sneaker wars, but it is trying to catch up using social media. On Facebook, Reebok has a little less than Nike’s 8. 6 million likes, clicking in at just a hair under 1 million, with 17,000 taking about Reebok (Sternberg, 2012). Fireman is keen on finding a place in minor sports overseas. The idea is to identify the sport that has an emotional hold on a particular country (Labich, 2010). Knight frets that the operating formula that has so enriched his enterprise could falter before long. Product development, manufacturing, and distribution seem to be rock solid, but the market power of sports celebrity is no longer a secret (Labich, 2010). Jocks are selling everything from pizzas to Cadillacs these days. Many advertisers are trotting out sports heroes and playing on the emotions of the athletic field.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Essay

  In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote details the social arena that molded Dick Hickock and Perry Smith into criminals and killers.   The author wrote of how Hickock was brought up in a loving home with a stable family but suffered from mental illness.   Perry on the other hand, had alcoholic parents in a very unloving atmosphere, uneducated and suffered from depression.   Each was influenced by society differently but the result was the same.   The author details their stories from the beginning of their criminal history up to their execution for the murder of the Clutter family.   The question is, was Perry a â€Å"natural born killer†. In an article in Psychology Today there is evidence that activity or lack of in the prefrontal cortex of the brain region are associated with acts of murder.   This prefrontal cortex activity is also associated with a wide range of behaviors such as risk taking, rule breaking, aggression and impulsivity that can lead to violence.   This evidence has a great value in maybe creating a way for society to possibly point out problem individuals and possible treatment or prevention of criminal activity such as murder.   The article goes on to say that perhaps this is a way to point to biological differences or the possibility of natural born killers (Raine 10). In some ways Truman Capote could relate to Perry because both had terrible experiences growing up. The author was intrigued as to why Perry would go on to kill and he didn’t. Capote wrote that possible social consequences made the difference possibly grooming Perry to be a killer and some professionals agree sociologist are not satisfied with the explanations that are rooted in biology and personality.   They point to the perspective of symbolic interaction that each of us interprets life through symbols that we learn (Henslin 133).   Sociologist Edwin Sutherland stressed that people learn deviance.   He uses the term differential association to indicate that we learn to deviate or to conform to society’s norms mostly by the people we associate with.   But if this is correct then why does some with the same interaction kill and others do not?   In my opinion there are people who are born natural killers.   It is something that is innate within some individuals and is nurtured by society to its final display.   In my belief some individuals will be born a killer and some will not.   Society takes this innate trait and shapes them even more, or even less, towards the direction of their innate features.   The degree of their actions is my proof.   Take hunting some individuals can hunt and some cannot.   This is an example of the innate trait for killing expressed in killing for food rather than killing another human. Degree is how society grooms each killer, the hunter and the murderer, to their final â€Å"ends†.   Because traits are passed from parent to child that is why some societies are prone to have more killers than others and what degree the acts are committed is influenced by each of the societies they live in.  Ã‚   The degree of the trait is what society uses for determining how wrong the act is and how that individual will be punished.   Evil is solely influenced and decided by the society one lives in.   Killing is inevitable for some individuals; it is to what degree that makes the difference. Reference: Capote, Truman.   In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its    Consequences.   New York: Signet Books, 1965. Henslin, James M.   Essentials of Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach.   Boston:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allyn and Bacon, 2000. Raine, A.   Natural born Killers?   Psychology Today 28(1), p.10, 1995 Jan/Feb.